Amsterdam Directions Read online

  See DAY-TRIPS FROM AMSTERDAM

  Vondelpark

  The leafy Vondelpark, with its ponds, footpaths and colony of parrots, is the city centre’s most attractive park by a mile.

  See THE MUSEUM QUARTER AND THE VONDELPARK

  Hortus Botanicus

  A peaceful oasis in the heart of the city.

  See THE OLD JEWISH QUARTER AND EASTERN DOCKS

  Zaanse Schans

  This recreated Dutch village is one of the enticing sights on the edge of Amsterdam.

  See DAY-TRIPS FROM AMSTERDAM

  Clubbers’ Amsterdam

  Clubbing in Amsterdam is not the exclusive, style-conscious business it is in many other capitals. There is no one really extravagant nightspot, and most Amsterdam clubs – even the hippest ones – aren’t very expensive or difficult to get into. Music is mainly techno, and the most happening clubs tend to be on the outskirts of the city and come and go – see flyers and posters in bars for details. Most clubs charge around €10 to get in, often less during the week.

  Escape

  Home to Amsterdam’s hottest weekend club nights.

  See THE OUTER DISTRICTS

  Mazzo

  A varied agenda, at this, one of the city’s hippest and most long-standing club venues.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Melkweg

  Still going strong since its heyday in the 1960s, hosting both club nights and live music.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Paradiso

  Friday nights here are the city’s best.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Kids’ Amsterdam

  With its canals, bikes and trams, Amsterdam can be entertaining enough for some kids. But there are several attractions aimed specifically at children, ranging from long-established places like the zoo – rated as one of the best in Europe – to circuses, ice-skating and city farms. Otherwise just rent a bike, or a canal bike, and take to the streets or water.

  Artis Zoo

  Unusually airy and open for an old city-centre zoo.

  See THE OLD JEWISH QUARTER AND EASTERN DOCKS

  Circustheater Elleboog

  Spend a day learning to juggle at this central venue.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Kindermuseum (Tropenmuseum)

  Ethnographic exhibits for kids – worthy but fun.

  See THE OUTER DISTRICTS

  Kinderkoekcafé

  Yes, really, this is an entire restaurant run by children.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  NEMO

  Hands-on and interactive science museum.

  See THE OLD JEWISH QUARTER AND EASTERN DOCKS

  Gay Amsterdam

  In keeping with the Dutch reputation for tolerance, no other city in Europe has historically accepted gay people quite as readily as Amsterdam. Here, perhaps more than anywhere else, it’s possible to be openly gay and accepted by all of the straight community, and this attitude is reflected in a broad and long-standing gay infrastructure in the city: there are plenty of bars, clubs and services targeted at gay men and women.

  Gay shopping

  There’s plenty on offer for gay shoppers in Amsterdam: book stores, video stores and a whole lot more.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  IT

  Probably the city’s most glamorous gay night out.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Homo-monument

  This monument remembers gays and lesbians killed by the Nazis.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  COC

  Amsterdam branch of Holland’s nationwide gay organization.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Festivals

  Most of Amsterdam's festivals aren't so much street happenings as music and arts events. But there are one or two – Queen's Day is the big stand-out – which take over the city for a day or two, and others which have deep roots in the city's modern culture, most notably the Cannabis Cup and Gay Pride. It's not particularly worth timing your visit around any event, except perhaps Queen's Day, but if you're here at the right time it's worth knowing what's going on - contact the VVV for a full diary of year-round happenings.

  Parade of St Nicolaas

  The traditional parade of Santa Claus through the city, with his sidekicks, "Black Peters".

  See ESSENTIALS

  Amsterdam Pride

  A big celebration, given the size of the city's gay community.

  See ESSENTIALS

  Cannabis Cup

  Where else but Amsterdam would you find the world’s annual dope awards?

  See ESSENTIALS

  Queen's Day

  The biggest event in the city's calendar, a wild affair in which everyone takes to the streets and waterways in an atmosphere of public celebration and organized debauchery.

  See ESSENTIALS

  Canalside Amsterdam

  Amsterdam’s canals are its most distinctive feature, and you could spend many happy hours wandering from one to the other. Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht are the largest and best-known canals, girdling the city centre since they were added in the seventeenth century. Their gabled houses and numerous bridges are the Amsterdam you see in all the photos – and help to make this such a distinctive and beautiful city.

