Rough Guide Directions Amsterdam (PDFDrive)

Amsterdam
D I R E C T I O N S
written and researched by

Martin Dunford and Phil Lee
Rough Guides New Media
New York · London · Delhi
www.roughguides.com
Publishing Information
This 1st edition published August 2004 by Rough Guides Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL.
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in Amsterdam DIRECTIONS, however, they can accept no responsibility for any loss, injury, or
inconvenience sustained by any traveller as a result of information or advice contained in the guide.
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Contents
Introduction
Ideas
The big six sights
Brown Cafés
Restaurants
Art galleries
Coffeeshops
Hostellers’ Amsterdam
Green Amsterdam
Clubbers’ Amsterdam
Kids’ Amsterdam
Gay Amsterdam
Festivals
Canalside Amsterdam
Markets
Special shopping
Rembrandt
Designer bars
Traditional architecture
Modern architecture
Churches
What to eat
Clothes
Tearooms
Hotels
Museums
Musical Amsterdam
Getting around
Places
The Old Centre
The Grachtengordel
The western canals and the Jordaan
The Old Jewish Quarter and Eastern Docks
The Museum Quarter and the Vondelpark
The Outer Districts
Day-trips from Amsterdam
Accommodation
Hotels
Hostels
Essentials
Arrival
Red tape and visas
City transport
Information and maps
Banks and exchange
Communications
Opening hours
Public holidays
Festivals and events
Entertainment and nightlife
Drugs
Directory
Language
Small Print
A Rough Guide to Rough Guides
Rough Guide Credits
Help us update
The authors
Acknowledgements
Introduction
This is as easy and engaging a capital city as you’ll find – a compact,

immediately likeable place, small enough to explore easily in a weekend, and
with an intriguing combination of the parochial and the international. Just about
everyone speaks good-to-fluent English, and more often than not more than a
smattering of French and German as well.
Amsterdam is a thoughtful city too, with a long-standing liberal tradition that
has given it a distinctive character, beginning with the obvious – the legalised
prostitution and dope-smoking coffeeshops – through to the more subtle,
encapsulated by Amsterdammers themselves in the Dutch word gezellig, which
roughly corresponds to a combination of "cosy", "lived-in" and "warmly
convivial". Nowhere is this more applicable than in the city’s unparalleled
selection of gezellig drinking establishments, whether you choose a traditional
brown café or one of the newer, designer places. In addition, the city boasts
dozens of great restaurants, with its Indonesian cuisine second-to-none, and is at
the forefront of contemporary European film, dance, drama and music.
Amsterdam has several top-rank jazz venues – the Dutch have long had a soft
spot for jazz – and the Concertgebouw concert hall is home to one of the world’s
leading orchestras. By comparison, the club scene is restrained by the standard
of other big cities, although gay men are well catered for in the many gay bars
and clubs, partly justifying Amsterdam’s claim to be the "Gay Capital of
Europe".
When to visit
Amsterdam enjoys a fairly standard temperate climate, with warm, if
characteristically mild summers and moderately cold and wet winters. The
climate is certainly not severe enough to make very much difference to the city’s
routines, which makes Amsterdam an ideal all-year destination. That said, high
summer – roughly late June to August – sees the city’s parks packed to the
gunnels and parts of the centre almost overwhelmed by tourists, whereas spring
and autumn are not too crowded and can be especially beautiful, with mist
hanging over the canals and low sunlight beaming through the cloud cover.
Indeed, Amsterdam has more than its fair share of cloudy days at any time of the
year, but even in January and February, when things can be at their gloomiest,
there are compensations – wet cobbles glistening under the street lights and the
canals rippled by falling raindrops. In the summer, from around June to August,
mosquitoes can be bothersome. At any time of the year, but particularly in
summer, try to book your accommodation well ahead of time.
The layout of the city is determined by a web of canals radiating out from an
historical core to loop right round the centre in a "Girdle of Canals", the
Grachtengordel. This planned, seventeenth-century extension to the medieval
town makes for a uniquely elegant urban environment, with tall gabled houses
reflected in black-green waters. This is where the city is at its most beguiling, a
world away from the traffic and noise of many another European city centre, and
it has made Amsterdam one of the continent’s most popular short-haul
destinations. These charms are supplemented by a string of first-rate attractions,
most notably the Anne Frankhuis, where the young Jewish diarist hid away
during the German occupation of World War II, the Rijksmuseum, with its
wonderful collection of Dutch paintings, including several of Rembrandt’s finest
works, and the peerless Vincent Van Gogh Museum, with the world’s largest
collection of the artist’s work.
Amsterdam at a glance
RedLight District
Once upon a time this area was on the edge of the city. Now it’s perhaps
Amsterdam’s most notorious neighbourhood, thronged with tourists and gangs of
men here to ogle scantily clad prostitutes sitting in windows. It has to be seen,
but it’s worth bearing in mind that this is a business – rather than a tourist –
district, with a solid bedrock of sleaze beneath the veneer of good, clean fun.
De Pijp
The increasingly gentrified heart of working-class Amsterdam is worth visiting
for its vibrant daily market and growing number of cool bars and eateries.
Grachtengordel
The ultimate in thoughtful city planning, the Grachtengordel – basically the ring
of canals that was dug around the medieval centre in the seventeenth century –
tripled the city in size, and made Amsterdam what it is today. When anyone
thinks of the city, it is these elegant waterways, crisscrossed by bridges, and
flanked by tall quirkily gabled houses, that they have in mind.
Old Jewish Quarter
Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter is not what it was – most of its inhabitants were
deported during the Nazi occupation, and it’s been unsympathetically
redeveloped since then. But it holds a few fascinating corners of Jewish and
wartime history as well as some key one-off attractions like the Rembrandthuis
and the city’s zoo.
Outside Amsterdam
Don’t forget that Holland is a small country and that there are plenty of
compelling attractions very close at hand – not least the small town of Haarlem,
with the great Frans Hals Museum, and the stunning Keukenhof Gardens, among
others.
Museum Quarter
Unsurprisingly, this area, just south of the city centre proper, is home to the
cream of Amsterdam’s museums. It is also one of the city’s plusher
neighbourhoods, with leafy streets and apartment blocks and upscale shops and
restaurants. There are quite a few moderately priced hotels here too.
Western Canals and the Jordaan

In many ways this is the city centre's most appealing and restful area, with some
of the most graceful stretches of the main canals, the more ramshackle small
waterways of the Jordaan, and the tall warehouses of the former harbour area.
All without pesky trams and traffic.
Ideas
The big six sights
Brown Cafés
Restaurants
Art galleries
Coffeeshops
Green Amsterdam
Kids’ Amsterdam
Gay Amsterdam
Festivals
Canalside Amsterdam
Markets
Special shopping
Rembrandt
Designer bars
Modern architecture
Churches
What to eat
Clothes
Tearooms
Hotels
Museums
Musical Amsterdam
Getting around
The big six sights
Amsterdam isn’t a city of major sights; its pleasures lie in wandering the streets
and taking in things aimlessly rather than targeting specific attractions. However
there are a number of things you really shouldn’t leave town without seeing,
ranging from the high cultural hit of the Van Gogh Museum to the full-on sleaze
of the Red Light District.
Anne Frankhuis
The secret annexe in which the famous teenage diarist hid with her family during
the Nazi occupation is perhaps the city’s most popular – and most moving –
tourist attraction.
See THE GRACHTENGORDEL
Oude Kerk
The city centre’s oldest church, now oddly surrounded by brothels.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Royal Palace
The supreme architectural example of the Dutch empire at the height of its
powers.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Rijksmuseum
This is closed for a major restoration. But it’s the city’s greatest museum by far,
featuring everything from paintings to furniture and applied arts. You can see the
best of its paintings in a temporary home in the building’s Philips Wing, as well
as at the Nieuwe Kerk, Schiphol Airport and other places around town.
See THE MUSEUM QUARTER AND THE VONDELPARK
RedLight District
Too steeped in the art of titillation to be truly shocking these days, but
Amsterdam’s red-light district is still the real thing – and a big attraction in its
own right.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Van Gogh Museum

With the world’s most comprehensive collection of the artist’s work, this
museum is simply unmissable.
Brown cafés
Drinking your way around Amsterdam isn’t such a bad way of passing the time,
and the traditional Amsterdam bar – or brown café – is an excellent place to do
just that. Named for the colour of their walls, stained by years of tobacco smoke,
the city’s brown cafés are cosy places to linger over a coffee, nurse a beer and
read the paper. There’s one on every corner, they’re open all day, usually until
late at night, and the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, whether you’re a
local or a tourist.
Hoppe
One of Amsterdam’s longest established city-centre watering-holes.
See THE OLD CENTRE
De Reiger
Typical, buzzy, locals’ bar in the Jordaan.
See THE WESTERN CANALS AND THE JORDAAN
Hegeraad
Perfectly preserved cosy brown café.
Wynand Fockink
The city’s best example of an old-fashioned proeflokaal or "tasting-house".
See THE OLD CENTRE
Restaurants
Amsterdam is definitely not a gourmet city. However there have always been
great places to eat here, and the quality and number of establishments has risen
over recent years. Whether it’s hearty Dutch food, great fish or Indonesian
specialities, you can eat superbly well nowadays if you know where to go.
Albatros
Something of an institution, and one of the city’s best fish restaurants.
Claes Claesz
A good place to sample proper Dutch food at moderate prices.
De Silveren Spiegel
Arguably the best Dutch restaurant in the city, great for fish.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Hoi Tin
Authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of Amsterdam’s rather dodgy
Chinatown.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Keyser
Fin-de-siècle restaurant and café next door to the Concertgebouw.
Art galleries
The Dutch do art galleries better than most, and Amsterdam’s house the
prodigious output of the city’s seventeenth-century Golden Age – Rembrandt,
Frans Hals, Vermeer – as well as the work of Van Gogh and the modern
movement. They’re one of the highlights of the city, though sadly its greatest
gallery – the Rijksmuseum – is closed for a long-term restoration.
Frans Hals Museum

It’s not far to Haarlem to see the paintings of Frans Hals in the almshouses
where he lived out his days.
See DAY-TRIPS FROM AMSTERDAM
Van Gogh Museum

Not only the greatest collection of prints and paintings by Van Gogh, but also the
nineteenth-century paintings and Japanese prints that influenced him.
Rijksmuseum
Only partly open for the moment, this is the place to see the best of the city’s
collection of Rembrandts.
CoBrA Museum
Cool modern museum hosting the art of the international CoBrA movement –
made up of artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam.
See THE OUTER DISTRICTS
Coffeeshops
Art, architecture and canals aside, many visitors to Amsterdam come for just one
thing: drugs. Amsterdam remains one of the few cities in the world where you
can smoke a joint in public. The places that you can do this – Amsterdam’s
euphemistically titled "coffeeshops" – are strictly controlled places that sell a
wide variety of hash and grass in neat cellophane packets; they also sell
spacecake (though aren’t supposed to) as well as an array of soft drinks. The
purchase and consumption of up to 5g of cannabis, and possession of up to 30g
(the legal limit) are tolerated rather than legal – though it’s unlikely that anything
bad will happen to you if you step outside these limits.
Kadinsky
Chocolate chip cookies, good jazz and dope – what more could you want?
Dampkring
Loud and friendly city-centre hangout.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Greenhouse
Way out of the centre, but known for the quality of its offerings.
Rusland
Coffeshop is something of a misnomer for a place that’s as well known for its tea
as its dope.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Siberië
Very relaxed and informal coffeeshop, slightly off the beaten tourist path.
For those on a tight budget, Amsterdam’s array of places offering dormitory

accommodation is second to none – from official HI establishments to unofficial
private hostels and even Christian hostels. Most will provide clean linen for a
few euros extra or you should bring your own sleeping bag. Many also lock their
guests out during the day, and there is sometimes a nightly curfew, though these
are often late enough as to make no difference.
Hans Brinker
Very well-established and well-run hostel.
Stay Okay Vondelpark

The best of the city’s official hostels.
Flying Pig Palace

Well-maintained private hostel near the Vondelpark.
Meeting Point
Cosy central hostel.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Bulldog
Part of the coffeeshop chain, with everything from dorm beds to luxury
apartments.
See THE OLD CENTRE
International Budget
Small budget hotel situated on a quiet canal in the city centre.
Green Amsterdam
Perhaps because it is laced by canals, Amsterdam isn’t an especially green city,

but it does have one great city-centre green space in the Vondelpark, and any
number of other verdant attractions on its limits or just outside.
Keukenhof Gardens
The largest flower garden in the world – bar none.
Vondelpark
The leafy Vondelpark, with its ponds, footpaths and colony of parrots, is the city
centre’s most attractive park by a mile.
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.
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.
Mazzo
A varied agenda, at this, one of the city’s hippest and most long-standing club
venues.
Melkweg
Still going strong since its heyday in the 1960s, hosting both club nights and live
music.
Paradiso
Friday nights here are the city’s best.
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.
Circustheater Elleboog
Spend a day learning to juggle at this central venue.
Kindermuseum (Tropenmuseum)
Ethnographic exhibits for kids – worthy but fun.
Kinderkoekcafé
Yes, really, this is an entire restaurant run by children.
See THE OLD CENTRE
NEMO
Hands-on and interactive science museum.
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.
Homomonument
This monument remembers gays and lesbians killed by the Nazis.
COC
Amsterdam branch of Holland’s nationwide gay organization.
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.
Leliegracht
One of the most charming of the radial stretches of water that connect the main
canals.
Brouwersgracht
The former warehouses of this canal make it one of the city’s most picturesque.
Herengracht
The first of the canals to be dug for the city’s planned seventeenth-century
extension, and the one with the grandest buildings.
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.
Boerenmarkt
The place to come for organic food goodies.
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.
Donald E. Jongejans
Ancient spectacles, with and without lenses.
1001 Kralen
Nothing but beads in this Jordaan institution.
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.
Selfportrait
The artist in his pomp: young, well-dressed and going places.
Selfportrait
The artist in his final years: beaten, bitter and close to the end.
The Night Watch

Probably the most famous Rembrandt painting ever.
The Jewish Bride

A study of marriage and duty – and love and tenderness.
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 RedLight 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.
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.
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.
DE DOLPHIJN
The home of the leader of the guard in Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.
Felix Meritis Building

The city’s best example of the Neoclassical style of the late eighteenth century.
Huis Bartolotti
One of the most handsome houses built on Herengracht during the Golden Age.
Herengracht 361–369
The best chance you’ll get to compare gable styles.
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.
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.
Het Schip
Classic apartment building of the Amsterdam School.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Indonesian food
Don’t leave Amsterdam without trying one of its Indonesian restaurants – the
most positive legacy of its colonial past.
Uitsmijter
Fried eggs and ham or cheese.
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.
Edgar Vos
Holland’s best-known high-end designer.
Antonia
Dutch designer collections.
Zipper
Vintage clothing selected with some style.
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.
Metz
The department store’s rooftop restaurant is the place to nurse a coffee and take
in the views.
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.
Seven Bridges
A Rough Guide favourite, this moderately priced hotel has a great canalside
location.
Prinsenhof
A top budget option in a great location.
Hotel de l’Europe
Grand old hotel that is perhaps the city centre’s most luxurious option.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Toren
Lovely, moderately priced canal house hotel.
Museums
Amsterdam excels with its museums – a huge variety, from restored aristocratic
houses to museums devoted to history, science, shipping and ethnography. Bear
in mind that most, especially those that are state-run, are shut on Mondays.
Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum

Homage to the Dutch mastery of the sea housed by the water in the old navy
arsenal.
Amsterdams Historisch Museum

The civic guard portraits of the Schuttersgalerij here provide an excellent
introduction to this museum devoted to the life and times of the city.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Verzetsmuseum
This museum brilliantly charts the history of the Dutch resistance to the Nazis
through a mixture of public and private exhibits.
Museum Van Loon

Probably the best-preserved seventeenth-century canal house in the city.
Museum WilletHolthuysen
A glimpse of changing styles over the years since this canal house was built in
1685.
Musical Amsterdam
There’s no shortage of classical music concerts in Amsterdam, with two major

orchestras based in the city, plus regular visits by touring outfits. Some of the
city’s churches host regular concerts, and there is top-notch opera, too, at the
Muziektheater and Stadsschouwburg.
Concertgebouw
Home to the eponymous orchestra, and generally reckoned to have some of the
best acoustics in the world.
Stadsschouwburg
Theatre dance and opera predominate at this venue.
Carré Theatre
Grand old building on the Amstel that hosts everything from musicals to opera.
Waalse Kerk
A lovely venue for evening chamber concerts.
See THE OLD CENTRE
Getting around
Almost all of Amsterdam’s leading attractions are clustered in or near the city
centre, within easy walking distance of each other. For longer jaunts, the city has
a first-rate public transport system, comprising trams, buses, a pint-sized metro
and numerous water-bourne alternatives. You might also want to do as the locals
do and rent a bicycle: there are plenty of rental outlets, and with its well-
integrated system of bicycle lanes, it couldn’t be easier – or safer.
Museumboot/Canal buses
Canal boats link the major museums and other sights.
See ESSENTIALS
Bicycles
Get around like a local by renting a bike for the day.
See ESSENTIALS
Canal Bikes
These four-seater pedaloes can be rented by the hour, but it can take an age to get
anywhere.
See ESSENTIALS
Trams
The city’s fifteen or so tram routes are the quickest way to get around the city.
See ESSENTIALS
Places
The Old Centre
The Grachtengordel
The Outer Districts
The Old Centre
Amsterdam’s most vivacious district, the Old Centre is an oval-shaped affair

whose tangle of antique streets and narrow canals is confined in the north by the
River IJ and to the west and south by the Singel, the first of several canals that
once girdled the entire city. Given the dominance of Centraal Station on most
transport routes, this is where you’ll almost certainly arrive. From here a stroll
across the bridge will take you onto the Damrak, which divided the Oude Zijde
(Old Side) of the medieval city to the east from the smaller Nieuwe Zijde (New
Side) to the west. It also led – and leads – to the heart of the Old Centre, Dam
Square, the site of the city’s most imperial building, the Koninklijk Paleis
(Royal Palace). The handsome seventeenth-and eighteenth-century canal houses
that are more typical of the Old Centre are mostly concentrated in the Oude
Zijde, which is also home to the world-famous RedLight District.
Centraal Station
With its high gables and cheerful brickwork, Centraal Station is an imposing
prelude to the city, built in the 1880s when it aroused much controversy because
it effectively separated the centre from the River IJ, source of the city’s wealth,
for the first time in Amsterdam’s long history. Outside, Stationsplein is a breezy
open space, edged by ovals of water, packed with trams and dotted with barrel
organs and chip stands, with street performers completing the picture in the
summer.
St Nicolaaskerk
Prins Hendrikkade. Mon & Sat noon–3pm, Tues–Fri 11am–4pm. Free.
The city’s foremost Catholic church, with whopping twin towers and a
cavernous interior. Above the altar is the crown of the Habsburg Emperor
Maximilian, very much a symbol of the city and one you’ll see again and again.
Damrak
Running from Centraal Station to Dam square, Damrak was a canal until 1672,
when it was filled in – much to the relief of the locals, who were tired of the
stink. Formerly, the canal had been the city’s main nautical artery, with boats
sailing up it to discharge their goods right in the centre of town on Dam square.
Thereafter, with the docks moved elsewhere, Damrak became a busy commercial
drag, as it remains today, a wide but unenticing avenue lined with tacky
restaurants, bars and bureaux de change.
The Beurs van Berlage

Damrak www.beursvanberlage.nl. Usually Tues–Sun 11am–5pm.
The imposing bulk of the Beurs – the old Stock Exchange – is a seminal work
designed at the turn of the twentieth century by the leading light of the Dutch
modern movement, Hendrik Petrus Berlage. Berlage re-routed Dutch
architecture with this building, forsaking the historicism that had dominated the
nineteenth century and opting for a style with cleaner, heavier lines. The Beurs
has long since lost its commercial function and today it’s used for exhibitions,
concerts and conferences, which means that sometimes you can go in,
sometimes you can’t. Inside, the main hall is distinguished by the graceful lines
of its exposed ironwork and its shallow-arched arcades as well as the fanciful
frieze celebrating the stockbroker’s trade.
Dam square
It was Dam square that gave Amsterdam its name: in the thirteenth century the
River Amstel was dammed here, and the fishing village that grew around it
became known as "Amstelredam". Boats could sail into the square down the
Damrak and unload right in the middle of the settlement, which soon prospered
by trading herrings for Baltic grain. Today it’s an open and airy but somehow
rather desultory square, despite – or perhaps partly because of – the presence of
the main municipal war memorial, a prominent stone tusk adorned by bleak,
suffering figures and decorated with the coats of arms of each of the
Netherlands’ provinces (plus the ex-colony of Indonesia). The Amsterdam
branch of Madame Tussaud’s waxworks is on the Dam, at no. 20 (daily: July–
Aug 9.30am–8.30pm; Sept to June 10am–6.30pm; last entry 1hr before closing;
€22.50, children 5–15 €10, over 60s €17.50; www.madametussauds.nl).
The Koninklijk Paleis

Dam; tel 020/620 4060, www.koninklijkhuis.nl. Hours vary, but normally include Tues–Thurs 12.30–5pm.
€4.50.
Dominating Dam square is the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace), though the title
is deceptive, given that this vast sandstone structure started out as the city’s
Stadhuis (town hall), and only had its first royal occupant when Louis
Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, moved in during the French occupation. At the
time of the building’s construction in the mid-seventeenth century, Amsterdam
was at the height of its powers and the city council craved a residence that was a
suitable declaration of its wealth and independence. They opted for a progressive
design by Jacob van Campen, and in 1648 work started on what was then the
largest town hall in Europe, supported by no less than 13,659 wooden piles
driven into the Dam’s sandy soil.
The exterior is very much to the allegorical point with depictions of
Amsterdam as a port and trading centre, that at the front presided over by
Neptune and a veritable herd of unicorns. Above these panels are representations
of the values the city council espoused – at the front, Prudence, Justice and
Peace, to the rear Temperance, and Vigilance to either side of a muscular, globe-
carrying Atlas. One deliberate precaution, however, was the omission of a
central doorway – just in case the mob turned nasty and stormed the place.
Inside, the Citizen’s Hall is the most remarkable room, a handsome arcaded
marble chamber where the enthroned figure of Amsterdam looks down on three
circular maps, one each of the eastern and western hemispheres, the other of the
northern sky. Other allegorical figures ram home the municipal point: flanking
"Amsterdam" are strength and wisdom and on the left the god Amphion plays
his lyre to persuade the stones to pile themselves up into a wall as an example of
good government. There are witty touches too – cocks fight above the entrance
to the Commissioner of Petty Affairs, while Apollo, god of the sun and the arts,
brings harmony to the disputes; and a relief in the Bankruptcy Chamber shows
the Fall of Icarus, surrounded by marble carvings depicting hungry rats scurrying
around an empty chest and unpaid bills.
The Nieuwe Kerk

Dam; tel 020/638 6909, www.nieuwekerk.nl. Daily 10am–6pm.
Vying for importance with the Royal Palace is the adjacent Nieuwe Kerk, which
despite its name – literally "new church" – is an early fifteenth-century structure
built in a late flourish of the Gothic style, with a forest of pinnacles and high,
slender gables. The interior is a hangar-like affair, now de-sanctified and used
for temporary exhibitions. Amongst a scattering of decorative highlights, look
out for the seventeenth-century tomb of Dutch naval hero Admiral Michiel de
Ruyter, complete with trumpeting angels, conch-blowing Neptunes and cherubs
all in a tizzy. Ruyter was buried here with full military honours and the church is
still used for state occasions: the coronations of queens Wilhelmina, Juliana and,
in 1980, Beatrix, were all held here.
Magna Plaza
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, www.magnaplaza.nl. Daily 10am–7pm.
Behind the Royal Palace, you can’t miss the old neo-Gothic post office of 1899,
now converted into the Magna Plaza shopping mall. The building is a grand
affair, and makes an attractive setting for numerous clothes chains that now
inhabit its red-brick interior.
The RedLight District

The area immediately to the east of Damrak is the Red Light District, known
locally as "De Walletjes" (Small Walls) on account of the series of low brick
walls that contains its canals. The district stretches across the two narrow canals
that once marked the eastern part of medieval Amsterdam, Oudezijds
Voorburgwal and Oudezijds Achterburgwal. Effectively the main drags of the
RedLight area, both of these streets are distinctly seedy, though the legalized
prostitution here has long been one of the city’s most distinctive draws.
The two canals, with their narrow connecting passages, are thronged with
"window brothels" and at busy times the crass, on-street haggling over the price
of sex is drowned out by a surprisingly festive atmosphere – entire families
grinning more or less amiably at the women in the windows or discussing the
specifications (and feasibility) of the sex toys in the shops. There’s a nasty
undertow to the district though, oddly enough sharper during the daytime, when
the pimps hang out in shifty gangs and drug addicts wait anxiously, assessing the
chances of scoring their next hit. Don’t even think about taking a picture of a
"window brothel" unless you’re prepared for some major grief from the camera-
shy prostitutes.
Oude Kerk
Oudekerksplain. Mon–Sat 11am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm. €4.
The Gothic Oude Kerk is the city’s most appealing church. There’s been a
church on this site since the middle of the thirteenth century, but most of the
present building dates from a century later, funded by the pilgrims who came
here in their hundreds following a widely publicized miracle. The story goes
that, in 1345, a dying man regurgitated the Host he had received here at
Communion and when it was thrown on the fire afterwards, it did not burn. The
unburnable Host was placed in a chest and eventually installed here, and
although it disappeared during the Reformation, thousands of the faithful still
come to take part in the annual commemorative Stille Omgang in mid-March, a
silent nocturnal procession terminating at the Oude Kerk. Inside you can see the
unadorned memorial tablet of Rembrandt’s first wife, Saskia van Uylenburg, and
three beautifully coloured stained-glass windows beside the ambulatory dating
from the 1550s. They depict, from left to right, the Annunciation, the Adoration
of the Shepherds and the Dormition of the Virgin.
The Amstelkring
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40. Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm. €7.
The front of the Oude Kerk overlooks the northern reaches of Oudezijds
Voorburgwal, whose handsome facades recall ritzier days when this was one of
the wealthiest parts of the city, richly earning its nickname the "Velvet Canal". A
few metres north of the Oude Kerk is the clandestine Amstelkring, a former
Catholic church, now one of Amsterdam’s most enjoyable museums. The
Amstelkring – "Amstel Circle" – is named after the group of nineteenth-century
historians who saved the building from demolition, but its proper name is Ons
Lieve Heer Op Solder ("Our Dear Lord in the Attic"). The church dates from the
early seventeenth century when, with the Protestants firmly in control, the city’s
Catholics were only allowed to practise their faith in secret – as here in this
clandestine church, which occupies the loft of a wealthy merchant’s house. The
church’s narrow nave has been skilfully shoehorned into the available space and,
flanked by elegant balconies, there’s just enough room for an ornately carved
organ at one end and a mock-marble high altar, decorated with Jacob de Wit’s
mawkish Baptism of Christ, at the other. The rest of the house is similarly
untouched, its original furnishings reminiscent of interiors by Vermeer or De
Hooch.
Nieuwmarkt
The Nieuwmarkt, a wide open cobbled square that was long one of the city’s
most important markets, has as its main focus the multi-turreted Waag, a
delightful building dating from the 1480s, when it served as one of the city’s
fortified gates, Sint Antoniespoort, before being turned into a municipal
weighing-house (waag), with the rooms upstairs taken over by the surgeons’
guild. It was here that the surgeons held lectures on anatomy and public
dissections, the inspiration for Rembrandt’s famous Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp.
The waag has now been converted into a café-bar and restaurant, In de Waag.
Leaving the Nieuwmarkt, there’s a choice of three tempting routes: southeast
along St Antoniesbreestraat to the Old Jewish Quarter; south along
Kloveniersburgwal to the Trippenhuis and the Hash Museum; and north along
Geldersekade to the Schreierstoren and the Stedelijk Museum.
The Schreierstoren
Geldersekade.
Squat Schreierstoren (Weepers’ Tower) is a rare surviving chunk of the city’s
medieval wall. Originally, the tower overlooked the River IJ and it was here that
women gathered to watch their menfolk sail away – hence its name. An old and
badly weathered stone plaque inserted in the wall is a reminder of all those sad
goodbyes, and another much more recent plaque recalls the departure of Henry
Hudson from here in 1609, when he stumbled across an island the locals called
Manhattan.
Het Scheepvaarthuis
Prins Hendrikkade 108.
Completed in 1917, this almost neurotic edifice is covered with a welter of
decoration celebrating the city’s marine connections – the entrance is shaped like
the prow of a ship, and surmounted by statues of Poseidon and his wife and
representations of the four points of the compass.
Stedelijk Museum
Oosterdokskade 3; tel 020/573 2737, www.stedelijk.nl. No opening times available at time of going to print.
€8.
The Stedelijk Museum has long been Amsterdam’s number-one venue for
modern art. Its permanent collection is wide-ranging and its temporary
exhibitions are usually of international standard. It’s been housed in a large old
building on Paulus Potterstraat out near the Rijksmuseum for years, but its old
home is presently being gutted and won’t be open again until 2008. In the
meantime, the former postal building on Oosterdokskade near Centraal Station
has been pressed into service to accommodate the main body of the permanent
collection. It seems a good choice – the building is a fetching office block dating
from the 1960s – for a permanent collection that includes drawings by Picasso,
Matisse and their contemporaries, and paintings by Manet, Monet, Bonnard,
Ensor, Cézanne, and of course Mondriaan, from his early, muddy-coloured
abstractions to the cool, boldly coloured rectangular blocks for which he’s most
famous. The museum also has a good sample of the work of Kasimir Malevich,
his dense attempts at Cubism leading to the dynamism and bold, primary tones
of his "Suprematist" paintings, several Marc Chagall paintings, and a number of
pictures by American Abstract Expressionists Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly and
Barnett Newman, plus works by other American artists – Lichtenstein, Warhol,
Jean Dubuffet.
Kloveniersburgwal
Nieuwmarkt lies at the northern end of Kloveniersburgwal, a long, dead-straight
waterway framed by a string of old and dignified facades that was the outermost
of the three eastern canals of the medieval city. One house of special note here is
the Trippenhuis, at no. 29, a huge overblown mansion complete with Corinthian
pilasters and a grand frieze built for the Trip family in 1662. One of the richest
families in Amsterdam, the Trips were long a powerful force among the
Magnificat, the clique of families (Six, Trip, Hooft and Pauw) who shared power
during the city’s Golden Age. Almost directly opposite, on the west bank of the
canal, the Kleine Trippenhuis, at no. 26, is, by contrast, one of the narrowest
houses in Amsterdam, albeit with a warmly carved facade with a balustrade
featuring centaurs and sphinxes. Legend asserts that Mr Trip’s coachman was so
taken aback by the size of the new family mansion that he exclaimed he would
be happy with a home no wider than the Trips’ front door – which is exactly
what he got; his reaction to his new lodgings is not recorded.
Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum

