CQ, the friend I stayed with last summer, finally got her US citizenship!  First agenda of the family was to go to London to visit a family friend.  Couldn't say I'm not envious.  The chance to travel anywhere without the hassle of getting visa is sure one great perk.

And you know what's another great stop from UK?  Amsterdam!  The family plans to stay in London for about 2 weeks.  I'm sure they'd want to take a break from the gloomy London skies, and get some city breaks in amsterdam.  Amsterdam, home to Rembrant, Van Gogh and Ann Frank.  The place reeks of charm and quaintness and art.

Exterior view of the Museumplein (photo by Arie de Leeuw)

One of the places I would surely visit would be the Museumplein (Museum Square), made up of the Rijkmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, House of Bols Cocktail & Genever Experience and Coster Diamonds, among other things.

The thing is, there are actually some online places where you can get amsterdam city breaks for a relatively small fee.  I checked how much it would cost for one person to go there from London and stay for three nights, and saw that the cheapest rate sums up to £604 (around 1,000 USD).  That already covers both flight and accommodations for a bed and breakfast hotel.

Goes to show, amsterdam short breaks should really be a part of your UK travel.