Holland: Amsterdam: Overview

Why go?

Amsterdam is one of those rare places that put you instantly at ease. It is a city drawn carefully to human scale, with neat 17th-century canal houses and an elegant ring of concentric waterways. Known for its liberal attitude to soft drugs and its showpiece Red Light District, Amsterdam is nevertheless a grown up sort of place. The average local is surprisingly straight-laced, the streets are litter-free and (with most people riding around on old-fashioned bicycles) there is a welcome lack of car fumes. Those who settle in Amsterdam tend to stay put, seduced by the maturity of the place, the extraordinary concentration of museums and galleries, and the beauty of the canals (there are more here than in Venice).

As a visitor, you could hardly find a more welcoming place. Dammers (as locals are known) seem not to know the meaning of the word parochial. Which means nowhere is beyond tourist limits; stray into a neighbourhood bar and you can expect to be greeted in perfect English, or left quietly to your own devices.

Like any great European city, Amsterdam is packed with fine restaurants, bars, cafés and shopping opportunities. It's an outdoor city too, with plenty of parks and mile upon mile of pretty canals. And it has some eclectic places to stay.

Any Downsides?

Spend any time in Amsterdam and you get the sense that the standard of living here is virtually unsurpassed. Which is nice. But it will cost you as a visitor: Amsterdam is expensive. Then again, so is every other major European city.

One other thing – Dutch food. There's nothing wrong with it per se; it's hearty, homely and filling. In fact, it's not dissimilar to British food. Wherein lies the problem: indigenous Dutch cuisine doesn't have much of a reputation. Still, there are plenty of fine restaurants and cafés to choose from.

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Amsterdam

Activities

*Sightseeing:
Despite its compact size, Amsterdam doesn't skimp on museums and galleries. Museumplein provides the densest concentration: the huge Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Concertgebouw and Stedelijk Museum. Also look out for the Anne Frank House, NEMO, the Sex Museum, and the Heineken Brewery Museum.

*Outdoor Amsterdam:
No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a canal tour, which is a great way to get a feel for the city. You can also hire pedalos on the canals. Back on terra firma, why not do as the Dammers do, and hire a bike to get about town; there is a comprehensive network of cycle lanes. The biggest outdoor space is Vondelpark, which has an outdoor theatre, ponds, children's play areas and a resident flock of parrots. Other outdoor highlights include the courtyard havens known as hofjes.

*Shopping:
Amsterdam is the centre of a flourishing art trade. Which means that there are hundreds of commercial galleries dotted about town. Amsterdam is also full of little markets, antiques shops, design stores and eccentric little boutiques.

*Nightlife:
Amsterdam's nightlife centres on its 'cafés', a term which covers a broad range of establishments, from traditional 'brown bars' and grand cafés to modern designer bars and 'coffeeshops' (which serve marijuana). There are plenty of clubs too – some in the city centre itself, others in renovated warehouses in the docklands area, and (in summer) one on the beach at nearby Zandvoort.

*Food & Drink:
Though traditional Dutch cuisine doesn't have much of a reputation, there are plenty of young and upcoming chefs giving the national cuisine a better name by fusing it with other elements of European and Asian cuisine. The Dutch colonial influence means that Indonesian cooking is prevalent, and there is plenty of Indian, Turkish and Surinamese food on the go too. The cafés are great places to eat, particularly at lunchtime. Dutch lagers and beers include Heineken, Grolsch, Amstel, Orangeboom, and Hoegaarden.

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