Water, water everywhere

The red light district, while a bit sad, is worth seeing if only to say that you have. I like the kitsch aspect of it all.

The floating flower market is one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen in any city; even in December, the colours were spectacular.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Be careful when walking -- trams can creep up quietly and surprise you. If you're British, it'll take a while to remember that the traffic is on the other side of the road, so keep your wits around you to avoid being mown down by cyclists or motorists.

We arrived early because it was raining heavily and luckily our room was ready. The staff was friendly and helpful (in that efficient Dutch way).

Our double room was in the basement and was pretty small, but contained everything we needed for one night: a comfortable bed with crisp, clean linen, a small wardrobe, and a TV (which we watched for all of about 5 minutes).

The en suite bathroom was spotlessly clean and there were all the usual freebies (shower cap, shampoo, shower gel).

There was a buffet breakfast available for an extra 7 euros, but we chose to eat elsewhere. There were no tea/coffee making facilities in the room, but hot drinks could be bought at reception and taken to the room or consumed in reception -- there was a small seating area around a TV set. There was also a vending machine selling cigarettes, cold drinks, and snacks in the corridor next to reception.

There was a comprehensive selection of leaflets and complimentary maps of the city available in the reception area.

This is a good, reasonably priced hotel, which I would recommend to anyone staying in the city for a couple of nights; if you are staying longer, you may find the rooms a little small and oppressive.

We booked our room through www.hostelworld.com and it cost around 80 euros (for two people).

It is a modern building, which was built in the 1960s, but one that complements the 19th-century collection it houses.

The museum has a good selection of Van Gogh works through the early days of his painting when he lived with his art dealer brother, Theo, in Paris to those he painted whilst in Arles in Provence in the south of France.

On the ground floor, there is a display of various personal items, including a portfoliio of letters carefully bound by Theo's wife - sent by Vincent to his brother.

Upstairs on the first floor, there is a chronological display of his paintings over several rooms. There are some of his most famous works here including one of his earliest paintings "The Potato Eaters" and his house at Arles.

On the next floor, there are some educational facilites including a reading room.

Up on the third floor there are a few more Van Gogh paintings, but there are also works by artist who were directly influenced by Van Gogh or ones who had had a profound effect on Van Gogh.

This museum gets very busy; on the day we visited, it was raining heavily and this probably contributed to the number of visitors. This can be frustrating when you are forced to follow the same speed as those in front of you and you feel almost obliged to look at all the paintings rather than pick the ones you most want to see. It would be wise to bear this in mind and leave plenty of time if you want to see these works properly.

The cost of entry is 9 euros for adults but check to see what reductions you can get with an Amsterdam card.

There is a very good book and souvenir shop, which can only be accessed by going through the museum (meaning you have to pay). It seemed to have postcards of every painting exhibited.

For an extra cost you can hire headphones to listen to a commentary in the language of your choice or you can join a tour with one of the gallery's guides.

Access is gained through the modern visitor centre and there is a prescribed route to follow. While it is possible to pass straight through rooms, it is not possible to plan your own route because the corridors are very narrow. This is perhaps a good point at which to mention that there are lots of stairs and most of them are pretty steep. This is not a great place for anyone with mobility problems.

There is a free leaflet, available in a good number of languages, which echoes the information displayed in each room. There are television screens in several of the rooms showing short films (a couple of minutes long), which enhance our understanding of where you are and what you are seeing.

Large numbers of visitors come here so it can get busy and you often find yourself having viewed the exhibits and read the information but held up moving on to the next room.

As well as exhibits particular to the families who hid here, there are other items relating to the occupation of Amsterdam by the Nazis, such as Id documents and a yellow star - which Jews were made to wear when outdoors.

The most moving room is by far and away Anne's room -- you can still see the pictures she cut out of magazines and decorated her walls with.

There is a state of the art visitors centre here and there are computers and interactive activities, which help put this museum and the story of Anne Frank into context for younger visitors and adults alike.

I would recommend this museum whole-heartedly -- the subject matter has been treated sensitively and there is much to learn, even if you are familiar with the Anne Frank story.

Admission costs 6 euros 50 for adults and there is a reduction for children.