Oudezijds Achterburgwal 148, www.hashmuseum.com. Daily 11am–10pm. €5.70.
The Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum is still going strong, despite intermittent
battles with the police. It features displays on different kinds of dope and the
huge number of ways to imbibe and otherwise use it. It has an indoor marijuana
garden, samples of textiles and paper made with hemp, and pamphlets
explaining the medicinal properties of cannabis. There’s also a shop selling
pipes, books, videos and plenty of souvenirs.
Oudemanhuispoort and around

Doubling back to Kloveniersburgwal, turn right for the Oudemanhuispoort, a
covered passageway leading off the street that is lined with secondhand
bookstalls (Mon–Sat 10am–4pm), was formerly part of an almshouse complex
for elderly men – hence the unusual name. Just beyond, at the south end of
Kloveniersburgwal, lies one of the prettiest corners of the city, a small pocket of
placid waterway and old canal houses that extends east to Groenburgwal and
west to Grimburgwal.
Rokin and Kalverstraat

Rokin picks up where the Damrak leaves off, cutting south from Dam Square in
a wide sweep that follows the former course of the River Amstel. This was the
business centre of the nineteenth-century city, and although it has lost much of
its prestige it is still flanked by an attractive medley of architectural styles
incorporating everything from grandiose nineteenth-century mansions to more
utilitarian modern stuff. Running parallel, pedestrianized Kalverstraat is a
hectic shopping street that has been a commercial centre since medieval times,
when it was used as a calf market; nowadays it’s home to many of the city’s
chain stores and clothes shops.
Allard Pierson Museum

Oude Turfmarkt 127. Tues–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat & Sun 1–5pm. €4.30.
A good old-fashioned archeological museum in a solid Neoclassical building
dating from the 1860s, the Allard Pierson Museum holds a wide-ranging albeit
fairly small collection of finds retrieved from the Middle East, plus Egypt,
Greece and Italy. The particular highlights are the museum’s Greek pottery, with
fine examples of both the black-and red-figured wares produced in the sixth and
fifth centuries BC, and several ornate Roman sarcophagi.
Heiligeweg and Spui

Workaday Heiligeweg, or "Holy Way", was once part of a much longer route
used by pilgrims heading into Amsterdam. Every other religious reference
disappeared centuries ago, but there is one interesting edifice here, the fanciful
gateway of the old Rasphuis (House of Correction) that now fronts a shopping
mall at the foot of Voetboogstraat. The gateway is surmounted by a sculpture of
a woman punishing two criminals chained at her sides above the single word
"Castigatio" (punishment). Beneath is a carving by Hendrik de Keyser showing
wolves and lions cringing before the whip.
Cut up Voetboogstraat and you soon reach the Spui, whose west end opens
out into a wide, tram-clanking square flanked by bookshops and cafés. In the
middle is a cloying statue of a young boy, known as ’t Lieverdje ("Little
Darling" or "Loveable Scamp"), a gift to the city from a cigarette company in
1960. It was here in the mid-1960s, with the statue seen as a symbol of the
addicted consumer, that the playful political mavericks, the Provos, organized
some of their most successful public ludiek (pranks). There’s a small secondhand
book market here on Friday mornings.
The Begijnhof
Daily 10am–5pm; free.
A little gateway on the north side of the Spui leads into the Begijnhof, where a
huddle of immaculately maintained old houses looks onto a central green; if this
door is locked, try the main entrance, just a couple of hundred metres north of
the Spui on Gedempte Begijnensloot. The Begijnhof was founded in the
fourteenth century as a home for the beguines – members of a Catholic
sisterhood living as nuns, but without vows and with the right of return to the
secular world. The original medieval complex comprised a series of humble
brick cottages, but these were mostly replaced by the larger, grander houses of
today shortly after the Reformation, though the secretive, enclosed design
survived.
The Engelse Kerk which takes up one side of the Begijnhof is of medieval
construction, but it was taken from the beguines and given to Amsterdam’s
English community during the Reformation and is of interest for its carefully
worked pulpit panels, several of which were designed by a youthful Piet
Mondriaan. The beguines, meanwhile, celebrated Mass inconspicuously in the
clandestine Catholic chapel (Mon 1–6pm, Tues–Sun 9am–6pm; free), which
they established in the house opposite their old church, and this is still used
today, a homely little place with some sentimental religious paintings.
Amsterdams Historisch Museum

Two entrances: Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 357 or Kalverstraat 92, www.ahm.nl. Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat &
Sun 11am–5pm. €6.
A few metres from the Begijnhof, the open-access and free Schuttersgalerij – the
Civic Guard Gallery – is lined by an interesting assortment of group portraits of
the Amsterdam militia, painted when the city was at the height of its economic
success. The gallery is actually part of the adjoining Amsterdams Historisch
Museum, which occupies the smartly restored but rambling seventeenth-century
buildings of the municipal orphanage. This museum surveys the city’s
development with a scattering of artefacts and lots of paintings from the
thirteenth century onwards – a somewhat garbled collection, but at least the
labelling is in English and Dutch. High points include a number of paintings
from the city’s Golden Age – Rembrandt’s wonderful Anatomy Lesson of Dr Jan
Deijman stands out – and the section entitled "Social Care & Stern Discipline".
Here, the harsh paternalism of the city’s merchant oligarchy is examined and
there are paintings depicting the regents of several orphanages, self-contented
bourgeois in the company of the grateful poor.
Shops
Absolute Danny
O.Z. Achterburgwal 78; tel 020/421 0915.
You can’t visit the RedLight District without visiting at least one sex shop. This
one bills itself as an "erotic lifestyle store", with everything that implies.
Akkerman
Kalverstraat 149; tel 020/623 1649.
The city’s poshest pen shop.
De Bierkoning
Paleisstraat 125; tel 020/625 2336.
The "Beer King" is aptly named: 950 different beers, with the appropriate
glasses to drink them from – just in case you thought beer-drinking could be
taken lightly.
De Bijenkorf
Dam 1; tel 020/552 1700.
Dominating the northern corner of Dam square, this is the city’s top department
store, a huge bustling place whose name means beehive. Curiously, De Bijenkorf
posed all sorts of problems for the Germans when they first occupied the city in
World War II. It was a Jewish concern, so the Nazis didn’t really want their
troops shopping here, but it was just too popular to implement a total ban; the
bizarre solution was to prohibit German soldiers from shopping on the ground
floor, where the store’s Jewish employees were concentrated, as they always had
been, in the luxury goods section. Nowadays the sections to head for include
household goods, cosmetics and kidswear; there’s also a good choice of
newspapers and magazines. Open daily.
Condomerie Het Gulden Vlies

Warmoesstraat 141; tel 020/627 4174.
This shop sells condoms of every shape, size and flavour imaginable. All in the
best possible taste – though some items stretch more than the imagination.
Conscious Dreams
Kokopelli Warmoestraat 12; tel 020/421 7000, www.consciousdreams.nl.
One of the first of Amsterdam’s so-called "smart shops", with smart drugs,
plants, aphrodisiacs, and everything you ever wanted to know about stimulants
and maybe more. Very nicely set up, with Internet access and DJs on the
weekend. Open till 10pm.
Cyberdog
Spuistraat 250; tel 020/330 6385.
Amsterdam branch of the clubwear store with a futuristic twist; expect lots of
fluorescent clothing, as well as a collection from a few well-known designers. Its
in-store box office sells tickets for all club nights from House to Glam Rock.
Delft Shop
Rokin 44; tel 020/620 1000, www.delftshop.com.
Stocks an interesting display of Dutch pottery from small ashtrays and trinkets
for €2 to more elaborate designs such as the €7500 replica of a tulip vase held in
the Rijksmuseum.
Droog Design
Rusland 3; tel 020/626 9809, www.droogdesign.nl.
Founded in 1993, Droog Design has made a serious contribution to international
design – indeed some of their products, such as their milk bottle chandelier, have
ended up in museum collections. This is their gallery-cum-shop.
Gallery de Munt
In the Munttoren, Muntplein 12; tel 020/623 2271.
A good outlet for gifts of antique delftware, pottery, hand-painted tiles and the
like.
Jacob Hooij
Kloveniersburgwal 10; tel 020/624 3041.
Traditional homeopathic chemist with any amount of herbs and natural
cosmetics, as well as a huge stock of drop (Dutch liquorice); in business at this
address since 1778.
Jan Jansen
Rokin 42; tel 020/625 1350.
Famous Dutch designer selling handmade shoes with sparky designs.
P.G.C. Hajenius
Rokin 92; tel 020/623 7494. Open Sun.
Old, established tobacconist selling its own and other brands of cigars, tobacco,
smoking accessories, and every make of cigarette you can think of.
Posthumus
Sint Luciensteeg 23; tel 020/625 5812.
Posh stationery, cards and, best of all, a choice of hundreds of rubber stamps. By
appointment to Her Majesty.
De Slegte
The Amsterdam branch of a nationwide chain specializing in new and used
books at a discount.
Vrolijk
Paleisstraat 135; tel 020/623 5142, www.vrolijk.nu.
The self-proclaimed largest gay and lesbian bookshop in Europe, with books,
magazines, videos and more.
Waterstone’s
Amsterdam branch of the UK high-street chain, with four floors of books and
magazines. A predictable selection, but prices are sometimes cheaper here than
elsewhere.
Coffeeshops
Abraxas
Jonge Roelensteeg 12.
Quirky, mezzanine coffeeshop with challenging spiral staircases, especially
afterwards. The hot chocolate with hash is not for the susceptible.
Dampkring
Handboogstraat 29.
Colourful coffeeshop and laid-back atmosphere, known for its good-quality
hash.
Extase
Oude Hoogstraat 2.
Part of a chain run by the initiator of the Hash Museum. Considerably less chi-
chi than the better-known coffeeshops.
Grasshopper
Oudebrugsteeg 16; Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 57.
Multi-levelled coffeeshop, with bar, sports screen and restaurant. One of the
city’s more welcoming places, though its proximity to Centraal Station means
that at times it can be overwhelmed by tourists.
Homegrown Fantasy
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 87a.
Attached to the Dutch Passion seed company, this sells the widest selection of
marijuana in Amsterdam, most of it local.
Rusland
Rusland 16.
One of the first Amsterdam coffeeshops, a cramped but vibrant place that’s a
favourite with both dope fans and tea addicts (it has 43 different kinds). A cut
above the rest.
Cafés and tearooms

Arnots
Singel 441. Closed Sat & Sun.
A basement café serving some of the best coffee in town along with wholemeal
sandwiches and freshly squeezed apples. A great summertime spot with people
spilling out onto the pavement.
’t Nieuwe Kafe
Eggerstraat 8.
Beside the Nieuwe Kerk, this smart bistro-style café is popular with shoppers,
serving good, reasonably priced lunches and light meals. Great pancakes too.
Puccini
Staalstraat 21.
Lovely cake and chocolate shop-cum-café.
Villa Zeezicht
Torensteeg 3.
Excellent rolls and sandwiches, plus some of the best apple cake in the city.
Vlaamse Friethuis
Voetboogstraat 33.
The best frites in town – take-out only.
Restaurants
Bern
Nieuwmarkt 9.
Casual and inexpensive brown café patronized by a predominantly arty clientele.
Run by a native of Switzerland, its speciality is, not surprisingly, excellent and
alcoholic cheese fondue.
Centra
Lange Niezel 29; tel 020/622 3050. Daily 1–11pm.
Cantina with a wonderful selection of Spanish food, masterfully cooked and
genially served.
De Compagnon
Guldehandsteeg 17, via Warmoesstraat; tel 020/620 4225. Closed Sun.
This restaurant tends to be fully booked well in advance, but you might get in for
lunch. With its split-level wooden floors it has an intimate, old Amsterdam
atmosphere, traditional food and a wine menu with a choice of 300 bottles.
Green Planet
Spuistraat 122; tel 020/625 8280. Daily 5.30pm–midnight.
Cute mezzanine café with lots of tofu dishes and a varied international menu.
Cash only.
Hemelse Modder
Oude Waal 9; tel 020/624 3203. Closed Mon.
Tasty meat, fish and vegetarian food in French-Italian style at reasonable prices
in an informal atmosphere. Highly popular (especially with gay people).
Hoi Tin
Zeedijk 122; tel 020/625 6451. Daily noon–midnight.
One of the best options in Amsterdam’s rather dodgy Chinatown, this is a
constantly busy place with an enormous menu (in English too) including some
vegetarian dishes.
Kinderkoekcafé
0Z Achterburgwal 193; tel 020/625 3257.
Simple food, well done, in a restaurant entirely staffed by children. Only open
for weekend diners; the rest of the time they run cookery courses for kids.
Lana Thai
Warmoesstraat 10; tel 020/624 2179. Closed Tues.
Among the best Thai restaurants in town, with seating overlooking the water of
Damrak. Quality food, chic surroundings but high prices.
Luden
Spuistraat 304; tel 020/622 8979.
Excellent French bistro-cum-restaurant that does fine-value prix fixe menus, for
which you can expect to pay €26.50 for three courses, as well as a more
moderately priced à la carte menu and brasserie.
Sie Joe
Gravenstraat 24; tel 020/624 1830. Mon–Sat 11am–7pm, Thurs till 8pm.
Small Indonesian café-restaurant whose great value-for-money menu is far from
extensive but comprises well-prepared, simple dishes such as gado gado, sateh
and rendang.
De Silveren Spiegel
Kattengat 4; tel 020/624 6589. Closed Sun.
There’s been a restaurant in this location since 1614, and "The Silver Mirror" is
one of the best in the city, with a delicately balanced menu of Dutch cuisine. The
proprietor lives on the coast and brings in the fish himself. Spectacular food,
with a cellar of 350 wines to complement it.
Supper Club
Jonge Roelensteeg 21; tel 020/344 6400, www.supperclub.nl.
A five-course set menu served to customers, who lounge on mattresses, smoking
joints and listening to a DJ on a raised stage. The fusion food is of a very high
standard, though some may find the whole concept pretentious or downright
disconcerting. Customers have free entry to the members-only club downstairs.
Booking essential. Expensive.
Vijff Vlieghen
Spuistraat 294; tel 020/530 4060.
This immaculate restaurant – one of the city’s best – serves exquisitely prepared
Dutch (and beyond) food in antique, wood-panelled premises. Hard to beat, but
it’s expensive.
Bars
Absinthe Bar
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 171. Daily 10pm–4am.
Small, late-night basement lounge bar, slightly hidden from the street that
specializes in – you guessed it – absinthe. Free entry, DJ at weekends.
Belgique
Gravenstraat 2.
Tiny and very appealing bar behind the Nieuwe Kerk that serves up Belgian
brews.
Blincker
St Barberentraat 7.
Hi-tech theatre bar just out of the RedLight District.
De Buurvrouw
St Pieterspoortsteeg 29. Daily from 9pm.
Dark, noisy bar with a wildly eclectic crowd; a great alternative place to head for
in the centre. Live music on Sun.
Café de Zeemeeuw
Zeedijk 102.
Popular, convivial Dutch bar with large sports-screen, just off Nieuwmarkt.
Dantzig
Zwanenburgwal 15.
Easy-going grand café, right on and across the water from Waterlooplein.
Comfortable chairs, friendly service and a low-key, chic atmosphere. Food
served at lunchtime and in the evenings.
De Drie Fleschjes
Gravenstraat 18. Closes 8.30pm.
Tasting house for spirits and liqueurs, which once would have been made on the
premises. Clients tend to be well heeled or well soused (often both).
De Engelbewaarder
Kloveniersburgwal 59.
Once the meeting place of Amsterdam’s bookish types, this is still known as a
literary café. It’s relaxed and informal, with live jazz on Sunday afternoons.
Gollem
Raamsteeg 4.
Small and intimate bar with a superb selection of Belgian beers – and with the
correct glasses to drink them from. The genial barman will help you choose.
Het Doktertje
Roozenboomsteeg 4.
Tiny, dark, brown café with stained glass to keep you hidden from the world
outside. Liqueurs fill the wall behind the tiny bar. A place to be enchanted.
Hoppe
Spui 18.
One of Amsterdam’s longest-established and best-known bars, and one of its
most likeable, frequented by the city’s businessfolk on their wayward way home.
Summer is especially good, when the throngs spill out onto the street.
De Jaren
Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20.
One of the grandest of the grand cafés, overlooking the Amstel next to the
university, with three floors, two terraces and a cool, light feel. A great place to
nurse the Sunday papers – unusually you’ll find English ones here. Reasonably
priced food too, and a great salad bar.
Lokaal ’t Loosje
Nieuwmarkt 32.
Quiet old-style brown café that’s been here for two hundred years and looks it.
Wonderful for late breakfasts and pensive afternoons.
Luxembourg
Spui 22.
The prime watering hole of Amsterdam’s advertising and media brigade. If you
can get past the crowds, it’s actually a long and deep bar with a good selection of
snacks, and possibly the best hamburgers in town.
De Twentsche Club
Gravenstraat 10, www.detwentscheclub.nl. Thurs–Sun from 4pm.
Roomy bar behind the Nieuwe Kerk that has a comfortable back room and a
good programme of live jazz. The fortnightly Thursday film club offers an
eclectic choice of movies and a three-course meal for €25. Above all, though, it’s
the authentic nineteenth-century surroundings that appeal – little has changed,
even down to the cash register.
Van Kerkwijk
Nes 41.
On a thin, theatre-packed alley behind the Dam, this is a highly recommended
bar. Wine comes in carafes filled from the barrel, along with a wide choice of
cheeses and tasty meals to help it on its way.
Wynand Fockink
Pijlsteeg 31.
Small and cosy bar hidden just behind Dam square. One of the older
proeflokalen. Popular with local street musicians.
Gay bars
Argos
Warmoesstraat 95. From 10pm.
Europe’s oldest leather bar, with two bars and a raunchy cellar. Not for the weak-
kneed.
Cuckoo’s Nest
Nieuwezijds Kolk 6. From 1pm.
A cruisey leather bar with a long reputation, this is described as "the best place in
town for chance encounters". Vast and infamous darkroom.
Why Not
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 28, www.whynot.nl. Live shows Thurs–Sat.
Long-standing, intimate bar and club with a porno cinema above; happy hour 7–
9pm.
Clubs and venues

Akhnaton
Nieuwezijds Kolk 25; tel 020/624 3396, www.akhnaton.nl.
A "Centre for World Culture", specializing in African and Latin American music
and dance parties. On a good night, the place heaves with people.
Bimhuis
Oude Schans 73–77; tel 020/623 1361, www.bimhuis.nl.
The city’s premier jazz venue for almost 28 years, with an excellent auditorium
and ultramodern bar. Concerts Thurs–Sat, free sessions Mon–Wed. There’s also
free live music in the bar on Sun at 4pm. Concert tickets are for sale on the day
only.
Dansen bij Jansen

Handboogstraat 11; tel 020/620 1779, www.dansenbijjansen.nl. Daily 11pm–4am, Sat & Sun till 5am. €2
Sun–Wed, €4 Thurs–Sat, officially you need student ID to get in.
Founded by – and for – students, and very popular. Plays a mixture of pop, chart
and R&B.
Waalse Kerk
0Z Achterburgwal 157; tel 020/236 2236.
Weekend and afternoon concerts of early-and chamber music – very soothing.
The Grachtengordel
Medieval Amsterdam was enclosed by the Singel, part of the city’s protective
moat, but this is now just the first of five canals that reach right around the city
centre, extending anticlockwise from Brouwersgracht to the River Amstel in a
"girdle of canals" or Grachtengordel. This is without doubt the most charming
part of the city, its lattice of olive-green waterways and dinky humpback bridges
overlooked by street upon street of handsome seventeenth-century canal houses,
almost invariably undisturbed by later development. It’s a subtle cityscape – full
of surprises, with a bizarre carving here, an unusual facade stone (used to denote
name and occupation) there. Architectural peculiarities aside, it is perhaps the
district’s overall atmosphere that appeals rather than any specific sight. This
chapter covers the southern sweep of the Grachtengordel from Raadhuisstraat to
the Amstel. The western part – including the Anne Frankhuis – is covered in the
following chapter, along with the Jordaan and western dock areas. There’s no
obvious walking route around the Grachtengordel, indeed you may prefer to
wander around as the mood takes you, but the description we’ve given below
goes from north to south, taking in all the highlights on the way. On all three of
the main canals, street numbers begin in the north and increase as you go south.
Westermarkt to Leidsegracht
Between Westermarkt and Leidsegracht, the main canals are intercepted by a trio
of cross streets, which are themselves divided into shorter streets, mostly named
after animals whose pelts were once used in the local tanning industry. There’s
Reestraat (Deer Street), Hartenstraat (Hart), Berenstraat (Bear) and Wolvenstraat
(Wolf), not to mention Huidenstraat (Street of Hides) and Runstraat – a "run"
being a bark used in tanning. The tanners are long gone and today these are
eminently appealing shopping streets, where you can buy everything from
carpets to handmade chocolates, toothbrushes to beeswax candles.
The Woonbootmuseum
Prinsengracht 296. March–Oct Wed–Sun 11am–5pm; Nov–Feb Sat–Sun 11am–5pm. €3.
This 1914 Dutch houseboat doubles as a tourist attraction with a handful of
explanatory plaques about life on the water. Some 3000 barges and houseboats
are connected to the city’s gas and electricity networks. They are regularly
inspected and strict controls ensure their numbers don’t proliferate.
The Felix Meritis Building
Keizersgracht 324.
A Neoclassical monolith of 1787, this mansion was built to house the artistic and
scientific activities of the eponymous society, which was the cultural focus of the
city’s upper crust for nearly a hundred years. Dutch cultural aspirations did not,
however, impress everyone. It’s said that when Napoleon visited the city the
entire building was redecorated for his reception, only to have him stalk out in
disgust, claiming that the place stank of tobacco. Oddly enough, it later became
the headquarters of the Dutch Communist Party, but they sold it to the council
who now lease it to the Felix Meritis Foundation for experimental and avant-
garde art workshops, discussions and debates.
The canals
The canals of the Grachtengordel were dug in the seventeenth century as part
of a comprehensive plan to extend the boundaries of a city no longer able to
accommodate its burgeoning population. Increasing the area of the city from two
to seven square kilometres was a monumental task, and the conditions imposed
by the council were strict. The three main waterways – Herengracht,
Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht – were set aside for the residences and
businesses of the richer and more influential Amsterdam merchants, while the
radial cross-streets were reserved for more modest artisans’ homes; meanwhile,
immigrants, newly arrived to cash in on Amsterdam’s booming economy, were
assigned, albeit informally, the Jodenhoek and the Jordaan. In the
Grachtengordel, everyone, even the wealthiest merchant, had to comply with a
set of strict and detailed planning regulations. In particular, the council
prescribed the size of each building plot – the frontage was set at thirty feet, the
depth two hundred – and although there was a degree of tinkering, the end result
was the loose conformity you can see today: tall, narrow residences, whose
individualism is mainly restricted to the stylistic permutations amongst the
gables.
The earliest extant gables, dating from the early seventeenth century, are
crow-stepped gables, but these were largely superseded from the 1650s onwards
by neck gables and bell gables. Some are embellished, others aren’t, many have
decorative cornices, some don’t, and the fanciest, which almost invariably date
from the eighteenth century, sport full-scale balustrades. The plainest gables are
those of former warehouses, where the deep-arched and shuttered windows line
up to either side of loft doors, which were once used for loading and unloading
goods, winched by pulley from the street down below. Indeed, outside pulleys
remain a common feature of houses and warehouses alike, and are often still in
use as the easiest way of moving furniture into the city’s myriad apartments.
The Bijbels Museum

Herengracht 366–368, www.bijbelsmuseum.nl. Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–5pm. €6.
The graceful and commanding Cromhouthuizen, at Herengracht 364–370,
consists of four matching stone mansions, frilled with tendrils, carved fruit and
scrollwork, and graced by dinky little bull’s-eye windows and elegant gables.
They were built in the 1660s for one of Amsterdam’s wealthy merchant families,
the Cromhouts, and two of them now house the Bijbels Museum. This contains a
thorough selection of Bibles, including the first Dutch-language Bible ever
printed, dating from 1477, and a series of idiosyncratic models of Solomon’s
Temple and the Jewish Tabernacle plus a scattering of archeological finds from
Palestine and Egypt.
Leidseplein
Lying on the edge of the Grachtengordel, Leidseplein is the bustling hub of
Amsterdam’s nightlife, a rather cluttered and disorderly open space that has
never had much character. The square once marked the end of the road in from
Leiden and, as horse-drawn traffic was banned from the centre long ago, it was
here that the Dutch left their horses and carts – a sort of equine car park. Today,
it’s quite the opposite: continual traffic made up of trams, bikes, cars and
pedestrians gives the place a frenetic feel, and the surrounding side streets are
jammed with bars, restaurants and clubs in a bright jumble of jutting signs and
neon lights. On a good night, however, Leidseplein can be Amsterdam at its
carefree, exuberant best.
Stadsschouwburg
Leidseplein www.stadschouwburgamsterdam.nl.
Leidseplein holds one building of architectural note, the grandiose
Stadsschouwburg, a neo-Renaissance edifice dating from 1894 which was so
widely criticized for its clumsy vulgarity that the city council of the day
temporarily withheld the money for decorating the exterior. Home to the
National Ballet and Opera until the Muziektheater was completed on
Waterlooplein in 1986, it is now used for theatre, dance and music performances,
as well as hosting visiting English-language theatre companies. However, its
most popular function is as the place where the Ajax football team gather on the
balcony to wave to the crowds whenever they win anything – as they often do.
The American Hotel

Leidsekade 97.
Just off the square, the American Hotel is one of the city’s oddest buildings, a
monumental and slightly disconcerting rendering of Art Nouveau, with angular
turrets, chunky dormer windows and fancy brickwork. Completed in 1902, the
present structure takes its name from its demolished predecessor, which was
decorated with statues and murals of North American scenes. Inside the present
hotel is the Café Americain, once the fashionable haunt of Amsterdam’s literati,
but now a mainstream location for coffee and lunch. The Art Nouveau decor is
well worth a peek – an artful combination of stained glass, shallow arches and
geometric patterned brickwork.
Leidsestraat to Metz & Co

Heading northeast from Leidseplein, Leidsestraat is a crowded shopping street, a
long, slender gauntlet of fashion and shoe shops of little distinction that leads
across the girdle of canals up towards the Singel and the Flower Market. En
route, at the corner of Keizersgracht, is Metz & Co. At the time of its
construction, this was the tallest commercial building in the city – one reason
why the owners were able to entice Gerrit Rietveld, the leading architectural
light of the De Stijl movement, to add a rooftop glass and metal showroom in
1933. The showroom has survived and has been turned into a café offering one
of the best views over the centre in this predominantly low-rise city.
The Spiegelkwartier
One block east of Metz & Co, along Keizersgracht, is Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, an
appealing mixture of bookshops and corner cafés that extends south into
Spiegelstraat to form the Spiegelkwartier – home to the pricey end of
Amsterdam’s antiques trade and well worth an idle wander. While you’re here
look in on De Appel, a lively centre for contemporary art at Nieuwe
Spiegelstraat 10 (Tues–Sun 11am–6pm; €2.50, www.deappel.nl).
De Gouden Bocht
Nieuwe Spiegelstraat meets the elegant sweep of Herengracht near the west end
of the so-called De Gouden Bocht (Golden Bend), where the canal is overlooked
by a long sequence of double-fronted mansions that are some of the most
opulent dwellings in the city. Most of the houses here were extensively
remodelled in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Characteristically,
they have double stairways leading to the entrance, underneath which the small
door was for the servants, whilst up above the majority are topped off by the
ornamental cornices that were fashionable at the time. Classical references are
common, both in form – pediments, columns and pilasters – and decoration,
from scrolls and vases through to geometric patterns inspired by ancient Greece.
The Museum WilletHolthuysen

Herengracht 605. Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat & Sun 11am–5pm. €4.
This museum is billed as "a peep behind the curtains into an historic Amsterdam
canal house", which just about sums it up. The house itself dates from 1685, but
the interior was remodelled by successive members of the coal-trading
Holthuysen family until the last of the line, Sandra WilletHolthuysen, gifted her
home and its contents to the city in 1895. Renovated a number of years ago,
most of the public rooms, notably the Blue Room and the Dining Room, have
now been returned to their original eighteenth-century Rococo appearance – a
flashy and ornate style that the Dutch merchants held to be the epitome of
refinement and good taste. At the back of the house are the formal gardens, a
neat pattern of miniature hedges graced by the occasional stone statue. There’s a
small collection of glass, silver, majolica and ceramics in the basement.
The Amstel and the Magere Brug

The Grachtengordel comes to an abrupt halt at the River Amstel, long the main
route into the city, with goods arriving by barge and boat to be traded for the
imported materials held in Amsterdam’s many warehouses. The Magere Brug
(Skinny Bridge) is the most famous and arguably the cutest of the city’s many
swing bridges. Legend has it that this bridge, which dates back to about 1670,
replaced an even older and skinnier version, originally built by two sisters who
lived on either side of the river and were fed up with having to walk so far to see
each other.
The Amstel Sluizen

The Amstel Sluizen – or Amstel locks – are closed every night when the
authorities begin the process of sluicing out the canals. A huge pumping station
on an island out to the east of the city then starts to pump fresh water from the
IJsselmeer into the canal system; similar locks on the west side of the city are
left open for the surplus to flow into the IJ and, from there, out to sea. The
watery content of the canals is thus refreshed every three nights – though,
despite this, and with three centuries of algae, prams, shopping trolleys and a
few hundred rusty bikes, the water remains only appealing as long as you’re not
actually in it.
The Amstelveld, Amstelkerk and Reguliersgracht

