The capital and largest city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam grew from a fishing village founded almost a thousand years ago to the sixth largest city (including the surrounding suburbs) in Europe.

A European hub for art and culture, Amsterdam is home to many famous art galleries, including the Rijksmuseum.

It is a relatively young city with a night life that never really ceases. Most of the nightlife happens in the city’s medieval architecture core.

Popular tourist attractions also include the Red Light district, famous department stores, and a number of large, open air markets.

Flying into Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (airport code AMS) is the easiest way to get to the city.

The airport served more than 45.5 million passengers in 2009, the 14th most in the world and the fifth most in Europe.

Flights from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport depart to almost 300 different destinations in over 90 countries by over 90 different airlines, including the largest carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.