Understand
Most visitors arrive in Amsterdam at the Central Station, and then walk south over the streets Damrak and Rokin. In mediaeval times, both these streets actually were the final end of the Amstel River. They used to cut Amsterdam in half: east of the Damrak-Rokin-axis was the Old Side Oudezijde of Amsterdam, the oldest part of the city dating from the 13th century. West of the Damrak-Rokin-axis was the New Side Nieuwezijde, which was constructed later, but still dates from the late Middle Ages. Now Damrak and Rokin are the glue that hold both sides of the city together, and while walking there, you probably won't even notice that this once was a river.
The division between the Old Side and the New Side never faded away however, and both have a lot to offer for visitors. The Old Side is home to the Nieuwmarkt, a large square that recently turned into a Chinese neighbourhood though it doesn't match up with Chinatowns in other cities. The Zeedijk particularly offers some great Asian restaurants an snack joints. Nearby is the Red Light District located at the Oudezijds Burgwal, the oldest profession of the world at the oldest part of the city. The New Side's most iconic square is Dam Square, considered the ultimate centre of the city. It's a spacious area dominated by the Royal Palace Koninklijk Paleis and the New Church Nieuwe Kerk. Around it are the city's prime shopping areas with the Kalverstraat, Nieuwendijk and the Flower Market, and the bars at the Spui.
An outlying area is the Old Jewish Quarter. As the Netherlands had a relatively high level of religious freedom from the 16th century onwards, many Jewish communities had migrated to this area. In the 1920s this was one of the busiest areas of town with large open-air markets and smoky factories. This changed in World War II, when Nazi Germany occupied Amsterdam and most Jewish citizens were deported to concentration camps. The area went into decay and even today isn't quite as interesting as one might hope. It nowadays has turned into a big traffic junction, but the Jewish Historical Museum Joods Historisch Museum keeps the history of the neighborhood alive.
Next to the more official cultural venues, the old centre of Amsterdam offers the usual tourist traps. On Damrak you can find for example the Amsterdam Vodka Museum and the Sex Museum, and in the Red Light District you can find the Hash and Marihuana Museum.
