If you’re headed to points in Europe with no direct service from the U.S.—or beyond Europe to Africa, the Middle East, or even Asia—there’s a good chance you could be “hubbing” through Amsterdam. If that’s an option, we certainly encourage you to do so, and break up your trip with a stay-over of at least a couple of days. That’s what we did on a trip earlier this year to Egypt, and it was a great decision.

I had been to Amsterdam many years ago—more years ago than I care to admit—and, while I recall enjoying it, it don’t remember it making a huge impression. Either I’ve changed, or Amsterdam has—or maybe we both have, because this time I had a ball. Not only is it the perfect place to stop off for a few days to break up a longer trip, it also is an intriguing and manageable city escape as an end destination .

November/December 2011