Doubling back from the Amstel sluizen, turn left along the north side of
Prinsengracht and you soon reach the small open space of the Amstelveld, an
oasis of calm that rarely sees visitors, with the plain seventeenth-century white
wooden Amstelkerk occupying one of its corners. The Monday market here sells
flowers and plants, and is much less of a scrum than the Bloemenmarkt, with lots
of friendly advice on what to buy. It’s here also that Prinsengracht intersects with
Reguliersgracht, probably the prettiest of the three surviving radial canals that
cut across the Grachtengordel – its dainty humpback bridges and greening
waters overlooked by charming seventeenth-and eighteenth-century canal
houses.
Museum Van Loon

Keizersgracht 672. Fri–Mon 11am–5pm. €4.50.
The Museum Van Loon boasts the finest accessible canal house interior in
Amsterdam. Built in 1672, and first occupied by the artist and pupil of
Rembrandt, Ferdinand Bol, the house has been returned to something akin to its
eighteenth-century appearance, with acres of wood panelling and fancy stucco
work. Look out also for the ornate copper balustrade on the staircase, into which
is worked the name "Van Hagen-Trip" (after a one-time owner of the house); the
Van Loons later filled the spaces between the letters with fresh iron curlicues to
prevent their children falling through. The top-floor landing has several pleasant
paintings sporting Roman figures and one of the bedrooms – the "painted room"
– is decorated with a Romantic painting of Italy – a favourite motif in
Amsterdam from around 1750 to 1820. The oddest items are the fake bedroom
doors: the eighteenth-century owners were so keen to avoid any lack of
symmetry that they camouflaged the real bedroom doors and created imitation,
decorative doors in the "correct" position instead.
Rembrandtplein
One of the larger open spaces in the city centre, Rembrandtplein is a dishevelled
bit of greenery that was formerly Amsterdam’s butter market. It was renamed in
1876, and is today one of the city’s nightlife centres, although its crowded
restaurants and bars are firmly tourist-targeted. Rembrandt’s statue stands in the
middle, his back wisely turned against the square’s worst excesses, which
include live (but deadly) outdoor muzak. Of the prodigious number of cafés and
bars here, only the café of the Schiller Hotel at no. 26 stands out, with an
original Art Deco interior somewhat reminiscent of an ocean liner.
The Tuschinski
Reguliersbreestraat 26–28.
Tucked in among Reguliersbreestraat’s slot-machine arcades and sex shops, the
Tuschinski is the city’s most extraordinary cinema, with a marvellously well-
preserved Art Deco interior. Opened in 1921 by a Polish Jew, Abram Tuschinski,
the cinema boasts Expressionist paintings, coloured marbles and a wonderful
carpet, handwoven in Marrakesh to an original design. Tuschinski himself died
in Auschwitz in 1942, and there’s a plaque in the cinema’s foyer in his memory.
The Munttoren and Bloemenmarkt

Tiny Muntplein is dominated by the Munttoren, an imposing fifteenth-century
tower that was once part of the old city wall. Later, the tower was adopted as the
municipal mint – hence its name – and Hendrik de Keyser, in one of his last
commissions, added a flashy spire in 1620. A few metres away, the floating
Bloemenmarkt, or flower market (daily 9am–5pm, though some stalls close on
Sun), extends along the southern bank of the Singel. Popular with locals and
tourists alike, the market is one of the main suppliers of flowers to central
Amsterdam, but its blooms and bulbs now share stall space with souvenir clogs,
garden gnomes and Delftware.
Shops
American Book Center
Bookstore with a vast stock, all in English, with lots of imported US magazines
too. Students get ten-percent discount.
Antonia
Gasthuismolensteeg 18 & 6a; tel 020/627 2433.
A gathering of adventurous Dutch designers, in two male and female locations.
Good for shoes and bags.
Athenaeum
Spui 14; tel 020/622 6248.
Excellent and browsable all-round bookshop with an adventurous stock – though
it’s basically a Dutch store. Also the best source of international newspapers and
magazines.
Ksisk
Kerkstraat 115.
The place to come if you’re looking for something unusual to wear.
Eduard Kramer
Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 64; tel 020/623 0832.
Antique store with a marvellous selection of fifteenth-to twentieth-century Dutch
tiles.
Kwekkeboom
Reguliersbreestraat 36; tel 020/623 1205.
One of the city’s most famous pastry shops. Also branches at Ferdinand
Bolstraat 119 and Linnaeusstraat 80.
Lambiek
Kerkstraat 119; tel 020/626 7543, www.lambiek.nl.
The city’s largest and oldest comic bookshop and gallery, with an international
stock. Their website features the biggest comiclopedia in the world. Due to the
rebuilding of their premises, they are temporarily relocated here, but will move
back to Kerkstraat 78, just along the street, in due course.
Metz & Co
Keizersgracht 455; tel 020/5207020.
A large department store stocking a wide range of designer clothes and
occupying a handsome stone building of 1891, complete with caryatids and a
fancy corner dome.
Pompadour Chocolaterie
Huidenstraat 12; tel 020/623 9554.
Chocolates and lots of homemade pastries usually smothered in – or filled with –
chocolate.
Scheltema Holkema Vermeulen
Koningsplein 20; tel 020/523 1411, www.scheltema.nl. Open late and on Sun.
Amsterdam’s biggest and best bookshop. Six floors of absolutely everything, but
mostly in Dutch.
When Nature Calls

Leidsestraat 508; tel 020/330 0700.
Cannabis and hemp products such as hemp chocolate and beer, plus seeds and
magic mushrooms.
Xantippe Unlimited
Prinsengracht 290; tel 020/623 5854. Mon 1–7pm, Tues–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–5pm.
Amsterdam’s foremost women’s bookshop, with a wide selection of feminist
titles in English.
Zipper
Huidenstraat 7; tel 020/623 7302.
Great selection of used and vintage clothing.
Coffeeshops
The Bulldog
Leidseplein 15.
The biggest and most famous of the coffeeshop chains, and a long way from its
pokey RedLight-District-dive origins. This, the main Leidseplein branch (the
Palace), housed in a former police station, has a large cocktail bar, coffeeshop,
juice bar and souvenir shop, all with separate entrances. It’s big and brash, not at
all the place for a quiet smoke, though the dope they sell (packaged up in neat
little brand-labelled bags) is reliably good.
Global Chillage
Kerkstraat 51.
A celebrated slice of Amsterdam dope culture, always comfortably filled with
tie-dyed stone-heads propped up against the walls, so chilled they’re horizontal.
Mellow Yellow
Vijzelgracht 33.
Sparse but bright coffeeshop with a small but good-quality dope list. A little out
of the way, but it makes up for it in friendliness.
The Otherside
Reguliersdwarsstraat 6.
Essentially a gay coffeeshop (in Dutch, "the other side" is a euphemism for gay),
but heteros are welcome and the atmosphere is relaxed and good fun.
Cafés and tearooms

Buffet van Odette & Yvette
Herengracht 309.
Just walking past will get your taste buds going: a serious treat for breakfast or
lunch.
Het Hok
Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 134.
Games bar, where you can play backgammon, chess or draughts, or just drink
against a backdrop of clicking counters. Pleasingly unpretentious after the plastic
restaurants of the rest of the street, though women may find the overwhelmingly
male atmosphere off-putting.
Restaurants
Aphrodite
Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 91; tel 020/622 7382. Daily 5pm–midnight.
Inexpensive yet refined Greek cooking in a street where you certainly wouldn’t
expect it. Fair prices too.
De Blauwe Hollander
Leidsekruisstraat 28; tel 020/627 0522.
Inexpensive Dutch food in generous quantities – something of a boon in an
otherwise touristy, unappealing part of town. Expect to share a table.
Damsteeg
Reestraat 28; tel 020/627 8794.
Superb French-inspired cuisine with more than the occasional Dutch
gastronomic flourish. In a charmingly renovated old canal house.
Dynasty
Reguliersdwarsstraat 30; tel 020/626 8400. Closed Tues.
Festive choice of Indochinese food, with Vietnamese and Thai options: not for
the shoestring traveller. The subdued atmosphere suits the prices – main courses
average €20–25.
Cilubang
Runstraat 10; tel 020/626 9755.
Small Indonesian restaurant, with a friendly atmosphere, serving well-presented,
spicy dishes. Moderate prices.
Golden Temple
Utrechtsestraat 126; tel 020/626 8560.
Laid-back place with a little more soul than the average Amsterdam veggie joint.
Well-prepared, lacto-vegetarian food and pleasant, attentive service. No alcohol
and non-smoking throughout.
Iguazu
Prinsengracht 703; tel 020/420 3910. Daily noon–midnight.
For carnivores only: a superb, moderately priced Argentinian-Brazilian
restaurant, with perhaps the best fillet steak in town.
Le Pêcheur
Reguliersdwarsstraat 32; tel 020/624 3121. Closed Sun.
Beautiful restaurant with a well-balanced menu (the four-course set menu is
good value at around €35). Lovely garden terrace in the summer. Open for lunch.
Piet de Leeuw
Noorderstraat 11; tel 020/623 7181. Mon–Fri noon–11pm, Sat & Sun 5–11pm.
Arguably Amsterdam’s best steakhouse, dating from the 1940s, and surprisingly
inexpensive. Excellent steaks, and mouthwatering desserts.
Puri Mas
Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 37; tel 020/627 7627.
Exceptionally good value for money Indonesian, on a street better known for rip-
offs. Friendly and informed service preludes spectacular rijsttafels, both meat
and vegetarian. Recommended.
Pygmalion
Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 5a; tel 020/420 7022.
Good spot for both lunch and dinner, popular among locals. South African
dishes include crocodile steaks, and there’s a good selection of sandwiches and
authentic Afrikaner desserts.
Shiva
Reguliersdwarsstraat 72; tel 020/624 8713.
The city’s most outstanding Indian restaurant in terms of quality and price, with
a wide selection of dishes, all expertly prepared and moderately priced. Highly
recommended.
Le Soleil
Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 56; tel 020/622 7147. Open until 6pm.
Pretty little restaurant (once visited by the Queen) which makes some great
pancakes – try one with ginger and raisins.
Tashi Deleg
Highly recommended Tibetan restaurant, with friendly and accommodating staff
dishing up authentic food for around €20 for two courses.
Tempo Doeloe
Reliable, reasonably priced quality place close to Rembrandtplein. As with all
Indonesian restaurants, be guided by the waiter when choosing – some of the
dishes are very hot indeed.
Van de Kaart
Prinsengracht 512; tel 020/625 9232.
A moderately expensive and very creative restaurant, with an excellent and
surprising menu including lobster carpaccio, home-cured bacon and pumpkin-
stuffed ravioli. The selection of wines complements the tastes created in the
kitchen with vim and gusto.
Le Zinc … et les Dames
Prinsengracht 999; tel 020/622 9044. Closed Sun.
Wonderfully atmospheric little place serving good-quality, simple fare with main
courses averaging €20–25; there’s a particularly good wine list.
’t Zwaantje
Berenstraat 12; tel 020/623 2373.
Old-fashioned Dutch restaurant with a nice atmosphere and well-cooked,
reasonably priced food. Well known for its liver and onions.
Zushi
Amstel 20; tel 020/330 6882. Daily noon–midnight.
High-tech sushi bar, serving colour-coded dishes on a conveyor belt running
along the bar.
Bars
De Admiraal
Herengracht 319.
Large and uniquely comfortable proeflokaal, with a vast range of liqueurs and
spirits to explore.
Bamboo
Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 66.
Legend has it Chet Baker used to live upstairs and jam on stage to pay his rent.
These days the Bamboo is an unpretentious, friendly bar playing Seventies and
Eighties music. Open from 9pm.
De Duivel
Tucked away on a street of bars and coffeeshops, this is one of the few hip-hop
cafés in Amsterdam, with continuous beats and a clientele to match. From 8pm.
Huyschkaemer
Utrechtsestraat 137.
Attractive, small, local bar-restaurant on a street renowned for its eateries: a
favourite watering hole for arty students. At weekends the restaurant area is
turned into a dance floor.
L & B
Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 82. Open until 3am.
A cosy bar, rather misplaced among the touristy restaurants and clubs of this part
of town. Has a selection of two hundred different whiskies and bourbons.
Het Land van Walem

Keizersgracht 449.
A chic bar-café – cool, light, and vehemently un-brown. The clientele is stylish,
and the food is a kind of hybrid French-Dutch; there’s also a wide selection of
newspapers and magazines, including some in English. Breakfast in the garden
during the summer is a highlight. Usually packed.
Lux
Marnixstraat 403. Open late.
The most trendy option among this stretch of cafés, drawing a young alternative
crowd. Loud music.
Het Molenpad
Prinsengracht 653.
This is one of the most appealing brown cafés in the city – a long, dark bar that
also serves remarkably good food. Fills up with a young, professional crowd
after 6pm. Recommended.
Morlang
Keizersgracht 451.
Occasional live music and decent food in this new-wave designer bar.
Mulligan’s
Amstel 100.
By far the best Irish pub in the city, with an authentic atmosphere, Gaelic music
and good service.
Schiller
Rembrandtplein 26.
Art Deco bar of the hotel upstairs, authentic in both feel and decor, and offering
a genteel escape from the tackiness of much of the Rembrantplein.
Van Puffelen
Prinsengracht 377.
A bar and restaurant adjacent to each other. The café is an appealing place to
drink, with a huge choice of international beers and a reading room; the
restaurant (daily 6–11pm) serves French food, which, though not cheap, is
usually well worth it.
Reynders
Leidseplein 6.
The last real option if you want to sit out on the Leidseplein. A remnant of days
long gone, with aproned waiters and an elegant interior.
Gay bars
April
On the itinerary of almost every gay visitor to Amsterdam. Lively and
cosmopolitan, with a good selection of foreign newspapers, cakes and coffee, as
well as booze.
Camp Café
Kerkstraat 45.
Pleasant mix of friendly regulars and foreign visitors. Worth a visit for the
ceiling alone, which is covered with a collection of beer mugs from around the
world.
Vive la Vie
Amstelstraat 7.
Small, campy bar, patronized mostly, but not exclusively, by women and
transvestites.
Clubs and venues

Café Alto
Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 115; tel 020/626 3249, www.jazz-café-alto.nl.
It’s worth hunting out this legendary little jazz bar just off Leidseplein for its
quality modern jazz, performed every night from 10pm until 3am (and often
much later). It’s big on atmosphere, though slightly cramped, and entry is free.
Boom Chicago
Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 12; tel 020/530 7300, www.boomchicago.nl.
Something of a phenomenon in Amsterdam in recent years, this rapid-fire
improv comedy troupe performs nightly to crowds of both tourists and locals,
and has received rave reviews from Rough Guide readers, the Dutch and
international press alike. With inexpensive food, the cheapest beer in town, and a
Smoke Boat Cruise following most shows at 10.30pm, the comedy need not be
funny – but it is.
Carré Theatre
Amstel 115–125; tel 0900/252 5255, www.theatercarre.nl.
A splendid hundred-year-old structure (originally built for a circus) which
represents the ultimate venue for Dutch folk artists, and hosts all kinds of top
international acts: anything from Russian folk dance to La Cage aux Folles, with
reputable touring orchestras and opera companies squeezed in between.
Circustheater Elleboog
Passeerdersgracht 32; tel 020/623 5326, www.elleboog.nl.
Kids can learn to juggle, be a clown and practise face-painting here – all for €20.
Escape
Rembrandtplein 11; tel 020/622 1111, www.escape.nl.
What once used to be a cheesy disco is now home to one of Amsterdam’s hottest
Saturday nights, "Chemistry", with regular appearances by top DJs. A vast place,
with room for 2000 people (although you may still have to queue).
Exit
Reguliersdwarsstraat 37; tel 020/625 8788. Free.
A classic gay club in the centre of town. Current sounds play nightly to an
upbeat, cruisy crowd. Predominantly male, though women are admitted.
IT
Amstelstraat 24; tel 020/625 0111, www.it.nl.
Large disco with a fine sound system that’s popular with a mixed gay/straight
crowd. Recently refurbished in a cool New York club style and attracting a
dressed up, uninhibited clientele.
Korsakoff
Lijnbaansgracht 161; tel 020/625 7854. Free.
Late-night performances by some of the better-known local grunge bands, in a
lively setting with cheap drinks and a post-punk clientele.
Maloe Melo
Lijnbaansgracht 163; tel 020/420 4592, www.maloemelo.nl.
Next door to the Korsakoff, a dark, low-ceilinged bar, with a small back room
featuring lively local blues(y) acts.
Le Maxim
Leidsekruisstraat 35; tel 020/624 1920.
Intimate piano bar that’s been going since the Sixties, with live music nightly.
Melkweg (Milky Way)

Lijnbaansgracht 234a; tel 020/531 8181, www.melkweg.nl. Wed–Sun 2–9pm (dinner from 5.30pm).
Probably Amsterdam’s most famous entertainment venue, and these days one of
the city’s prime arts centres, with a young, hip clientele. A former dairy (hence
the name) just round the corner from Leidseplein, with two separate halls for live
music, putting on a broad range of bands covering everything from reggae to
rock, all of which lean towards the "alternative". Late on Friday and Saturday
nights, excellent disco sessions go on well into the small hours, sometimes
featuring the best DJs in town. As well as the gigs, there’s also a monthly film
programme, a theatre, gallery, and bar and restaurant (Marnixstraat entrance).
Concerts start 9–11pm.
The Ministry
Reguliersdwarsstraat 12; tel 020/623 3981. Open late.
Quality DJs playing everything from garage and house through to R&B.
Monday-night jam session features the local jazz talent.
Paradiso
Weteringschans 6–8; tel 020/626 4521, www.paradiso.nl.
A converted church near the Leidseplein, with bags of atmosphere, featuring
bands ranging from the up-and-coming to the famous – the Rolling Stones once
appeared here. It has been known to host classical concerts too, as well as
debates and multimedia events. Bands usually get started around 9pm.
The western stretches of the Grachtengordel comprise Amsterdam’s most

likeable and unpretentious district, with attractions ranging from the low-key
lure of picturesque Brouwersgracht to must-see sights like the Anne Frank
House. West of Prinsengracht, the Jordaan was never subject to the rigorous
planning restrictions of the main grachten, its streets following the lines of the
original polder drainage ditches rather than any municipal outline. An easily
explored area of slender canals and narrow streets flanked by an agreeable mix
of modest, modern terraces and handsome seventeenth-century canal houses, its
character has been transformed by a middle-class influx, and it has become one
of the most sought-after residential neighbourhoods. Until the late 1970s, the
inhabitants were primarily stevedores and factory workers, earning a crust in the
pint-sized Scheepvaartsbuurt (Shipping Quarter), now a mixed shopping and
residential quarter. Just beyond, the Westerdok is the oldest part of the
sprawling complex of artificial islands that today sweeps along the south side of
the River IJ.
Brouwersgracht
Running east to west along the northern edge of the three main canals is leafy
Brouwersgracht, one of the most picturesque waterways in the city. In the
seventeenth century, Brouwersgracht lay at the edge of Amsterdam’s great
harbour. This was where many of the ships returning from the East unloaded
their silks and spices, and as one of the major arteries linking the open sea with
the city centre, it was lined with storage depots and warehouses. Breweries
flourished here too, capitalizing on their ready access to shipments of fresh
water. Today, the harbour bustle has moved elsewhere, and the warehouses, with
their distinctive spout-neck gables and shuttered windows, formerly used for the
delivery and dispatch of goods by pulley from the canal below, have been
converted into apartments, some of the most expensive in Amsterdam. There are
handsome merchants’ houses here as well, plus moored houseboats and a string
of quaint little swing bridges.
Hofje Van Brienen

Prinsengracht 85–133. Daily 6am–6pm & Sat 6am–2pm. Free.
This brown-brick courtyard, originally the site of a brewery, was built as an
almshouse in 1804 to the order of Aernout van Brienen. A well-to-do merchant,
Brienen had locked himself in his own strong room by accident and, in a panic,
he vowed to build a hofje if he was rescued. The plaque inside the complex
doesn’t, however, give much of the game away, inscribed demurely with "for the
relief and shelter of those in need."
Leliegracht
Further down Prinsengracht, Leliegracht leads off to the left, one of the tiny
radial canals that cut across the Grachtengordel. It holds one of the city’s finest
Art Nouveau buildings, a tall and striking building at the Leliegracht-
Keizersgracht junction designed by Gerrit van Arkel in 1905. Originally the
headquarters of a life insurance company – hence the two mosaics with angels
recommending policies to bemused earthlings – it’s now occupied by
Greenpeace.
De Dolphijn
A little further on, over Herengracht on to the Singel, the red-brick and stone-
trimmed house at nos 140–142 was once home to Captain Banningh Cocq, the
principal soldier in Rembrandt’s Night Watch.
The Anne Frankhuis

Prinsengracht 263, www.annefrank.nl. Daily: April–Aug 9am–9pm; Sept–March 9am–7pm; closed Yom
Kippur. €7.50, 10-to 17-year-olds €3.50, under-10s free.
Easily the city’s most visited sight, the Anne Frankhuis is where the young
diarist and her family hid from the Germans during World War II. Since the
posthumous publication of her diaries, Anne Frank has become extraordinarily
famous, in the first instance for recording the iniquities of the Holocaust, and
latterly as a symbol of the fight against oppression and in particular racism. The
family spent over two years in hiding here, but were eventually betrayed and
dispatched to Westerbork – the transit camp in the north of the country where
most Dutch Jews were processed before being moved to Belsen or Auschwitz.
Of the eight from the annexe, only Otto Frank survived; Anne and her sister died
of typhus within a short time of each other in Belsen, just one week before the
German surrender.
Anne Frank’s diary was among the few things left behind in the annexe. It was
retrieved by one of the people who had helped the Franks and handed to Anne’s
father on his return from Auschwitz; he later decided to publish it. Since its
appearance in 1947, it has been constantly in print, translated into over sixty
languages, and has sold millions of copies. Despite being so popular, the house
has managed to preserve a sense of intimacy, a poignant witness to the personal
nature of the Franks’ sufferings. The rooms the Franks occupied for two years
have been left much the same as they were during the war – even down to the
movie star pin-ups in Anne’s bedroom and the marks on the wall recording the
children’s heights. Video clips on the family in particular and the Holocaust in
general give the background. Anne Frank was one of about 100,000 Dutch Jews
who died during World War II, but this, her final home, provides one of the most
enduring testaments to its horrors.
The Westerkerk
April–Sept Mon–Fri 11am–3pm. Free.
Trapped in her house, Anne Frank liked to listen to the bells of the Westerkerk,
just along Prinsengracht, until they were taken away to be melted down for the
German war effort. The church still dominates the district, its 85-metre tower
(May–Sept Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; €3) – without question Amsterdam’s finest –
soaring graciously above its surroundings. On its top perches the crown of
Emperor Maximilian, a constantly recurring symbol of Amsterdam and the
finishing touch to what was only the second city church to be built expressly for
the Protestants. The church was designed by Hendrick de Keyser and completed
in 1631 as part of the general enlargement of the city, but whereas the exterior is
all studied elegance, the interior is bare and plain. The church is also the reputed
resting place of Rembrandt, though the location of his pauper’s tomb is not
known. Instead, a small memorial in the north aisle commemorates the artist,
close to the spot where his son Titus was buried. Rembrandt adored his son – as
evidenced by numerous portraits – and the boy’s death dealt a final crushing
blow to the ageing and embittered artist, who died just over a year later.
Westermarkt
Westermarkt, an open square in the shadow of the Westerkerk, possesses two
evocative statues. At the back of the church, beside Keizersgracht, are the three
pink granite triangles (one each for the past, present and future) of the Homo-
Monument. The world’s first memorial to persecuted gays and lesbians,
commemorating all those who died at the hands of the Nazis, it was designed by
Karin Daan and recalls the pink triangles the Germans made homosexuals sew
onto their clothes during World War II. Nearby, on the south side of the church
by Prinsengracht, is a small but beautifully crafted statue of Anne Frank by the
modern Dutch sculptor Mari Andriessen – also the creator of the dockworker
statue outside Amsterdam’s Portuguese Synagogue.
The Theatermuseum
Herengracht 168. Tues–Fri 11am–5pm, Sat & Sun 1–5pm. €4.50.
A few metres from the Westermarkt, the Theatermuseum holds a moderately
enjoyable collection of theatrical bygones, from props through to stage sets, with
a particularly good selection of costumes and posters. The museum, which
spreads over into the adjoining buildings, also offers a lively programme of
temporary exhibitions, but it’s the house itself which is of most interest. Dating
from 1638, Herengracht 168 has a fetching sandstone facade to a design by
Philip Vingboons, arguably the most talented architect involved in the creation
of the Grachtengordel. The house was built for Michael de Pauw, a leading light
in the East India Company, and the interior sports an extravagant painted ceiling
of the Four Seasons by Jacob de Wit plus a splendid spiral staircase.
Huis Bartolotti
Herengracht 170–172. No public access.
Next door to the Theatermuseum, the Huis Bartolotti is a tad earlier and a good
deal flashier, its pirouetting facade of red-brick and stone dotted with urns and
columns, faces and shells. The house is an excellent illustration of the Dutch
Renaissance style, and as such is much more ornate than the typical Amsterdam
canal house. The architect was Hendrick de Keyser and a director of the West
India Company, Willem van den Heuvel, footed the bill. Heuvel inherited a
fortune from his Italian uncle and changed his name in his honour to Bartolotti –
hence the name of the house.
The Jordaan
According to dyed-in-the-wool locals, the true Jordaaner is born within earshot
of the Westerkerk bells, which means that there are endless arguments as to quite
where the district’s southern boundary lies, though at least the other borders are
clear – Prinsengracht, Brouwersgracht and Lijnbaannsgracht. There is also no
arguing that the Rozengracht is at the centre of today’s Jordaan, though this wide
street lost most of its character when its canal was filled in and is now a busy
main road of no particular distinction. It was here, at no. 184, that Rembrandt
spent the last ten years of his life in diminished circumstances – a scrolled
plaque distinguishes his old home.
Rozengracht to Westerstraat
The streets and canals extending north from Rozengracht to Westerstraat form
the heart of the Jordaan and hold the district’s prettiest sights. Beyond
Rozengracht, the first canal is the Bloemgracht (Flower Canal), a leafy
waterway dotted with houseboats and arched by dinky little bridges, its network
of cross-streets sprinkled with cafés, bars and idiosyncratic shops. A narrow
cross-street – 2e Egelantiersdwarsstraat and its continuation 2e Tuindwarsstraat
and 2e Anjeliersdwarsstraat – runs north from Bloemgracht flanked by many of
the Jordaan’s more fashionable stores and clothing shops as well as some of its
liveliest bars and cafés. At the end is workaday Westerstraat, a busy modern
thoroughfare dotted with more mainstream shops.
Pianola Museum
Westerstraat 106. Sun 11.30am–5.30pm. €4.
The small but fascinating Pianola Museum has a collection of pianolas and
automatic music-machines that dates from the beginning of the twentieth
century. Fifteen have been restored to working order. These machines, which
work on rolls of perforated paper, were the jukeboxes of their day, and the
museum has a vast collection of 14,000 rolls of music, some of which were
"recorded" by famous pianists and composers – Gershwin, Debussy, Scott
Joplin, Art Tatum and others. The museum runs a regular programme of pianola
music concerts, where the rolls are played back on the restored machines.
The Noorderkerk
Noordekerkstraat. March–Nov Mon–Sat 10am–4pm. Free.
Noorderkerk is Hendrik de Keyser’s last creation and probably his least
successful, finished two years after his death in 1623. A bulky, overbearing brick
building, it represented a radical departure from the conventional church designs
of the time, having a symmetrical Greek-cross floor plan, with four equally
proportioned arms radiating out from a steepled centre. Uncompromisingly dour,
it proclaimed the serious intent of the Calvinists who worshipped here in so far
as the pulpit was at the centre and not at the front of the church, a symbolic
break with the Catholic past.
Noordermarkt
The Noordermarkt, the somewhat inconclusive square outside the church, holds
a statue of three figures bound to each other, a powerful tribute to the bloody
Jordaanoproer riot of 1934, part of a successful campaign to stop the government
cutting unemployment benefit during the Depression. The square also hosts
some of Amsterdam’s best markets – an antiques and general household goods
market on Monday mornings (9am–1pm) and the popular farmers’ market, the
Boerenmarkt, on Saturdays (9am–3pm). Saturday also sees a bird market (8am–
1pm), but caged birds are not everyone’s cup of tea.
Lindengracht
The Lindengracht ("Canal of Limes") lost its waterway decades ago, but has had
a prominent role in local folklore since the day in 1886 when a policeman made
an ill-advised attempt to stop an eel-pulling contest. Horrible as it sounds, eel-
pulling was a popular pastime hereabouts with tug-o’-war teams holding tight to
either end of the poor creature, which was smeared with soap to make the
entertainment last a little longer. The crowd unceremoniously bundled the
policeman away, but when reinforcements arrived, the whole thing got out of
hand and there was a full-scale riot – the "Paling-Oproer" – which lasted for
three days and cost 26 lives.
The Scheepvaartsbuurt and the Westerdok

Brouwersgracht marks both the northern edge of the Jordaan and the southern
boundary of the Scheepvaartsbuurt – the Shipping Quarter – an unassuming
neighbourhood which focuses on Haarlemmerstraat and Haarlemmerdijk, a long,
rather ordinary thoroughfare lined with bars, cafés and food shops. In the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this district boomed from its location
between the Brouwersgracht and the Westerdok, a narrow parcel of land dredged
out of the River IJ immediately to the north and equipped with docks,
warehouses and shipyards. The construction of these artificial islands took the
pressure off Amsterdam’s congested maritime facilities and was necessary to
sustain the city’s economic success. The Westerdok hung on to some of the
marine trade until the 1960s, but today – bar the odd small boatyard – industry
has to all intents and purposes disappeared and the area is busy reinventing itself.
There is still an air of faded grittiness here, but the old forgotten warehouses –
within walking distance of the centre – are rapidly being turned into bijou
studios and dozens of plant-filled houseboats are moored along the Westerdok
itself and the adjoining Realengracht. Nearby, the Westerpark provides a touch
of green, beyond which Het Schip Museum, in the seminal Amsterdam School
housing estate of the same name, explores the history of the architectural
movement.
Shops
Donald E. Jongejans
Noorderkestraat 18; tel 020/624 6888.
Antique spec store that supplied the frames for Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor.
Kitsch Kitchen
Bloemdwarsstraat 21; tel 020/622 8261.
Crammed full of bowls, spoons and kitsch stuff in day-glo colours.
Levelt
Prinsengracht 180; tel 020/624 0823.
A specialist tea and coffee company has occupied this shop for over 150 years,
and much of the original decor remains, although there are now branches in
almost every other part of the city too.
The English Bookshop

