Introducing Amsterdam
Capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s story is well told. A kaleidoscopic patchwork of 100 flower-filled islands, crisscrossed by canals and linked by ornate bridges, Amsterdam (‘Venice of the North’) seduces, surprises, and thrills at ever turn. Venice may at times feel like a stage set, and at times too ethereal to grasp, but Amsterdam possesses a raw edge and a lust for life that truly gets under your skin.
Amsterdam’s open minded embrace of high and low brow culture finds expression throughout the city’s medieval kernel. From the hip, indy stores of the Negen Straatjes (Nine Streets), to Jordaan with its alternative enterprises and (legal) marijuana coffeehouses, to the brothels of the red light district, the city’s dynamism is infectious.
The city cultural index continues to soar.
Following a ten-year restoration project, and more than one billion dollars of investment, the Rijksmuseum Museum—showcasing priceless Old Master Paintings, from Vermeer to Rembrant—opened to rapturous acclaim in 2013 and is set to become the European cultural sensation of 2014 (purchase tickets online and avoid the monumental queues). The stellar Van Gogh Museum exhibits the artist’s largest body of work, including the crowd-pleasing Sunflowers and a fair few self portraits which postdate the infamous ear-lopping incident. For a little more repose, Amsterdam’s Western Islands are a village within the city, a hotchpotch of picturesque canals, hermit-style cottages, and kitsch houseboats.
Airports within a 50-mile radius of Amsterdam:
- Schiphol Airport (EHAM)
- Soesterberg Airport (EHSB)
- Lelystad Airport (EHLE)
- Valkenburg Airport (EHVB)
Popular aircraft charters* in the Amsterdam area include:
- Citation Excel (super light)
- Learjet 45 XR (super light)
- Citation CJ3 (light)
- Learjet 31ER 400A (light)
- Learjet 60 XR (midsize)
- Citation III (midsize)
- Gulfstream G200 (super midsize)
- Citation Sovereign (super midsize)
*This is just a sample. Zephyr provides access to aircraft at every end of the spectrum, from luxurious VIP airliners, to ultra long range business jet, helicopters, and economical turboprops.