Amsterdam, Ferries and Ferry Crossings

Welcome to the Amsterdam (Netherlands / Holland) section of FerryCrossings.org, the site for information about major UK and continental ports and the ferries between them. Our site includes an introduction to a number of ports and feature pages about the various crossing ways, lanes and routes and companies operating between them to help you plan your journey and discover interesting travel destinations along the way. You can even compare prices and save money on your ferry tickets with ads from selected booking sites and major ferry lines.

Port of Amsterdam, Netherlands / Holland

Amsterdam. Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands, is all things to all people. Where do you start when listing its history, culture and attractions? It is a city that has many faces but they all seems to sit comfortably together without discord. Probably the first things that jump to mind when Amsterdam is mentioned are, 'The Red Light District', Ann Frank, Cannabis, Canals and, last but certainly not least, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum; but Amsterdam cannot be summed up in so few words. Its total is so much more.

The city lies in the north west part of Holland. Historically it goes back to its days as a small fishing village in the 12th century. From that time it became an increasingly important international port and a centre for Banking and the Diamond Trade. Many rich Calvinist merchants had fled the southern areas of the Netherlands in the 16th century, when much of the those areas fell under Spanish catholic rule, and large numbers of them settled in what was, then, the small port of Amsterdam. Considerable numbers of Jewish refugees from Spain and Portugal and Huguenots from France had also made their homes in Amsterdam, bringing with them trading links, education and wealth and hoping for religious toleration in return. In the 17th and 18th centuries the Netherlands dominated world trading activites and Amsterdam was one of the six city ports ( Amsterdam, Delft, Rotterdam, Enkhuizen, Middelburg and Hoorn ) that raised the capital to start the Dutch East India Company in 1602 that, for two centuries, had a monopoly on all aspects of trade in Asia and the East. Amsterdam's share was the largest, with almost a half of the voting rights. Amsterdam became a city of wealthy merchants and patrons of the arts and sciences. The degree of religious toleration in the protestant Netherlands ebbed and flowed, depending on both economic and social factors but, by and large, the communities defined by religious worship tended to live in their own separate areas.

Amsterdam's fortunes declined during the later 18th and 19th centuries as wars over trading rights with England, and the Napoleonic Wars in Europe all affected Amsterdam adversely. However, her declining fortunes picked up again and, by the end of the 19th century, Amsterdam was enjoying a new 'Goldn Age' as the railway came, museums and the Concertgebouw were built, new canals were dug, namely the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal which gave Amsterdam a direct link with the Rhine, and the North Sea Canal which gave the city a shorter access route to the North Sea. All these improvements gave a massive boost to Amsterdam's trading position. However, a few short years later the First World War broke out and, although the Netherlands remained neutral, there were social tensions and serious food and fuel shortages which resulted in riots and civil unrest. The Second World War was another story and in May 1940 the Netherlands fell to the German Occupation Forces. The Nazi persecution of the Jews in Holland became a major issue for the citizens of Amsterdam both during and after the war. Most famously the name of Anne Frank and the suffering of her family lives on through the discovery of her secret diary. During the Occupation every necessity of life was in short supply or non-existent and merely staying alive became a daily battle for the people of the city.

In the years of recovery, after the war, the city spread outwards as new suburbs were built with better housing conditions, gardens and parks. Amsterdam was once more rising like a phoenix from the ashes. Although the city hadn't suffered large scale destruction in the war years, in the years following, many of the older districts were earmarked for demolition to make way for wider, grander streets and thoroughfares. However, public outrage reached such a pitch that the full plans were never fully implemented. Today Amsterdam has regained much of its old glory and has many ancient buildings and monuments to delight the visitor who strolls along her canals and narrow streets.

From an aerial view Amsterdam has the appearance of a spider's web or a fan, with its semi circular rings of canals, and 'spokes', radiating out from the city's waterfront. The canals are Amsterdam's glory and her heart. Their layout is the result of conscious planning, not of happy accident, in the early 17th century. Architecturally, the older areas of Amsterdam contain amazing examples of building styles going back hundreds of years. The oldest of these is a wooden house built about 1470 and now to be found in a group of houses known as the Begijnhof. As you stroll by the canals or along old streets you will see innumerable examples of the magnificent houses that belonged to the rich city merchants reflecting the many different styles of architecture as the fashions changed.

Today Amsterdam is a major tourist destination and for good reasons. If it's retail therapy that you need then the shops come in all different shapes and sizes from tiny specialist shops hiding in narrow streets to modern, large, international department stores. The ethnic and cultural mix of the city, both historically and present day, mean that ithe city has an exciting and vibrant atmosphere reflecting this heritage. To get about the city you'll find that the majority of people use a bicycle ........ its flat, there are special bike lanes and racks to park them when busy elsewhere. If you don't want to ride a bike then you can catch buses or trams, or water buses along the canals.

It's an impossibility, in these few lines, to list the vast number of world famous theatres, concert halls, museums, art galleries and festivals that cater for all the desires of ballet, opera, music and art lovers world wide. There are just so many of every description. Then, when you've exhausted yourself on the cultural trails, you can take a stroll along the canal side and sit by pavement bars and cafes, with a drink in hand and food on the table, relaxing and watching the world go by. What more could you want?