AMSTERDAM ~ CITY OF FREEDOM, CANALS, MANY CULTURES AND TOO MANY CYCLISTS

April 2019

Well hello there …

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, a city with a lot of canals, bridges, houseboats, flowers, interesting museums, cozy neighborhoods, beautiful parks, windmills, many bikes, coffee shops and the Red Light District. City of Anne Frank, Rembrandt and Johan Cruyff.

Since the 2 daughters have been asking to visit the “Anne-Frank” House for a while, we decided to plan a city break during the Easter Holiday. In 2011, I also visited Amsterdam, to celebrate my 30th Birthday with 2 of my best friends.

Practical Wisdom

Amsterdam is a city with a free spirit. Divided into 7 city parts, all with their own character and charm. We focused ourselves on the 5 most touristic area’s: North, Centre, East,West and the Pipe.

• North: Once neglected, even by native Amsterdammers, these days the North side is considered as one of the hippest neighbourhoods. Directly across the water (known as ‘the IJ’). Hot and trendy, with an industrial feel. Dining in elegant restaurants, hanging out in trendy cafés, passing by the nicest vintage stores, soaking up the sun on the city beaches, chilling at cultural festivals … all part of the daily life of this fascinating city part.

• Centre: Home to the historic canal ring, renowned museums like the “Anne Frank House”, the Jordaan; the best shopping streets (like the Kalverstraat, Nieuwendijk, Nine Streets, Haarlemmerstraat, Haarlemmerdijk and Utrechtsestraat), and lots of bars and restaurants.

• East: Upcoming, the place to be for hipsters, with plenty of new pop-up and concept stores, trendy bars and restaurants, and a multi-cultural feeling.

• West: One of the most diverse neighborhoods in town, loved by foodies with its inspiring food hall and eatery’s at almost every streetcorner.

• The Pipe: One of the older neighborhoods of Amsterdam, loved by hipsters, students and creatives thanks to the trendy boutiques (no place for chain stores here), and the many organic cafes. It’s one of the most cosmopolitan and vibrant districts of Amsterdam, you can feel the bohemian flair, it’s often called the “Quartier Latin” of Amsterdam.  

 Facts & Figures (updated April 2019):

• 168 different nationalities

• 40 parks

• 10 canals on the UNESCO World heritage List

• 53 museums

• 1515 bars and cafés

• 1325 restaurants

• 847 000 bicycles (estimated)

• +/- 100.000 kg of soft drugs are sold per year

Useful links:
https://www.iamsterdam.com/en
https://www.yourlittleblackbook.me/en/

The tourist hotspots

• Museums
  Amsterdam houses a huge amount of museums. The most famous ones are: the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, the NEMO Science museum, Madame Tussaud, Foam Photography Museum, etc …
  
  When I turned 30, I visited Madame Tussauds.
  
  During this stay, the Anne Frank House was on the agenda. If you want to visit the Anne Frank Museum, you always need to book your tickets in advance, online. The tickets have a time slot of 30 minutes. Please note that 80% of the tickets are released exactly two months in advance at noon, and 20% on the day itself. So if your dates are not flexible and you want to be sure of a ticket, I would recommend you to book them exactly 2 months in advance. Even with a limited number of visitors per day, you still have to cope with the crowds. We booked a museum visit with an introductory program of 30 minutes. We paid €15 per adult and € 10 for the youngsters. Without introduction, you pay € 5 less. I thought the visit was definitely worth it. It helps to visualize a bit of history, it makes it more tangible, and I am sure it left a lasting impression on the children as well. Please note that you’re not allowed making pictures.

If we had more time, I would have visited the Van Gogh or the Rijksmuseum as well. Maybe next time …

• Vondelpark
  Amsterdam's most popular park, attracting thousands of tourists and residents, enjoying a sunny day, dog-walking, jogging, roller-skating, cycling, listening to music, watching people, or just lying in the grass. The park is centrally located, close to the museum square.

• Canals
  Amsterdam was originally founded in the 12th century as a fishing village. The village derived its name from the Amstel River and the dam that was built in 1220 to avoid the floods from the ZuiderZee (South Sea) entering the inlands. Over time “Amstelredamme” evolved into Amsterdam. In 2010 the World Heritage Committee decided to submit the 17th century canal ring area in Amsterdam to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Many stories are hidden behind these unique waterworks and the houses that stand beside them. There are 165 Amsterdam canals with a total lenght of over 100 kilometers, hosting 2500 houseboats.

There are many different shipping companies that offer canal cruises. Which company you have to choose, depends a bit on your personal wishes. Are you looking for a standard tour, a diner cruise, a cocktail cruise, a private boat, and open or covered boat, etc …  We have opted for “Lovers Canal Cruises”, it was a standard canal cruise with audio guide. We paid € 44 for 2 adults and 2 teenagers. The border point is just behind the station. Other well-known shipping companies are Amsterdam Circle Line, Blue Boat, Stromma, etc … If you have a special occasion to celebrate, you can hire an elegant salon boat of the Aemstelland Boat Company, with private captain and guide.