  Golden Bend

  The most opulent, though perhaps not the most characteristic, row of canalhouses in the city.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Leliegracht

  One of the most charming of the radial stretches of water that connect the main canals.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Brouwersgracht

  The former warehouses of this canal make it one of the city’s most picturesque.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Herengracht

  The first of the canals to be dug for the city’s planned seventeenth-century extension, and the one with the grandest buildings.

  See THE GRACHTEN- GORDEL

  Groenburgwal

  Small dead-end canal right in the centre that is a lovely place to drink on a summer evening.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Markets

  Amsterdam’s not especially a shopping town but it has some great markets, from the famous fleamarket on Waterlooplein to smaller, more impromptu affairs selling books, organic produce, even pets. Devising a walk between the city’s markets is a nice way of exploring the city centre.

  Bloemenmarkt

  This floating flower and plant market is a delight – and much cheaper than you might be used to back home.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Albert Cuypmarkt

  Busy general market that is still to some extent the authentic heart of working-class Amsterdam.

  See THE OUTER DISTRICTS

  Boerenmarkt

  The place to come for organic food goodies.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Waterlooplein

  This fleamarket isn’t what it was, but can still be a great source of clothing bargains.

  See THE OLD JEWISH QUARTER AND EASTERN DOCK

  Oudemanhuispoort

  A covered passageway lined with secondhand bookstalls.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Special shopping

  Variety is the essence of Amsterdam shopping. The city doesn’t score particularly highly when it comes to big department stores and branches of the big-name designers. But it has a fantastic array of small stores specializing in everything from condoms to beads, all making for fantastic browsing between sights.

  Kitsch Kitchen

  Fancy kitchen accessories, all in the worst possible taste.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Donald E. Jongejans

  Ancient spectacles, with and without lenses.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  1001 Kralen

  Nothing but beads in this Jordaan institution.
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  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Condomerie

  The ultimate specialist shop, with a mind-boggling array of condoms.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Akkerman

  The city’s best pen specialist.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Rembrandt

  Born in Leiden in 1606, Rembrandt is widely regarded as the greatest artist of Holland’s seventeenth-century Golden Age – no mean achievement in a century that wasn’t exactly short of great artists. His mastery of historical subjects and his skilful rendering of portraits, meant he was the right painter at the right time for Amsterdam’s self-promoting burghers. However, he fell from grace almost as quickly as he rose and it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that his reputation recovered. His deft brushwork and imaginative approach to composition mean his reputation is as towering as ever.

  Self-portrait

  The artist in his pomp: young, well-dressed and going places.

  See THE MUSEUM QUARTER AND THE VONDELPARK

  Self-portrait

  The artist in his final years: beaten, bitter and close to the end.

  See THE MUSEUM QUARTER AND THE VONDELPARK

  The Night Watch

  Probably the most famous Rembrandt painting ever.

  See THE MUSEUM QUARTER AND THE VONDELPARK

  The Jewish Bride

  A study of marriage and duty – and love and tenderness.

  See THE MUSEUM QUARTER AND THE VONDELPARK

  Designer bars

  Not every Amsterdam bar is a brown café; indeed over recent years the trend has been to open bars and cafés that are anything but brown – bright, white places that are supposed to appeal to cool young people. They tend to come and go, but we’ve included a selection of the better established places.

  Blincker

  Hi-tech theatre bar on the edge of the Red-Light District.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Lux

  One of the city centre’s trendiest bar hangouts.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Het Land van Walem

  Bright, modern city-centre stand-by.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  De Jaren

  One of the largest and most inviting of the city’s "grand cafés".

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Morlang

  Modern bar with occasional live music.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Traditional architecture

  Amsterdam's architecture is not of the huge, monumental variety. Long a republic, it doesn't boast palaces and other structures built to glorify its rulers. Rather, like the rest of Holland, its interest lies in the domestic, in the houses here that were built for the wealthy burghers of the Dutch Republic, and the details that lie therein. Some have been preserved and are open to visitors (see House Museums); others host homes and businesses and you have to be content to admire them from the outside.

  Cromhouthuizen

  Elegant seventeenth-century houses, built with all the soberness and frivolity of the age.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  DE DOLPHIJN

  The home of the leader of the guard in Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Felix Meritis Building

  The city’s best example of the Neo-classical style of the late eighteenth century.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Huis Bartolotti

  One of the most handsome houses built on Herengracht during the Golden Age.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Herengracht 361–369

  The best chance you’ll get to compare gable styles.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Modern architecture

  Amsterdam isn’t all about old buildings; it has some interesting examples of twentieth-century architecture too, principally from the so-called Amsterdam School – whose style employed playful motifs and details in a modern context – as well as the odd example of the Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles.

