Amsterdam is a beautful city. Nothing more need be said.

A quick note to alert you to a deal that's on the DFDS Seaways website at the moment (until Sunday 31st). They are currently offering 2 for 1 on their Mini Cruises to Amsterdam, which is a great deal if you're thinking of booking a trip to the great city. Let us know if you decide to take up the offer!

There was some great news for Amsterdam (and European travelers in general yesterday) when the new high speed train linking to Brussels took its first journey. The train travels at speeds of 300kph, and cuts the journey time from Brussels to Amsterdam to 1hr and 53mins (50 mins quicker than previously) - Amsterdam to Cologne is cut in half to approx 1hr and 47mins. Amazing stuff we think you'll agree - Amsterdam now makes an even more appealing base for your European Travels!

Read more about the new trains on this article.

For booking information, check out the Thalys trains website.

There are an increasing number of people based in the UK choosing to spend the festive period abroad, and naturally Amsterdam is one of the most popular destinations. The city generates a superb atmosphere over the Christmas period - it's unique architecture, great shops, ice rink and Christmas market all combine to make it an obvious choice for a festive short break.

Here are some great shots of an atmosheric Amsterdam at Christmas time:

Pretty impressive we think you'll agree!


Ferry company DFDS Seaways offer a number of specially tailored festive breaks to Amsterdam, amongst other cheap European ferry bookings.

Just a quick note to point you in the direction of a great article over at The Independent on the Van Gogh Museum. As we have mentioned before it is a must visit for any trip to Amsterdam - this article will hopefully give you another spurt of inspiration to visit ASAP.

The footballing gods have once again paired the two mighty nations of Holland and Scotland together in a vital football match. No doubt the thousands of Dutch heading over to Scotland will ensure a superb atmosphere - and we would make a plea to the Dutch masters to be a little lenient towards us Scots (not that we're desperate or anything) - they've won the group at a canter and have nothing to play for so why not just let us go through to the Play-Offs?

**UPDATE**

By a massive stroke of good luck i managed to get to the game on Wednesday night - it was a fantastic night despite the result. The atmosphere was amazing and im sure the Dutch supporters enjoyed themselves, hopefully Scotland will get some better luck in the next campaign.

One of the best ways to travel to the Netherlands is by ferry from England to Holland. Holland has so much to offer and we are not just talking about Amsterdam, in this we are going to shift our attention to a different Amsterdam – a miniature one.

The world famous city of Madurodam is an hour’s drive away is from Amsterdam, the 1:25 scaled city is a work of art and a must visit if you are in Holland. It has all the Dutch landmarks in the finest detail and a great way to familiarize yourself with popular landmarks and buildings of interest, from Schiphol Airport to the famous cheese market, The Hague to Dam Square, turning windmills to planes landing at the airport, This is a great day out for all the family and one that will be remembered for life.