Established in 12th century as a fishing village, today Amsterdam is the largest and most popular city of Netherlands. Although Amsterdam is fairly small, the city is packed with hundreds of treasures for travelers.

Here are a few of Amsterdam’s most popular attractions and sightseeing activities listed to make your travel experience the best possible.

Museums

When touring Amsterdam, it is worth visiting its variety of museums famous for their historical and antique collections. Some of the major museums of Amsterdam are Rijksmuseum (know for its 17th century Dutch collected works), Steldelejk museum, Kroller-Muller (named on the daughter of a rich and eminent German industrialist) and Van Gogh museum (known for its collection of paintings by Van Gogh and other eminent artists from 19th century). With more than 50 museums each boosting amazing collections, it would be a sad thing to miss the experience of museum tour when holidaying in Amsterdam.

The Dam square

The Dam square is known for its historical value and is often an important part of many Amsterdam tours. The beauty and the historical background of this Dam make it a part of every tourist’s visit, when touring Amsterdam. The various fascinating things about the Dam are also documented in the historical museum of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Canal Cruise

Holiday in Amsterdam can never be complete without the Amsterdam Canal Cruise, through its magnificent and incredible canals. Cruising through canals is the best way to cherish Amsterdam tour, as you get to see marvelous 17th century houses and mansions, as well as startling architecture.

Oude Kerk

Surrounded with small houses, Oude Kerk is a very old and beautiful church, adored by many visitors both locals and foreigners. The church has a building designed in Gothic-renaissance style and has an octagonal bell tower. Located at the centre of red light district, the church has become quite popular among visitors on Amsterdam tour.

Hortus Botanicus - (the Botanical Garden)

With more than 6000 plants, Hortus Botanicus is quite an old and unique botanical garden. It dates back to the year 1632 and has some plants almost 2000 years old. Situated within the walking distance of other major tourist attractions like Amsterdam zoo and resistance as well as historical museum, the garden is remarkable place to enjoy your holiday in Amsterdam.

Albert Cuyp market

With more than 300 stalls, Albert Cuyp market is one of the most busiest and popular tourist attractions. This remarkable outdoor market has a variety of products and is situated in Pijp district. Surrounded with numerous shops and cafes, the market gets to see huge amount of visitors, local and foreigners, everyday.

Best time to visit or holiday in Amsterdam

With its tourist attractions and friendly local people, touring Amsterdam at anytime of the year proves to be good. But the best time or the peak season for holidaying in Amsterdam is in the pleasant months of July and august. Even off-season Amsterdam tours are quite popular. 

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A trip to Williamsburg, Virginia should be in your list of family vacation ideas. Williamsburg is one of the cities included in the Historic Triangle of Virgina, along with Jamestown and Yorktown. There are a lot of interesting sights that come with equally interesting facts in Williamsburg that will tickle the minds of parents, teens and younger children.

Going to Williamsburg is very convenient. It is only a few hours away from Washington, DC, and certainly within driving distance for Atlanta and Jacksonville, Florida. Williamsburg is particularly known for Colonial Williamsburg. It is a 301-acre community of restored 18th century infrastructures. You will find yourself going back in time as you wander about the buildings, houses, shops, taverns, outbuildings and other structures in their original foundation. The highlights of Colonial Williamsburg are the historic sites - Governor’s Palace, Capitol, Peyton Randolph, Releigh Tavern, George Wythe House and James Geddy House and Foundry - and the indoor museums - Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.

A family vacation is not complete without spending a day at a theme park! Visit Williamsburg’s Busch Gardens and experience thrilling rides. Get ready to have your heartbeat racing as you ride the Loch Ness Monster roller coaster and Griffon (the world’s tallest and first floorless dive coaster). Also, if your family love scary stories and fright attractions, be sure to visit the theme park’s Howl-O-Scream and scream all your lungs out!

Have a great family bonding time at Williamsburg’s Go-Karts Plus. The attraction spans eight acres with four tracks for the whole family to enjoy. Race around an oval track on a replica of your favorite NASCAR automobiles. There are other activities in Go-Karts Plus that promise loads of fun for the family such as the Kiddie Land, bumper cars, bumper boats, miniature golf course, arcade and other games with prizes.

Visit Historic Yorktown, Historic Jamestown and President’s Park and learn history with your children while exploring the different sights, studios, galleries and museums dedicated to preserving the American heritage. From these attractions, you will also get the chance to learn about the early permanent English settlements in the country. Do not forget to spend some time learning about the Native American heritage and visit the Powhatan Indian Village nearby, which was home to Pocahontas.