  American Hotel

  The city’s Art Nouveau masterpiece, now sadly renovated inside apart from its marvellous café.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Beurs van Berlage

  Clean, simple classic of the Dutch modern movement.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Scheepvaarthuis

  Extravagantly building decorated with all things nautical – a good example of the decorative Amsterdam School.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Tuschinski

  Extraordinarily well-preserved Art Deco cinema.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Het Schip

  Classic apartment building of the Amsterdam School.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Churches

  Amsterdam’s skyline is punctured by the spires of its numerous churches. However, they’re not one of the major attractions in this most Calvinist of cities. Some have been deconsecrated, and the interiors of the rest are plain and simple affairs more devoted to the practicalities of worship than extolling the glories of God. There are, however, one or two places that are worth seeking out.

  Noorderkerk

  The most spartan of Amsterdam's seventeenth-century churches.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Amstelkring

  Once a clandestine church for the city’s Catholics, the seventeenth-century house chapel here is one of the city’s most distinctive sights.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Nieuwe Kerk

  Despite its name, a fifteenth-century Gothic affair that is now just used for state occasions and exhibitions.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Oude Kerk

  Ancient Gothic church with fantastic sixteenth-century stained glass windows.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Westerkerk

  Amsterdam is celebrated for its soaring church spires, and this is one of its most striking.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  What to eat

  Dutch food tends to be higher in carbs than imagination, but there are one or two good, filling bar specialities that make a great option for lunch, and the odd streetfood delicacy that is definitely worth trying.

  Herring

  Tip your head back and swallow it, Dutch-style.

  See THE OUTER DISTRICTS

  Frites with sauce

  With mayonnaise, curry sauce or a host of other choices.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Erwtensoep

  Known as "snert", this thick pea soup is deliciously warming in winter.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Indonesian food

  Don’t leave Amsterdam without trying one of its Indonesian restaurants – the most positive legacy of its colonial past.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Uitsmijter

  Fried eggs and ham or cheese.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Broodjes

  Sandwiches and rolls basically, usually served open with pickles and salad.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Clothes

  When it comes to clothes, Amsterdam is in many ways an ideal place to shop: prices aren’t too high and the city is sufficiently compact to save shoe leather. On the other hand, don’t expect the choice of, say, London or New York. The city’s department stores tend to be conservative, and the Dutch disapproval of ostentation means that the big international designers tend to stay away. What you will find are good-value if somewhat dull mainstream clothing along Kalverstraat, top-end stores on Van Baerlestraat and P.C. Hoofstraat – and plenty of quirky stuff in between.

  Ksisk

  Punky and funky fashions.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Edgar Vos

  Holland’s best-known high-end designer.

  See THE MUSEUM QUARTER AND THE VONDELPARK

  Antonia

  Dutc
h designer collections.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Zipper

  Vintage clothing selected with some style.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Tearooms

  Amsterdam’s tearooms roughly correspond to the usual concept of a café – places that are generally open all day, might serve alcohol but definitely aren’t bars, don’t allow dope-smoking but provide good coffee, sandwiches, light snacks and cakes. Amsterdam is a walking city so you may be glad of one of these places if you’re flagging.

  Puccini

  Great cakes and chocolates.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Villa Zeezicht

  The best apple cake in the city.

  See THE OLD CENTRE

  Lunchcafé Winkel

  Busy and friendly place to take the weight off on tours of the Jordaan.

  See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN

  Metz

  The department store’s rooftop restaurant is the place to nurse a coffee and take in the views.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Hotels

  Accommodation in Amsterdam can be a major expense, but the city’s compactness at least means that it is easy to stay somewhere central, even on a tight budget. Obviously the nicest thing to do is stay on one of the city’s canals, preferably in a room facing the water, and there are some great places that you can do this. You’ll pay a premium for the location, but at least when you wake up you’ll know that you couldn’t be anywhere else in the world.

  Blakes

  Part of the ultra-style-conscious Hempel chain hotel, with elegant rooms and suites fashioned out of a seventeenth-century canal house.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Seven Bridges

  A Rough Guide favourite, this moderately priced hotel has a great canalside location.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Prinsenhof

  A top budget option in a great location.

  See THE GRACHTENGORDEL

  Hotel de l’Europe

  Grand old hotel that is perhaps the city centre’s most luxurious option.

  See THE OLD CENTRE