Mercure's travel guides

Amsterdam: indulgence, tolerance, heady enjoyment. Culture, art, architecture. Winding, narrow streets and gently flowing canals. Rembrandt. Van Gogh. "Gezelligheid," a Dutch word for cosiness and community which goes some way to summing up the city's special atmosphere.

Cosily tucked into the folds of Western Europe, the Netherlands' capital retains a village-like feel, particularly in the quiet, cobbled narrow streets around the canals. The city is surprisingly compact and safe: residents, who number around 750,000, are generally polite, tolerant and almost all speak English.

Amsterdam's historic centre is bordered by the Singel canal, which curves around it like a smile; beyond are the Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht canals, lying parallel to one another in a horseshoe shape. Hundreds of bridges and smaller canals criss-cross between them. Much of Amsterdam has been reclaimed from wetlands – the city sits 5 feet (1.5 metres) below sea level and its main airport, Schiphol, is 16 feet (nearly 5 metres) below. Buildings, which rest on soft, peat soil, are bolstered by wooden pilings for stability.

Dam Square is at the heart of city life, while Leidseplein is unashamedly touristy. Museumplein holds many of Amsterdam's great museums and galleries. For a break stroll through Vondelpark, the city's green lung, or the pretty Jordaan district.

Pull in by train at Amsterdam Centraal Station, north of Dam Square. You can walk across the centre in under an hour, whizz around on the excellent tram, metro and bus system, or do as Amsterdammers do and cycle. For a more leisurely tour, take a boat ride. Don't worry if you get lost – it's half the fun.

The Netherlands' reputation for wet weather has an element of truth, but there are a multitude of undercover things to do. Museums abound – more per capita than any other European city – and the city centre contains thousands of historic protected buildings, many of them narrow, lofty former merchants' houses by the canals.

Amsterdam's infamous coffee shops and brown cafés draw many, although anti-smoking laws now operate in public spaces. And one cannot avoid peeking into the red light district, now more a neon-lit, downgrade tourist attraction than a real den of sin.

Amsterdam has a serious business side – it has one of Europe's largest seaports and stock exchanges – but visitors will be most struck by its intriguing blend of old and new, its fine old buildings spliced with impressive modern architecture, and its ability to combine the cosmopolitanism of a city with the friendliness of a small town.