AMSTERDAM CITY GUIDE
Amsterdam located in the province of North Holland, is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands. The population in Amsterdam is around one million but as a part of the metropolitan Randstad area, it has a population of around 6,7 million making the area the 6th largest in Europe.
With roots from the 12th century, Amsterdam developed to be one of the most important ports in Europe and the city was for long a leading center for financial services and diamond trading. The city is the major financial center of the Netherlands, and many prominent Dutch and multinational corporations have offices in the city. The oldest stock exchange, “The Amsterdam Stock Exchange “ is located in the city centre. Culturally too, Amsterdam has much to offer, the historic canals, the Van Gogh Museum and others gather millions of tourists to the city every year. Amsterdam is a true multicultural city, home to over 170 different nationalities.
CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE
Amsterdam has a cool oceanic climate with mild winters and moderately warm summers. The coldest months are January, February, and December. The warmest months are July and August. The period from September to November has more rain than average.
Celsius, Average High and Low
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 5.4 | 6.0 | 9.2 | 12.4 | 17.1 | 19.2 | 21.4 | 21.8 | 18.4 | 14.1 | 9.2 | 6.2 |
| 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 7.8 | 10.4 | 12.5 | 12.3 | 10.2 | 7.0 | 3.9 | 1.9 |
Fahrenheit, Average High and Low
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 42 | 43 | 49 | 54 | 63 | 67 | 71 | 71 | 65 | 57 | 49 | 43 |
| 33 | 32 | 36 | 39 | 46 | 51 | 55 | 54 | 50 | 45 | 39 | 35 |
Source: World Weather Information Service
SAFETY AND HEALTH
Amsterdam is considered to be a safe city, even the red light district can considered to be safe, please be sure though to keep a track of your personal belongings. The water in Amsterdam is safe to drink.
TIME DIFFERENCE
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Same | +2 hours | + 6 hours | - 9 hours | - 6 hours |
POPULATION
There are around 1.4 inhabitants in the city (6.7 million in the metro area, making it the 6th largest metropolitan area in Europe.)
AREAS
The total area of the whole metropolitan area of Amsterdam is 1815 sqm. Currently there are 15 boroughs, the central one is called Centrum. From spring 2010 the number of boroughs (or statsdelen) will be reduced to 7 (Centrum, Noord, Oost, Zuid, West, Nieuw-West and Zuidoost).
CURRENCY AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
The currency used in Amsterdam is the Euro. Euros are divided into 100 cents. There are 8 coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 euros. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500.
Good locations to change money is at the Central Station, the commissions are low and they are open 24 hours a day. ATMs are available in many locations around the city.
The rates presented are the rates you pay. However, if you would like to express your content with the service, tipping is perfectly fine especially at restaurants. No need for tips in taxis either.
ELECTRICITY/VOLTAGE
Voltage: 230 Volts. The plugs are the standard European two-pin model.