Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a cornucopia of cafés, coffee shops, cozy bars, and outdoor markets. Set on 160 man-made canals, Amsterdam also has the largest historical inner city in Europe. The French writer J. K. Huysmans once called Amsterdam "a dream, an orgy of houses and water." It's true: when compared with other major European cities, this one is uniquely defined by its impressive gabled houses, rather than palaces, estates, and other aristocratic folderol. Most of the 7,000 registered monuments here began as residences and warehouses of humble merchants.