Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder; however, when appreciating a city, there are many aspects on which most people can agree.

Amongst some of the most beautiful cities in the world, one is pretty much on our doorstep.

Amsterdam is just an hour’s flight away. It is renowned for its rich culture, upbeat nightlife, and festival activity. 

Amsterdam boasts over 75 museums and galleries, including the famous Van Gogh Museum, dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries.

The Rijksmuseum, which saw over 2.3 million visitors last year, is also one of the most famous in the Netherlands.

The city is sometimes called the “Venice of the North” because of its many beautiful canals, which have also been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When you add all of that to the city’s architectural history, with buildings in Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles spanning centuries, it’s no wonder the city is a hot spot among tourists.

Last year, Amsterdam welcomed over 23 million visitors, making it one of the most visited cities in the world—among those millions are Brits. However, the city is now trying to reduce the number of tourists, especially those who come solely to explore the city’s buzzing nightlife.

Sofyan Mbarki, Amsterdam Deputy Mayor, said: “It’s about behaving, decreasing visitor numbers and bringing a balance back in our city.”

Amsterdam is one of the many cities taking steps to combat over-tourism, introducing short-term rental regulations and new hotel developments. 

The city announced a “Stay Away” campaign aimed at revelling British tourists and, more recently, a “Renew Your View” campaign to encourage tourists to view and treat Amsterdam as a local would.

However, the number of Red Light District visitors hasn’t declined, so the city is attempting to turn the district into an indoor building to benefit the neighbourhood.

The deputy mayor said: “The place right now is very attractive because of the quantity of red windows over there. We are trying to bring it inside a building. Otherwise, tourists will only want to watch and visit that place.”