English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Español
ONLY BE AMSTERDAMMER
Only Be Amsterdammer
Christmas in Amsterdam
The Dutch capital is always a desirable destination, but Christmas is when you get that special magic that floods its streets and the hospitality of its people permeates in every corner. If you have not visited Amsterdam in the final stretch of the year, here are reasons to be seduced by this city: Bike ride through the canals The best method of transport in Amsterdam enables you to live the Christmas spirit that reigns in the streets: the decoration that covers canals, bridges illuminated with small lights, the chimes of the churches, musicians and choirs singing carols, decorated squares with firs … The whole city is spread with a festive mood that is present in all its monuments, churches and shrines. Holiday Shopping The charming downtown shops are a desirable alternative to the busy commercial centers of your city and you can surprise your loved ones with unique and original gifts. Visit the Christmas markets and be sure to walk around Negen Straatjes, Haarlemmerstraat and Spiegelkwartier, streets full of traditional businesses, or Bijenkorf shopping gallery, where you will always find something to buy. Ice circus Multiply events take place at Christmas and you will lack time to attend everything Amsterdam has for these days: from the world circus for children, through the many orchestras and cabarets, ice skating or amusement spread throughout the city. The cultural program is also extended for Christmas and you can enjoy a wide variety of concerts in churches, theatera and exhibitions. Festive Nights Most night owls find the capital bustling more than ever. If there is something that Amsterdam does...
Paradiso in Amsterdam
If there are two places that we would never link together in this world, they are a club and a church. Just thinking that a sacred temple could be related or, even worse, become a profane and recreational temple dedicated to fun, seems like a crazy idea. Such a crazy idea that if it ever happened, it would have to be somewhere really crazy or open to different possibilities. If there´s somewhere in the world like that, that´s Amsterdam. And so, in this special city, famous for its coffee shops where it´s legal to smoke marihuana, its red light district, its canals, its museums and for being the capital of the Netherlands, there´s a club that used to be a church, a temple where all the local church goers used to go. This old temple was abandoned in time and it was restored as a venue for shows, something that could have only happened in Amsterdam (since I cannot imagine anywhere else where this could also happen, unless it´s a temple that was destroyed for X-reasons, but it´s not the case). The building, a very beautiful one, is today one of the biggest concert venues, clubs and cultural centres in the city. The ritual changed, although there´s a new ritual in place now, and it focuses on worship of music. Paradiso is divided in three areas: the first one is the concert venue, the second one is the club and the third and last one is the cultural centre. The concert venue is divided in two rooms; a big one and a small one. The latter is dedicated to...
Tassenmuseum: The Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam
Fashion lovers will find a paradise in the Amsterdam Museum of Bags and Purses. There they can get lost for hours while admiring the 4,000 pieces of its extensive permanent collections that include: handbags, wallets, suitcases and accessories. This is a journey that begins in the sixteenth century. Founded in 1996 as a museum in her own house, Hendrikje Ivo, a collector who decided to share her passion for handbags, decided to show her collection to the public after 35 years gathering valuable pieces. The museum soon became famous and started receiving more visitors and donations. In 2007 its location became so small and the collections were moved to a magnificent seventeenth century palacete, which is located in the Herengracht neighborhood. The building was home of the governor of Amsterdam in 1664, has three floors and retains its original painted ceilings and chimneys. What can you see at the museum? In addition to its permanent exhibitions, at the museum it is also possible to organize all kinds of events, so those captivated by its classic and romantic atmosphere can have a birthday party in one of its rooms, have a snack in its lovely coffee or even get married in its magical garden, as the museum has wedding license. In its permanent collection (the largest in the world dedicated to bags and purses) you will be able to see elegant handbags, purses, chic handbags, and outstanding pieces; as a bride bag made by tiny pearls in France in the eighteenth century, a leather purse from 1935 called Normandy, which was given to first class passengers on the most luxurious cruise...
Cannabis Cup 2012 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam, the interesting capital of the Netherlands, full of museums, art in every corner, flowers, beautiful bike trails, beautiful sunsets in their channels and of course, its cafes licensed to sell marijuana ofthe best quality in the world. Perhaps this last point is the one that most tourists and everyone else, have in mind when visiting the city or at least is in the top positions in the ranking of reasons to visit Amsterdam. In all honesty, for fans and consumers of marijuana, Amsterdam is one of the paradises on earth and this grows even more in the days when they celebrate the “Cannabis Cup”. What is the Cannabis Cup?, Well, this is a contest, the largest worldwide contest where you choose Cannabis and taste the best sprouts of the season. As many may know, marijuana is harvested in autumn, like many other plants, including some famous wine grape strains. Thus, in the Netherlands this harvest period is celebrated in the capital with a great contest where all varieties are tested and also you find crop management courses, fertilizers, such as testing and other, basically its a festival on how to become a specialist in the subject, The 2012 version of the Cannabis Cup will be held from the18 to the 22 of November and do not forget that it is also a festival, the largest in the world, so you can share experiences with marijuana lovers worldwide and spend days without feeling guilty or any kind of remorse because everything is legal, spreading peace and security to enjoy such a special event without any police disturbance Remember that...