Lauriergracht 71; tel 020/626 4230.
A well-chosen collection of titles, many of which you won’t find elsewhere.
1001 Kralen
Rozengracht 54; tel 020/624 3681.
"Kralen" means beads, and 1001 would seem a conservative estimate in this
place, which sells nothing but.
Coffeeshops
Barney’s Breakfast Bar
Haarlemmerstraat 102.
Something of an Amsterdam institution, this extremely popular café-cum-
coffeeshop is simply the most civilized place in town to enjoy a big joint with a
fine breakfast at any time of the day.
Kadinsky
Rosmarijnsteeg 9.
Great deals weighed out to a jazz backdrop; great cookies too.
Paradox
1e Bloemdwarsstraat 2. Closes 8pm.
If you’re fed up with the usual coffeeshop food offerings of burgers, Paradox
satisfies the munchies with outstanding natural food, including spectacular fresh
fruit concoctions.
Siberië
Brouwersgracht 11.
Very relaxed, very friendly, and worth a visit whether you want to smoke or not.
Cafés and tearooms

Arnold Cornelis
Elandsgracht 78. Closed Sun.
Confectioner with a snug tearoom.
J.G. Beune
Haarlemmerdijk 156; tel 020/624 8356.
Handmade cakes and chocolates in an old-style interior. Tearoom attached.
Greenwood’s
Singel 103.
Small, English-style teashop in the basement of a canal house. Pies and
sandwiches, pots of tea – and a decent breakfast.
Lunchcafé Winkel
Noordermarkt 43.
Well-weathered neighbourhood café on the corner with Westerstraat that is a
popular rendezvous on Saturday and Monday mornings, when the market’s in
full flow.
Restaurants
Albatros
Westerstraat 264; tel 020/627 9932. Closed Tues & Wed.
Family-run restaurant serving some mouthwateringly imaginative fish dishes. A
place to splash out and linger over a meal. Expensive.
Amigo
Rozengracht 5; tel 020/623 1140. Daily except Wed 2–10pm.
Basic but good-value Surinamese restaurant close to the Westerkerk.
Bolhoed
Prinsengracht 60; tel 020/626 1803. Daily noon–10pm.
Something of an Amsterdam institution. Familiar vegan and vegetarian options
from the daily changing menu, with organic beer to wash it down. More
expensive than you might imagine.
Bordewijk
Noordermarkt 7; tel 020/624 3899.
A chic, expensive restaurant serving stylish French cuisine – a favourite of local
food writer Johannes van Dam.
Burger’s Patio
2e Tuindwarsstraat 12; tel 020/623 6854.
Despite the name (the site used to be occupied by a butcher’s), there isn’t a
burger in sight in this convivial and inexpensive Italian restaurant where you
compose your own main course from several given options.
Capri
Lindengracht 61; tel 020/624 4940.
Good café-restaurant with much of the joyful atmosphere of the neighbouring
market on Saturday. Inexpensive.
Chez Georges
Herenstraat 3; tel 020/626 3332. Closed Wed & Sun.
A highly rated, upmarket Belgian eatery, where the emphasis is on meat; main
courses €20 and up.
La Vita
Lindengracht 31; tel 020/624 8987. Kitchen closes at 11pm.
Authentic Italian-style pizzeria serving ridiculously cheap meals. Soups and
salads start from €2.75, pizzas and pasta from €3.75.
Christophe
Leliegracht 46; tel 020/625 0807. Closed Sun.
Classic Michelin-starred restaurant on a quiet and beautiful canal, drawing
inspiration from the olive-oil-and-basil flavours of southern France and the
chef’s early years in North Africa. His aubergine terrine with cumin has been
dubbed the best vegetarian dish in the world. Advance reservations essential.
Claes Claesz
Egelantiersstraat 24; tel 020/625 5306. Closed Mon.
Exceptionally friendly and moderate Jordaan restaurant that attracts a mixed
crowd and serves excellent Dutch food. Live music from Thursday to Saturday,
and Sunday’s "theatre-dinner" sees various Dutch theatrical/musical acts
between the courses.
De Eettuin
2e Tuindwarsstraat 10; tel 020/623 7706.
Hefty and imminently affordable portions of Dutch food, with salad from a
serve-yourself bar. Non-meat eaters can content themselves with the large, if
dull, vegetarian plate, or the delicious fish casserole.
De Gouden Reael
Zandhoek 14; tel 020/623 3883. Mon–Sat from 6pm.
Fine French food (€20 per main course and up) in a unique setting up in the
Westerdok. The bar, as described in the novel of the same name by Jan Mens,
has a long association with the dockworkers.
Jur
Egelantiersgracht 72; tel 020/423 4287.
Friendly French-Belgian restaurant serving steaks and grilled fare to a wide-
ranging clientele. Also has a bar with five draught beers on tap.
Koevoet
Lindenstraat 17; tel 020/624 0846. Closed Sun & Mon.
The "Cow’s-Foot" – or, alternatively, the "Crowbar" – is a traditional Jordaan
eetcafé serving creative dishes soused with some excellent sauces.
The Pancake Bakery

Prinsengracht 191; tel 020/625 1333. Daily noon–9.30pm.
Open all day, this place in a beautiful old house on the canal has a large selection
of filled pancakes from €6.75. The bigger ones are a meal in themselves.
Prego
Herenstraat 25; tel 020/638 0148.
Small restaurant serving exceptionally high-quality but pricey Mediterranean
cuisine from €30 or so for two courses. Polite and friendly staff.
D’Theeboom
Singel 210; tel 020/623 8420.
Classic, ungimmicky French cuisine – around €30 fortwo courses.
Top Thai
Herenstraat 22; tel 020/ 623 4633.
One of three Top Thai restaurants located around Amsterdam, serving
inexpensive, tasty food in healthy portions. The menu gives a handy chilli rating
– try the Swimming Hot Beef for total burnout. Cosy atmosphere.
De Vliegende Schotel
Nieuwe Leliestraat 162; tel 020/625 2041.
Perhaps the pick of the city’s cheap and wholesome vegetarian restaurants, the
"Flying Saucer" serves delicious food in large portions. Lots of space, a peaceful
ambience – and a good notice board.
Bars
Belhamel
Brouwersgracht 60.
Kitschy bar/restaurant with an Art Nouveau-style interior and excellent, though
costly, French food. The main attraction in summer is one of the prettiest views
in Amsterdam.
Chris
Bloemstraat 42.
Very proud of itself for being the Jordaan’s (and Amsterdam’s) oldest bar, dating
from 1624. Comfortable, homely atmosphere.
Duende
Lindengracht 62.
Wonderful little tapas bar with good, cheap tapas (from around €3) to help your
drink go down. Also includes a small venue in the back for live dance and music
performances, including regular flamenco.
Gambit
Bloemgracht 20.
Chess bar, with boards laid out daily from 1pm until midnight.
Hegeraad
Noordermarkt 34.
Lovingly maintained, old-fashioned brown café with a fiercely loyal clientele.
The back room, furnished with red plush and paintings, is the perfect place to
relax with a hot chocolate.
Nol
Westerstraat 109.
Probably the epitome of the jolly Jordaan singing bar, a luridly lit dive that
closes late, especially at weekends, when the back-slapping joviality and
drunken singalongs keep you rooted until the small hours.
De Prins
Prinsengracht 124. Food served 10am–10pm.
Boisterous bar with a wide range of drinks and a well-priced menu. A great place
to drink in a nice part of town.
De Reiger
Nieuwe Leliestraat 34.
The Jordaan’s main meeting place, an old-style café filled with modish
Amsterdammers. Affordable good food.
’t Smalle
Egelantiersgracht 12.
Candlelit and comfortable, with a barge out front for relaxed summer afternoons.
One of Amsterdam’s oldest cafés, opened in 1786 as a proeflokaal – a tasting
house for the (long gone) gin distillery next door.
Spanjer & van Twist
Leliegracht 60.
A gentle place, which comes into its own on summer afternoons, with chairs
lining one of the most peaceful stretches of water in the city centre.
Tabac
Brouwersgracht 101.
Cosy drinking hole on the fringes of the Jordaan (corner of Prinsengracht),
which also serves inexpensive Indonesian snacks and light dishes in a convivial
atmosphere.
De Tuin
2e Tuindwarsstraat 13.
The Jordaan has some marvellously unpretentious bars, and this is one of the
best: agreeably unkempt and always filled with locals.
Twee Prinsen
Prinsenstraat 27.
Cornerside people-watching bar that’s a useful starting place for touring the area.
Its heated terrace makes it possible to sit outside even in winter.
De Twee Zwaantjes
Prinsengracht 114.
Tiny Jordaan bar whose live accordion music and raucous singing you’ll either
love or hate. Fun, in an oompah-pah sort of way.
Gay bars
COC
Rozenstraat 14; tel 020/626 3087, www.coc.nl.
Successful women-only disco and café, popular with younger lesbians, held
every Sat from 8–10pm and called "Just Girls". Pumping on Friday nights too,
but then it’s mixed men and women. COC is the headquarters of the
Netherlands’ national gay organization.
Saarein
Elandsstraat 119; tel 020/623 4901. Closed Mon.
Known for years for its stringent women-only policy, Saarein has now opened
its doors to men. Though some of the former glory of this café is gone, it’s still a
warm, relaxing place to take it easy, with a cheerful atmosphere. Also a useful
starting point for contacts and information.
Clubs and venues

Mazzo
Rozengracht 114; tel 020/626 7500, www.mazzo.nl. Open Thurs–Sun. 23yrs+ only.
One of the city’s hippest clubs, with a choice of music to appeal to all tastes.
Perhaps the easiest-going bouncers in town.
Originally one of the marshiest parts of Amsterdam, the narrow slice of land
sandwiched between the curve of the River Amstel, Kloveniersburgwal and the
Nieuwe Herengracht was the home of Amsterdam’s Jews from the sixteenth
century up until World War II. By the 1920s, this Old Jewish Quarter, aka the
Jodenhoek ("Jews’ Corner"), was one of the busiest parts of town, crowded with
tenement buildings and smoking factories, its main streets holding scores of
open-air stalls selling everything from pickled herrings to pots and pans. The
war put paid to all this and in 1945 it lay derelict. Postwar redevelopment has not
treated it kindly. New building has robbed the district of much of its character
and its focal point, Waterlooplein, has been overwhelmed by a whopping town
and concert hall complex, which caused much controversy. The once-bustling
Jodenbreestraat is now bleak and very ordinary, with Mr Visserplein, at its east
end, one of the city’s busiest traffic junctions. Picking your way round these
obstacles is not much fun, but persevere – amongst the cars and concrete are
several moving reminders of the Jewish community that perished in the war.
Next door is the Plantagebuurt, a well-to-do residential area that’s home to the
Artis Zoo and the excellent Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum), and
from here it’s a short hop north to the reclaimed islands of the Oosterdok, where
pride of place goes to the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime
Museum).
St Antoniesbreestraat
Stretching south from Nieuwmarkt, St Antoniesbreestraat once linked the city
centre with the Jewish quarter, but its huddle of shops and houses was mostly
demolished in the 1980s to make way for a main road. The plan was
subsequently abandoned, but the modern buildings that now line most of the
street hardly fire the soul, even if the modern symmetries – and cubist, coloured
panels – of the apartment blocks that spill along part of the street are visually
arresting.
The Pintohuis
St Antoniesbreestraat 69. Mon & Wed 2–8pm, Fri 2–5pm, Sat 11am–4pm. Free.
One of the few survivors of the development is the Pintohuis, which is now a
public library. Easily spotted by its off-white Italianate facade, the mansion is
named after Isaac de Pinto, a Jew who fled Portugal to escape the Inquisition and
subsequently became a founder of the East India Company. Pinto bought the
property in 1651 and promptly had it remodelled in grand style, the facade
interrupted by six lofty pilasters, which lead the eye up to the blind balustrade.
The mansion was the talk of the town, even more so when Pinto had the interior
painted in a similar style to the front – pop in to look at the birds and cherubs of
the original painted ceiling.
The Zuiderkerk
Mon 11am–4pm, Tues, Wed & Fri 9am–4pm, Thurs 9am–8pm. Free.
The Zuiderkerk dates from 1611 and was designed by the prolific architect and
sculptor Hendrick de Keyser, whose distinctive – and very popular – style
extrapolated elements of traditional Flemish design, with fanciful detail and
frilly towers added wherever possible. The basic design of the Zuiderkerk is
firmly Gothic, but the soaring tower is typical of his work, complete with
balconies and balustrades, arches and columns. Now deconsecrated, the church
has itself been turned into a municipal information centre with displays on
housing and the environment, plus temporary exhibitions revealing the city
council’s future plans. The tower, which has a separate entrance, can be climbed
during the summer (June–Sept Wed–Sat 2–4pm; €3).
The Rembrandthuis
Jodenbreestraat 6. Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm. €7.
St Antoniesbreestraat runs into Jodenbreestraat, the "Broad Street of the Jews",
at one time the main centre of Jewish activity. This ancient thoroughfare is short
on charm, but it is home to the Rembrandthuis, whose intricate facade is
decorated by pretty wooden shutters and a dinky pediment. Rembrandt bought
this house at the height of his fame and popularity, living here for over twenty
years and spending a fortune on furnishings – an expense that ultimately
contributed to his bankruptcy. An inventory made at the time details the huge
collection of paintings, sculptures and art treasures he’d amassed, almost all of
which was auctioned off after he was declared insolvent and forced to move to a
more modest house in the Jordaan in 1658.
The city council bought the Jodenbreestraat house in 1907 and has revamped
the premises on several occasions, most recently in 1999. A visit begins in the
modern building next door, but you’re soon into the string of period rooms that
have been returned to something like their appearance when Rembrandt lived
here, with the inventory as a guide. The period furniture is enjoyable enough,
especially the two box-beds, and the great man’s studio is surprisingly large and
well-lit, but the paintings that adorn the walls are almost entirely mediocre and
there are no Rembrandts at all. More positively, two rooms beyond the period
rooms hold an extensive collection of Rembrandt’s etchings as well as several of
the original copper plates on which he worked, and beyond them two further
rooms are used for well-judged temporary displays of prints, usually – but not
exclusively – by Dutch artists. To see Rembrandt’s paintings you’ll have to go to
the Rijksmuseum.
The Holland Experience

Jodenbreestraat 4 www.holland-experience.nl. Daily 10am–6pm. €8.50.
The multimedia Holland Experience is a kind of sensory-bombardment movie
about Holland and Amsterdam, with synchronized smells and a moving floor –
not to mention the special 3D glasses. The experience lasts thirty minutes and is
especially popular with school kids.
Gassan Diamonds
Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 173; tel 020/622 5333, www.gassandiamonds.com. Frequent 1hr guided tours
daily 9am–5pm. Free.
Gassan Diamonds occupies a large and imposing brick building dating from
1897. Before World War II, many local Jews worked as diamond cutters and
polishers, though there’s little sign of the industry here today, this factory being
the main exception. Tours include a visit to the cutting and polishing areas as
well a gambol round Gassan’s diamond jewellery showroom; there’s also a
Delftware shop immediately outside the factory’s main doors.
The Stadhuis en Muziektheater

tel 020/625 5455, www.muziektheater.nl.
Jodenbreestraat runs parallel to the Stadhuis en Muziektheater, a sprawling and
rather undistinguished complex incorporating the city hall and an auditorium that
was completed in 1986. The theatre’s resident company, Netherlands Opera,
offers the fullest, and most reasonably priced, programme of opera in
Amsterdam. Tickets go very quickly, especially for the free lunchtime concerts
held from September to May. One of the city’s abiding ironies is that the title of
the protest campaign aiming to prevent the development – "Stopera" – has
passed into common usage to describe the finished item. Inside, amidst all the
architectural mediocrity, there are a couple of minor attractions, beginning with
the glass columns in the public passageway towards the rear of the complex.
These give a salutary lesson on the fragility of the Netherlands: two contain
water indicating the sea levels in the Dutch towns of Vlissingen and IJmuiden
(below knee level), while another records the levels experienced during the 1953
flood disaster (way above head height). Downstairs a concrete pile shows what
is known as "Normal Amsterdam Level" (NAP), originally calculated in 1684 as
the average water level in the river IJ and still the basis for measuring altitude
above sea level across Europe.
Waterlooplein
The indeterminate modernity of the Stadhuis complex dominates Waterlooplein,
a rectangular parcel of land that was originally swampy marsh. This was the site
of the first Jewish Quarter, but by the late nineteenth century it had become an
insanitary slum. The slums were cleared in the 1880s and thereafter the open
spaces of the Waterlooplein hosted the largest and liveliest market in the city, the
place where Jews and Gentiles met to trade. In the war, the Germans used the
square to round up their victims, but despite these ugly connotations the
Waterlooplein was revived in the 1950s as the site of the city’s main flea market
(Mon–Sat 9am–5pm) and remains so to this day. It’s nowhere near as large as it
once was, but nonetheless it’s still the final resting place of many a pair of
yellow corduroy flares and has some wonderful antique/junk stalls to root
through – secondhand vinyl too.
Mr Visserplein
Just behind the Muziektheater, on the corner of Mr Visserplein, is the Mozes en
Aaron Kerk, a rather glum Neoclassical structure built on the site of a
clandestine Catholic church in the 1840s. It takes its unusual name from a pair of
facade stones bearing effigies of the two prophets that decorated an earlier
building which it replaced. Earlier still, the site was occupied by the house where
the philosopher and theologian Spinoza was born in 1632. The square itself, a
busy junction for traffic speeding towards the IJ tunnel, takes its name from Mr
Visser, President of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands in 1939. He was
dismissed the following year when the Germans occupied the country, and
became an active member of the Jewish resistance, working for the illegal
underground newspaper Het Parool ("The Password") and refusing to wear the
yellow Star of David. He died in 1942, a few days after publicly – and famously
– denouncing all forms of collaboration.
The Esnoga
Mr Visserplein. Sun–Fri 10am–4pm; closed Yom Kippur. €5.
The brown and bulky brickwork of the Esnoga or Portuguese synagogue was
completed in 1675 for the city’s Sephardic community. One of Amsterdam’s
most imposing buildings, it has been barely altered since its construction, its
lofty interior following the Sephardic tradition in having the Hechal (the Ark of
the Covenant) and tebah (from where services are led) at opposite ends. Also
traditional is the seating, with two sets of wooden benches (for the men) facing
each other across the central aisle – the women have separate galleries up above.
A set of superb brass chandeliers holds the candles that remain the only source of
artificial light. When it was completed, the synagogue was one of the largest in
the world, its congregation almost certainly the richest; today, the Sephardic
community has dwindled to just a few dozen members, most of whom live
outside the city centre. In one of the outhouses, a video sheds light on the history
of the synagogue and Amsterdam’s Sephardim; the mystery is why the Germans
left it alone – no one knows for sure, but it seems likely that they intended to
turn it into a museum once all the Jews had been polished off.
Jonas Daniel Meijerplein

Jonas Daniel Meijerplein was where in February 1941 around 400 Jewish men
were forcibly loaded up on trucks and taken to their deaths at Mauthausen
concentration camp, in reprisal for the killing of a Dutch Nazi during a street
fight. The arrests sparked off the February Strike, a general strike in protest
against the Germans’ treatment of the Jews. It was organized by the outlawed
Communist Party and spearheaded by Amsterdam’s transport workers and
dockers – a rare demonstration of solidarity with the Jews whose fate was
usually accepted without visible protest in all of occupied Europe. The strike
was quickly suppressed, but is still commemorated by an annual wreath-laying
ceremony on February 25, as well as by Mari Andriessen’s statue of the
Dokwerker (Dockworker) here on the square.
Joods Historisch Museum

J.D. Meijerplein, www.jhm.nl. Daily 11am–5pm, closed Yom Kippur. €6.50.
The Joods Historisch Museum – the Jewish Historical Museum – is cleverly
located in four Ashkenazi synagogues dating from the late seventeenth century.
For years after the war these buildings lay abandoned, but they were finally
refurbished – and connected by walkways – in the 1980s to accommodate a
Jewish resource centre and exhibition area. The latter is located in the handsome
Grote Synagoge of 1671 and features a fairly small but wide-ranging collection
covering most aspects of Dutch Jewish life. Downstairs, in the main body of the
synagogue, is a fine collection of religious silverware as well as a handful of
paintings and all manner of antique artefacts illustrating religious customs and
practices. The gallery above holds a social history of the city’s Jews, tracing
their prominent role in a wide variety of industries, and examining the trauma of
World War II, complete with several especially moving photographs.
The Plantagebuurt
Developed in the middle of the nineteenth century, the Plantagebuurt, with its
comfortable streets spreading to either side of Plantage Middenlaan boulevard,
was built as part of a concerted attempt to provide good-quality housing for the
city’s expanding middle classes. Although it was never as fashionable as the
older residential parts of the Grachtengordel, the new district did contain elegant
villas and spacious terraces, making it a first suburban port of call for many
aspiring Jews. Nowadays, the Plantagebuurt is still one of the more prosperous
parts of the city, in a modest sort of way, and boasts two especially enjoyable
attractions – the Hortus Botanicus botanical gardens and the Verzetsmuseum
(Dutch Resistance Museum).
Hortus Botanicus
Plantage Middenlaan 2a. Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am–5pm; closes 4pm in Dec & Jan. €6.
Amsterdam’s Hortus Botanicus botanical gardens were founded in 1682 as
medicinal gardens for the use of the city’s physicians and apothecaries.
Thereafter, many of the city’s merchants made a point of bringing back exotic
species from the East, the result being the 6000-odd plant species exhibited
today. The gardens are divided into several distinct sections. Outside are twenty
four distinctive types of tree, each clearly labelled and its location pinpointed by
a map available at the entrance kiosk. There’s also a three-climates glasshouse,
where the plants are arranged according to their geographical origins, a palm
house, a Californian desert hothouse, an orchid nursery and a butterfly house.
It’s all very low-key – and none the worse for that – and the gardens make a
relaxing break on any tour of central Amsterdam, especially as the café, in the
old orangery, serves up tasty sandwiches, coffee and cakes from 11am to 3pm.
Wertheimpark
The pocket-sized Wertheimpark, across the road from the Hortus Botanicus, is
home to the Auschwitz monument, a simple affair with symbolically broken
mirrors and an inscription that reads Nooit meer Auschwitz ("Auschwitz – Never
Again"). It was designed by the Dutch writer Jan Wolkers.
De Hollandsche Schouwburg
Plantage Middenlaan 24. Daily 11am–4pm except Yom Kippur. Free.
Another sad relic of the war, De Hollandsche Schouwburg was once a thriving
Jewish theatre, but the Germans turned it into the main assembly point for
Amsterdam Jews prior to their deportation. Inside, there was no daylight and
families were interned in conditions that foreshadowed those of the camps they
would soon be taken to. The building has been refurbished to house a small
exhibition on the plight of the city’s Jews, but the old auditorium out at the back
has been left as an empty, roofless shell. A memorial column of basalt on a Star
of David base stands where the stage once was, an intensely mournful
monument to suffering of unfathomable proportions.
Artis Zoo
Plantage Kerklaan 38–40; tel 020/523 3400, www.artis.nl. Daily: April to mid-Oct 9am–6pm; mid-Oct to
March 9am–5pm. €14.50, 3-to 9-year-olds €11.
Opened in 1838, Artis Zoo is the oldest zoo in the country, and is now one of the
city’s top tourist attractions, though thankfully its layout and refreshing lack of
bars and cages mean that it never feels overcrowded. Highlights include an
African savanna environment, a seventy-metre-long aviary, aquaria and a South
American zone with llamas and the world’s largest rodent, the capibara. In
addition, the on-site Planetarium has five or six shows daily, all in Dutch, though
you can pick up a leaflet with an English translation from the desk. Feeding
times – always popular – are as follows: 11am birds of prey; 11.30am and
3.45pm seals and sea lions; 2pm pelicans; 2.30pm crocodiles (Sun only); 3pm
lions and tigers (not Fri); 3.30pm penguins.
Vakbondsmuseum
Henri Polaklaan 9. Tues–Fri 11am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm. €4.
The Vakbondsmuseum (Trade Union Museum) contains a small exhibition of
documents, cuttings and photos relating to the Dutch labour movement, with a
section devoted to Henri Polak, the leader of the Diamond Workers’ Union and
the man responsible for coordinating the successful campaign for the eight-hour
working day.
However, the building is actually rather more interesting than the exhibition.
Built by Berlage for the Diamond Workers’ Union in 1900, it was designed in a
distinctive style that incorporated Romanesque features within an Expressionist
framework. The striking, brightly coloured interior develops these themes with a
beautiful mixture of stained-glass windows, stone arches, painted brickwork and
patterned tiles. From the outside, the building looks like a fortified mansion,
hence its old nickname the Rode Burgt ("Red Stronghold"). This design was not
just about Berlage’s whims. Acting on behalf of the employers, the police – and
sometimes armed scabs – were regularly used to break strikes, and the union
believed that members could hold out here in relative safety, which they did on
more than one occasion.
Verzetsmuseum
Plantage Kerklaan 61 www.verzetsmuseum.org. Tues–Fri 10am–5pm, Mon, Sat & Sun noon–5pm. €5.
The excellent Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum) outlines the
development of the Dutch Resistance from the German invasion of the
Netherlands in May 1940 to the country’s liberation in 1945. Thoughtfully
presented, the main gangway examines the experience of the majority of the
population, dealing honestly with the fine balance between cooperation and
collaboration. Side rooms are devoted to different aspects of the resistance, from
the brave determination of the Communist Party, who went underground as soon
as the Germans arrived, to more ad hoc responses like the so-called Milk Strike
of 1943, when hundreds of milk producers refused to deliver.
Fascinating old photographs illustrate the (English and Dutch) text along with
a host of original artefacts, from examples of illegal newsletters to signed
German death warrants. Apart from their treatment of the Jews, which is detailed
here, perhaps the most chilling feature of the occupation was the use of
indiscriminate reprisals to terrify the population. The museum has dozens of
little metal sheets providing biographical sketches of the members of the
Resistance – and it’s this mixture of the general and the personal that is its real
strength.
The Oosterdok
Just to the north of the Plantagebuurt lies the Oosterdok, whose network of
artificial islands was dredged out of the River IJ to increase Amsterdam’s
shipping facilities in the seventeenth century. By the 1980s, this mosaic of
docks, jetties and islands had become something of a post-industrial eyesore, but
since then an ambitious redevelopment programme has turned things around and
the area is now dotted with worthwhile attractions, principally the Nederlands
Scheepvaartmuseum. Easily the most agreeable way of reaching the Oosterdok
is via the footbridge at the north end of Plantage Kerklaan – metres from the
Verzetsmuseum – which leads to the Entrepotdok.
Entrepotdok
Over the footbridge at the end of Plantage Kerklaan lies the most interesting of
the Oosterdok islands, a slender rectangle whose southern quayside,
Entrepotdok, is lined by a long series of nineteenth-century gabled warehouses
that were once part of the largest warehouse complex in continental Europe, a
gigantic customs-free zone established for goods in transit. On the ground floor,
above the main entrance, each warehouse sports the name of a town or island;
goods for onward transportation were stored in the appropriate warehouse until
there were enough to fill a boat or barge. The warehouses have been tastefully
converted into offices and apartments, a fate that must surely befall the central
East India Company compound, whose chunky Neoclassical entrance is at the
west end of Entrepotdok on Kadijksplein.
The Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum

Kattenburgerplein www.scheepvaartmuseum.nl. Tues–Sun 10am–5pm; mid-June to mid-Sept also Mon
10am–5pm. €7.50.
From Kadijksplein, it’s the briefest of strolls over to the conspicuous Nederlands
Scheepvaart museum (Netherlands Maritime Museum), which occupies the old
arsenal of the Dutch navy, a vast sandstone structure that is underpinned by no
less than 18,000 wooden piles driven deep into the river bed at enormous
expense in the 1650s.
It’s the perfect location for a maritime museum, though to the non-specialist
the sheer number of ship models can be a tad repetitive. The collection is spread
over three floors, beginning on the ground floor which is used to host temporary
exhibitions as well as a flashy gilded barge built for King William I of the
Netherlands in 1818. The next floor up, largely devoted to shipping in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is the best, and includes garish ships’
figureheads and tillers, examples of early atlases and navigational equipment,
and finely detailed models of the clippers of the East India Company, then the
fastest ships in the world. There are a number of nautical paintings too, the best
by Willem van de Velde II (or The Younger; 1633–1707), who was the most
successful of the Dutch marine painters of the period. His canvases emphasize
the strength and power of the Dutch warship, often depicted in battle or amidst
turbulent seas. The final floor is devoted to the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. Once again there are models galore, but the paintings are perhaps
more enjoyable, melodramatic canvases of stormy seas and brave sailing ships.
Outside, moored at the museum jetty, is the most popular exhibit by a long
chalk, a full-scale replica of an East Indiaman, the Amsterdam, that is crewed by
enthusiastic nautical actors.
ARCAM
Prins Hendrikkade 600; tel 020/620 4878, www.arcam.nl. Tues–Sat 1–5pm. Free.
Strolling west from the Maritime Museum along the waterfront, you’ll soon spy
the idiosyncratic hood-shaped structure that has been built to house the
Amsterdam Centre for Architecture, otherwise ARCAM. There are architectural
displays here, sometimes of a theoretical nature and sometimes forewarning the
city of what its architects have in mind, as well as public lectures and
discussions.
NEMO
Prins Hendrikkade; tel 0900/9191100, www.e-nemo.nl.
Tues–Sun 10am–5pm, plus Mon 10am–5pm during school holidays, July &
Aug. €11. Back outside the ARCAM building, the foreground is dominated by a
massive elevated hood that rears up above the entrance to the IJ tunnel. A good
part of this is occupied by the large and lavish NEMO centre, a (pre-teenage)
kids’ attraction par excellence, with all sorts of interactive science and
technological exhibits spread over six floors and set out under four broad
themes: Physics, Technology, Information Technology and Bio-science
behaviour.
The De Gooyer Windmill

Funenkade 5.
East of the Maritime Museum along Hoogte Kadijk is the De Gooyer Windmill,
standing tall beside a long and slender canal. Amsterdam was once dotted with
windmills, used for pumping water and grinding corn, and this is one of the few
surviving grain mills; its sails still turn on the first Saturday of the month – wind
permitting. Also a brewery.
Shops
Gall & Gall
Jodenbreestraat 23; tel 020/428 7060.
Outstanding range of Dutch jenevers (gins) and flavoured spirits. Also has a
good stock of imported wines. Part of a popular chain.
Nijhof & Lee

Staalstraat 13a; tel 020/620 3980, www.nijhoflee.nl. Closed Sun.
One of the city’s best art bookshops with a raft of English-language titles. Good
for photography too. Mostly new books, but some rare and antique ones as well.
Puccini Bomboni
Staalstraat 17; tel 020/626 5474.
Excellent chocolatier with a fine range of handmade chocolates and attentive
service. None of the tweeness of some of its competitors – the decor is briskly
modern.
Restaurants
Anda Nugraha
Waterlooplein 369; tel 020/626 6064.
Lively restaurant serving inexpensive Indonesian food. Well-prepared,
moderately spicy dishes using the freshest of ingredients, but the selection is
small. There’s a very pleasant terrace in the summer.
Koffiehuis van de Volksbond

Kadijksplein 4; tel 020/622 1209.
Formerly a Communist Party café and apparently the place where the local
dockworkers used to receive their wages, this is now an Oosterdok
neighbourhood café-restaurant.
Rosario
Peperstraat 10; tel 020/627 0280. Closed Sun & Mon.
Very attractive restaurant slightly out of the way in a relatively unexplored
corner of Amsterdam. Good Italian food.
Bars and cafés

De Druif
Rapenburgerplein 83.
Possibly the city’s oldest bar, and certainly one of its more beguiling, yet hardly
anyone knows about it. Its popularity with the locals lends it a village pub feel.
Entredok
Entrepotdok 64.
Perhaps the best of a growing number of bars in this newly renovated area. The
clientele hails from the surrounding hi-tech offices, though increasingly from the
residential blocks in between, too.
De Groene Olifant
Sarphatistraat 126.
Metres from the Muiderpoort, this is a characterful old wood-panelled brown
café, with floor-to-ceiling windows and an excellent, varied menu.
De Hortus
Plantage Middenlaan 2a. Daily 11am–3pm.
Amenable café in the orangery of the botanical gardens – the Hortus Botanicus.
Good range of tasty sandwiches and rolls plus the best blueberry cheesecake in
the Western world. Inexpensive.
’t Ij
De Gooyer Windmill, Funenkade 7. Wed–Sun 3–8pm.
The beers (Natte, Zatte and Struis), brewed on the premises, are extremely
strong. A good place to drink yourself silly.
De Nieuwe Vaart
Oostenburgergracht 187.
Traditional Dutch café with slots for amateur singers.
Tisfris
St Antoniesbreestraat 142.
Colourful, New Age-ish split-level café-cum-bar near the Rembrandt House.
Youthful and popular.
Clubs and venues

De Ijsbreker
Weesperzijde 23; tel 020/693 9093, www.ijsbreker.nl.
Out of the town centre by the Amstel, with a delightful terrace on the water. Has
a large, varied programme of international modern, chamber and experimental
music, as well as featuring obscure, avant-garde local performers. Concerts are
occasionally held in the Planetarium of the Artis Zoo.
During the nineteenth century, Amsterdam burst out of its restraining canals,
gobbling up the surrounding countryside. These new outlying suburbs were
mostly residential, but Amsterdam’s leading museums were packed into a
relatively small area around the edge of Museumplein. The largest of the
museums was – and remains – the Rijksmuseum, which occupies a huge late
nineteenth-century edifice overlooking the Singelgracht. Possessing an
exceptional collection of Dutch paintings from the fifteenth to the seventeenth
century, it is perhaps best known for its series of paintings by Rembrandt. Close
by, the much newer Van Gogh Museum boasts the finest assortment of Van
Gogh paintings in the world, but the adjacent Stedelijk Museum, which has
long occupied a grandneo-Renaissance building dating from 1895, is closed for
refurbishment until 2008; in the meantime some of its outstanding permanent
collection of modern art is on display in the old postal building near Centraal
Station.
Museumplein
Extending south from Stadhouderskade to Van Baerlestraat, Museumplein is
Amsterdam’s largest open space, its wide lawns and gravelled spaces used for a
variety of outdoor activities, from visiting circuses to political demonstrations.
There’s a war memorial here too – it’s the group of slim steel blocks about three-
quarters of the way down the Museumplein on the left-hand side and it
commemorates the women of of the wartime concentration camps, particularly
the thousands who died at Ravensbruck. The text reads: "For those women who
defied fascism until the bitter end".
The Rijksmuseum
Entrance to the Philips Wing is on Jan Luijkenstraat www.rijksmuseum.nl. Daily 9am–6pm. €9.
The Rijksmuseum is without question the country’s foremost museum, with one
of the world’s most comprehensive collections of seventeenth-century Dutch
paintings, including twenty or so of Rembrandt’s works, plus a healthy sample of
canvases by Steen, Hals, Vermeer and their leading contemporaries. The
museum also owns an extravagant collection of paintings from every other pre-
twentieth-century period of Dutch art and has a vast hoard of applied art and
sculpture. The bad news is that there’s a major renovation going on at the
moment and most of the museum is closed. The exception is the Rijksmuseum’s
Philips Wing, whose smallish but eclectic "Masterpieces" exhibition, scheduled
to last until the rest of the museum is reopened, is devoted to the paintings of
Amsterdam’s Golden Age. On display are, for example, several wonderful
canvases by Frans Hals, the soft, tonal river scenes of the Haarlem artist
Salomon van Ruysdael and the cool church interiors of Pieter Saenredam. There
are also portraits by Ferdinand, the carousing peasants of Jan Steen, and the cool
interiors of Vermeer, Gerard ter Borch and Pieter de Hooch. However, it’s the
Rembrandts that steal the show, Especially The Night Watch of 1642 – perhaps
the most famous and probably the most valuable of all the artist’s pictures – plus
other key works, like a late Self-Portrait, a touching depiction of his cowled son,
Titus, and The Jewish Bride, one of his very last pictures, finished in 1667.
The Van Gogh Museum

www.vangoghmuseum.nl. Daily 10am–6pm. €9, children 13–17 years €2.50.
The Van Gogh Museum, comprising a fabulous collection of the artist’s (1853–
1890) work, is one of Amsterdam’s top attractions. The museum occupies two
modern buildings, with the kernel of the collection housed in an angular building
designed by a leading light of the De Stijl movement, Gerritt Rietveld, and
opened to the public in 1973. Well-conceived and beautifully presented, this part
of the museum provides an introduction to the man and his art based on
paintings that were mostly inherited from Vincent’s art-dealer brother Theo. To
the rear of Rietveld’s building, and connected by a ground-floor-level escalator,
is the ultramodern annexe, an aesthetically controversial structure completed in
1998. The annexe was financed by a Japanese insurance company – the same
conglomerate who paid $35 million for one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers canvases
in 1987 – and provides temporary exhibition space. Most of these exhibitions
focus on one aspect or another of Van Gogh’s art and draw heavily on the
permanent collection, which means that the paintings displayed in the older
building are regularly rotated.
The ground floor of the main museum displays works by some of Van Gogh’s
well-known friends and contemporaries, many of whom influenced his work –
Gauguin, Millet, Anton Mauve, Charles Daubigny and others – while the first
floor has paintings by the artist himself, displayed chronologically, starting with
the dark, sombre works of the early years like The Potato Eaters and finishing
up with the asylum years at St Rémy and the final, tortured paintings done at
Auvers, where Van Gogh lodged for the last three months of his life. It was at
Auvers that he painted the frantic Ears of Wheat and Wheatfield with a Reaper,
in which the fields swirl and writhe under weird, light-green, moving skies. It
was a few weeks after completing these last paintings that Van Gogh shot and
fatally wounded himself.
The two floors above provide a back-up to the main collection. The second
floor has a study area with PC access to a detailed computerized account of Van
Gogh’s life and times, plus a number of sketches and a handful of less familiar
paintings. The third floor features more drawings and sketches from the
permanent collection as well as notebooks and letters. This floor also affords
space to relevant temporary exhibitions illustrating Van Gogh’s artistic
influences, or his own influence on other artists.
Rembrandt
Born in Leiden to a family of millers, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
(1606–1669) picked up his first important artistic tips as an apprentice to Pieter
Lastman in Amsterdam in the early 1620s. It was here that Rembrandt developed
a penchant for mythological and religious subjects, vividly light and rendered
with a smooth and glossy finish. After his apprenticeship, in around 1625,
Rembrandt returned to Leiden to establish himself as an independent master
painter and, this achieved, he returned to Amsterdam some six years later, where
he stayed for the rest of his life. In the early 1630s, Rembrandt concentrated on
portrait painting, churning out dozens of pictures of the burghers of his day, a
profitable business that made him both well-to-do and well known. In 1634 he
married Saskia van Uylenburch and five years later the couple moved into a
smart house on Jodenbreestraat, now the Rembrandthuis museum. Things
seemed set fair, and certainly Rembrandt’s portraits of his wife are tender and
loving, but these years were marred by the death of all but one of his children in
infancy, the sole survivor being the much-loved Titus (1641–1668).
In 1642, Rembrandt produced what has become his most celebrated painting,
The Night Watch, but thereafter his career went into decline, essentially because
he forsook portraiture to focus on increasingly sombre and introspective
religious works. Traditionally, Rembrandt’s change of artistic direction has been
tied in with the death of Saskia in 1642, but although it is certainly true that
Rembrandt was grief-stricken, he was also facing increased competition from a
new batch of portrait artists, primarily Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck.
Whatever the reason, there were few customers for Rembrandt’s religious works
and he made matters worse by refusing to adjust his spending. The crunch came
in 1656, when he was formally declared insolvent, and four years later he was
obliged to sell his house and goods, moving to much humbler premises in the
Jordaan. By this time, he had a new cohabitee, Hendrickje Stoffels (a clause in
Saskia’s will prevented them from ever marrying), and, in the early 1660s, she
and Titus took Rembrandt in hand, sorting out his finances and making him their
employee. With his money problems solved, a relieved Rembrandt then
produced some of his finest paintings, emotionally deep and contemplative
works with a rough finish, the paint often daubed almost trowel-like. Hendrickje
died in 1663, Titus in 1668, a year before his father.
The Concertgebouw
Concertgebouwplein 2–6; tel 020/671 8345, www.concertgebouw.nl.
The Concertgebouw (Concert Hall) is the home of the famed – and much
recorded – Koninklijk (Royal) Concertgebouw Orchestra. When the German
composer Brahms visited Amsterdam in the 1870s he was scathing about the
locals’ lack of culture and in particular their lack of an even halfway suitable
venue for his music. In the face of such ridicule, a consortium of Amsterdam
businessmen got together to fund the construction of a brand-new concert hall
and the result was the Concertgebouw, completed in 1888. Since then it has
become renowned among musicians and concertgoers for its marvellous
acoustics, and after a facelift and the replacement of its crumbling foundations in
the early 1990s it is looking – and sounding – better than ever. The acoustics of
the Grote Zaal (Large Hall) are unparalleled, and the smaller Kleine Zaal
regularly hosts chamber concerts, often by the resident Borodin Quartet. Prices
are very reasonable, €30–50, there are free Wednesday lunchtime concerts from
September to May, and in July and August they put on a heavily subsidized
series of summer concerts.
The Vondelpark
Amsterdam is short of green spaces, which makes the leafy expanses of the
Vondelpark, a short stretch from Museumplein (and the Concertgebouw), doubly
welcome. This is easily the largest and most popular of the city’s parks, its
network of footpaths used by a healthy slice of the city’s population. The park
dates back to 1864, when a group of leading Amsterdammers clubbed together
to transform the soggy marshland that lay beyond the Leidsepoort into a
landscaped park. Named after the popular seventeenth-century poet Joost van
den Vondel, the park possesses over 100 species of tree, a wide variety of local
and imported plants, and – amongst many incidental features – a bandstand, an
excellent rose garden, and a network of ponds and narrow waterways that are
home to many sorts of wildfowl. There are other animals too: cows, sheep,
hundreds of squirrels, plus, bizarrely enough, a large colony of bright-green
parakeets. During the summer the park regularly hosts free concerts and
theatrical performances, mostly in its own specially designed open-air theatre.
The Vondelkerk
The Vondelkerk, with its lugubrious brown brick hull and whopping spire, has
had more than its share of bad luck. Work on the church, which was designed by
Cuypers – the architect of Centraal Station and the Rijksmuseum – began in
1872, but the finances ran out the following year and the building was not
completed till the 1880s. Twenty years later it was struck by lightning and in the
ensuing fire its tower was burnt to a cinder – the present one was added much
later. The church always struggled to find a decent-sized congregation, but
limped on until it was finally deconsecrated in 1979, being turned into offices
thereafter.
The Nederlands Filmmuseum and Library

Vondelpark 3; tel 020/589 1400, www.filmmuseum.nl.
Housed in a glum, nineteenth-century building near the northeast corner of the
Vondelpark, the Nederlands Filmmuseum is really more an arthouse cinema
(with two screens) than a museum, a showcase for avant-garde films – most of
which are shown in their original language, with subtitles in Dutch or sometimes
English. There are several screenings nightly, plus regular matinees, and the
programme often follows a prescribed theme or subject. Look out also for news
of the free screenings of classic movies in the summer. Metres away, at
Vondelstraat 69, the museum’s film library (Tues–Thurs 10am–5pm, Sat 11am–
5pm) has a substantial collection of books, magazines and journals, some in
English, though they are for reference only.
Shops
Jacob van Wijngaarden
Overtoom 97; tel 020/612 1901.
The city’s best travel bookshop, with knowledgeable staff and a huge selection
of books and maps. Also inflatable and illuminated globes.
Edgar Vos
P.C. Hooftstraat 136; tel 020/671 2748.
Flagship store of the Dutch haute couture designer – power dressing for women
and a good casual range too.
Cafés and tearooms

CoBrA
Museumplein.
A modern café set up during the renovation of the square, with paintings from
the twentieth-century CoBrA movement. The terrace has become the new
hotspot for Amsterdam’s professional couples and their kids. The club
sandwiches are pricey but good, but the coffee could be better.
Keyser
Van Baerlestraat 96; tel 020/671 1441. Closed Sun.
In operation since 1905, and right next to the Concertgebouw, this
café/restaurant exudes a fin-de-siècle charm, with ferns, gliding bow-tied
waiters, and a dark carved-wood interior. Prices are slightly above average,
especially for the food, but it’s a wonderful place nonetheless. You’ll need to
make bookings for the restaurant, and dress accordingly.
Welling
J.W. Brouwersstraat 32.
Supposedly the traditional haunt of the gloomy Amsterdam intellectual, this
café-cum-bar is usually packed solid with performers and visitors from the
Concertgebouw next door.
Restaurants
Dionysos
Overtoom 176; tel 020/689 4441. Daily 5pm–1am.
Inexpensive Greek restaurant a little to the south of Leidseplein, with the distinct
added advantage of serving until 1am. Phone ahead if you’re going to turn up
after midnight.
Gent aan de Schinkel

Theophile de Bockstraat 1; tel 020/388 2851.
Lovely corner restaurant on a busy canal. Belgian and fusion cuisine and a huge
range of bottled Belgian beers to enjoy on their summer terrace. Just outside the
other entrance to the Vondelpark, across the cyclist bridge. Moderately priced.
Le Garage
Ruysdaelstraat 54; tel 020/679 7176. Daily 6–11pm, Mon–Fri also noon–2pm.
This elegant and pricey restaurant is popular with a media crowd, since it’s run
by a well-known Dutch TV cook. An eclectic French and Italian menu; call to
reserve a week ahead, dress to impress and bring at least €35 or so per person.
Loetje
Joh Vermeerstraat 52; tel 020/662 8173.
One of the two best steakhouses in town (the other one being Piet de Leeuw).
Kitchen open 11am–10pm, closed on Sun, Sat no lunch. Moderate prices.
Orient
Van Baerlestraat 21; tel 020/673 4958.
Moderate to expensive Indonesian restaurant. Excellently prepared dishes, with a
wide range to choose from; vegetarians are very well taken care of, and the
service is generally good. Expect to pay around €25 for a rijsttafel.
Sama Sebo
P.C. Hooftstraat 27; tel 020/662 8146. Closed Sun.
Amsterdam’s best-known Indonesian restaurant, especially for its delicious
rijsttafel (€25). If you are on a tight budget, the prices may initially put you off,
but it’s easy to eat quite reasonably by choosing à la carte dishes, and the food is
usually great.
Bars
’t Blauwe Theehuis
Vondelpark 5, www.blauwetheehuis.nl. Daily 9am till late.
Beautiful tearoom/café/bar housed in a circular building from the De Stijl period.
A good place for breakfast and for open-air dancing with DJs on Fri & Sat
nights; jazz on Thurs.
De Vondeltuin
Vondelpark 7; tel 020/664 5091. April–Oct daily 11am–1am; Nov–March Sat & Sun noon–5pm.
Peaceful terrace on the Amstelveen side of the Vondelpark serving tapas, fresh
salads and pancakes, next to the in-line skate rental. A picnic or barbecue in the
park including skate rental can be arranged for around €20.
Wildschut
Roelof Hartplein 1.
Large and congenial bar famous for its Art Deco trimmings. Not far from the
Concertgebouw and with examples of the Amsterdam School of Architecture.
The outer districts
Amsterdam is a small city, and the majority of its residential outer districts are
easily reached from the city centre. The south holds most of interest, kicking off
with the raucous De Pijp quarter, home to the Heineken Experience, sited in
the company’s old brewery, and the 1930s architecture of the Nieuw Zuid (New
South), which also contains the enjoyable woodland area of the Amsterdamse
Bos. As for the other districts, you’ll find a good deal less reason to make the
effort, although the Tropenmuseum, a short walk from the Muiderpoort gate in
Amsterdam East, is worth a special journey.
De Pijp
Across Boerenwetering, the canal to the east of the Rijksmuseum and
Museumplein, lies the busy heart of the Oud Zuid (Old South) – the district
known as De Pijp ("The Pipe"), Amsterdam’s first real suburb. New
development beyond the Singelgracht began around 1870, but after laying down
the street plans, the city council left the actual house-building to private
developers. They made the most of the arrangement and constructed long rows
of cheaply built and largely featureless five-and six-storey buildings and it is
these which still dominate the area today. The district’s name comes from the
characteristically narrow terraced streets running between long, sombre canyons
of brick tenements: the apartments here were said to resemble pipe-drawers,
since each had a tiny street frontage but extended deep into the building. De Pijp
remains one of the city’s more closely knit communities, and is home to a large
proportion of new immigrants – Surinamese, Moroccan, Turkish and Asian.
Trams #16 and #24, beginning at Centraal Station, travel along the northern
part of De Pijp’s main drag, Ferdinand Bolstraat, as far as Albert Cuypstraat.
The Heineken Experience

Stadhouderskade 78; tel 020/523 9666, www.heinekenexperience.com. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm. €10.
On the northern edge of De Pijp, the former Heineken brewery, a whopping
modern building beside the Singelgracht canal, now holds the Heineken
Experience. The brewery was Heineken’s headquarters from 1864 to 1988, when
the company was restructured and brewing was moved to a more efficient
location out of town. Since then, Heineken has developed the site as a tourist
attraction with displays on the history of beer-making in general and Heineken in
particular. The old brewing facilities are included on the tour, but for many the
main draw is the free beer you get to quaff at the end in the bar – three drinks,
and a souvenir glass, which isn’t bad value.
Albert Cuypstraat market

Ferdinand Bolstraat, running north–south, is De Pijp’s main street, but the long,
slim east–west thoroughfare of Albert Cuypstraat is its heart. The daily general
market held here – which stretches for over a kilometre between Ferdinand
Bolstraat and Van Woustraat – is the largest in the city, with a huge array of stalls
selling everything from cut-price carrots and raw-herring sandwiches to
saucepans and Day-Glo thongs. Check out, too, the bargain-basement and ethnic
shops that flank the market on each side, and the Indian and Surinamese
restaurants down the side streets – they’re often cheaper than their equivalents in
the city centre.
The Sarphatipark
Leafy Sarphatipark provides a welcome splash of greenery amongst the
surrounding brick and concrete. The park, complete with footpaths and a sinewy
lake, was laid out before the construction of De Pijp got underway, and was
initially intended as a place for the bourgeoisie to take a picnic.
The Nieuw Zuid

Southwest of De Pijp, the Nieuw Zuid (New South) was the first properly
planned extension to the city since the concentric canals of the seventeenth
century. The Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage was responsible for the
overall plan, but much of the implementation passed to a pair of prominent
architects of the Amsterdam School, Michael de Klerk and Piet Kramer, and it’s
the playful architectural vision of these two – turrets and bulging windows,
sloping roofs and frilly balustrades – that you see in the buildings of the Nieuw
Zuid today. As a result, the Nieuw Zuid has become one of Amsterdam’s most
sought-after addresses. Apollolaan and, a little way to the east, Churchilllaan, are
especially favoured and home to some of the city’s most sumptuous properties –
huge idiosyncratic mansions set back from the street behind trees and generous
gardens. Locals pop to the shops on Beethovenstraat, the main drag running
south right through the district, and stroll through the languid greenery of the
Beatrixpark, or, slightly further out, the Amsterdamse Bos, but there’s not much
to attract the visitor who isn’t a student of modern architecture.
The Amsterdam Hilton
One historic footnote that might entice you this far south is the Amsterdam
Hilton, at Apollolaan 138, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged their
famous week-long "Bed-In" for peace in 1969. Part celebrity farce, part skilful
publicity stunt, the couple’s anti-war proclamations were certainly heard far and
wide, but in Britain the press focused on the supposed evil influence of Yoko on
John, which satisfied at least three subtexts – racism, sexism and anti-
Americanism.
The Amsterdamse Bos

www.amsterdamsebos.nl.
With ten square kilometres of wooded parkland, the Amsterdamse Bos
(Amsterdam Forest), to the southwest of the Nieuw Zuid, is the city’s largest
open space. Planted during the 1930s, the park was a large-scale attempt to
provide gainful work for the city’s unemployed. Originally a bleak area of flat
and marshy fields, it combines a rural feel with that of a well-tended city park –
and thus the "forest" tag is something of a misnomer. In the north of the Bos, the
Bosbaan is a kilometre-long dead-straight canal, popular for boating and
swimming, and there are children’s playgrounds and spaces for various sports,
including ice skating. There’s also a goat farm (tel 020/645 5034) and a nature
reserve just to the south with bison and sheep. Canoes and pedaloes can be
rented west of the Bosbaan at Grote Vijver ("big pond"; daily April–Oct
10.30am–7.30pm; tel 020/645 7831), or you can simply walk or jog your way
around a choice of six clearly marked trails. The new Bezoekerscentrum het
Bosmuseum (daily noon–5pm; free; tel 020/545 6100), also beside the Bosbaan,
at the main entrance to the Bos at Bosbaanweg 5, is a visitor information centre
that provides maps and information on the park’s facilities, as well as a kids’
corner, and upstairs has an exhibition on its history and function. Further
information and a map can be found at Boerderij Meerzicht, a first-rate pancake
house located to the east of the Bosbaan at Koenenkade 56 (tel 020/679 2744).
The main entrance to the Bos is close to the junction of Amstelveenseweg and
Van Nijenrodeweg, some 3km south of the west end of the Vondelpark. Buses
#170, #171 and #172, departing Centraal Station and the Leidseplein, ply
Amstelveenseweg; from the nearest bus stop (Van Nijenrodeweg) it’s about
350m to the east end of Bosbaan, where you can rent a bike (April–Oct; tel
020/644 5473) – much the best way of getting around.
CoBrA Museum
Sandbergplein, Amstelveen; tram #5 from Centraal Station 020/5475050, www.cobra-museum.nl. Tues–
Sun 11am–5pm. €7.50 5–16-year olds €3.50.
A great modern building housing works from the influential CoBrA movement,
well worth the trip out. Decent temporary exhibitions too.
The Muiderpoort
Amsterdam East begins with Amsterdam’s old eastern gate, the Muiderpoort, a
Neoclassical affair complete with a flashy cupola and grandiosely carved
pediment. Napoleon staged a triumphal entry into the city through here in 1811,
but his imperial pleasure was tempered by his half-starved troops, who could
barely be restrained from helping themselves in a city of (what was to them)
amazing luxury.
The Tropenmuseum
Linnaeusstraat 2; tram #9 from Centraal Station020/568 8215, www.tropenmuseum.nl. Daily 10am–5pm.
€7.50, 6-to 17-year-olds €3.75.
Despite its general lack of appeal, the East district does have one obvious
attraction – the Tropenmuseum, perched on the corner of another of the city’s
municipal green spaces, the Oosterpark. With its cavernous central hall and three
floors of gallery space, this museum has room to focus on themes such as the
world’s cultural and historical influences, and impresses with its applied art.
The first floor is dedicated to Dutch colonialism, focusing on Indonesia and
the Pacific, with many treasures on show for the first time after having been
hidden away for years.Amongst the artefacts, there are Javanese stone friezes,
elaborate carved wooden boats from New Guinea, life-size figures dressed in
colonial dress and, perhaps strangest of all, ritual ancestor "bispoles" cut from
giant New Guinea mangroves. The collection is imaginatively presented in a
variety of media – slides, DVDs and sound recordings – and there are also
creative and engaging displays devoted to such subjects as music-making and
puppetry, as well as traditional storytelling. In addition, there are reconstructions,
down to sounds and smells, of typical streets in Iran and Latin America and
these aim to provide candid expositions on the problems besetting the world,
both culturally – with the year-long exhibition "Urban Islam" – and
environmentally.
While you’re here, be sure to look in on the bookshop, which has a good
selection of titles on the developing world, and try the inexpensive restaurant,
the Ekeko, which serves tropical snacks and lunches, including popular national
dishes from the exhibited countries. Downstairs, the Tropen Instituut Theater
specializes in Third World cinema, music and dance.
Shops
Waterwinkel
Roelof Hartstraat 10 (Oud Zuid) tel 020/675 5932.
The only thing on offer here is water – over 100 different types of bottled
mineral water from all over the world. Try the wonderful German Statl
Fasching.
Coffeeshops
Greenhouse
Tolstraat 91.
Consistently sweeps the boards at the annual Cannabis Cup, with medals for its
dope as well as "Best Coffeeshop". Tolstraat is a way down to the south (tram
#4), but worth the trek: if you’re only buying once, buy here. Also branches
nearer to the centre at Waterlooplein 345 and O.Z. Voorburgwal 191.
Cafés and tearooms

Granny
1e van der Helststraat 45.
Just off the Albert Cuyp market, this café serves up terrific appelgebak and
koffie verkeerd.
Molenaur Vishandel
Albert Cuypstraat 93.
What better place to round off your visit to the market than to sample the
delights of this excellent – and typical – Dutch fish stall.
Restaurants
L’Angoletto
Hemonystraat 2; tel 020/676 4182. Closed Sat.
Just about everyone’s favourite Italian, inexpensive and always packed, with
long wooden tables and benches that create a very sociable atmosphere. Not
everything they serve is shown on the menu, so keep an eye on the glass
showcase in front of the kitchen for any specials. No bookings, so just turn up
and hope for the best.
Hotel Okura
Ferdinand Bolstraat 333; tel 020/678 7111.
The two restaurants in this five-star hotel – the sushi restaurant Yamazato, and
the grill-plate restaurant Teppan-Yaki Sazanka – serve the finest Japanese cuisine
in the city. Reckon on at least €50 per person. Advance booking essential.
Saray
Gerard Doustraat 33; tel 020/671 9216.
Excellent Turkish eatery down in the De Pijp neighbourhood. Popular with
students.
Warung Marlon
1e van der Helststraat 55; tel 020/671 1526. Daily except Tues 11am–8pm.
Surinamese takeaway and popular hangout for lunch, rapidly gaining a loyal
clientele. Lively atmosphere.
De Waaghals
Frans Halsstraat 29; tel 020/679 9609. Tues–Sun 5–9.30pm.
Well-prepared organic dishes in this cooperative-run restaurant near the Albert
Cuyp.
Zagros
Albert Cuypstraat 50; tel 020/670 0461.
Popular no-frills Kurdish restaurant run by four brothers. Serves inexpensive
traditional dishes from around €3 for starters and €11 for lamb and chicken
mains. Vegetarian food available too.
Bars
De Engel
Albert Cuypstraat 182.
Excellent spot if you’re hankering after a sit-down while you’re shopping in the
adjacent market. This is a beautifully restored café with huge candlelit tables and
angels painted on the wall. Live jazz on Sat & Sun, and classical music concerts
provided on Sunday mornings by local students.
Café Krull
Sarphatipark 2.
On the corner of 1e van der Helststraat, a few metres from the Albert Cuyp, this
is an atmospheric and lively place. The actual krull (curve) is the nearby men’s
urinoir – designed in a curve. Drinks and snacks all day long from 11am.
East of Eden
Linnaeusstraat 11.
A wonderfully relaxed little place right near the Tropenmuseum. Appealing
combination of high-ceilinged splendour and gently waving palm trees, with
James Dean thrown in to boot. A good way to spend a sunny afternoon.
De Vrolijke Drinker
Frans Halsstraat 66A; tel 020/771 4316. Mon–Thurs 4pm–1am, Fri & Sat 4pm–3am.
One of the more intimate bars along this road, with board games and a large
selection of rum. Frequented by locals and expats alike, friends of the English-
speaking owner. From March to November the pavement tables become a
pleasant terrace for people-watching.
Wynbar Boelen&Boelen
Eerste van der Helststraat 50; tel 020/671 2242. Tues–Sun 5pm–1am.
Tasteful wine bar close to Albert Cuypstraat market with a huge selection of
wines from around the world, all available by the glass. A heated terrace
provides alfresco eating even in the cooler months, and the French restaurant
offers seafood delights such as a dozen oysters for around €10.
Clubs and venues

Arena
’s-Gravensandestraat 51; tel 020/850 2400, www.hotelarena.nl.
Hip club adjoining a hotel that used to be an orphanage and an asylum. Open
Fridays and Saturdays 11pm–4am, with occasional Salsa nights and special
parties hosted on a Sunday. International DJs sometimes drop by – and that’s
when you can expect the entrance fee to jump from around €11 to €20. Tram #6
from Centraal Station.
Amsterdammers will tell you that there’s nothing remotely worth seeing outside
their own city, but that’s far from the truth. The fast and efficient Dutch railway
network puts a whole swathe of the Netherlands within easy reach, including all
of the Randstad, a sprawling conurbation that stretches south and east of
Amsterdam and encompasses the country’s other big cities, The Hague, Utrecht
and Rotterdam. Close to Amsterdam, amidst this urban pile-up, Haarlem’s
attractive centre is home to the outstanding Frans Hals Museum, and is also
near the showcase of the country’s flower growers, the Keukenhof Gardens. To
the north of Amsterdam, the most obvious targets are the old seaports bordering
the freshwater Ijsselmeer and Markermeer lakes, formerly – before the enclosing
dykes were put in – the choppy and notoriously unpredictable saltwater Zuider
Zee. No trains venture out along this coast, but it’s an easy bus ride from
Amsterdam to the most interesting of them, the former fishing village of
Marken, as well as to the beguiling one-time shipbuilding centre of Edam.
Edam is, of course, famous for its cheese, but its open-air cheese market is not a
patch on that of Alkmaar, an amiable small town forty minutes by train north
from Amsterdam. On the way, most trains pause at Koog-Zaandijk, the nearest
station to the windmills and canals of the recreated Dutch village of Zaanse
Schans, which illustrates eighteenth-century rural life.
Haarlem and the Frans Hals Museum

An easy fifteen-minute journey by train (4 hourly) from Amsterdam’s Centraal
Station, Haarlem has a very different pace and feel from its big-city neighbour.
Once a flourishing cloth-making centre, nowadays it’s an easily absorbed town
of around 15,000 souls with a good-looking centre studded with fine old
buildings. The real draw, however, is the outstanding Frans Hals Museum,
located in the almshouse where the artist spent his last, and for some his most
brilliant, years. Located at Groot Heiligland 62 (Tues–Sat 11am–5pm, Sun
noon–5pm; €5.40; www.franshalsmuseum.nl), it’s a five-minute stroll south
from the main square, the Grote Markt – take pedestrianized Lange Veerstraat
and keep straight as far as Gasthuispoort, where you turn right and then first left.
The museum holds a relatively small but eclectic collection of Dutch paintings
from the fifteenth century onwards and features a handful of prime works by
Hals. Chief among the paintings not by Hals are works by Jan van Scorel; Karel
van Mander, the leading light of the Haarlem School and mentor of many of the
city’s most celebrated painters; Haarlem-born Jan Mostaert; and Cornelis
Cornelisz van Haarlem. As for Hals, the museum’s collection includes the set of
"Civic Guard" portraits with which he made his name. Displayed all together,
these make a powerful impression – alongside the artist’s later, darker works, the
most notable of which are the twin Regents and Regentesses of the
Oudemannenhuis. There are those who claim Hals had lost his touch by the time
he painted these pictures, yet the sinister, almost ghostly power of the regents
facing each other across the room suggests quite the opposite. And Van Gogh’s
remark that "Frans Hals had no fewer than 27 blacks" suddenly makes perfect
sense.
The Keukenhof Gardens

www.keukenhof.com. Late March to late May daily 8am–7.30pm. €12.
The pancake-flat fields extending south from Haarlem towards Leiden are the
heart of the Dutch bulbfields, whose bulbs and blooms support a billion-dollar
industry and some ten thousand growers, as well as attracting tourists in their
droves. The small town of Lisse, halfway between Leiden and Haarlem, is home
to the Keukenhof Gardens, the largest flower gardens in the world. Literally the
"kitchen garden", its site is the former estate of a fifteenth-century countess, who
used to grow herbs and vegetables for her dining table here. Some seven million
flowers are on show for their full flowering period, complemented, in case of
especially harsh winters, by 5000 square metres of glasshouses holding indoor
displays. You could easily spend a whole day here, swooning among the sheer
abundance of it all, but to get the best of it you need to come early, before the
tour buses pack the place. There are several restaurants in the 28 hectares of
grounds, and well-marked paths take you all the way through the gardens, which
specialize in daffodils, hyacinths and tulips.
To get to the Keukenhof by public transport from Amsterdam (or Haarlem),
take the train to Leiden (every 20min) and then catch bus #54 (every 30min)
from the adjacent bus station.
Marken
Stuck out in the freshwater Markermeer, the tiny little island of Marken was,
until its road connection to the mainland in 1957, pretty much a closed
community, supported by a small fishing industry. Nowadays, the fishing has all
but disappeared, though the island – or rather its one and only village, Marken –
does attract hundreds of day-trippers on account of the picturesque charm of its
immaculately maintained houses, mostly painted in deep green with white
trimmings, clustered on top of artificial mounds first raised to protect the
islanders from the sea. There are two main parts to the village, beginning with
Havenbuurt, behind the harbour, where the waterfront is dotted with snack bars
and souvenir shops, often staffed by locals in traditional costume. The other part
– Kerkbuurt – centred on the church, is a good deal quieter, its narrow lanes
lined by ancient dwellings and old eel-smoking houses. One or two of the houses
are open to visitors, proclaiming themselves to be typical of Marken, and here
and there you’ll find poignant reminders of just how hard life used to be in
communities like this.
Marken is accessible direct from Amsterdam on bus #111, departing from
outside Centraal Station (every 15–30min; 30min). The bus drops passengers
beside the car park on the edge of Marken village, from where it’s a five-minute
walk to the centre.
Edam
Located just 12km or so up along the coast from Marken, you might expect
Edam to be jammed with tourists considering the international fame of the
rubbery red balls of cheese that carry its name. In fact, Edam usually lacks the
crowds and remains a delightful, good-looking and prosperous little town of neat
brick houses, swing bridges and slender canals. In fact, "Edam" is the name of a
type of cheese and not its place of origin, and the red balls are produced all over
the place, not necessarily even in Holland. Nonetheless the open-air cheese
market here, held every Wednesday morning in July and August on the
Kaasmarkt (10.30am–12.30pm), draws huge crowds.
Leaving Amsterdam every half hour from outside Centraal Station, bus #110
takes 40 minutes to reach Edam. Edam’s bus station is on the southwest edge of
town, on Singelweg, a five-minute walk from Damplein. There are no signs, but
aim for the easily spotted Speeltoren tower: cross the distinctive swing bridge,
turn right and follow Lingerzijde as it jinks left and right. From the Speeltoren,
it’s a few metres east to the Damplein, where the VVV issues town maps and has
details of boat trips both along the local canals and out into the Markermeer.
Bike rental is available at Ronald Schot, in the town centre at Grote Kerkstraat 7
(tel 029/937 2155, www.ronaldschot.nl); day rental costs €6.50.
Zaanse Schans
April–Oct daily (some parts closed Mon); Nov–March Sat & Sun. Precise times available from the visitor
centre, daily 8.30am–5pm; tel 075/616 8218, www.zaanseschans.nl.
Local trains heading north from Amsterdam’s Centraal Station cut through the
city’s sprawling suburbs en route to Koog-Zaandijk, the nearest station to the
recreated Dutch village of Zaanse Schans, about 800m away. Made up of around
twenty five cottages, windmills and workshops assembled from all over the
region, this represents an energetic attempt to reproduce a Dutch village as it
would have looked in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Spread over a
network of narrow canals beside the River Zaan, it’s a pretty spot and deservedly
popular, with the particular highlight being its string of working windmills, giant
industrial affairs used – amongst other things – to cut wood, grind mustard seeds
and produce oil. This is the closest place to Amsterdam to see working
windmills and there’s a scattering of other attractions too, notably a bakery, the
inevitable cheese-making workshop and a clog-making workshop. It’s actually
possible to walk round Zaanse Schans at any time, and in the evening or early
morning you may well have the place pretty much to yourself. Finally, there are
also enjoyable hour-long boat trips on the River Zaan from the jetty near the De
Huisman mustard windmill (April–Oct daily 11am–4pm, every hour; €7; tel
075/614 6762).
Alkmaar cheese market

Mid-April to mid-Sept Fri 10am–noon.
Forty minutes from Amsterdam by train – and thirty from Koog-Zaandijk – the
little town of Alkmaar was founded in the tenth century in the middle of a marsh.
It takes its name from the auk, a diving bird which once hung around here in
numbers, as in alkeen meer, or auk lake. The town’s agreeable, partially
canalized centre is still surrounded by its moat, and holds a cluster of impressive
medieval buildings, but Alkmaar is perhaps best known for its much-touted
cheese market, an ancient affair that these days ranks as one of the most
extravagant tourist spectacles in Holland. Cheese has been sold on the main
square – the Waagplein – since the 1300s, and although it’s no longer a serious
commercial concern, the market remains popular and continues to draw the
crowds. If you want a good view be sure to get here early, as by opening time the
crowds are already thick on the ground. The ceremony starts with the buyers
sniffing, crumbling, and finally tasting each cheese, followed by intensive
bartering. Once a deal has been concluded, the cheeses – golden discs of Gouda
mainly, laid out in rows and piles on the square – are borne away on ornamental
carriers by groups of four porters for weighing. The porters wear white trousers
and shirt plus a black hat whose coloured bands – green, blue, red or yellow –
represent the four companies that comprise the cheese porters’ guild. Payment
for the cheeses, tradition has it, takes place in the cafés around the square.
From Alkmaar’s train and bus station, it’s about ten minutes’ walk to the
centre of town: keep straight outside the station along Spoorstraat, take the first
right down Snaarmanslaan and then left at busy Geesterweg, which leads over
the old city moat to St Laurenskerk. From the church, it’s another five minutes’
walk east along Langestraat to the VVV (tourist office), housed in the Waag on
Waagplein.
Restaurants
Het Hof van Alkmaar
Hof van Sonoy 1, Alkmaar; tel 072/512 1222.
Occupies delightful premises just off Nieuwesloot. During the day this restaurant
offers inexpensive sandwiches, snacks and pancakes, and at night they serve up
tasty Dutch cuisine – it’s the best place in town.
Restaurant La Plume
Lange Veerstraat 1, Haarlem; tel 023/531 3202.
A popular and very affordable restaurant with a range of tasty dishes from pastas
through to traditional Dutch.
Cafés and bars

Café 1900
Barteljorisstraat 10, Haarlem.
With an attractive early twentieth-century interior, this has long been a popular
café-bar, serving drinks and light meals.
Proeflokaal ’t Apothekertje
Vismarkt, Alkmaar.
An old-style bar, open till 2am, with an attractive antique-cluttered interior and a
laid-back atmosphere.
Accommodation
Hotels
Hostels
Hotels
Hotel accommodation in Amsterdam can be difficult to find, and is often a

major expense, especially in the summer. The city’s compactness means that
you’ll almost inevitably end up somewhere central, but if you arrive without a
reservation you’ll still need to search hard to find somewhere decent. At peak
times of the year – July and August, Easter and Christmas – you’d be advised to
book well ahead; hotel rooms can be swallowed up remarkably quickly. You can
do this direct or through the Netherlands Reservations Centre (tel 0031/299
689 144, fax 0031/299 689 154, www.hotelres.nl) or www.bookings.nl, both of
which allow you to view availability and prices before making a booking.
Once you’ve arrived, the city’s VVVs (tourist offices) will make hotel
reservations on your behalf either in advance or on the same day for a €4 fee, but
note that during peak periods and weekends they get extremely busy with long
and exhausting queues. There are always loads of people around Centraal Station
touting accommodation, and although most of them are genuine enough, the best
advice is to steer clear.
Aside from a couple of ultra-cheap places, most hotels start at €65–85 for a
double, and some form of breakfast – "Dutch" (bread and jam) or "English"
(eggs) – is normally included in the price at all but the cheapest and the most
expensive places. A number of hotels have large three-or four-bed family rooms
available from €150. Most hotel prices include tax, but some of the more
expensive places charge five percent on top of quoted prices.
The Old Centre

The Crown
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 21; tel 020/626 9664, www.hotelthecrown.com.
Friendly hotel overlooking a canal. Rooms with large twin beds from €45 per
person, without breakfast. Triples, quads and six-person rooms also available,
some with a view. Two-night minimum stay at weekends. Safe, despite the
location. Late bar until 3am; 3min from CS.
De Gerstekorrel
Damstraat 22–24; tel 020/624 9771, www.gerstekorrel.com.
Simple hotel steps away from the Dam, with pleasant staff and large, brightly
decorated and well-lit rooms for €135 including buffet breakfast, but on a busy
street, so ask for a back room. No lift. Tram #4, #9, #16, #24 or #25 to Dam
square.
The Globe
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 3; tel 020/421 7424, info@hotel-theglobe.nl.
A popular hotel and sports-screen bar, which is a favourite with those on all-day
drinking binges. In addition to rooms (a steep €95 for a twin) they have dorm
beds from €20, €25 on the weekend. Breakfast is extra from €4.50; 5min from
CS.
Grand
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197; tel 020/555 3111, www.thegrand.nl.
Originally a Royal Inn dating from 1578, and after that the Amsterdam Town
Hall, this fine building is one of the city’s architectural high points. The rooms
are large and well appointed and decorated in crisp, modern style. All facilities
including an inside pool.€420–460 excluding tax and breakfast. Tram #4, #9,
#16, #24 or #25 to Dam square.
Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky

Dam 9; tel 020/554 9111, www.nh-hotels.com.
Located in a huge and striking mid-nineteenth-century building, this luxurious
hotel occupies an entire side of Dam square. If you can’t afford the rack-rate
(€270 or more for a double), scrape together enough for lunch in the charming
Winter Garden, a spectacular atrium in the heart of the hotel. Tram #4, #9, #16,
#24 or #25 to Dam square.
Hotel de l’Europe
Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2–8; tel 020/531 1777, www.leurope.nl.
Very central hotel which retains a wonderful fin-de-siècle charm, with large,
well-furnished rooms and a very attractive riverside terrace. Liveried staff and a
red carpet on the pavement outside complete the picture. €350 without breakfast
and tax. Tram #4, #9, #16, #24 or #25 to Muntplein.
Nes
Kloveniersburgwal 137–139; tel 020/624 4773, www.hotelnes.nl.
Extremely pleasant and quiet, with a lift; well positioned away from noise but
close to shops and nightlife. Helpful staff. Prices from €150 – they vary
depending on the view. Tram #4, #9, #16, #24 or #25 to Muntplein.
Rho
Nes 5; tel 020/620 7371, www.rhohotel.com.
A very comfortable hotel in a quiet alley off Dam square that boasts an
extraordinary high-ceilinged lounge, originally built as a theatre in 1908. The
place looks a bit run-down from the outside, but it’s still a good city-centre
option, with helpful and welcoming staff. Doubles from €115 including buffet
breakfast and tax. Daily bike rental available. Tram #4, #9, #16, #24 or #25 to
Dam square.
Tourist Inn
Spuistraat 52; tel 020/421 5841, www.tourist-inn.nl.
Popular budget hotel, with clean and comfortable rooms and friendly staff. Six-
person dorms with TV (€25), doubles without shower from €80. Triples and
quads also available. Considerably higher rates on the weekend. Lift access;
5min from CS.
Travel
Beursstraat 23; tel 020/626 6532, info@travelhotel.nl.
Small, simple hotel on a dingy street that backs onto busy Warmoesstraat. Inside
it’s very clean and comfortable, with a quiet 24-hour bar and no curfew. Singles
and six-bed rooms available, doubles from €80 without bathroom. Light years
away from the backpacker places nearby and 10min from CS.
Utopia
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 132; tel 020/626 1295, www.hotelutopia.nl.
Self-proclaimed "smokers’ hotel" above a coffeeshop with tiny, musty rooms
over the street, reached by a near-vertical staircase. Basic, and generally
welcoming, though there have been complaints about unhelpful staff during peak
season. Doubles €60 with shared bathroom. 10min from CS.
Victoria
Damrak 1–5; tel 020/623 4255, vicres@parkplazahotels.nl.
The Victoria is one of the landmarks of the city – a tall, elegant building,
wonderfully decorated throughout – and one of the classiest hotels, with every
possible amenity. Grimy location, opposite CS. Standard doubles from €300.
Vijaya
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 44; tel 020/626 9406, www.hotelvijaya.com.
Stately old canal house in the heart of the RedLight District, with plain rooms
and accommodating management, who also own an Indian restaurant of the
same name. En-suite rooms from €95 including breakfast. No lift; 10min from
CS.
Winston
Warmoesstraat 129; tel 020/623 1380, www.winston.nl.
Popular but noisy hotel designed for an arty crowd. Rooms (sleeping from one to
six) are light and airy, some en suite, some with a communal balcony, and many
are specially commissioned "art" rooms, including the Durex Room, Heineken
Room and Schiffmacher Room. €65 with breakfast. Lift and full disabled access.
10min from CS.
Grachtengordel
De Admiraal
Herengracht 563; tel 020/626 2150, de-admiraal-hotel@planet.nl.
Friendly hotel close to the nightlife, with wonderful canal views. Breakfast an
extra €5. Reception sometimes closes during the day. Doubles from €70 without
bathroom, en suite from €98. Quads from €180. Tram #4, #9 or #14 to
Rembrandtplein.
Ambassade
Herengracht 341; tel 020/555 0222, www.ambassade-hotel.nl.
Elegant canalside hotel made up of ten seventeenth-century houses, with elegant
furnished lounges, a well-stocked library and comfortable en-suite rooms from
€165. Friendly staff and free 24-hour Internet access. Breakfast is an extra €16,
but well worth it. Family rooms from €340. Tram #1, #2 or #5 to Spui.
American
Leidsekade 97; tel 020/556 3000, www.amsterdam-american.crowneplaza.com.
Landmark Art Deco hotel dating from 1902 (and in pristine, renovated
condition), right on Leidseplein and the water. Large, double-glazed, modern
doubles from around €140, with triples also available. Rates exclude tax and
breakfast. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidseplein.
Blakes
Keizersgracht 384; tel 020/530 2010, www.blakes-amsterdam.com.
The latest Anouchka Hempel hotel (following the well-established one in
London), housed in a seventeenth-century building, centred on a beautiful
courtyard and terrace. Both the decor and the restaurant menu combine Oriental
and European styles. Each of the 41 hip but unpretentious rooms is opulently
decorated, featuring exposed beams and natural fabrics. Luxury suites overlook
the Keizersgracht canal. Doubles from €390. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to
Keizersgracht.
Dikker & Thijs Fenice

Prinsengracht 444; tel 020/620 1212, www.dtfh.nl.
Small and stylish hotel on a beautiful canal close to all the shops. Rooms vary in
decor but all include a minibar, telephone and TV – those on the top floor give a
good view of the city. Standard doubles from €245. Tram #1, #2 or #5 to
Prinsengracht.
Estherea
Singel 303–309; tel 020/624 5146, www.estherea.nl.
Chic, standard-issue hotel converted from a couple of canal houses. Great
location and, although the rooms lack the personal touch, they are all perfectly
adequate; the best overlook the canal. €237 excluding tax and breakfast. Tram
#1, #2 or #5 from CS to Spui.
Hegra
Herengracht 269; tel 020/623 7877, www.hegrahotelamsterdam.com.
Welcoming atmosphere and relatively inexpensive for the location, on a
beautiful stretch of the canal. Rooms are small but comfortable; a few have a
private bath instead of a shower. Doubles from €65 with breakfast. Tram #1, #2
or #5 to Spui.
Hoksbergen
Singel 301; tel 020/626 6043, www.hotelhoksbergen.nl.
Friendly, standard-issue hotel, with a light and open breakfast room overlooking
the canal. Basic en-suite rooms, all with telephone and TV, from €85 for smallest
room to larger doubles for €104. Breakfast and tax included. Self-catering
apartments also available. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Spui.
La Bohème
Marnixstraat 415; tel 020/624 2828, www.labohemeamsterdam.com.
One of the best of the many, many hotels spreading up the Marnixstraat from
Leidseplein, this small establishment with super-friendly staff has brighten-suite
doubles for €100. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidseplein.
Maas
Leidsekade 91; tel 020/623 3868, www.hemhotels.nl.
Another of the well-situated hotels located on this quiet stretch of water, just a
short hop from Leidseplein. Modern, clean and well-equipped en-suite rooms –
you could ask for one with a waterbed. Double rooms from €145, marginally
more for a canal view. Tram #1, #2 or #5 to Leidseplein.
Marcel van Woerkom

Leidsestraat 87; tel 020/622 9834, www.marcelamsterdam.com.
Well-known, popular B&B run by an English-speaking graphic designer and
artist, who attracts like-minded people to this stylish restored house. Four en-
suite doubles available for two, three or four people sharing. Relaxing and
peaceful amidst the buzz of the city, with regulars returning year after year, so
you’ll need to ring well in advance in high season. Breakfast not included, but
there are tea and coffee-making facilities. Rates start at €100 for a double. Tram
#1, #2 or #5 to Leidseplein.
De Munck
Achtergracht 3; tel 020/623 6283, www.hoteldemunck.com.
Fine, family-run hotel in a quiet spot steps from the Amstel, with clean, light and
well-maintained rooms. The Sixties-style breakfast room sports a Wurlitzer
jukebox with a good collection of 1960s hits. Doubles €85 including breakfast.
Booking recommended. Tram #4 from CS to Frederiksplein.
NH City Centre
Spuistraat 288; tel 020/420 4545, www.nh-hotels.com.
Built in the 1920s, this appealing chain hotel occupies an immaculately
renovated Art Deco former textile factory. Well-situated for the cafés and bars of
the Spui, and the Museum Quarter. Rooms vary in size, some have canal views,
and all boast extremely comfy beds and good showers. Doubles from €89, more
at weekends. The buffet breakfast is an extra €16, but will set you up for the day.
Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Spui.
Op de Gracht
Prinsengracht 826; tel 020/626 1937, www.opdegracht.nl.
B&B in a good-looking canal house on one of the main canals, run by the very
pleasant Jolanda Schipper. Two rooms tastefully decorated, both with en-suite
bathroom. Minimum stay two nights. Doubles €80 & €90. Tram #4 from CS to
Prinsengracht.
Prinsenhof
Prinsengracht 810; tel 020/623 1772, www.hotelprinsenhof.com.
Tastefully decorated, this is one of the city’s top budget options with doubles at
€60 without shower. Booking essential. Tram #4 to Prinsengracht.
Pulitzer
Prinsengracht 315; tel 020/523 5235, www.starwood.com.
An entire row of seventeenth-century canal houses creatively converted into a
five-star chain hotel. Very popular with visiting businessfolk, but although the
public areas are tastefully decorated and the breakfasts very good, the modern
rooms lack character and some – considering the price – are very disappointing.
From €240 for a double. Tram #13 or #17 from CS to Westermarkt.
Quentin
Leidsekade 89; tel 020/626 2187, fax 202/622 0121, www.quentinhotels.com.
Very friendly small hotel, often a stopover for artists performing at the Melkweg.
Welcoming to all, but especially well-regarded among gay and lesbian visitors.
Double rooms €90, more at weekends. Breakfast of fruit and cereal extra €7.
Tram #1, #2 or #5 to Leidseplein.
Schiller Karena
Rembrandtplein 26–36; tel 020/554 0700, nhschiller@nh-hotels.com.
Once something of a hangout for Amsterdam’s intellectuals, the Schiller still has
one of the city’s better-known and more atmospheric bars on its ground floor.
Named after the renowned painter and architect, whose works are liberally
sprinkled throughout the hotel. Fetching Art Deco furnishings in all the public
areas. The drawback is its location – on tacky Rembrandtplein. Rates begin at
about €200 per double without breakfast. Tram #4, #9 or #14 to Rembrandtplein.
Seven Bridges
Reguliersgracht 31; tel 020/623 1329.
Perhaps the city’s most charming hotel – and certainly one of its better-value
ones. Takes its name from its canalside location, which affords a view of no less
than seven dinky little bridges. Beautifully decorated, its spotless rooms are
regularly revamped. Rates start at €100 per double, and vary with the view.
Small and popular, so often booked solid. Breakfast is served in your room.
Tram #4 or #9 to Prinsengracht.
Wiechmann
Prinsengracht 328–332; tel 020/626 3321, www.hotelwiechmann.nl.
Canalhouse restoration, family-run for fifty years, with dark wooden beams and
restrained style throughout. Large, bright rooms in perfect condition with TV
and shower cost €120. Close to the Anne Frank House. Prices stay the same
throughout the year. Tram #13 or #17 from CS to Westermarkt.
Western canals and the Jordaan

Acacia
Lindengracht 251; tel 020/622 1460, acacia.nl@wxs.nl.
Well-kept hotel, situated right on a corner, so some of the rooms have wide
views of the canal and its adjoining streets. There are also self-catering
apartments. Doubles from €80 including breakfast; three, four and five-bed
rooms too. A 15-minute walk from CS.
Aspen
Raadhuisstraat 31; tel 020/626 6714, www.hotelaspen.nl.
One of a number of inexpensive hotels situated in the Art Nouveau crescent of
the Utrecht Building. Family-run with basic but tidy rooms, which are checked
every day. Small doubles €46 or €76 with en suite. No breakfast. Tram #13 or
#17 from CS to Westermarkt.
Canal House
Keizersgracht 148; tel 020/622 5182, www.canalhouse.nl.
Magnificently restored seventeenth-century building, centrally located on one of
the principal canals. Comfortable rooms, but generally brusque staff. Doubles
from €150. Tram #13 or #17 from CS to Westermarkt.
Clemens
Raadhuisstraat 39; tel 020/624 6089, www.clemenshotels.nl.
Friendly, well-run budget hotel, with knowledgeable owner, close to the Anne
Frank House and museums. One of the better options along this busy main road.
Individually decorated doubles without shower from €70, with shower €110.
Breakfast extra. Prices stay the same throughout the year. All rooms offer free
Internet connection, and you can rent laptops for €8. Tram #13 or #17 from CS
to Westermarkt.
’t Hotel
Leliegracht 18; tel 020/422 2741, th.broekema@hetnet.nl.
Extremely pleasant hotel located along a quiet canal. Owned by the proprietor of
an antique shop, who believes in making people feel at home. Eight spacious
rooms, large beds, TV, fridge and either bath or shower. No groups. Minimum
three-night stay at the weekend; €134 with breakfast. Tram #13 or #17 from CS
to Westermarkt.
Pax
Raadhuisstraat 37; tel 020/624 9735.
Straightforward city-centre cheapie, owned by two brothers. A mixture of fair-
sized rooms sleeping one to four persons, but plans are afoot to refurbish the
rooms in the minimalist style of room no.19 – the large double on the top floor.
In the meantime, as with most of the hotels along this street, ask for a room at
the back. Doubles €75 or €90 for three people. Tram #13, #14 or #17 to
Westermarkt.
Ramenas
Haarlemmerdijk 61; tel 020/624 6030, ramenas730@hotmail.com.
Welcoming budget hotel that’s only recently changed hands, and is run by the
owners of the bar downstairs. Large, basic rooms at sensible prices, though those
at the front can be a bit noisy. Located to the northwest of the centre, away from
the nightlife, but with reasonably good access to the city centre; 15min from CS.
Doubles €70 without breakfast.
Toren
Keizersgracht 164; tel 020/622 6033, www.hoteltoren.nl.
Fine example of an imaginatively revamped seventeenth-century canal house,
once the home of a Dutch prime minister and now popular with American
visitors. Opulently designed en-suite doubles with a touch of class from €285.
Some deluxe rooms have a Jacuzzi. Friendly and efficient staff. Tram #13 or #17
from CS to Westermarkt.
Van Onna
Bloemgracht 102; tel 020/626 5801, www.vanonna.nl.
A quiet, well-maintained, family-run place on a tranquil canal. The building
dates back over three hundred years and still retains some of its original fixtures.
Simple setup, no TV, no smoking and cash payment only. Rooms sleeping up to
four people for €40 per person, including all services. Booking advised. Tram
#13 or #17 from CS to Westermarkt.
The Old Jewish Quarter and the East

Adolesce
Nieuwe Keizersgracht 26; tel 020/626 3959, www.adolesce.nl.
Popular and welcoming hotel, with ten neat if unspectacular rooms and a large
dining room and bar. Closed Oct–April. Doubles €100, triples available. No
breakfast. Tram #9 from CS to Waterlooplein.
Fantasia
Nieuwe Keizersgracht 16; tel 020/623 8259, www.fantasia-hotel.com.
Nicely situated family-run hotel on a broad, quiet canal just off the Amstel; the
rooms are well maintained, connected by quaint, narrow corridors, and there are
also some very attractive attic doubles for €84. Triples and a family room also
available. Closed Jan–March, and most of Dec. Tram #9 from CS to
Waterlooplein.
De Hortus
Plantage Parklaan 8; tel 020/625 9996, www.hotelhortus.com.
Smoker-friendly cheapie close to the Hortus Botanicus gardens. Rooms vary in
size, from two-to twelve-person, and maintenance is kept to a minimum, but
they’re clean, and the common room, equipped with free Internet access, pool
table and coffee machine, has a good atmosphere. Note that you need to confirm
your booking two days prior, otherwise you’ll lose the room. All rooms €25 per
person. Tram #9 from CS to Artis Zoo.
Hotel Arena
’s-Gravesandestraat 51; tel 020/850 2410, www.hotelarena.nl.
A little way east of the centre, in a renovated old convent on the edge of the
Oosterpark, this place has been thoroughly revamped, transforming a popular
hostel into a hip three-star hotel complete with split-level rooms and minimalist
decor. Despite the odd pretentious flourish, it manages to retain a relaxed vibe
attracting both businesspeople and travellers alike. Lively bar, intimate
restaurant, and late-night club (Fri & Sat) located within the former chapel.
Doubles start at €125. Metro Weesperplein, then walk, or take tram #9 from CS
to the Tropenmuseum.
Kitty
Plantage Middenlaan 40; tel 020/622 6819.
Located above a butcher’s and run by the same person for the past 23 years, this
quiet, large old house is a little out from the centre, but in an interesting
neighbourhood close to the zoo. Popular with visitors looking for somewhere
quiet. Decent-sized rooms from €55 a double. Tram #9 from CS to Plantage
Badlaan.
Rembrandt
Plantage Middenlaan 17; tel 020/627 2714, www.hotelrembrandt.nl.
Elegant hotel with a dining room dating from the sixteenth century, though the
building itself is nowhere near as old. Rooms are decorated in crisp modern style
with wood interiors, and all are en suite. Doubles €85 including breakfast. Tram
#9 from CS to Artis Zoo. Minimum two-night stay at weekends in high season.

