Jordaan Amsterdam
The Jordaan is an old working-class neighborhood. Today it has been taken over by students, artists and hipsters. This is a great place to wander around, get lost and soak up the atmosphere of people going about their daily business. Houses here are tiny but tidy, with laced curtains and window boxes. Windows are large and remarkable clean. It is said that the whole city cleans the outside of their windows one day a week and the inside on another. Whether that is true or not is a moot point.

The windows are nearly all showcases. The Jordaan is full of inviting pubs and restaurants, offbeat shops, weird little art galleries and lively markets. There's also a high concentration of hofjes (courtyards) here, many of them with beautifully restored houses and lovingly maintained gardens. Noordermarkt is a lively square, hosting weekly flea and organic farmer's markets, surrounded by bars and cafes where visitors can kick back and watch weird and wonderful Amsterdammers at work and play.