The houseboats in Amsterdam
Like any city that has developed on the seafront, the capital of the Netherlands emerged from a small fishing village. Founded in the twelfth century, Amsterdam is located between the IJ bay and the Amstel River. Of the clean water from the Amstel river they produce their beer. Tourism is also very young, becoming one of the most lively cities in Europe. Today it is the country´s largest city and a major financial and cultural international center . Apparently the first to live in these makeshift houses were the hippies, due to the housing shortage after World War II. It also helped the Dutch fleets modernization that took place in those years, leaving large amounts of available cargo ships for use in this curious form of housing in the Amsterdam canals. Usually traditional houses are more expensive than this type of housing, but these houseboats carry more expenses. Every so often they must be transferred to the shipyard to be completely revised, which can last about a week, a perfect time to go on vacation. In addition to maintenance, this property must pay a floating excise duty, insurance and rent for boat parking. Currently, if you wanted to buy a boat, there is no more space to park, Amsterdam canals are completely saturated. But you can always buy an already established one. Along the canals of Amsterdam are some of the best and most expensive houseboats you can find in Europe. Prices have surged by a shortage of mooring spaces. There are currently more than 3,000 boats, characterizing Amsterdam for its canals and curious houseboats . Like other cities in...
A month as diverse as the autumn colours!
Make the most of October with our promotion! Promo Code: PC4MDVEW1I8Z The good thing about autumn is, undoubtedly, the warm colours that spread around the landscape wherever you look. However, the beauty of this season is enhanced with never-ending events and activities that await you in our highlighted destinations: the music of The Beatles in London, good jazz in Belgrade or the festival of lights in Berlin amongst many other options. You choose! What is clear is that October is a colourful and diverse month. So that you can enjoy it, at Only-apartments we are going to give you a special promotion for this month. The hard thing will be to choose a destination, which we will leave up to you to decide! Now is the best time for a getaway: there are less tourists and you can still enjoy the good weather. Choose your destination and the chosen dates, introduce the promotional code in the required field and you´ll get a 5% discount on your accommodation. The offer is valid for the first 10 days in October. Make the most of it!...
PICNIC Festival Amsterdam 2012 Speaks New Ownership This Year
Amsterdam’s reputation has gotten a boost by hosting this event for the creative and innovation industries. The festival brings in around 3,500 professionals from all over the world, who are scattered and centered around the technological, governmental, nonprofit, creative and educational industries. This year the theme of the PICNIC Festival Amsterdam is ‘New Ownership: the shift from top down to bottom up’. The festival is going to have an overlook about how technology benefits people, business and organizations. Improvements, new ideas, concepts or even prototypes may be made. The organization may arise questions upon the improvements, which would clarify their mind and help them in using them in their company or organizations as well as, the festival would have a learning environment for them. New Ownership Awareness among the people has arisen to what it used to be, internet and social media play a strong role in it. People now know that matters can be taken into their hands, and every person has the potential to cause a change in the society. The change may be for small scale or even a greater scale. The main goal for the festival is to seek opportunities for transformation: products, models, processes, experiences, services and cultures. The festival is scheduled to be on September 17 and 18 at Amsterdam’s new EYE Film Institute. There would be seven main areas on which the PICNINC Festival 2012 would focus on. Those 7 main areas are: Fundamentals. Governance. Business. Sustainability. Education. Health/life sciences. Media The participants would have a wide range of activities. The program would include 6 of them those are: Co-creation workshops and...
10 Things to Do in Amsterdam with Less than 10 Euros
Amsterdam is a fascinating city rich in history. You may think that you cannot afford to visit this city because of your limited budget. However, did you know that there are many things to do for less than 10 Euros? There are plenty of inexpensive places for you to enjoy, which will make your trip worthwhile. Check out some tips that can make your holiday in Amsterdam an unforgettable experience. (1.) The many canals in Amsterdam offer second to none scenic views of the city along with the surrounding buildings. These are great places to take a leisurely stroll. (2.) Visit some of the best museums in the city. There is the Museum Amstelkring, Joods Historisch Museum and Amsterdam´s Historisch Museum. All these have entrance fees for less than 10€. (3.) The Bloemenmarkt is an unusual flower market in that it floats. It is the largest of its kind in the world. There are houseboats full of seeds, bulbs and fresh blooming flowers. You can buy, or just look and enjoy all the fragrances and beautiful colors. (4.) The Amsterdam’s orchestra offers free concerts twice a week at either Muzietheater or Concertgebouw. (5.) A trip to the Anne Frank Huis will give you a history lesson. In 1942, Anne and her family went into hiding with some other Jewish people at Prinsengracht 263. They lived in a small room in the back of this home next to the canals that was built in the 17th century. About 2 years later, the Nazis found them all. Anne´s father was the only one that survived. Anne´s diary, the most famous...
The 2012 Loveland Festival
The 2012 Loveland Festival takes flight with its electronic sounds with a new mascot, the butterfly. Built from the equipment needed for the festival, the butterfly flies with a passion for music, addicted to the rhythm swinging, flying from one setting to another. If you want to attend the Dutch festival, it takes place on the second Saturday in August, from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm, with 6 different stages led by international artists such as Sven Vath, Sasha, Fedde Le Grand and Umek. Now in its seventh year, the Loveland Festival wanted to open all its stages and they will present a surprising line-up with everything you expected and more. The first stage is lit up with the name “Fire!”, featuring Sven Väth, Extrawelt (live), Dubfire, Sébastien Léger, Egbert (live), Secret Cinema and DMZS. Sven Väth, who is the most successful German producer in his country, is the DJ. He’s been the godfather of minimal, trance and techno scene since its inception in the 90´s. He’s also a founder of the label Cocoon. A living legend. The tent “Rise” features the sounds of Sasha, Maya Jane Coles, Gui Boratto (live), Cassy B2B Danny Howells, John Sanchez, Aril Brikha (live) and Dimitri Kneppers. Sasha, the famous DJ and music producer from the UK, is a true veteran of the Loveland Festival. Since 1989 he’s been known for combining different musical styles. He’s also considered one of the world´s most innovative icons of the progressive house scene. In the “Underground” you’ll find Solomun, Martin Buttrich (live), Maceo Plex, Arjuna Schiks (live), Butch, Olivier Weiter and the winner of competition for...
