Amsterdam's hotels are known for their cleanliness and hospitality, its restaurants offer world cuisine, and along the city streets is a shopper's paradise. Most visitors fall in love with the city and return again and again. Amsterdam is nourished by a wealth of museums, concert halls, and avant-garde theater and dance venues. Its relaxed and tolerant attitudes draw those looking for a creative, anything-goes atmosphere. Large numbers of beautiful tree-lined canals are bordered by streets with rows of narrow, gabled houses and 17th-century warehouses, making Amsterdam an architectural treasure-house. With 750,000 inhabitants, Amsterdam is much smaller (but no less interesting) than many European capitals. As a result, much of the city center can be comfortably explored on foot -- or, if you want to look like a true local, by bicycle.