I was lucky enough to stay numerous times in Amsterdam and to live it more as a resident than as a tourist. When I think about my visits to the Dutch capital, the first thought that comes to my mind, if I wanted to describe it, is the one connected to the feeling of freedom.
Versatile and tolerant, ancient and modern, artistic and commercial, provincial and cosmopolitan. The beauty of Amsterdam never changes, it is open and liberal.
Perhaps it is because of its Protestant culture, or because in the 70s it was the chosen place for hippies and squatters but, the fact remains that in Amsterdam you have the feeling that everything is possible, that everything goes unnoticed without preconceptions and is being accepted. It is not for nothing that is it said that “Amsterdam is the place where it is allowed to see without being seen and be seen without having to see.”
The name of the city comes from the river that crosses it and from the dam (Amstel + Dam) which allowed the city to “steal” some space from the sea. In fact, many areas of the city are located below sea level, including the main airport of Netherlands Schipol.
There is a popular saying that states: “God created the world but the Dutch created the Netherlands”!
And, perhaps, the fact of being below sea level is one of the reasons why many of the facades of its houses have the characteristic “crooked” position and are supported by poles. It is said that the buildings of the city are supported by some 11,000,000 wooden beams!
And, for the same reason, you will always find work in progress in the streets of the city, which makes it curiously dynamic and always evolving.
The city is spread over more than 160 canals, forming a network of about 100km crossed by 1300 bridges and mainly it is below sea level. But don’t worry: the dam system works perfectly and there’s no danger!
This “canvas” of canals makes Amsterdam very special and gives it corners of rare beauty and intimacy. One of these places is located at the intersection of Reguliersgracht and Herengracht and is known as “The bridge of 15 bridges” because if you stand on the side of the odd numbers and look towards the bridge, you will see the following bridges, until counting 15 of them. When the sun goes down and the bridges light up, the sight becomes really impressive!
Amsterdam is very rich in art and culture and boasts the largest number of important museums grouped in the same area: VanGogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum, Rembrandt Museum, Anne Frank House, just to mention some, but there are lots of them and some are very bizarre, like the Museum of Bags and Purses.
It takes about 2 hours of flight to arrive to Amsterdam from Milan: it is an ideal distance for incentive travels with air charter. Schipol is one of the busiest airports in Europe and, for this reason, it is not always easy to get a slot; at the moment it is literally saturated. However, the minimum connection distances between Amsterdam and other national airports make any connection easy. Therefore, if the slot is not available, it is possible to fly to another airport without compromising the incentive agenda in terms of time and schedule.
In March That Aviation Italia accompanied the incentive tour guests of the world leading company of tobacco production and distribution in Holland and this situation occurred. Therefore, in agreement with the agency of conference organization – one of the most well-known Incentive House of Rome – we have chosen to fly to Rotterdam, which is only 78 km away from the capital (less than one hour of transfer). In total, we organized two charter flights from Fiumicino Rome and one from Milan Malpensa with Airbus A330, Boeing B737 800 and a Fokker 100 for a total of about 600 people. This solution proved to be optimal and offered the opportunity to see the area between the two cities.
What to see in Amsterdam?
Frankly speaking you will be spoilt for choice. Even walking through the canals is magically intriguing. You will only have to pay attention to the bikes that have precedence here. And there are many of them in the streets, going around in any temperature and in any weather condition because public transport is very expensive, and the bike is the most practical way to get around the city.
Among the most important and beautiful areas, in addition to the already mentioned museums, we should mention the Dam Square and Leidsplein:
Is the heart of the city; crossed by pedestrians, bicycles and trams, it is always crowded. It is animated by streets artists, markets, fairs, etc. all year round and it overlooks to the majestic Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk and the National Monument (a 22-meter obelisk).
It was the gateway to Amsterdam between Leiden – where the oldest Dutch university is located – and the
capital. Now the gateway is gone, and the square is full of outdoor cafés, breweries, coffee shops and nightclubs, including the famous Paradiso, located in a deconsecrated church.
during the daytime it is the place where you will find many street artists and in the evening it turns into one of the main centres of night-life.An inevitable stop in the city is the flower market.
It is a real rainbow of colours and a cloud of scents!
The stalls, all attached to one another, offer flowers of all kinds and, in reality, it is a floating market because the stalls are nothing more than barges on the water: a sight for sore eyes!But Amsterdam is also a very green city and has numerous parks. The most famous is:
It is the green lung that runs through the city full of lakes, flowers and small bridges that can be travelled on foot or by bicycle. It is one of the places where Jazz music concerts (the city is famous for its Jazz Festival), acrobatic performances and modern dance performances are offered and are all rigorously free of charge!
In spring and summer, it is filled with people lying on the grass, sunbathing, playing the guitar, organizing picnics: everything is allowed. And the atmosphere is truly magical!
That Aviation Italia will take your guests to Netherlands from all major Italian airports with destinations: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Groningen Eelde providing the best solutions of charter flights.
Our proposals can vary from Boeing 737 400 and Boeing 737 800 (from 160 to 189 seats) to Airbus A319 (capacity 126/154 guests) and Airbus A320 (between 165 and 180 seats available), based on the number of passengers. But private plane solutions for lower passenger numbers are also possible, for example Bombardier CRJ 200 (48 available seats) or aircrafts such as Embraer E175 (88 seats) and E190 (100 seats available). If instead, you want something very exclusive, you can fly with Boeing 737-500 BBJ capacity of 56 seats, with unique service and comfort.
So, what are you waiting for? The Netherlands are waiting for you!
That Aviation Italia: the air charter broker that takes you wherever you want!
For any further information and flight price quotation please contact us.