• Red Light District
  “The Wallen”, also known as the “rosse buurt” to Amsterdammers and the “Red Light District” to visitors is actually the oldest part of Amsterdam. There are plenty of sex shops, peep shows, brothels, an elaborate condom shop, a sex museum and prostitutes in red-lit windows. The area is bustling with visitors and groups of tourists. It is best to travel in a pair or in a group, as the area also attracts some seedier characters. We decided not to visit this part of the city as we travelled with our 2 teenage daughters. If you do visit, please note that it’s forbidden to take photos of the women. Although there is 24-hour video surveillance in most parts of the district, be aware of pickpockets.

• Damrak (Gingerbread houses)
  One of the most popular positions for a canal house shot is the Damrak. This could be because it is one of the first canal views that you get when you are walking from the Central Station toward Dam Square. Here, the colourful gingerbread houses appear as if they are miraculously floating atop the glassy water. It’s probably one of the most iconic views of Amsterdam.

• Magere Brug
  Amsterdam has three times as many bridges than Venice. Of the 1281 bridges in Amsterdam, the Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge) is the most famous one. Approximately every 20 minutes, this bridge opens to let boats pass through.

• Hortus Botanicus
  Originally founded in 1638 to serve as herb garden for the city’s doctors and pharmacists, it’s one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. A tranquil haven from the hustle and bustle of the city. No less than 4,000 species of plants from all over the world grow in the garden and greenhouses. This place is also very Instagrammable, with a whole range of cacti and palm trees. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• ARTIS Royal Zoo
  Was the first zoo to be established in the Netherlands, and it’s located right in the centre of Amsterdam. Besides all the animals that you can admire there’s much more to do! In summertime they organise ZOOmeravonden. That means you can have a pick-nick in the park at night while you listen to life music. Next to Artis you’ll find Micropia. Here you can see all the little insects that are normally invisible for the human eye. They are open daily. Popular with children is their program: “zoo keeper for the day”.

• The Johan Cruijff Arena (AFC Ajax)
  Always wanted to visit the Johan Cruijff Arena, the home of AFC Ajax? They also offer a VIP arrangement of 2 hours, with a unique look behind the scenes. You visit the boardroom, the changing rooms, the tunnel for the players and end with a drink in the skybox … and you receive an original J.C scarf to take home with you.

• Amsterdam Forest
  If you’ve got some extra time to spent, rent a bike, bring a picnic and ride to the “Amsterdam Forest”. A magnificent place to walk, cycle, to rent a canoe or a water bike. There is a goat farm and lots of sports fields. During springtime you can admire the blossoms of the 400 cherry trees. During summer popular theatre shows are offered at the grand amphitheater.

Would you like a table?

Amsterdam is offering a culinary melting pot, from Indonesian to tapas, and from Mediterranean to modern Dutch. It’s impossible to walk for more 5 minutes in the city without stumbling across a cozy café or specialty bar. Be honest , watching the world go by from the comfort of a canal side terrace bar is one of the most pleasurable ways to spend a sunny afternoon.

Don’t leave home before trying following local delicacies:

• “Kroket or Bitterbal”: a crispy meat-filled fried snack, delicious with mustard. Krokets are very easy to find in Amsterdam and are almost always on offer inside  FEBO – a fast-food chain that sells snacks via wall-spanning, coin-operated vending machines. Bitterbals are offered by almost every bar or restaurant in the Netherlands.

• “Speculaas”: Spiced cookies including nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. These aromatic spices are mixed together with butter, flour and sugar to make speculaas batter, and then cooked in a hot oven to give the cookies their distinctive, brittle texture.

• “Patatje oorlog”: Dutch-style French fries, topped with mayonnaise, raw onions and the pièce de résistance, spicy, peanut satay sauce.

• “Stroopwafels”: syrup-filled waffles, nothing beats the freshly-baked ones.

• “Herring”: This classic Dutch fish delicacy is raw and kind of smelly, but damn, does it taste good (especially with raw onions and pickles).

• “Drop”: Laced with a rather puzzling ingredient called salmiak that has a salty, almost umami flavor. The candies are often formed into fun, penny-sized shapes.

LUNCHSPOTS:

Tasted & Approved :

• Picqniq www.lunchcafepiqniq.nl
  A tiny little restaurant, located at the Lindengracht at the Jordaan. Pique means 'choose or pick something' while nique stands for 'a little something'. So PIQNIQ refers to a variety of small dishes of which you can choose from. You choose for 2, 3 or 4 items from the menu. You can only reserve during the week, not in the weekend, although it’s a bit remote it can be quite busy. Pretty understandable as the food was yummy and they are highly rated on Tripadvisor.

• The Avocado Show www.theavocadoshow.com
  The place for avocado fans, located at the Pijp. Every single avocado they use at the restaurant is grown ecofriendly. Delicious, nutritious, sweet, savory and of course, very Instagrammable dishes are served in this cool restaurant. We ordered the “Salamango” a poke bowl with salmon, mango, wakame, edamame, sushi rice and avocado off course. And also a “Truffle Treasure” toast with chicken, smashed avocado and truffle mayo. They don’t take reservations, so it’s first come, first served. They do write down your name at the entrance and send you a text message as soon as a table is available.

