Amsterdam is a compact, instantly likeable city. It's appealing to look at and pleasant to walk around, an intriguing mix of the parochial and the international; it also has a welcoming attitude towards visitors and a uniquely youthful orientation, shaped by the liberal counter-culture that took hold in the 1960s. Also engaging are the buzz of open-air summer events and the intimacy of its clubs and bars, not to mention the Dutch facility with languages: just about everyone you meet in Amsterdam will be able to speak near-perfect English, on top of their own native Dutch, and often French and German too.
The city's layout is determined by a web of canals. The historical centre, which dates from the thirteenth century, is girdled by five concentric canals – the Grachtengordel – dug in the seventeenth century as part of a planned expansion to create a uniquely elegant urban environment. It is here that the city's merchant class built their grand mansions, typified by tall, gracefully decorated gables, whose fine proportions are reflected in the still, olive-green waters below.
From outside the main railway station in Den Haag, catch tram 9 to Schevingen and Madurodam is a 15 minute ride that has a stop just outside the complex.
If your used to visiting model villages in England be prepared to have your eyes blown out. This site is huge and even though we were gently strolling about it took a couple of hours.
Virtually every monument, palace and tourist attraction in The Netherlands has been recreated in miniature at 1:25 scale. Try and go during dry sunny weather if at all possible and be there when it opens as it got very busy when we visited and that was a week day. This is a place that will amaze your kids and to be honest you also... you will never look at a model town again in the same way.
