http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl The no-nonsense travel guide to Amsterdam, Holland Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:07:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/813-amsterdam-tourist-tax-raise-possible http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/813-amsterdam-tourist-tax-raise-possible#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:07:27 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=813 Pay up for the ferry to and from Amsterdam-North. Spend less on arts and culture. Raise real estate and tourist taxes, and make people pay more for parking permits. Budget cuts in the areas of education, healthcare, roadworks, and a sharp reducation in the number of civil servants.

Those are some of the options Amsterdam's Municipal Executive board will have to choose from in order to make sure the city will live within its budget while facing steep cuts over the next four years.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/813-amsterdam-tourist-tax-raise-possible/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/812-high-school-distance-criterion-may-not-affect-amsterdam-coffeeshops http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/812-high-school-distance-criterion-may-not-affect-amsterdam-coffeeshops#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:50:19 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=812 Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen later this month will present the city councel with a handful of alternative measures designed to prevent the forced closure of coffeeshops located near schools.

Federal rules to go into effect no later than December 2011 will prohibit coffeeshops from operating within 250 meters from a high school.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/812-high-school-distance-criterion-may-not-affect-amsterdam-coffeeshops/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/811-amsterdam-most-bicycle-friendly-city http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/811-amsterdam-most-bicycle-friendly-city#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:09:54 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=811 Amsterdam is the most bicycle-friendly city in the world, says American travel agency Virgin Vacations. In its listing of "11 Most Bicycle Friendly Cities in the World," Amsterdam ranks number one.

Small wonder. Amsterdam truly is bike heaven.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/811-amsterdam-most-bicycle-friendly-city/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/808-close-amsterdam-red-light-district-early-hours http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/808-close-amsterdam-red-light-district-early-hours#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:00:55 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=808 Amsterdam's world famous Red Light District should be closed for prostitution between 4 am to 8 am, an Amsterdam alderman says.

In addition, the minimum age for prostitutes must be raised from 18 to 23 years, says Deputy Mayor Lodewijk Asscher, proposing measures meant to combat forced prostitution.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/808-close-amsterdam-red-light-district-early-hours/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/807-no-ice-skating-amsterdam-canals http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/807-no-ice-skating-amsterdam-canals#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:07:54 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=807 Effective this thursday, the city of Amsterdam wil cancel a recent ban on sailing through some of its canals.

The ban was meant to allow a network of canals to freeze over -- turning a large section of the city into a giant ice skating rink. But the weather isn't playing along...]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/807-no-ice-skating-amsterdam-canals/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/805-amsterdams-iconic-skinny-bridge-damaged-by-wood-rot http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/805-amsterdams-iconic-skinny-bridge-damaged-by-wood-rot#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:11:06 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=805 Amsterdam's most photographed bridge, the Skinny Bridge across the river Amstel, is damaged by wood rot. Large sections of the bridge will have to be restored.

The City of Amsterdam will do anything to keep the iconic bridge, a national monument, in its original state. ]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/805-amsterdams-iconic-skinny-bridge-damaged-by-wood-rot/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/802-amsterdam-prepares-canals-for-ice-skating-fun http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/802-amsterdam-prepares-canals-for-ice-skating-fun#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:09:37 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=802 The city of Amsterdam has banned boats from using a number of canals in the hope that they will freeze over, turning the historic water ways into a giant ice skating rink.

We'll show you which canals are affected.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/802-amsterdam-prepares-canals-for-ice-skating-fun/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/801-amsterdam-weather-in-january http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/801-amsterdam-weather-in-january#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:58:05 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=801 January tends to be Amsterdam's coldest month. Expect anything from gloomy days with (near) freezing temperatures to deep blue, cloudless skies with lots of sun.

Plan for rain and don't be surprised to see snow...]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/801-amsterdam-weather-in-january/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/795-amsterdam-city-blamed-in-metro-decision-process http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/795-amsterdam-city-blamed-in-metro-decision-process#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:33:07 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=795 The City of Amsterdam should never have approved the construction of the North-South metro line a special city council investigative committee concluded Tuesday.

The committee also urges the council to debate the risks associated with the planned drilling of a metro tunnel underneath the historic city center.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/795-amsterdam-city-blamed-in-metro-decision-process/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/794-amsterdam-christmas-canal-parade http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/794-amsterdam-christmas-canal-parade#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:33:28 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=794 Amsterdam's first Christmas boat parade is just around the corner: this Christmas Eve join locals and tourists alike to view a parade of decorated boats against the backdrop of Amsterdam's beautiful canals.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/794-amsterdam-christmas-canal-parade/feed 0