🇳🇱 Netherlands
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the most liveable city in Europe — a compact (population 930,000) capital of canals, gabled townhouses and Golden Age culture, where cycling is the dominant form of transport, the art museums are among the finest in the world, and the spirit of tolerance and internationalism that made the Dutch Republic the most advanced civilization of the 17th century is still visible in the city's character. The 17th-century Canal Ring (UNESCO — the Grachtengordel, the semicircular web of four main canals: Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht — lined with 1,550 monumental buildings built by VOC merchants) is one of the greatest urban planning achievements in history: built in 2 decades (1613–1662) on reclaimed peat bog. The Rijksmuseum (Rembrandt's Night Watch, Vermeer's Milkmaid) and the Van Gogh Museum (the largest collection of Van Gogh in the world) are reason enough to visit. The Anne Frank House, the herring from a street cart, the brown cafés and the gezelligheid (the Dutch concept of cosy togetherness) are what make you want to stay.