Wax replicas Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Lopez are all amongst the collection of celebrities and politicians featured in the luxurious, extravagant museum.

The statues look amazingly life-like in this museum, which is a popular stop for teenagers and pop culture fans. The museum’s music zone features numbers from such musical artists as Michael Jackson and Kylie Minogue.

This museum also has a unique display of animatronic and historical figurines. The museum is located on Dam Square in central Amsterdam, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival is a weeklong event each April focusing on anime, fantasy, thriller, horror and sci-fi films. The International Documentary Filmfestival of Amsterdam features 200 documentary films and videos for two weeks beginning in late November. It is a must-see for any true film buff.

The Netherlands are renowned for the beautiful tulip fields that adorn the country’s landscape, often with a windmill at the center. Tulip season runs from April through mid-May. As far as weather is concerned, May through October feature mild average temperatures of up to 80 degrees during the days and lows of 50 degrees in the evenings. Weather is generally somewhat damp year-round, so cloudless days are rare.

Wintertime in Amsterdam is particularly damp and cold, with temperatures between 30 and 40. Umbrellas, warm sweaters and reliable, comfortable walking shoes are a must for visitors to Amsterdam.

Any trip to the city will involve lots of walking, but if you get turned around or lose your way, never fear. The friendly Dutch people will be more than happy to lend a helping hand.

The Anne Frank House, or Anna Frank Huis, offers tours of the secret annex where the young Jewish girl hid from Nazi persecution for two years during World War II. She used her diary to record her experiences in the hiding place with seven others. Startling and heart-wrenching, Frank’s account was turned into a classic book, The Diary of a Young Girl, and a film. Frank died at the age of 15 in a Nazi concentration camp just weeks before World War II ended, but her story and legacy have lived on and droves of tourists visit her hiding place in Amsterdam each year.

On the first Saturday of November, the museums of Amsterdam open from about 7 p.m. until around 2 a.m. for Museum Night. Locals and tourists alike are encouraged to visit overnight in their favorite museum for free. Special events are planned to engage visitors, making this night one to look forward to all year round.

Continuing down Kalverstraat will bring shoppers to the Flowermarket, where tulips, narcissus and bulbs are available, export-ready. P.C. Hooftstraat is the street in Amsterdam where the nicest boutiques are located. Travellers on a budget may just want to stick to window shopping in this area.

Speaking of window shopping, there is always the “window shopping” of a different variety going on in the Red Light District for those who grow weary of looking at clothes.

The building where Anne Frank hid was built in 1635, renovated in 1739, and originally served as a private residence. Throughout the 20th Century, the building was used as offices for various companies before finally being obtained by Anne Frank’s father, Otto, in 1940. Sadly, Otto would be the only one of the eight hidden people to survive the concentration camp. Two of Otto’s employees helped hide the group in the rear upper floor of the building, above Otto’s office. Those employees, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, also helped supply the hidden group with supplies for two years. After the group was discovered by Nazi soldiers acting on an anonymous tip, Gies and Voskuijl returned to the secret annex illegally to gather the family’s personal items, which were later returned to Otto Frank. Anne Frank’s diary was among that collection of items.

The structure opened as a museum in 1960 after surviving a battle against developers wanting to replace the Anna Frank Huis and the entire block of buildings with a large factory. Petitioners and protesters helped the cause, as did the Anne Frank Foundation created by Otto Frank. The building closed in 1970 because heavy foot traffic had created a need for renovation work. It was reopened in 1999 and remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Amsterdam.

One Dutch favorite is pancakes, and the pancake houses throughout Amsterdam represent that passion. Thinner than an American-style pancake and thicker than a crepe, Dutch pancakes are delicious Ò or Ïlekker,Ó as they say in Dutch. The Satellite Sports Cafe is a sports-themed cafe/bar that allows customers to create their own pancakes. Although this restaurant is open until 1 a.m., most of the pancake houses close at 8 or 9 p.m. The reason for this is the Dutch dinner time is typically around 6 p.m. so there are not as many late-night diners as there might be in other countries. As for breakfast, it is served at most places until 10 a.m. and lunch is typically available in restaurants between the hours of noon and 4 p.m.

Some tourists may be surprised to find the array of delicious, authentic restaurants available in the infamous Red Light District. For example, this area is home to Cafe Pacifico, one of the first Mexican restaurants in Europe. Between all the delicious dining and charming cafes, one does not need to travel far to find good food in Amsterdam. Good food is something the Dutch appreciate and love to share.

The restaurant has three distinct sections, the main dining room, the cocktail bar and open kitchen and a basement that opens after 5 p.m. for cocktails. There is a three-course meal which costs 30 Euro on average, but a la carte dining is also allowed. The menu is changed every two months, always filled with authentic cuisine from around the globe. Most of the meat here is roasted or grilled, in keeping with the chefÌs attention to healthy eating.