Manchester has twinned with a number of cities or towns over the years.
One of the first was Saint Petersburg in Russia, which began its twin relationship with Manchester in 1962.
Today, there are others all around the world, including Aydin in Turkey, Cordoba in Spain, Rehovot in Israel, Los Angeles in the USA and Wuhan in China.
According to recent research commissioned by money-saving website Voucherbox, most UK towns’ twin relationships are with places in European countries, the most popular being in France and Germany.
This stems from the fact that twinning really took off in the aftermath of WWII, as a way of healing relationships between the war-torn countries.
Manchester is twinned with Chemnitz in Germany but doesn’t have a twin in France.
However, one of its most recent twin relationships is with another European country, the Netherlands.
Amsterdam began its twin city relationship with Manchester only a few years ago, in 2007, and has to be one of the easiest for Mancunians to visit.
It’s so easy to get a flight on a number of different airlines from Manchester airport to Amsterdam, and if you’re on a budget, you can often get a real bargain.
Just take a weekend bag to work on a Friday and have drinks and dinner in Amsterdam by early evening.
So what is there to see and do in Amsterdam? Here’s our suggested list of things to cram into a weekend visit there.
Visit a coffee house
TWINS: Amsterdam was paired with Manchester in 2007
Amsterdam has long been famous for its soft drug policy which means it’s perfectly legal to smoke marijuana there.
But of course, there are always plenty of alternatives on the coffee house menus – if you’re not interested in smoking pot but simply want to soak up the atmosphere or want to visit some places made famous by Hollywood.
Take for example Dampkring, where the crew of Ocean’s Twelve spent time while filming in Amsterdam.
Eat Indonesian food
As Indonesia used to be a Dutch colony, there are many links left with Indonesia today.
One of the most obvious signs of this is the vast array of Indonesian restaurants you’ll find in cities like Amsterdam.
Try the Nasi Goreng at Sie-Joe, unless you’re hungry enough for the ‘rice table’ – a wide variety of dishes.
Alternative restaurants with an Eastern flavour include Tempo Doeloe and Puri Mas.
Enjoy the art
Van Gogh is probably one of Holland’s most famous sons and the Van Gogh museum is a great place to see many of his works and find out his life.
You can wander around yourself, or take a guided tour. At the Rijksmuseum you’ll discover the history of Dutch art through the centuries, including Holland’s Golden Age, the 17th century.
Savour the nightlife
GETAWAY: The city is perfect for a city break
There are plenty of different clubs where you can dance the night away in Amsterdam.
Try Mazzo and Club More, but if jazz is more your scene, head to Cafe Alto on Leidsedwarsstraat instead.
If you want to explore the city at night, take a night bike ride along the canals, enjoying the reflections from all the houses shimmering on the water.
Don’t forget to include the Skinny Bridge on your route – the bridge is at Kerkstraat and Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht and is lit up by 1,200 bulbs once dusk has fallen.
Of course, there’s a lot more to see and do in Amsterdam. But for any Mancunian who only has a weekend to explore one of their city’s twins, some of the ideas above should be a great place to start.
Images courtesy of SueWellington and AmsterdamRedLight and nanaow2006 via Flickr, with thanks.
