Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Amsterdam's Famous Skinny Bridge

With a serene canal system that dates to the Middle Ages and a radically permissive set of laws, Amsterdam is a study in contrasts. It’s where Europe comes to party, but at the same time it’s suited to a quiet and contemplative walk along meandering waterways flanked by tall, gabled row houses. A heady nightlife and some of the world’s most celebrated museums by day make it one of Europe’s most popular short-distance destinations. Add to that the Dutch’s uncanny gift with language—the average citizen speaks nearly unaccented English, and possibly French and German to boot—making Amsterdam a natural destination for business or pleasure travel.

High season is during the summer (July and August), with another popular period during the tulip season (April and May). The city’s touristy areas are compact enough to make a car unnecessary—the city can be viewed via foot, bike, trams or canal cruise. Where to stay is a matter of taste. Some prefer the hubbub of the Centraal Station area and its nearby festive-yet-seedy Red Light District. Others opt for the many large 17th century luxury hotels leftover from the Dutch Golden Age, while others prefer the intimate scale of a B&B overlooking the Canal Ring.

Getting There

Centraal Station

Visitors are most likely to arrive at Centraal Station, the city's primary transportation hub and a train station that was built in the late 19th century on three artificial islands made of wood pilings. Even if you arrive by plane, the best way into town from Schiphol Airport is to take advantage of the inexpensive 20-minute train trip to Centraal Station. As you exit the station, you walk directly into what was medieval Amsterdam.

This central zone is surrounded by a series of concentric half-circles known as the Canal Ring. Just beyond the Canal Ring is the Museum Quarter, home to some of the Netherlands’ most significant national galleries. For visitors, most of the attractions are located near enough to make walking or biking a viable way to explore. Above-ground trams are available for the longest distances. Note that the trams are extremely quiet, so be careful when crossing streets—getting hit by one is not an unlikely occurrence.

DAY 1

Canal Cruise

Amsterdam, often called the “Venice of the North,” is best viewed from the water. By daytime the canals are charming and by night they become even more enchanting, as many canal houses and bridges are beautifully illuminated. The four main canals in the canal belt are Prinsengracht (Princes' Canal), Herengracht (Gentlemen's Canal), Keizersgracht (Emperor's Canal) and Singel. Familiarize yourself by cruising the canals with Canal Company’s Canal Cruise through Europe’s largest historic city center, with nearly 7,000 monuments dating from the 15th through 19th centuries. Canal Cruise makes fourteen stops and you can hop off and hop back on all day long, so you can even break up your cruise time.

Diamond Cutting

Next stop, add a little dazzle to your travel wardrobe by visiting one of the factories of the Amsterdam Diamond Group, a combination of the three largest and most important diamond-polishing factories in Amsterdam. The industry of cutting diamonds, which originated in India, has been split for centuries between Antwerp, Belgium, and Amsterdam, which at one time had 70 diamond-cutting establishments. At this factory you’ll see how diamonds are polished with a free guided tour (which includes a complimentary drink), but you can also shop for sparkly gifts.

After all that bling, it’s time for lunch, and let’s make it a cheap one. The two best street foods, available pretty much everywhere, are herring and frites (fries). Raw herring is served with onions and gherkins either on a plate or in a small roll, while frites are presented in paper cones and come with choice of sauce (mayo is the top choice, and there’s also a Dutch-style peanut sauce). But there’s another cheapie at which the Dutch excel: food out of the wall. FEBO (look for the big yellow signs) is the much-celebrated automat of the Netherlands, with things like potato kroketten or little broodje sandwiches revealed behind tantalizing glass doors. All you do is throw money in a slot and the hot food is yours. FEBO has outlets on the Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein or Dam Square.

Red Light District

Once re-fueled, take a short walk to Nieuwmarkt, a large open square. At this point, you'll be in the center of a very interesting zone (Just to the west is the Red Light District). The square’s main building is the Waag (1480), the only remaining medieval gatehouse in Amsterdam (much of the city was destroyed during a series of great fires). The old weighing house is also home to a beautiful restaurant, In de Waag, complete with a sprawling outdoor terrace perfect for a mid-afternoon pils (the local lager-like beer) or coffee.

Just west of Nieuwmarkt, you will happen upon the Oude Kerk (old church), which dates back to the 13th century. The church is a serene escape right in the middle of the hectic Red Light District. The current structure was built in the 14th century, but many changes have been made during the past several hundred years. Stop in to view the gilded ceiling, brocaded pillars, restored stained-glass windows and the Great Organ (1724).

Begijnhof

Maneuver your way about ten blocks southeast to the Begijnhof, an extremely calm courtyard of buildings that was originally built to house a lay Catholic sisterhood who lived like nuns. The courtyard has two arched entrances located on Spui and Gedempte Begijnensloot. The city's oldest house, Het Houten Huis (1420), is located at number 34. This is one of only two houses with wooden façades that are still standing in the city.
When you leave the Begijnhof, you will be in the center of the city, a good place for some leisurely shopping. Popular items to shop for include tulip bulbs, lace, Gouda cheese (properly pronounced gow-da), speculaas (spicy biscuits usually served with coffee), jenever (oily Dutch gin) and blue-and-white Delft porcelain.

The Grand

Because of former Dutch colonial ties, Indonesian food is extremely popular in the Netherlands, achieving its acme at the “Indonesian rice table” (rijsttafel) restaurants in Amsterdam. Tempo Doeloe is often described as one of the two best Indonesian restaurants in Europe, with a lovely, tiny dining room, to which you gain entry by ringing a bell. Think you can handle the heat of incendiary chilies? Try the grilled skewers of goat with hot soy or maybe the steamed mackerel in a hot chili pepper sauce—you win a kewpie doll if you don’t break a sweat (don’t worry, the Indonesian beers are mighty quenching). The restaurant offers an array of fixed-price menus of traditional dishes from Java, Bali and Sumatra as well as rijsttafelen (rice tables), with up to 25 little dishes of curries, pickles and veggies to ladle over fragrant white rice. Reservations are a must.

In this city of excess, end the evening by checking yourself into a convent. Well, The Grand was a convent in the 15th century, then a royal inn in the 16th century, headquarters of the Dutch admiralty in Holland's Golden Age, then Town Hall and in 1966 the setting for the wedding of the then-future Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. The Grand is uniquely bordered front and back by two canals and has been magnificently restored with all the latest deluxe hotel amenities in 131 guest rooms and 35 suites.

Continue to Day 2

* Photos by The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions