Located in the northwest of the country Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ cosmopolitan capital. With its awe inspiring 17th century architecture, fantastic canals and bridges and a chequered history, it is well worth lingering in for a long weekend or maybe even an extended holiday. So laid back it’s almost horizontal, the city boasts more bicycles and trams per square kilometre than cars. high spots of any visit to the Dam include the art treasures of the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Rijks Museum; Anne Frank’s House and concerts by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. We take a closer look at seven of the highlights of Amsterdam.
1. Take a trip around Anne Frank’s house
The museum, which can be found on the Prinsengracht canal, vividly brings to life a story that many of us first became familiar with as teenagers. You will be able to visit the annex where the Frank family remained hidden for more than two years, along with four others, before they were finally betrayed and deported. And as you walk through the hidden doorway, climb those steep stairs and walk through the tiny rooms, you get a terrible sense of the fear and oppression that those families endured. Powerful interviews, exhibits (including her original diary) and a well-stocked gift shop/bookstore bring the family’s whole experience vividly to life.
Entry charges: Adults: €7.50; ages 10-17: €3.50; under 10: free
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; from April 1 to September 1, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Prinsengracht 263
Tel. +31 (0)20-556-7100
For more details visit www.annefrank.nl/ned/default2.html
2. Sample traditional Dutch pancakes
Family members, anyone currently in the middle of studying and well, anybody who enjoys their food basically (but at bargain prices) really ought to make a point of sampling some delicious Dutch pancakes.
Pannekoeken, like French crepes, are thought to have been adopted here during the Napoleonic occupation and were largely regarded then as a way of making the most of any leftovers. In order to taste some of the finest pancakes in the city, you should take a trip to the Pancake Bakery, to be found in a 17th century warehouse just minutes from Anne Frank’s House. You won’t want to miss the savoury offerings like salami, cheese and green pepper pancakes, or sweet versions with extra sinful ingredients like apples, cinnamon ice cream, cinnamon liqueur and whipped cream. The children's versions like McDonalds also come complete with a toy. Plus, with the most expensive pancakes costing just €10, you’ll leave not only with a stuffed belly but also with a stuffed wallet.
Pancake Bakery
Prinsengracht 191
Tel. +31 (0)20-625-1333
For more details visit www.pancake.nl/
3. Stay in a charming converted canal house
One of the best ways to get a good night’s sleep in Amsterdam is at a converted canal house. You’ll be in the middle of town, situated on one of the city’s famed waterways, in surroundings considerably more charming than some of Amsterdam’s more box-like, purpose-built hotels.
Try the Pulitzer Hotel, a series of 25 linked canal houses that date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Prinsengracht canal side of the hotel offers some snug but extremely luxurious rooms featuring wooden floors, and some exposed brick walls dating back from when the buildings were once used as warehouses. In the rooms overlooking the posh Keizersgracht canal, expect much, much higher ceilings, fitted carpets and much more roomy accommodation. On the ground floor, art lines the walls and, when the airy courtyard gardens aren’t beckoning you outside for morning coffee or an afternoon drink, the clubby Pulitzer's Bar which is usually packed with after-work drinkers offers stronger stuff but in a rarefied atmosphere.
Pulitzer Hotel
Prinsengracht 315-331
Tel: +31 (0)20-523-5235
For more details visit www.starwood.com
4. Take a canal boat ride
It may sound like the ultimate in "touristy" activities but simply indulging in a ride on Amsterdam’s canal system just has to be the perfect way to view the striking houses that line the canal’s edges. It also offers you the perfect opportunity to peek into many of the moored houseboats. Or why not try an after-dark cocktail cruise on the Pulitzer Hotel boat? The lights of the city sparkle on the water and an eerie evening hush hangs over the canals. Days and evenings during summer the Canal Bus cruises Amsterdam’s waterways and a day pass allows you to jump on and off, as it stops at a variety of museums and attractions around the town. Jazz and dinner cruises are also available.
Canal Bus
Weteringschans 26 1 hg
Tel.: (+31) (0)20 623 98 86
For more details visit www.canal.nl, info@canal.nl
5. Try Genever, the national liqueur of the Netherlands
No one in Amsterdam it seems sniggers at, or thinks there is something odd, about the name of the Genever distillery Wynand Fockink. Fockink just simply doesn’t mean anything in Dutch. The city’s inhabitants are just so enamoured of the flavoured spirits that this little shop turns out, they just don’t want to jeopardise their supply. Whatever the reason you shouldn’t miss a taste of Genever. This is a full-flavoured type of gin made from barley, rye and corn, and the facility (founded in 1693) uses traditional processes and gorgeous old stills in order to produce it. Genever is traditionally given following a child’s birth. And remarkably it is available in blue for a boy or pink for a girl.
Distilleerderij Janssens
Pijlsteeg 33 + 44
Tel: +33 (0)20-622-5334
For more details visit www.distil-janssens.nl/, info@distil-janssens.nl
6. Rent yourself a bicycle
As everyone knows bicycles are the transport of choice for the majority of people living in Amsterdam. So why not become a native for the day by renting yourself some wheels and pedalling your way around without the hassle of parking or taxi fares. Route maps are available from the Amsterdam Tourist Board or, for a more formal guided tour, book a trip with Yellow Bike. Always use a lock though to ensure that your bike is still waiting for you exactly where you left it.
Yellow Bike
Nieuwezijds Kolk 29
Tel: +31 (0)20-620-6940
7. Don’t miss the hottest dance company in the Netherlands
Leave that old fashioned image of Old Masters and cobbled streets far, far behind and instead take the train to the capital of the Netherlands, The Hague. Here, the modern dance company Nederlands Dans Theatre (NDT) performs innovative choreography and works that the critics have dubbed "fiercely visceral" and "simultaneously daft and brilliant". NDT actually has three companies: the main one, NDT2 for younger dancers who are aged 17 to 22, and one for age 40-plus dancers. Catch any one of them to see their wonderfully challenging and provocative work.
Nederlands Dans Theater
Schedeldoekshaven 60
2511 EN
The Hague
Tel: +31 (0)70-880-0100