Acro
Jan Luyckenstraat 44; tel 020/662 5538, www.acro-hotel.nl.
Excellent, modern hotel with stylish rooms, a plush bar and self-service
restaurant (breakfast only). Well worth the money; reserve at least two months in
advance. Doubles from €95 with breakfast. Tram #2 or #5 from CS to Van
Baerlestraat.
AMS Atlas
Van Eeghenstraat 64; tel 020/676 6336, www.ams.nl.
Situated near the Vondelpark and occupying an attractive Art Nouveau building,
the Atlas is a personable modern hotel with every convenience and comfort, plus
an à la carte restaurant. Small, tranquil and very welcoming. Rooms start at an
affordable €140 with discounts often available too. Tram #2 from CS to Jacob
Obrechtstraat.
AMS Hotel Holland

P.C. Hooftstraat 162; tel 020/676 4253, www.ams.nl.
Comfortable, quiet and welcoming two-starhotel at the end of the street near the
Vondelpark. Doubles from €109. Tram #2 to Van Baerlestraat or #5 to Paulus
Potterstraat.
Bema
Concertgebouwplein 19b; tel 020/679 1396, postbus@hotel-bema.demon.nl.
Large, clean rooms within a huge house under the canny eye of the friendly
English-speaking manager-owner. The rooms aren’t modern (the beds can be a
bit uncomfortable), but they’re full of funky character. Handy for concerts and
museums. En-suite rooms €85, with breakfast of bread with ham and cheese
delivered to your room. Triples, quads and apartments available too. Tram #5 to
Museumplein.
Fita
Jan Luyckenstraat 37; tel 020/679 0976, www.fita.nl.
Mid-sized, friendly family-run hotel in a quiet spot between the Vondelpark and
the museums. Comfortable en-suite doubles from €120 (extra bed €25). All
rooms non-smoking. Tram #2 or #5 to Van Baerlestraat.
Parkzicht
Roemer Visscherstraat 33; tel 020/618 1954, fax 020/618 0897.
Quiet, unassuming little hotel on a pretty backstreet near the Vondelpark, with an
appealingly lived-in look. Clean and characterful,some rooms have fireplaces,
and are furnished with old Dutch furniture. En suites from €75, including
breakfast. Closed between Nov and March. Tram #1 from CS to 1e Constantijn
Huygensstraat.
Piet Hein
Vossiusstraat 53; tel 020/662 7205, www.hotelpiethein.nl.
Calm, low-key and stylish, tucked away on a quiet street running past the
Vondelpark, midway between Leidseplein and the Concertgebouw. Bar open till
1am. Lift access. Rooms from €140.Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidseplein.
Recommended.
Prinsen
Vondelstraat 38; tel 020/616 2323, www.prinsenhotel.demon.nl.
Family-style hotel on the edge of the Vondelpark; quiet and with a large,
secluded back garden. Marginally higher rates at the weekend, otherwise €120
with breakfast. Tram #1 from CS to 1e Constantijn Huygensstraat.
Zandbergen
Willemsparkweg 205; tel 020/676 9321, www.hotel-zandbergen.com.
Light, airy, family-run hotel on a busy street near the Vondelpark; the rooms are
clean and spacious. Non-smoking rooms from €130. Minimum two-night stay
during peak periods.Tram #2 from CS to Emma Street.
Hostels
If you’re on a tight budget, the least expensive central option is to take a

dormitory bed in a hostel – and there are plenty to choose from: Hostelling
International places, unofficial private hostels, even Christian hostels. Most
hostels will either provide (relatively) clean bed linen or charge a few euros for
it, though frankly your own sleeping bag might be a better option. Many hostels
also lock guests out for a short period each day to clean the place, and some set a
nightly curfew, though these are usually late enough not to cause too much of a
problem. Many hostels don’t accept reservations from June to August.
The Old Centre

Bob’s Youth Hostel
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 92; tel 020/623 0063, www.bobshostel.nl.
An old favourite with backpackers and a grungy crowd, Bob’s is lively and
smoky. Small dorms at €18 per person, including breakfast in the coffeeshop on
the ground floor (which does light snacks). They also let four apartments (€70
for two people, €80 for three). However, they kick everyone out at 10.30am to
clean, which is not so good if you want a lie-in; 10min from CS.
Bulldog Low-Budget Hotel

Oudezijds Voorburgwal 220; tel 020/620 3822, www.bulldog.nl.
Part of the Bulldog coffeeshop chain, and recently renovated into "a five-star
hotel for backpackers". Bar and DVD lounge downstairs complete with leather
couches and soft lighting. Dorm beds with TV and shower start at €26, including
breakfast and wake-up service, linen €3 extra. Also double rooms, as well as
fully equipped luxury apartments available from €135. Tram #4, #9, #16 or #24
from CS to Dam, then a 3min walk.
Flying Pig Downtown

Nieuwendijk 100; tel 020/420 6822, www.flyingpig.nl.
Clean, large and well run by ex-travellers familiar with the needs of
backpackers. Free use of kitchen facilities, no curfew, and there’s a late-night
coffeeshop next door. Hostel bar open all night. Justifiably popular, and a very
good deal, with dorm beds from just €21 depending on the size of the dorm;
queensize bunks sleeping two also available; €10 deposit for sheets and keys.
During the peak season you’ll need to book well in advance. also the Flying Pig
Palace, 5min from CS.
Kabul
Warmoesstraat 38; tel 020/623 7158, kabulhotel@hotmail.com.
Large and bustling cheapie, open 24 hours, with basic rooms sleeping between
one and sixteen people; €22 in peak season, including use of all facilities. Not
always as clean as it might be, but there’s no lockout or curfew and you can
book in advance. Groups welcome; 3min from CS.
Meeting Point
Warmoesstraat 14; tel 020/627 7499, info@hostel-meetingpoint.nl.
Warm and cosy central hostel with space in twelve-to eighteen-bed dorms going
for €18 per person during the week. Four-person dorms also available from €92.
Breakfast of bread, jam and eggs €2.50. Checkout 10am; 24-hour private bar and
pool table for guests; 2min from CS.
The Shelter City

Barndesteeg 21; tel 020/625 3230, www.shelter.nl.
A non-evangelical Christian youth hostel smack in the middle of the RedLight
District. At €18.50 these are some of the best-value beds in Amsterdam, with
bed linen, shower and sizeable breakfast included. Dorms are singlesex; lockers
require a €5 deposit and there’s a midnight curfew (1am at weekends). You
might be handed a booklet on Jesus when you check in, but you’ll get a quiet
night’s sleep and the sheets are clean. Metro Nieuwmarkt.
Stay Okay Stadsdoelen

Kloveniersburgwal 97; tel 020/624 6832, www.stayokay.com/stadsdoelen.
The closest to Centraal Station of the two official hostels, with clean, semi-
private dorms at €20 for members, who get priority in high season; non-
members pay €22.50. Price includes linen, breakfast and locker, plus use of
communal kitchen. Guests get a range of discounts on activities in the city too,
and you can also book Eurolines bus tickets here, with card holders receiving a
ten-percent discount. The bar overlooks the canal and serves good-value if basic
food, and there’s a 2am curfew (though the door opens for three 15min intervals
between 2am and 7am). Metro Nieuwmarkt, or tram #4, #9, #16, #24 or #25
from CS to Muntplein. The other HI hostel is the Stay Okay Vondelpark, which
is better equipped for large groups.
Grachtengordel
Euphemia
Fokke Simonszstraat 1–9; tel & fax 020/622 9045, www.euphemiahotel.com.
Situated a shortish walk from Leidseplein and the major museums, with a
likeable laid-back atmosphere and basic but large rooms. Doubles €78.50, triples
from €87 and four-bed rooms for €35 per person, but prices are half that during
the low season. Breakfast extra €5. Booking advised. Tram #16, #24 or #25 from
CS to Weteringcircuit.
Hans Brinker
Kerkstraat 136; tel 020/622 0687, fax 020/638 2060.
Well-established and raucously popular Amsterdam hostel, with 580 beds. Dorm
beds go for around €24 including breakfast, and singles, doubles and triples are
also available. All rooms en suite. The facilities are good: free Internet after
10pm, disco every night, and dorms are basic and clean – it’s near to the buzz of
Leidseplein too. A hostel to head for if you’re out for a good time (and not too
bothered about getting a solid night’s sleep), though be prepared to change
dorms during your stay. Walk-in policy only. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to
Prinsengracht.
International Budget Hotel

Leidsegracht 76; tel 020/624 2784, info@internationalbudgethostel.com.
An excellent budget option on a peaceful little canal in the heart of the city, with
the same owners as the Euphemia. Small, simple rooms sleeping up to four, with
singles and doubles available; twins from €65. Young, friendly staff. Tram #1, #2
or #5 to Prinsengracht.
Western canals and the Jordaan

The Shelter Jordan
Bloemstraat 179; tel 020/624 4717, www.shelter.nl.
The second of Amsterdam’s two Christian youth hostels (the other is Shelter
City). Great value at €18.50 per dorm bed, with breakfast and bed linen included.
Dorms are singlesex, lockers require a €5 deposit and there’s a 2am curfew.
Friendly and helpful staff, plus a decent café. Sited in a particularly beautiful
part of the Jordaan, close to the Lijnbaansgracht canal. Non-smoking rooms.
Tram #6, #13 or #17 from CS to Marnixstraat.

Flying Pig Palace
Vossiusstraat 46; tel 020/400 4187, www.flyingpig.nl.
The better of the two Flying Pig hostels, facing the Vondelpark and close to the
city’s most important museums. Immaculately clean and well maintained by a
staff of travellers, who understand their backpacking guests. Free use of kitchen
facilities, no curfew and good tourist information. Ten-bed dorms start at €21.70
per person and there are a few two-person queensize bunks at €31.80, as well as
double rooms. Great value. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidseplein, then
walk.
Stay Okay Vondelpark

Zandpad 5; tel 020/589 8996, www.stayokay.com/vondelpark.
Well located and, for facilities, the better of the city’s two HI hostels, with a bar,
restaurant, TV lounge, Internet access and bicycle shed, plus various discount
facilities for tours and museums. HI members have priority in high season and
pay €2.50 less than non-members. Non-member rates are €23 per person in the
dorms, including use of all facilities, shower, sheets and breakfast. Singles,
doubles and rooms sleeping up to eight are available. Secure lockers and no
curfew. To be sure of a place in high season you’ll need to book at least two
months ahead. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidseplein, then walk.
Essential
Arrival
Red tape and visas
City transport
Banks and exchange
Communications
Opening hours
Public holidays
Drugs
Directory
Arrival
Arriving in Amsterdam by train and plane could hardly be easier. Schiphol,

Amsterdam’s international airport, is a quick and convenient train ride away
from Centraal Station, the city’s international train station, which is itself just
a ten-minute metro ride from Amstel Station, the terminus for long-distance and
international buses.
By air
Amsterdam’s international airport, Schiphol (tel 0900/7244 7465,
www.schiphol.nl), is located about 18km southwest of the city centre. Trains run
from there to Amsterdam Centraal Station every ten minutes during the day,
every hour at night (midnight–6am); the journey takes 15–20 minutes and costs
€3.10 each way. The main alternative to the train is the Airport Hotel Shuttle
Bus (tel 020/653 4975), which departs from the designated bus stop outside the
Arrivals hall. Most of these buses – but not all – sport a "Connexxion" logo,
though otherwise liveries vary; note also that you don’t have to be a guest to use
them. Departures are every 20–30 minutes from 6am to 8pm and the cost is
€10.50, €19 return. The route varies with the needs of the passengers it picks up
at the airport, but buses take about thirty minutes to get from the airport to the
Old Centre. Finally, the taxi fare from Schiphol to the Old Centre is €40–45.
By train
Amsterdam’s Centraal Station (CS) has regular connections with key cities in
Germany, Belgium and France, as well as all the larger towns and cities of the
Netherlands. Amsterdam also has several suburban train stations, but these are
principally for the convenience of commuters. For all rail enquiries contact NS
(Netherlands Railways; international enquiries; tel 0900/9296; domestic
enquiries; tel 0900/9292, www.ns.nl).
By bus
Eurolines (tel 020/560 8788, www.eurolines.nl) long-distance, international
buses arrive at Amstel Station, about 3.5km to the southeast of Centraal Station.
The metro journey to Centraal Station takes about ten minutes.
Red tape and visas
Citizens of the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US do not
need a visa to enter the Netherlands if staying for three months or less. However,
citizens of these countries do need to be in possession of a passport valid for at
least six months after arrival, as well as a return airline ticket and/or funds
deemed to be sufficient to fund their stay.
There are no customs restrictions on importing goods (except tobacco) from
another EU country, as long as they are not duty-free and you can prove that the
goods are for personal use. If you are arriving in the Netherlands from a non-EU
country, the following import limits apply: 200g cigarettes or 250g tobacco, 1
litre of spirits or 2 litres of wine, 50g perfume. If you’re caught with more than
these amounts, you’ll have to pay tax on them, and possibly import duties as
well. When you leave the Netherlands, there are no export restrictions on goods
if you’re travelling on to an EU country, but if you’re travelling to a non-EU
destination, you will be subject to the import regulations of your destination
country. There are no restrictions on the import and export of currency.
City transport
Almost all of Amsterdam’s leading attractions are clustered in or near the city
centre, within easy walking – and even easier cycling distance of each other. For
longer jaunts, the city has a first-rate public transport system, run by the GVB,
comprising trams, buses, a smallish metro and four passenger ferries across the
river IJ to the northern suburbs. Centraal Station is the hub of the system with a
multitude of trams and buses departing from outside on Stationsplein, which is
also the location of a metro station and a GVB public transport information
office. There’s a taxi rank on Stationsplein too.
Trams, buses and the metro

The city centre is crisscrossed by trams. Two of the more useful are trams #2
and #5, which link Centraal Station with Leidsestraat and the Rijksmuseum
every ten minutes or so during the day. Buses are mainly useful for going to the
outskirts, and the same applies to the metro, which has just two downtown
stations, Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein. Trams, buses and the metro operate
daily between 6am and midnight, supplemented by a limited number of
nightbuses (nachtbussen). All tram and bus stops display a detailed map of the
network. For further details on all services, head for the main GVB information
office (Mon–Fri 7am–9pm, Sat & Sun 8am–9pm; tel 0900/8011, www.gvb.nl)
on Stationsplein. Their free, English-language Tourist Guide to Public Transport
is very helpful.
The most common type of ticket, usable on all forms of GVB transport, is the
strippenkaart, a card divided into strips: fold your strippenkaart over to expose
the number of strips required for your journey and then insert it into the on-board
franking machine. Amsterdam’s public transport system is divided into zones,
and one person making a journey within one zone costs two strips. The "Centre"
zone covers the city centre and its immediate surroundings (well beyond
Singelgracht), and thus two strips will cover more or less every journey you’re
likely to make. If you travel into an additional zone, it costs three strips, and so
on. More than one person can use a strippenkaart, as long as the requisite
number of strips is stamped. After franking, you can use any GVB tram, bus and
the metro for up to one hour. Currently, a two-strip strippenkaart costs €1.60,
three-strip €2.40, fifteen-strip €6.40 and a 45-strip €18.90.
You can opt instead for a dagkaart (day ticket), which gives unlimited access
to the GVB system for up to a maximum of three days. Prices are €6.30 for one
day, €10 for two, and €13 for three. Tickets and passes are available from
tobacconists, the GVB, the VVV and metro stations; the smaller strippenkaart is
also available from bus and tram drivers. Finally, note that GVB tries hard to
keep fare dodging down to a minimum and wherever you’re travelling, and at
whatever time of day, there’s a reasonable chance you’ll have your ticket
checked. If you are caught without a valid ticket, you risk an on-the-spot fine of
€29.40.
The Canal Bus

One good way to get around Amsterdam’s waterways is to take the Canal Bus
(tel 020/623 9886, www.canal.nl). This operates on three circular routes, which
meet once, at the jetty opposite Centraal Station beside Prins Hendrikkade. Two
of the three routes also meet at three other locations – on the Singelgracht
(opposite the Rijksmuseum), behind the Leidseplein and beside City Hall on
Waterlooplein. There are eleven stops in all and together they give easy access to
all the major sights. Boats leave from opposite Centraal Station (every 10–
20min; 10am–5.30pm) and at least every half-hour from any other jetty. A day
ticket for all three routes, allowing you to hop on and off as many times as you
like, costs €15 per adult, €10.50 for children (4–12 years old); it’s valid until
noon the following day and entitles the bearer to minor discounts at several
museums.
The Museumboot
A similar boat service, the Museumboot (tel 020/530 1090, www.lovers.nl),
calls at seven jetties located at or near many of the city’s major attractions. It
departs from opposite Centraal Station (every 30min; 9.30am–5pm) and a come-
and-go-as-you-please day ticket costs €14.25, children €9.50 (4–12 years old).
Canal Bikes
Canal Bikes (tel 020/626 5574, www.canal.nl) are four-seater pedaloes which
take a lifetime to get anywhere but are nevertheless good fun unless – of course
– it’s raining. You can rent them at four central locations: on the Singelgracht
opposite the Rijksmuseum; the Prinsengracht outside the Anne Frank House; on
Keizersgracht at Leidsestraat; and behind Leidseplein. Rental prices per person
per hour are €7 (3–4 people) or €8 (1–2 people), plus a refundable deposit of
€50. They can be picked up at one location and left at any of the others; opening
times are daily 10am–6pm, till 9.30pm in July and August.
Bicycles
One of the most agreeable ways to explore Amsterdam is by bicycle. The city
has an excellent network of designated bicycle lanes (fietspaden) and for once
cycling isn’t a fringe activity – there are cyclists everywhere. Indeed, much to
the chagrin of the city’s taxi drivers, the needs of the cyclist often take
precedence over those of the motorist and by law if there’s a collision it’s always
the driver’s fault. Bike rental is straightforward. There are lots of rental
companies (fietsenverhuur) but MacBike (tel 020/620 0985, www.macbike.nl)
sets the benchmark, charging €4 for two hours, €12 per day, €16.50 for three
days and €30 for a week for a standard bicycle; 21-speed cycles cost twice as
much. MacBike have three rental outlets in central Amsterdam, one at the east
end of Centraal Station, a second beside Waterlooplein at Mr Visserplein 2, and a
third near Leidseplein at Weteringschans 2. All companies, including MacBike,
ask for some type of security, usually in the form of a cash deposit (some will
take credit card imprints) and/or passport.
Taxis
The centre of Amsterdam is geared up for trams and bicycles rather than cars,
with motorists having to negotiate a convoluted one-way system, avoid getting
boxed onto tram lines and steer round herds of cyclists. As such, taxis are not as
much use as they are in many other cities. They are, however, plentiful: taxi
ranks are liberally distributed across the city centre and they can also be hailed
on the street. If all else fails, call the city’s central, 24-hour taxi number
on020/677 7777. Fares are metered and pricey, but distances are small: the trip
from Centraal Station to the Leidseplein, for example, costs just €11, €2 more to
Museumplein – and about fifteen percent more late at night.
Organized tours
No one could say the Amsterdam tourist industry doesn’t make the most of its
canals, with a veritable armada of glass-topped cruise boats shuttling along the
city’s waterways, offering everything from quick hour-long excursions to fully-
fledged dinner cruises. There are several major operators and they occupy the
prime pitches – the jetties near Centraal Station on Stationsplein, beside the
Damrak and on Prins Hendrikkade. Despite the competition, prices are fairly
uniform with a one-hour tour costing around €8.50 per adult, €5.50 per child (4–
12 years old), and €25 (€15) for a two-hour candlelit cruise. The big companies
also offer more specialized boat trips, most notably the weekly Architecture
Cruise run by Lovers (tel 020/530 1090, www.lovers.nl; €19.50/14.50). All these
cruises – and especially the shorter and less expensive ones – are extremely
popular and long queues are common throughout the summer. One way of
avoiding much of the crush is to walk down the Damrak from Centraal Station to
the jetty at the near end of the Rokin, where the first-rate Reederij P. Kooij (who
also have a jetty beside Centraal Station) offers all the basic cruises at
competitive prices.
Tour operators
Reederij P. Kooij on the Rokin, beside the Queen Wilhelmina statue; tel
020/623 3810, www.rederijkooij.nl.
Perhaps the best of the waterway cruise operators, with a standard range of
cruises by day and by night. Also has a (more crowded) jetty opposite Centraal
Station on Stationsplein.
Mee in Mokum Keizersgracht 346; tel 020/625 1390.
Guided walking tours of the older parts of the city provided by long-time –
and often older – Amsterdam residents. Tours run four or five times weekly; €3
per person. Advance reservations required.
Yellow Bike Tours Nieuwezijds Kolk 29, off Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal; tel
020/620 6940, www.yellowbike.nl.
Three-hour guided cycling tours around the city (April to mid-Oct 2 daily).
Tours cost €17 per person, including the bike. Advance reservations required.
Information is easy to get hold of, either from the Netherlands Board of Tourism,
via the Internet, or, after arrival, from any of the city’s tourist offices, the VVVs
(pronounced "fay-fay-fay"). There’s a VVV tourist office on platform 2 at
Centraal Station (Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 9am–5pm); a second, main one
directly across from the main station entrance on Stationsplein (daily 9am–5pm);
and a third on Leidsestraat, just off the Leidseplein (daily 9am–5pm). These
three offices share one premium-rate information line on 0900/400 4040, and a
website at www.visitamsterdam.nl. They offer advice and information and sell a
range of maps and guide books as well as tickets and passes for public transport.
They also take in-person bookings for canal cruises and other organized
excursions, sell theatre and concert tickets, and operate an extremely efficient
accommodation reservation service for just €3 plus a refundable deposit which is
subtracted from your final bill.
Maps
Our maps are more than adequate for most purposes, but if you need one on a
larger scale, or with a street index, then pick up The Rough Guide Map to
Amsterdam, which has the added advantage of being waterproof. This marks all
the key sights as well as many restaurants, bars and hotels, but it does not extend
to the outer suburbs. For this, the best bet is the Falk map of Amsterdam
(1:15,000).
What’s on information
For information about what’s on, there’s either the VVV or the Amsterdam
Uitburo, the cultural office of the city council, housed in a corner of the
Stadsschouwburg theatre on Leidseplein (daily 10am–6pm, Thurs until 9pm; tel
0900/0191). You can get advice here on anything remotely cultural, as well as
tickets and copies of listings magazines. Amongst the latter, there’s a choice
between the AUB’s own monthly Uitkrant, which is comprehensive and free but
in Dutch, or the VVV’s bland Day by Day in Amsterdam. Alternatively, the
newspaper Het Parool’s Wednesday entertainment supplement, Uit en Thuis, is
one of the most up-to-date reference sources.
Tourist passes
The VVV’s much touted Amsterdam Pass provides free and unlimited use of
the city’s public transport network, a complimentary canal cruise and free
admission to the bulk of the city’s museums and attractions. It costs €26 for one
day, €36 for two consecutive days and €46 for three, again consecutive, days.
Altogether it’s not a bad deal, but you have to work fairly hard to make it
worthwhile. A much more tempting proposition, especially if you’re staying for
more than a couple of days, is the Museumkaart (museum card). This gives free
entry to most museums in the whole of the Netherlands for a year; it costs €30,
slightly less for both the under-25s and the over-60s.
Banks and exchange
The easiest way to get money is to simply bring your ATM card and use it.
However, for changing travellers’ cheques, bank opening hours are Monday to
Friday 9am to 4pm, with a few also open Thursday until 9pm or on Saturday
morning; all are closed on public holidays. Outside these times, you’ll need to go
to one of the many bureaux de change scattered around town. GWK, whose
main 24-hour branches are at Centraal Station and Schiphol airport, offers
competitive rates and is very efficient. One cautionary word about other
bureaux: some offer great rates but then slap on an extortionate commission, or,
conversely, charge no commission but give bad rates. The VVV tourist office
also changes money.
Lost and stolen credit cards and travellers’ cheques

American Express Cards and cheques; tel 020/504 8666
Mastercard; tel 030/283 5555
Visa Cards and cheques; tel 0800/022 4176
Communications
Post offices are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, with the larger ones also
open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. The main post office (Mon–Fri
9am–6pm, Thurs till 8pm, Sat 10am–1.30pm; tel 020/556 3311) is at Singel 250,
on the corner with Raadhuisstraat. Current postal charges for a postcard or
airmail letter (up to 20g) within the Netherlands is €0.39, €0.61 within the EU
and €0.77 to the rest of the world. Stamps are sold at a wide range of outlets
including many shops and hotels. Post boxes are everywhere, but be sure to use
the correct slot – the one labelled overige is for post going outside the immediate
locality.
Phones
Phone cards can be bought at many outlets, including post offices, tobacconists
and VVV offices, and in several specified denominations, beginning at €5. It is
worth bearing in mind, however, that phone boxes are provided by different
companies and their respective phone cards are not mutually compatible. KPN
phones (and cards) are the most common. The cheap-rate period for international
calls is between 8pm and 8am during the week and all day at weekends.
Numbers prefixed; tel 0800 are free, while those prefixed; tel 0900 are premium-
rated; a (Dutch) message before you’re connected tells you how much you will
be paying for the call. Finally, remember that although most hotel rooms have
phones, there is almost always an exorbitant surcharge for their use.
Useful phone numbers

Operator (domestic and international) tel 0800 0410.
Directory enquiries: domestic tel 0900 8008; international tel 0900 8418.
Email and the Internet

Amsterdam is well geared up for email access with a healthy supply of Internet
cafés. In addition, most of the better hotels provide email and Internet access for
their guests at free or minimal charge.
Internet cafés
Conscious Dreams Kokopelli Warmoestraat 12; tel 020/421 7000,
www.consciousdreams.nl.
A smart shop offering Internet access and even DJs at the weekend. Daily
11am–10pm.
EasyInternetcafé www.easyeverything.com.
This international chain has three Internet outlets in Amsterdam – one near
Centraal Station at Damrak 33 (daily 9am–10pm); another at Reguliersbreestraat
22, near Rembrandtplein (same hours); and a third at Leidsestraat 24 at
Keizersgracht (Mon 11am–7pm, Tues–Sat 9.30am–7pm & Sun 11am–6pm).
Het Internetcafe Martelaarsgracht 11; tel 020/627 1052, www.internetcafe.nl.
Straightforward Internet café just 200m from Centraal Station. Reasonable
rates – start up from just €0.50 – and open daily from 7am till late.
Opening hours
The Amsterdam weekend fades painlessly into the working week with many
smaller shops and businesses, even in the centre, staying closed on Monday
mornings until noon. Normal opening hours are, however, Monday to Friday
8.30/9am to 5.30/6pm and Saturday 8.30/9am to 4/5pm, and many places open
late on Thursday or Friday evenings. Most restaurants are open for dinner from
about 6 or 7pm, and though many close as early as 9.30pm, a few stay open past
11pm. Bars, cafés and coffeeshops are either open all day from around 10am or
don’t open until about 5pm; all close at 1am during the week and 2am at
weekends. Nightclubs generally function from 11pm to 4am during the week,
though a few open every night, and some stay open until 5am on the weekend.
Public holidays
Public holidays (Nationale feestdagen) provide the perfect excuse to take to the
streets. The most celebrated of them all is Queen’s Day – Koninginnedag – on
April 30, which is celebrated with particular vim and gusto here in Amsterdam.
January 1 New Year’s Day
Good Friday (although many shops open)
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
April 30 Queen’s Day
May 5 Liberation Day
Ascension Day
Whit Sunday and Monday
December 25 and 26 Christmas
Most of Amsterdam’s festivals are music and arts events, supplemented by a

sprinkling of religious celebrations and, as you might expect, the majority take
place in the summer. The Queen’s Birthday celebration at the end of April is
the city’s most touted and exciting annual event, with a large portion of the city
given over to an impromptu flea market and lots of street-partying. On a more
cultural level, the art extravaganza, the Holland Festival, held throughout June,
attracts a handful of big names. Check with the VVV for further details.
January
Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities’ Journey)

Annual ice-skating marathon across eleven towns and frozen rivers, in Friesland,
starting and finishing in Leeuwarden. Held, weather permitting, sometime in
January. Though the race had to be suspended for twenty years, a recent spate of
cold winters has meant a number of competitions and an increasing number of
participants – 16,000 is now the maximum number. For more details, call the
organizers, De Friese Elfsteden, in the town of Leeuwarden (tel 058/215 5020
11am–2pm, www.elfstedentocht.nl).
February
Chinese New Year

First or second week. Dragon dance and fireworks, held at Nieuwmarkt.
Commemoration of the February Strike

February 25. Speeches and wreath-laying at the Docker Statue on J.D.
Meijerplein.
March
Stille Omgang (Silent Procession)

Sunday closest to March 15; tel 023/524 6229.
Procession by local Catholics commemorating the Miracle of Amsterdam,
starting and finishing at Spui and passing through the RedLight District.
"Head of the River" rowing competition
Last week; tel 035/577 1308, www.amsterdamscheroeibond.nl.
Actually three races along the River Amstel starting at 10am from Oudekerk to
the centre and back; the last race, at 4pm, finishes near the Amstel Hotel.
April
Vondelpark Open Air Theatre

April–Aug; tel 020/523 7790, www.openluchttheater.nl.
Free theatre, dance and music performances throughout the summer.
Nationaal Museumweekend
Second week; tel 020/670 1111, www.museumweekend.nl.
Free entrance to most of the museums in the Netherlands.
Koninginnedag (the Queen’s Birthday)

April 30. This is one of the most popular dates in the Dutch diary, a street event
par excellence, which seems to grow annually and is almost worth planning a
visit around, despite some claiming it has become too commercialized over
recent years. Celebrations for Queen Beatrix take place throughout the whole of
Holland, though festivities in Amsterdam tend to be somewhat wilder and larger
in scale. Special club nights and parties are held both the night before and the
night after; however, to gain entry you’ll need to book in advance either from the
club itself or from selected record stores, such as Boudisque and Get Records.
The next day sees the city’s streets and canals lined with people, most of whom
are dressed in ridiculous costumes (not surprisingly, Queen’s Day is one of the
most flamboyant events on the gay calendar as well). Anything goes, especially
if it’s orange – the Dutch national colour. A fair is held on the Dam, and music
blasts continuously from huge sound systems set up across most of the major
squares. This is also the one day of the year when anything can be legally bought
and sold to anyone by anyone on the streets.
World Press Photo Exhibition Annual competition

www.worldpressphoto.nl. Open to photographers from all over the world.
Judging and award days take place mid-April, marking the beginning of the
exhibition, which is held at the Oude Kerk until the end of May.
May
Herdenkingsdag (Remembrance Day)
May 4. There’s a wreath-laying ceremony and two-minute silence at the
National Monument in Dam square, commemorating the Dutch dead of World
War II, as well as a smaller event at the Homomonument in Westermarkt in
honour of the country’s gay soldiers who died.
Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day)

