Amsterdam is one of the most popular places to visit among travellers. Its incredible architecture, beautiful canals, bustling cultural scene, and delicious food mean that millions of tourists descend on the Dutch capital every year.
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Amsterdam has always been a popular tourist attraction with South Africans via a direct KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight from both Johannesburg and Cape Town. The airline shares eight of the city’s best-kept secrets and lesser-known attractions.
READ: KLM adds more flights between Amsterdam and Cape Town
Westergasfabriek
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Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek was built inside an expansive gasworks facility that dates back to the late 19th century. The area is known for its industrial façade and is filled with restaurants, music venues, an arthouse cinema, and the largest coin-op arcade in the city.
The City Archives
If you’re a history boffin, visiting Amsterdam’s city archives will be an educational and eye-opening experience. Some of the highlights include a police report given by Anne Frank concerning her stolen bicycle and the document that banished Baruch Spinoza from Amsterdam’s Jewish community.
REM Island
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REM Island is a waterborne restaurant, housed inside a renovated offshore platform that once stood around nine kilometres off the coast of the Netherlands. The platform was owned by a group of pirate radio broadcasters, who had to abandon the structure after the Dutch government raided their operation in 1964. However, a few decades later, the platform was towed to Amsterdam’s Houthaven harbour and was transformed into one of the classiest and most unusual restaurants in the country.
The Pancake Boat
The Pancake Boat gives patrons beautiful views of the city while presenting them with an unlimited supply of Dutch-style pancakes topped with syrup, fruits, and powdered sugar.
Blijburg City Beach
Blijburg City Beach is perfect for a unique beach bum experience. This beach is famous for its seaside resorts, golden sand, clear water, and its windsurfing school. Visitors like to enjoy an afternoon snack or drink at a famous tiki hut-style restaurant nearby.
Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder
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Europe is rich in history and after the Reformation in the 16th century, the newly-established Calvinist Dutch government famously outlawed Catholicism in the country. However, despite severe punishments, many continued to worship in secret and some even built hidden churches. During this time, many churches were destroyed or demolished but this church, built on the top three floors of a canal house during the 1660s, survived the period unscathed. Now, it has been preserved as a historic museum since 1888.
EYE Film Museum
There are several facilities located inside the oddly shaped EYE Film Museum, including a gallery space that regularly hosts exhibitions related to filmmaking, four modern cinemas, and a multi-tiered restaurant that looks onto the river IJ. The venue also plays host to a variety of events including film festivals, concerts, and movie screenings.
Poezenboot
The Poezenboot is a floating cat sanctuary that has cared for stray or abandoned felines for over four decades and welcomes visitors. The boat is located on the northern banks of the Singel canal in central Amsterdam and features a large, lower deck where cats are given the opportunity to roam free and interact with visitors.
Pictures: Alamy
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