Not sure about which area to stay in? Here you can find the (central) Centrum Area Information guide to help.
The old town centre of Amsterdam or Centrum, can roughly be considered as the long U shape inside the canal belt. Damrak, the main drag that runs south from Centraal, also marks a border between the main hub of the Red Light District (to the left, or east, with the station behind you) and the ‘new side’, which leads to the Canal Belt.
The Centre is the most obviously touristic part of town, with Dam Square at its centre, and rafts of tourist shops flogging novelty T-shirts and all sorts of cornucopia. But it’s also the most interesting area historically and architecturally.
The RLD is Amsterdam’s Eiffel Tower – a must-see that can delight and underwhelm in equal measure. It’s an adult Disneyland of hookers, hemp and hullaballoo, with some of the city’s most gormless tourists and tackiest boozers, but can also be spectacular and life-affirming amounts of F.U.N.