May 5. The country celebrates the 1945 liberation from Nazi occupation with
bands, speeches and impromptu markets around the city.
Oosterparkfestival
First week. Held in the large park near the Tropenmuseum, this free festival
celebrates the mix of cultures living in the area, with live music and numerous
food stands.
World Wide Video Festival

Mid-May to end May; tel 020/420 7729, www.wwvf.nl.
Celebrating small-screen culture with seminars on media art, screenings,
exhibitions and meet-the-artist programmes. Held at the Passenger Terminal
Amsterdam (PTA) situated on the River IJ, with smaller presentations at the
Melkweg and the Dutch Institute for Media Art.
National Windmill Day

Second Saturday; tel 020/623 8703.
Over half the country’s remaining windmills and watermills are opened to the
public. Contact Vereniging De Hollandsche.
Drum Rhythm Festival

Second or third week www.drumrhythm.com.
Amsterdam’s first real summer event previously held over a weekend at the
Westergasfabriek and very popular with locals. Famous musicians from all over
the world take part, from Moby to Salif Keita. Sponsorship problems mean that
they have yet to reschedule more dates, but check the website for the latest
information.
KunstRAI
Third week; tel 020/549 1212, www.kunstrai.nl.
The annual mainstream contemporary arts fair, held in the RAI conference
centre, south of the centre. A less commercial alternative is the Kunstvlaai at the
Westergasfabriek, always held the week before or after KunstRAI.
June
Holland Festival
Throughout June; tel 020/530 7111, www.hollandfestival.nl.
The largest music, dance and drama event in the Netherlands, aimed at making
the dramatic arts more accessible. Showcasing around thirty productions, it
features a mix of established and new talent.
July
Beachbop
Throughout July and August www.beachbop.nl.
Live percussion, dance acts and plenty of beach parties at the Bloemendaal
beach (close to Zandvoort). Friendly, low-key atmosphere; weekends only.
Over het IJ Festival

First one or two weeks; tel 020/771 3000, www.overhetij.nl.
Modern theatre and dance festival held at the NDSM (tel 020/330 5480) in
Amsterdam-Noord, across the river from the city centre. A festival boat runs
there from behind Centraal Station.
Kwakoe Festival
Weekends only from second week of July to second week of August, www.kwakoe.nl.
A Surinamese and Antillian festival held at a playground close to the Amsterdam
ArenA in the southeastern suburbs, featuring lots of music, dance acts and stand-
up comedy. There are also workshops, and even prayer services on Sunday
morning. In the middle of the festival there’s a football competition between
several "tropical" teams. Caribbean delicacies such as roti and the Surinamese
bakabana, baked banana with peanut sauce, are widely available from stalls
around the festival.
August
Amsterdam Pride
First or second weekend www.amsterdampride.nl.
The city’s gay community celebrates, with street parties and performances held
along the Amstel, Warmoesstraat and Reguliersdwarsstraat, as well as a "Canal
Pride" flotilla of boats cruising along the Prinsengracht.
Dance Valley
First week www.dancevalley.nl.
Huge international dance event held over a weekend at the natural amphitheatre
in the hills of Spaarnwoude, just north of Haarlem, with all the techno, drum-
and-bass, house and ambient DJs you could possibly wish for. Check the website
for further music events held here throughout the year.
The Parade
First two weeks; tel 033/465 4577, www.mobilearts.nl.
An excellent travelling theatrical fair with various short theatre performances
given in or in front of the artists’ tents (they all work independently). Held in the
Martin Luther King Park, next to the River Amstel (from CS tram #25 to
Hunzestraat), with a special kids’ parade in the afternoons.
Uitmarkt
Last week www.uitmarkt.nl.
A weekend where every cultural organization in the city advertises itself with
free preview performances either on Museumplein or by the Amstel.
Grachtenfestival
Last week www.grachtenfestival.nl.
International musicians perform classical music at twenty historical locations
around the three main canals. Includes the Prinsengracht Concert, one of the
world’s most prestigious free open-air concerts, held opposite the Pulitzer Hotel.
September
Bloemencorso (Flower Parade)

First week www.bloemencorsoaalsmeer.nl.
The Aalsmeer–Amsterdam flower pageant in the city centre, celebrating every
kind of flower except tulips, which are out of season. Each year has a different
theme. Vijzelstraat is the best place to see things, since the events in Dam square
are normally packed solid.
Chinatown Festival
Second weekend. Tong and Soeng musicians, acrobatics, kung-fu and tai-chi
demonstrations at the Nieuwmarkt.
The Jordaan Festival

Second or third week; tel 020/626 5587, www.jordaanfestival.nl.
A street festival in the Jordaan, a friendly and fairly central neighbourhood.
There’s a commercial fair on Palmgracht, talent contests on Elandsgracht, a few
street parties and a culinary fair on the Sunday afternoon at the Noordermarkt.
October
Amsterdam City Marathon

Late October, usually the third weekend www.amsterdammarathon.nl.
A 42-kilometre course around Amsterdam starting at and finishing inside the
Olympic Stadium, passing through the old city centre along the way.
November
Crossing Border
Usually first week; tel 020/346 2355, www.crossingborder.nl.
Festival centred around the Leidseplein area that explores and crosses artistic
boundaries, with performances by over a hundred international acts presenting
the spoken word in various forms, from rap to poetry.
Parade of Saint Nicolaas

Second or third week. The traditional parade of Sinterklaas (Santa Claus)
through the city on his white horse, starting from behind Centraal Station where
he arrives by steam boat, before parading down the Damrak towards
Rembrandtplein accompanied by his helpers the Zwarte Pieten ("Black Peters")
– so called because of their blackened faces – who hand out sweets and little
presents. It all finishes in Leidseplein on the balcony of the Stadsschouwburg.
Cannabis Cup
Late November www.hightimes.com.
Five-day harvest festival organized by High Times magazine at the Melkweg (tel
020/531 8181), with speeches, music and a competition to find the best
cultivated seed. Judging is open to the general public, but the entrance fee is
pricey.
December
Pakjesavond (Present Evening)

Dec 5. Though it tends to be a private affair, Pakjesavond, rather than Christmas
Day, is when Dutch kids receive their Christmas presents. If you’re here on that
day and have Dutch friends, it’s worth knowing that it’s traditional to give a
present together with an amusing poem you have written caricaturing the
recipient.
The Winter Parade

Last two weeks; tel 033/465 4577, www.mobilearts.nl.
Winter version of the August Parade, except this one is held at the
Westergasfabriek.
New Year’s Eve

Dec 31. New Year’s Eve is big in Amsterdam, with fireworks and celebrations
everywhere. Most bars and discos stay open until morning – make sure you get
tickets in advance. This might just qualify as the wildest and most reckless street
partying in Europe, but a word of warning: Amsterdammers seem to love the
idea of throwing lit fireworks around and won’t hesitate to chuck one at you.
Although Amsterdam is not generally considered one of the world’s major

cultural centres, the quality and quantity of music, dance and film on offer are
high – largely thanks to the government’s long-term subsidy to the arts. For
information about what’s on, try the Amsterdam Uitburo, or AUB, the cultural
office of the city council, which is housed in a corner of the Stadsschouwburg
theatre on Leidseplein (daily 10am–6pm, Thurs until 9pm; tel 0900/0191). You
can get advice here on anything remotely cultural, as well as tickets and copies
of what listings magazines there are. A funkier outlet, however, is the
Luckystrike shop in the Leidsestraat. Tickets for most performances can be
bought at the Uitburo (for a €2 fee) and VVV offices, or reserved by phone
through the AUB Uitlijn (tel 0900/0191 at €0.40p/m) for a one-percent booking
fee, but the cheapest way to obtain tickets is to turn up at the venue itself.
Classical music and opera

There’s no shortage of classical music concerts in Amsterdam, with two major
orchestras based in the city, plus regular visits by other Dutch orchestras. The
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra remains one of the most dynamic in the world,
and occupies one of the finest concert halls to boot. The other resident orchestra
is the Netherlands Philharmonic, based at the Beurs van Berlage concert hall,
which has a wide symphonic repertoire and also performs with the Netherlands
Opera at the Muziektheater.
Live music venues.

Major rock, folk and world music venues include Melkweg and Paradiso, while
for jazz and Latin music head for Akhnaton or Bimhuis.
The most prestigious venue for opera is the Muziektheater (otherwise known
as the Stopera) on Waterlooplein, which is home to the Netherlands Opera
company – going from strength to strength under the guidance of Pierre Audi –
as well as the National Ballet. Visiting companies sometimes perform here, but
more often at the Stadsschouwburg and the Carré Theatre.
The most diverting multi-venue Dutch festival is the annual Holland Festival
every June. Otherwise, one of the more interesting music-oriented events is the
piano recital held towards the end of August on a floating stage outside the
Pulitzer Hotel on the Prinsengracht – with the whole area floodlit and filled with
small boats, and every available spot on the banks and bridges taken up, this can
be a wonderfully atmospheric evening.
Beurs van Berlage

Damrak 213; tel 020/627 0466, www.beursvanberlage.nl.
The splendid interior of the former stock exchange has been put to use as a
venue for theatre and music. The resident Netherlands Philharmonic and
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra perform in the huge but comfortable Yakult
Zaal and the AGA Zaal, the latter a very strange, glassed-in room-within-a-room.
Carré Theatre Amstel

115–125; tel 020/622 5225, www.theatercarre.nl.
A splendid hundred-year-old structure (originally built for a circus) which
represents the ultimate venue for Dutch folk artists, and hosts all kinds of top
international acts, notably touring orchestras and opera companies.
Concertgebouw
Concertgebouwplein 2–6; tel 020/671 8345, www.concertgebouw.nl.
After a recent facelift, the Concertgebouw is now looking – and sounding –
better than ever. There are two halls here and both boast a star-studded
international programme. Prices are very reasonable, rarely over €35, and €20
for Sunday-morning events.
Ijsbreker
Weesperzijde 23; tel 020/668 1805. www.ijsbreker.nl.
Out of the town centre by the Amstel, with a delightful terrace on the water. Has
a large, varied programme of international modern, chamber and experimental
music, as well as featuring obscure, avant-garde local performers.
Muziektheater
Waterlooplein; tel 020/625 5455, www.muziektheater.nl.
Part of the €150 million complex that includes the city hall. The theatre’s
resident company, Netherlands Opera, offers the fullest, and most reasonably
priced, programme of opera in Amsterdam. Tickets go very quickly.
Theatre
Surprisingly for a city that functions so much in English, there is next to no
English-language theatre to be seen in Amsterdam. A handful of part-time
companies put on two or three English productions during the summer and there
are also occasional performances by touring groups, but pickings are thin. Try
Boom Chicago for great improv comedy.
De Balie
Kleine Gartmanplantsoen 10; tel 020/623 2904, www.balie.nl.
A multimedia centre for culture and the arts, located off the Leidseplein, which
often plays host to drama, debates, international symposia and the like,
sometimes in conjunction with the Paradiso next door.
Dance
Amongst the several dance companies based in Amsterdam, the largest and most
prestigious is the Muziektheater’s National Ballet, under Wayne Eagling. Of the
other major Dutch dance companies which frequently visit the city, the most
innovative is The Hague’s Netherlands Dance Theatre, with a repertoire of ballet
and modern dance featuring the inspired choreography of Jiri Kylian and Hans
van Manen.
On a smaller scale, Amsterdam is particularly receptive to the latest trends in
modern dance, and has many experimental dance groups, often incorporating
other media into their productions. Dance festivals are a little thin on the ground,
with Julidans, held in the Stadsschouwburg every July, being the lead event.
Cosmic Theater
Nes 75; tel 020/622 8858, www.cosmictheater.nl.
A modern dance and theatre company featuring young professionals with a
multicultural background.
Melkweg Theaterzaal
Lijnbaansgracht 234a; tel 020/531 8181, www.melkweg.nl.
Upstairs in this pop and world music venue there’s a little theatre with modern
and funky productions.
Het Muziektheater
Waterlooplein; tel 020/625 5455, www.muziektheater.nl.
Home of the National Ballet, but with a third of its dance schedule given over to
international productions.
Film
Most of Amsterdam’s commercial cinemas are huge, multiplex picture palaces
showing a selection of general releases. There’s also a scattering of film houses
(filmhuizen) showing revival and art films and occasional retrospectives. All
foreign movies playing in Amsterdam (almost no Dutch movies turn up anyway)
are shown in their original language and subtitled in Dutch.
As a guide, tickets can cost around €7 for an evening show Friday to Sunday,
though it’s not hard to find a ticket for €5 during the week. Amsterdam’s only
regular film event is the fascinating International Documentary Film Festival in
November/December (info tel 020/620 1826, www.idfa.nl), during which 200
documentaries from all over the world are shown in ten days.
Cinecenter
Lijnbaansgracht 236; tel 020/623 6615, www.cinecenter.nl.
Opposite the Melkweg, this shows independent and quality commercial films, the
majority originating from non-English-speaking countries. Shown with an
interval.
Filmmuseum
Vondelpark 3; tel 020/589 1400, www.filmmuseum.nl.
The Filmmuseum holds literally tens of thousands of prints. Dutch films show
regularly, along with all kinds of movies from all corners of the world. Silent
movies often have live piano accompaniment, and on summer weekend evenings
there are free open-air screenings on the terrace.
Kriterion
Roeterstraat 170; tel 020/623 1708, www.kriterion.nl.
Stylish duplex cinema close to Weesperplein metro. Shows arthouse and quality
commercial films, with late-night cult favourites. Friendly bar attached. Tram #6,
#7, #10.
Melkweg
Lijnbaansgracht 234a; tel 020/531 8181 after 1pm, www.melkweg.nl.
As well as music, art and dance, the Melkweg manages to maintain a consistently
good monthly film and video programme, ranging from mainstream fodder
through to obscure imports.
The Movies
Haarlemmerdijk 161; tel 020/624 5790, www.themovies.nl.
A beautiful Art Deco cinema, and a charming setting for independent films.
Worth visiting for the bar and restaurant alone. Late shows at the weekend.
Clubs
Clubbing in Amsterdam is not the exclusive, style-conscious business it is in
many other cities. There is no one really extravagant night spot and most
Amsterdam clubs – even the hip ones – aren’t very expensive or difficult to get
into. As for the music itself, Amsterdam is not at the cutting edge, with house
still definitely the thing.
Although all the places listed in the guide open at either 10pm or 11pm,
there’s not much point turning up anywhere before midnight; unless stated
otherwise, everywhere stays open until 5am on Friday and Saturday nights, 4am
on other nights. For reviews of individual venues, see the end of each guide
chapter.
For news and flyers about clubs, upcoming parties and raves, drop in to places
like Clubwear House, at Herengracht 265 (tel 020/622 8766), and the Hair Police
and Conscious Dreams, next door to each other at Kerkstraat 115 and 117.
Drugs
Thousands of visitors come to Amsterdam just to get stoned; in fact what most
people don’t realize is that all soft drugs – as well as hard – are technically
illegal, it’s just that possession and consumption have been partly
decriminalized. Since 1976, the possession of small amounts of cannabis (up to
30g/1oz) has been ignored by the police, and sales have been tolerated to a
selection of coffeeshops, where over-the-counter sales of cannabis are
technically limited to 5g (under one-fifth of an ounce) per purchase. Outside of
the coffeeshops, it’s acceptable to smoke in some bars, but many are strongly
against it so don’t make any automatic assumptions. "Space cakes" (cakes baked
with hashish and sold by the slice), although widely available, count as hard
drugs and are illegal. And a word of warning: since all kinds of cannabis are so
widely available in coffeeshops, there’s no need to buy any on the street – if you
do, you’re asking for trouble. Needless to say, the one thing you shouldn’t
attempt to do is take cannabis out of the country – a surprising number of people
think (or claim to think) that if it’s bought in Amsterdam it can be taken back
home legally. Customs officials and drug enforcement officers never believe this
story.
Directory
Gay and lesbian Amsterdam

Gay & Lesbian Switchboard; tel 020/623 6565, www.switchboard.nl (daily 2–
10pm). For reviews of gay venues in the city, see the listings sections of each
chapter.
Consulates
UK, Koningslaan 44, tel 020/676 4343; USA, Museumplein 19, tel 020/575
5309.
Doctors/dentists
Your hotel or the VVV should be able to provide the address of an English-
speaking doctor or dentist if you need one.
Electricity
220v AC – effectively the same as British, although with round two- (or
occasionally three-) pin plugs. British equipment will need either an adaptor or a
new plug; American requires both a transformer and a new plug.
Emergencies
Police, fire service and ambulance; tel 112
Football
Ajax Amsterdam ArenA stadium,; tel 020/311 1444, www.ajax.nl, metro
Bijlmer; Feyenoord Rotterdam Olympiaweg 50, Rotterdam; tel 010/292 3888,
www.feyenoord.nl.
Left luggage
Centraal Station (daily 7am–11pm). Small coin-operated lockers cost €3.50, the
larger ones €5.50 per 24 hours; left luggage costs €8 per item.
Mosquitoes
These thrive in Holland’s watery environment and are at their worst, as you
would expect, near any stagnant or slow-moving stretch of water. Muggenmelk,
with DEET, is very powerful: a little smear will keep them well away for a good
night’s sleep. Other popular brands include the Autan range. For more sensitive
skins, Prrrikweg contains pungent citronella oil. After the event, an
antihistamine cream such as Phenergan helps. All these and more are available
all over Amsterdam.
Pharmacies
You’ll need an apotheek (usually Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, but may be closed Mon
mornings) for minor ailments or to get a prescription filled. A complete list –
with many opening hours – can be found in the city’s yellow pages under
"Apotheken". Most of the better hotels will be able to assist too.
Police
Headquarters are at Elandsgracht 117 (tel 559 9111).
Tipping
There’s no necessity to tip, but a ten-to fifteen-percent tip is expected by taxi
drivers and anticipated by many restaurant waiters.
Yellow pages
The city’s yellow pages are online at www.goudengids.nl.
Language
Dutch
It’s unlikely that you’ll need to speak anything other than English while you’re
in Amsterdam; the Dutch have a seemingly natural talent for languages, and
your attempts at speaking theirs may be met with some bewilderment – though
this can have as much to do with your pronunciation (Dutch is very difficult to
get right) as their surprise that you’re making an effort. Outside Amsterdam,
people aren’t quite as cosmopolitan, but even so the following Dutch words and
phrases should be the most you’ll need to get by. We’ve also included a basic
food and drink glossary, though menus are nearly always multilingual, and
where they aren’t, ask and one will almost invariably appear.
Pronunciation
Dutch is pronounced much the same as English. However, there are a few Dutch
sounds that don’t exist in English, which can be difficult to pronounce without
practice.
v like the English f in far

w like the v in vat
j like the initial sound of yellow
ch and g are considerably harder than in English, enunciated much further back
in the throat
ng is as in bring
nj as in onion
a is like the English apple
aa like cart
e like let
ee like late
o as in pop
oo in pope
u is like the French tuif preceded by a consonant; it’s like wood if followed by a
consonant
uu the French tu
au and ou like how
ei and ij as in fine
oe as in soon
eu is like the diphthong in the French leur
ui is the hardest Dutch diphthong of all, pronounced like howbut much further
forward in the mouth, with lips pursed (as if to say "oo")
Words and phrases

Basics and greetings
English Dutch
yes ja
no nee
Please alstublieft
(no) thank you (nee) dank u or bedankt
hello hallo or dag
good morning goedemorgen
good afternoon goedemiddag
good evening goedenavond
goodbye tot ziens
see you later tot straks
do you speak English? spreekt u Engels?
I don’t understand Ik begrijp het niet
women/men vrouwen/mannen
children kinderen
push/pull duwen/trekken
Getting around
how do I get to… ? hoe kom ik in… ?
where is… ? waar is… ?
how far is it to… ? hoe ver is het naar… ?
when? wanneer?
far/near ver/dichtbij
left/right links/rechts
straight ahead rechtuit gaan
here/there hier/daar
Ordering, shopping and money

I want… Ik wil…
I don’t want… Ik wil niet… (+verb)
Ik wil geen…(+noun)
how much is… ? wat kost… ?
post office postkantoor
stamp(s) postzegel(s)
money exchange geldwisselkantoor
cash desk kassa
good/bad goed/slecht
big/small groot/klein
new/old nieuw/oud
cheap/expensive goedkoop/duur
hot/cold heet or warm/koud
with/without met/zonder
Days of the week

Monday Maandag
Tuesday Dinsdag
Wednesday Woensdag
Thursday Donderdag
Friday Vrijdag
Saturday Zaterdag
Sunday Zondag
yesterday gisteren
today vandaag
tomorrow morgen
tomorrow morning morgenochtend
year jaar
month maand
week week
day dag
Numbers
0 nul
1 een
2 twee
3 drie
4 vier
5 vijf
6 zes
7 zeven
8 acht
9 negen
10 tien
11 elf
12 twaalf
13 dertien
14 veertien
15 vijftien
16 zestien
17 zeventien
18 achttien
19 negentien
20 twintig
21 een en twintig
22 twee en twintig
30 dertig
40 veertig
50 vijftig
60 zestig
70 zeventig
80 tachtig
90 negentig
100 honderd
101 honderd een
200 twee honderd
201 twee honderd een
500 vijf honderd
1000 duizend
Food and drink terms

Basics
Dutch English
boter butter
boterham/broodje sandwich/roll
brood bread
dranken drinks
eieren eggs
gerst barley
groenten vegetables
honing honey
hoofdgerechten main courses
kaas cheese
koud cold
nagerechten desserts
peper pepper
pindakaas peanut butter
sla/salade salad
smeerkaas cheese spread
stokbrood French bread
suiker sugar
vis fish
vlees meat
voorgerechten starters/hors d’oeuvres
vruchten fruit
warm hot
zout salt
Snacks
erwtensoep/snert thick pea soup with bacon or sausage
huzarensalade potato salad with pickles
Kkoffietafel a light midday meal of cold meats, cheese,
bread and perhaps soup
patates/frites chips/French fries
soep soup
uitsmijter ham or cheese with eggs on bread
Meat and poultry

biefstuk (hollandse) steak
biefstuk (duitse) hamburger
eend duck
fricandeau roast pork
fricandel frankfurter-like sausage
gehakt minced meat
ham ham
kalfsvlees veal
kalkoen turkey
karbonade chop
kip chicken
kroket spiced veal or beef in hash, coated in
breadcrumbs
lamsvlees lamb
lever liver
rookvlees smoked beef
spek bacon
worst sausages
Fish
forel trout
garnalen prawns
haring herring
haringsalade herring salad
kabeljauw cod
makreel mackerel
mosselen mussels
oesters oysters
paling eel
schelvis haddock
schol plaice
tong sole
zalm salmon
Vegetables
aardappelen potatoes
bloemkool cauliflower
bonen beans
champignons mushrooms
erwten peas
hutspot mashed potatoes and carrots
knoflook garlic
komkommer cucumber
prei leek
rijst rice
sla salad, lettuce
stampot andijvie mashed potato and endive
stampot boerenkool mashed potato and cabbage
uien onions
wortelen carrots
zuurkool sauerkraut
Cooking terms
belegd filled or topped, as in belegde broodjes – bread
rolls topped with cheese, etc
doorbakken well-done
gebakken fried/baked
gebraden roasted
gegrild grilled
gekookt boiled
geraspt grated
gerookt smoked
gestoofd stewed
half doorbakken medium-done
hollandse saus hollandaise (a milk and egg sauce)
rood rare
Indonesian dishes and terms

ajam chicken
bami noodles with meat/chicken and vegetables
daging beef
gado gado vegetables in peanut sauce
goreng fried
ikan fish
katjang peanut
kroepoek prawn crackers
loempia spring rolls
nasi rice
nasi goreng fried rice with meat/chicken and vegetables
nasi rames rijsttafel on a single plate
pedis hot and spicy
pisang banana
rijsttafel collection of different spicy dishes served with
plain rice
sambal hot, chilli-based sauce
satesaus peanut sauce to accompany meat grilled on
skewers
seroendeng spicy shredded and fried coconut
tauge bean sprouts
Sweets and desserts

appelgebak apple tart or cake
drop Dutch liquorice, available in zoet (sweet) or
zout (salted) varieties – the latter an acquired
taste
gebak pastry
IJs ice cream
koekjes biscuits
oliebollen doughnuts
pannekoeken pancakes
pepernoten Dutch ginger nuts
poffertjes small pancakes, fritters
(slag)room (whipped) cream
speculaas spice and honey-flavoured biscuit
stroopwafels waffles
taai-taai Dutch honey cake
vla custard
Fruits and nuts

aardbei strawberry
amandel almond
appel apple
appelmoes apple purée
citroen lemon
druiven grape
framboos raspberry
hazelnoot hazelnut
kers cherry
kokosnoot coconut
peer pear
perzik peach
pinda peanut
pruim plum/prune
Drinks
bessenjenever blackcurrant gin
citroenjenever lemon gin
droog dry
frisdranken soft drinks
jenever Dutch gin
karnemelk buttermilk
koffie coffee
koffie verkeerd coffee with warm milk
kopstoot beer with a jenever chaser
melk milk
met ijs with ice
met slagroom with whipped cream
pils Dutch beer
proost! cheers!
sinaasappelsap orange juice
thee tea
tomatensap tomato juice
vruchtensap fruit juice
wijn wine
(wit/rood/rosé) (white/red/rosé)
vieux Dutch brandy
zoet sweet
Small print
Rough Guide Credits
Help us update
The authors
Acknowledgements
Amsterdam DIRECTIONS is published by Rough Guides. The first Rough

Guide to Greece, published in 1982, was a student scheme that became a
publishing phenomenon. The immediate success of the book – with numerous
reprints and a Thomas Cook prize shortlisting – spawned a series that rapidly
covered dozens of destinations. Rough Guides had a ready market among low-
budget backpackers, but soon also acquired a much broader and older readership
that relished Rough Guides’ wit and inquisitiveness as much as their
enthusiastic, critical approach. Everyone wants value for money, but not at any
price. Rough Guides soon began supplementing the "rougher" information about
hostels and low-budget listings with the kind of detail on restaurants and quality
hotels that independent-minded visitors on any budget might expect, whether on
business in New York or trekking in Thailand. These days the guides offer
recommendations from shoestring to luxury and they cover a large number of
destinations around the globe, including almost every country in the Americas
and Europe, more than half of Africa and most of Asia and Australasia. Rough
Guides now publish:
Travel guides to more than 200 worldwide destinations

Dictionary phrasebooks to 22 major languages
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Visit www.roughguides.com to see our latest publications.

Rough Guide credits
Text editor: Helena Smith

Layout: Dan May
Photography: Neil Setchfield
Cartography: Miles Irving
Picture editor: Jj Luck
Proofreader: Jan Wiltshire
Production: Julia Bovis
Design: Henry Iles
Cover art direction: Louise Boulton
Help us update
We’ve gone to a lot of effort to ensure that the first edition of Amsterdam
DIRECTIONS is accurate and up-to-date. However, things change – places get
"discovered", opening hours are notoriously fickle, restaurants and rooms raise
prices or lower standards. If you feel we’ve got it wrong or left something out,
we’d like to know, and if you can remember the address, the price, the phone
number, so much the better.
We’ll credit all contributions, and send a copy of the next edition (or any other
DIRECTIONS guide or Rough Guide if you prefer) for the best letters. Everyone
who writes to us and isn't already a subscriber will receive a copy of our full-
colour thrice-yearly newsletter. Please mark letters: " Amsterdam
DIRECTIONS Update" and send to: Rough Guides, 80 Strand, London WC2R
0RL, or Rough Guides, 4th Floor, 345 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014. Or
send an email to mail@roughguides.com Have your questions answered and
tell others about your trip at www.roughguides.atinfopop.com
The authors
Martin Dunford is one of the founders of the Rough Guide series and
nowadays works as its Publishing Director, responsible for all Rough Guides
travel publishing. In addition to Amsterdam, he has authored Rough Guides to
The Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg, Brussels, Rome, Italy and New York.
Phil Lee has freelanced for Rough Guides for well over ten years. The other
titles he has written for Rough Guides include Mallorca and Menorca, England,
Norway, the Netherlands and Canada. He lives in Nottingham, where he was
born and raised.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Karoline Densley for her tireless efforts to get
everything right and Malijn Maat for her help and advice.

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Amsterdam

written and researched by

This is as easy and engaging a capital city as you’ll find – a compact,

Western Canals and the Jordaan

Van Gogh Museum

Frans Hals Museum

Van Gogh Museum

For those on a tight budget, Amsterdam’s array of places offering dormitory

Stay Okay Vondelpark

Flying Pig Palace

Perhaps because it is laced by canals, Amsterdam isn’t an especially green city,

Clubbing in Amsterdam is not the exclusive, style-conscious business it is in

Most of Amsterdam's festivals aren't so much street happenings as music and

Variety is the essence of Amsterdam shopping. The city doesn’t score

Born in Leiden in 1606, Rembrandt is widely regarded as the greatest artist of

The Night Watch

The Jewish Bride

Het Land van Walem

Amsterdam's architecture is not of the huge, monumental variety. Long a

Felix Meritis Building

Beurs van Berlage

Amsterdam’s skyline is punctured by the spires of its numerous churches.

Frites with sauce

When it comes to clothes, Amsterdam is in many ways an ideal place to shop:

Amsterdam’s tearooms roughly correspond to the usual concept of a café –

Accommodation in Amsterdam can be a major expense, but the city’s

Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum

Amsterdams Historisch Museum

Museum Van Loon

There’s no shortage of classical music concerts in Amsterdam, with two major

Amsterdam’s most vivacious district, the Old Centre is an oval-shaped affair

The Beurs van Berlage

The Koninklijk Paleis

The Nieuwe Kerk

The RedLight District

Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum

Oudemanhuispoort and around

Rokin and Kalverstraat

Allard Pierson Museum

Heiligeweg and Spui

Amsterdams Historisch Museum

Condomerie Het Gulden Vlies

Cafés and tearooms

Clubs and venues

Dansen bij Jansen

The Bijbels Museum

The American Hotel

Leidsestraat to Metz & Co

The Museum WilletHolthuysen

The Amstel and the Magere Brug

The Amstel Sluizen

The Amstelveld, Amstelkerk and Reguliersgracht

Museum Van Loon

The Munttoren and Bloemenmarkt

When Nature Calls

Cafés and tearooms

Het Land van Walem

Clubs and venues

Melkweg (Milky Way)