Weird mind-boggling facts are what Ripley’s Believe It Or Not is known for. Take your kids to see exhibits of over 300 unusual artifacts Robert Ripley has gathered from his travels around the world, if you wish to see more of interesting global facts. The best part of this experience is that, no matter how odd the things you see are, they are all real! Believe it!

The idea of going on a family vacation is to discover as much as you can about the place you visit. These are just some of the things you can do in Williamsburg, Virginia. Nearby cities in Williamsburg also offer a different set of attractions and activities for the family that you might want to check out. The Virginia Arts Festival in Norfolk, Virginia coming on the 23rd until the 25th of May this year, for instance, promises participants and spectators a fun time of great music and other things. It will be the ultimate weekend in one of the country’s most historic settings.

The museums, other historical sights and the more energy-required attractions like the Busch Gardens and the Go-Kart Plus really make the trip to Williamsburg, Virginia a complete package for family fun. No doubt, you can count on this as one of the best family vacation ideas you have ever had.

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By Jonathan Williams

Albania is a great place to visit in Europe as it is very rich in history and culture, and in fact, some archeological attractions in Albania are as old as the Stone Age era. Not only that, Albania has also served as a crossroads for some of the world’s greatest armies and civilizations so it is rich in historical monuments and archaeological sites. Albania literally means “the land of the eagles,” and this meaning can be seen in their national flag, so here are 10 places you can visit when you visit Albania:

1.) The Fortress of Gjirokastra

Otherwise called the “Silver Fortress,” the 4th century fortress is the biggest as well as the one of the most preserved constructions in Albania. The Fortress has an amazing view of the countryside. You can also see the Drinos Valley when you visit this historical site.

2.) The National Museum of Weapons and the Museum of Folk Culture

These are must see attractions inside the above mentioned fortress. Here, you will find weapons and arms displayed dating from World War II to as far back as the Neolithic era. You will also find artifacts such as clothing, utensils and others in the Museum of Folk Culture showcasing how the people lived in earlier times.

3.) The Butrint Archaeological Site

Located at the southwest coast of Albania, Butrint is included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO. It serves as a testament to the place’s beauty and history. Here, you will see glimpses of the cultures of the Bronze Age, Roman, Greek, Ottoman, Venetian and Byzantine Periods.

4.) The Rozafa Castle

The Rozafa Castle is one of the most famous castles of Alabania. It has existed since the lllyrian times and was used as a base for attacking Rome during historical times. This castle’s name arises from a legend about one of the builder’s wife being sacrificed so as to appease the god’s and make the castle walls stand.

5.) The Theatre of Butrint

The Theatre of Butrint is yet another one of the sites you will see in Albania dating back to the Roman Period. This well preserved theatre is one of the most famous as well as the most preserved sites in Albania. Of course, this is a favorite tourist spot that is a must-see.

6.) The National Museum of Medieval Art

This museum is located in Korca. The National Museum of Medieval Art showcases over seven thousand cult and art items. Here, you will see medieval works on art ranging from sculptures, metal works, textiles and others.

7.) The Ionian Coast

Here, tourists can lie down on the beach, explore underwater life through diving, take part of speedboat tours or eco tours, hike, etc. Famous spots for diving are the Cape of Rodon and Cape of Lagji. The beach of Dhermi also offers sites like wrecked ships, corals as well as a rich flora and fauna.

8.) The City of Berat

Berat City lies at the banks of the Osum River. It is considered a museum city of Albania for its wealth of historical buildings and diverse architecture. In this city, you will find the Berat Castle, the Onufri museum, the ethnographic museum as well as the Medieval Center.

9.) The Lekures Castle

It is a castle located along the Ionian coast. This impressive monument has a great view of the Saranda Harbor and has two round towers along the north-west and southeast corners. You will also find in this castle a famous restaurant that serves local cuisine.

10.) The White Spring

This spring is located between the mountains of Didha and Kunora. This spring is said to have curative properties for such ailments in the kidneys, urinary tract, larynx, stomach, and thyroid glands. This place is also a great eco-tourist attraction.

About the Author: Jonathan Williams is the travel writer for Destination Guide TV - the place to share travel videos. Visit http://www.destinationguide.tv/albania to view or share Albania travel videos.

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