Running through the heart of Utrecht, the Oude Gracht ('old canal') is the major artery of the…read morecity. It's lined with many shops at street level and bars and restaurants at the level below. It also hosts a weekly flower market on Saturday morning. Yes, it can get a tiny bit seedy at night with rowdy students ('bralapen') and it isn't always as clean as one would like, but this all adds to the charm. It's truly a wonderful place to hang out any time of day or year. The oude gracht was built in the 1100's by upgrading and taming a former branch of the River Rhine. The mooring level (accessible by steep steps from road level), where goods would be loaded and unloaded, gives access to deep tombs / caverns that extend below the road and under the shops above. In the old days used for storage, they have now mostly been transformed into bars and eateries. It's hard to miss the oude gracht when you're in Utrecht as many of the city's landmarks, including the Dom tower / church and various museums are located close by. Enjoy this place. It's awesome. But, be careful of bicyclists as you stroll around; you'll likely have your eyes on façades or the water below!

Well worth short Uber out of city to tour this windmill and get up in it. Gorgeous town. Have lunch…read moreat pub across way and have a hard cider and amazing French onion soup. Tours happen every 30 mins or so, so might have a short wait. The museum was a five minute attraction, nothing special. Still worth the visit!

From the owner: De Rembrandt Molen van Sloten is een functionerende poldermolen en tevens de enige voor het publiek…read moredagelijks toegankelijke molen in Amsterdam. De molen ligt aan de rand van de stad, bij de Ringvaart, en zorgt ervoor dat het waterpeil in de lager liggende omgeving onder een bepaald niveau blijft. Het is een stellingmolen met een hier herbouwde achtkant uit 1847. Molen van Sloten. Het hele jaar is de molen dagelijks vanaf 10.00 uur te bezichtigen (uitgezonderd nieuwjaarsdag, Koningsdag en de kerstdagen). De Molen van Sloten heeft een lift, zodat ook ouderen en gehandicapten tot op de omloop (stelling) kunnen komen. Vrijwillige medewerkers geven graag uitleg tijdens een rondleiding. En als het even kan, laat de molenaar zien hoe hij de molenkap met de wieken op de wind kruit, de wieken laat draaien of juist stopzet, of hoe hij de zeilen zet in de wieken. Het oude ambacht is in ons museum in ere hersteld; U treft een authentieke werkplaats aan met alle benodigde gereedschappen voor het maken van houten vaten. Verder wordt het gebruik van vaten door de jaren heen getoond. Kortom, een bezoek meer dan waard!

Wow! So much more than I expected. Tour is about 75 minutes. The stonework is, hands down, the…read moremost impressive I've ever seen. Absolutely incredible and worth every penny of the 13.50 euro entrance fee. It was pretty busy and the tour was a little confusing, but don't let that keep you away.

The architecture inside the palace is stunning! You have to do a free bag check for any bags. The…read moreinside isn't super big but is still sizable and it would be easy to spend an hour or two thoroughly looking at everything and listening to the audio guide. There are numbers to guide you through the things of note in the palace in order which I appreciated.

Yelp Review 2023 #93:…read more Belle - French word for beautiful. December 17 - International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers Right outside Oude Kerk (Old Church, originally a Catholic Church at the Red Light District) which is now an art center is a small statue called Belle, a sex worker aka prostitute. Installed in 2007 after a Hungarian sex worker was killed, and a Romanian sex worker was killed in a hotel room. It's to commemorate all prostitutes around the world. Prostitution is one of the oldest profession in the world and also the most punished "crime" simply because society still looks down upon women no matter how progressive we think we are. It is a reminder that sex workers are humans - despite the kind of service they provide. If there's no demand, there won't be supply. If unloved weirdos didn't exist, there won't be prostitutes. If these men knew how to treat a woman properly, there won't be prostitutes - especially dead ones.

"Respect sex workers all over the world."…read more It's funny how just wandering aimlessly around Amsterdam, I ended up walking past the Oudekerk and spotted this statue. Yes, this is the famous red light district but it's also next to the oldest building in Amsterdam, the Old Church https://www.yelp.com/biz/oude-kerk-amsterdam. The sculpture is the work of artist Els Rijerse and has been here since 2007. It depicts a prostitute standing in the doorway of a brothel. It is a landmark of Amsterdam and certainly Insta-worthy. [Review 16871 overall - 72 in Netherlands - 384 of 2022.]

As we were walking around Amsterdam, we came across the Homomonument, the first monument in the…read moreworld commemorating gay men and women who were killed by the Nazis due to their sexual orientation. The monument was designed by artist Karin Daan and unveiled on September 5, 1987. The memorial is composed of three pink granite triangles laid in the ground, and each triangle forms the point of a larger triangle. Each point of the triangle is symbolic -- one points towards the National Monument in Dam Square, one points towards the Anne Frank House, and one points towards COC Amsterdam, a Dutch LGBTQ+ rights group founded in 1946. While I love what the monument represents, if it weren't for the sign, I probably wouldn't even have known that I was walking over a monument. The only way to see the entire memorial is from above, but from the ground, you can't see the entire memorial at once or get a good photo. If walking by, stop and take a look, but I would not go out of my way to see it. [Yelp collections: Europe 2024; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Monuments, Memorials, and Historical Markers]

It's not particularly memorable, so it's not worth going out of your way to visit. While the…read moresentiment behind it is meaningful, it's simply a modest sign with a few flowers placed on some steps as a tribute to the LGBTQ+ community, located near the Westerkerk. That said, it's a thoughtful and photogenic stop if you happen to pass by during your walk.

They have guides on different languages. Their list is pretty big. Inside you can find some…read moreinteresting artifacts which will tell you history about Leiden city and this place. Just 1 thing looks to us a bit strange that was a too warm inside. We've found that 250€ per day goes to keep this whole building warm. But we do not know why. Because another similar kerks in Netherlands is pretty cold inside in every season.

If there was one word to describe this historic site it would be ethereal. The space is fluid and…read morelight. Details on the floor, windows and walls will keep you here longer than expected. Enjoy.

what a fantastic way to see Rotterdam which I found to be even more interesting having been on a…read moretour with Rotterdam ByCycle - we had a brilliant tour leader by the name of Iris - she was fantastic and really gave us such a great introduction to Rotterdam and it's architecture, and much much more - a fabulous way to learn more about this great place and a really nice way to spend a few hours! Try it - you'll be so pleased you did!!

Rapenburg 25, built in 1654 is a considered one of the finest examples of the Dutch classical…read morestyle. As it once was home to Johannes Thysius, after his death it was preserved as library of his collected works. Thanks to Leiden University, publishers and printers such as the Elzevier family, flourished. Leiden was considered a city of books and those that were forbidden elsewhere in Europe were printed in Leiden including books by the Italian scientist Galileo and the French philosopher Descartes. Of note, Descartes lived at Rapenburg 23 in 1640.