Other lunch hotspots:

• Libertine Comptoir de cuisine

• Libertine Cafe Café

• Vinnies

• Gartine

• Buffet van Odette

• Lavinia Good Food

• Hola Poke

• CT Coffee & Coconuts

COFFEE & CAKE

Tasted & Approved :

• Polaberry
  A combination of artistic presentation and great quality of fresh fruit and Belgian chocolate. The brand was founded in Amsterdam. Their product range includes chocolate covered strawberries and other fruit, chocolate bars and magnificent bouquets. Again very instagrammable… proven by the big number of Asian hipsters, puckering the lips, for a picture - perfect -selfie.

Other coffee & cake hotspots:

• De Drie Graefjes

• De Laatste Kruimel

• Winkel 43 (the best apple pie in town)

• Coffee Sometime

• Baksels

• Sticky Fingers

• Miss Louisa Coffee & Beignets

 DINERSPOTS :

Tasted & Approved :

• Canibale Royale du Nord  www.cannibaleroyale.nl/
  Into a juicy steak, tender spare ribs or an awesome burger ? Then this no-nonsense brasserie is the right choice for you. They have 4 locations in Amsterdam. We visited the one at Amsterdam North, as it was only a 2 minute walk from our hotel. The quality of the meat was very good, but I found the service rather poor. Things we ordered didn’t show-up, things we didn’t did, etc … The setting was nice although and matching the industrial feel of Amsterdam North. Me and my hubby had chosen the Australian bavette, the youngest a burger, the oldest the spareribs.

Other diner hotspots (too many good options, so just a shortlist of 15 restaurants):

• Scheepskameel

• Stork

• Hotel De Goudfazant

• Jakobsz

• De Kas

• Guts & Glory

• Bak

• Wilde Zwijnen

• Bistro Neuf

• Ron Gastrobar

• Choux

• Rijsel

• Restaurant C

• Vuurtoreneiland

• Gebroeders Hartering

Michelin * hotspots:

• Vermeeer

• Mos

• Le Restaurant

• Rijks

• Ciel Bleu

Good night, sleep tight!

We slept at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Amsterdam – NDSM Wharf.
A good option if you want to park your car at an affordable rate. We paid €15 to park the car for 2 days. It’s located at Amsterdam North, an upcoming neighborhood with plenty of nice diner options close by. And only a few footsteps away, you find the ferry’s departure point. A free boat transfer brings you within 12 minutes to the other side of the “IJ”. Drop-off point is the central station. The rooms offer a large window with nice views on the harbor. They are rather small but modern and cozy. Tip , ask for a room on the 7th floor, they have the best views. They have 8 floors, but as you can see on the picture below, the top floor is fenced, so you don’t have a clear view when looking through the window. The breakfast they serve, lived up to the expectations: fruits, cereals, yoghurts, different kind of breads, eggs, pancakes, juices, everything was at hand.

Other nice hotel options:

• Hotel Dwars 3*

• Generator Amsterdam 4* ( Hostel )

• Hotel IX Nine Streets ( Boutique )

• Canal House 4*

• Sir Adam 4*

• The Hoxton 4*

• Morgan & Mees 4*

• Zoku 4* ( Aparthotel )

• Pulitzer Amsterdam 5*

• Andaz Amsterdam 5*

I could give up shopping, but I am not a quitter.

Where to shop in Amsterdam:

• The Nine Streets
  Located in the heart of the city's historic canal district. With an exceptional array of styles, trends and prices, this area is truly a shopper’s paradise.

• The P.C. Hooftstraat
  Is Amsterdam’s most exclusive shopping street, featuring brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, DKNY, Mulberry, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and more within a few short blocks.

• Dam Square, the Kalverstraat and Leidestraat
  Dam Square is home to “De Bijenkorf “, one of Amsterdam's best-known department stores.The two main shopping streets in Amsterdam’s city centre are the Kalverstraat and the Leidsestraat. The Leidsestraat has more exclusive shops. The Kalverstraat is home to all the shops you would expect to find in a large European city like H&M, Zara, …

• Haarlemmerdijk
  A long shopping street, stretching from east to west towards Amsterdam Central Station. It is a lively strip where you will find everything from independent labels and second-hand clothes to specialty food products, interior design items and Dutch collectables.

• The Utrechtsestraat
  This charming street is chock-full of trendy concept stores, fashion boutiques and interior design stores.

A few stores I want to highlight:

• Travel books Pied à Terre https://www.piedaterre.nl
  As a travel addict, I couldn’t miss out on this one.“Pied à terre” is one of the largest and most beautiful travel bookshops in Europe. When you walk in, you immediately find yourself in a super cozy library. The range of books is indeed very wide, but I had the impression that quite a few old editions are being offered. They also have a wide selection of world globes.

• Things I Like, Things I love www.thingsilikethingsilove.com
  The brainchild of Petra Verwaal and Sanne Overmaat. With the true knack for finding special pieces at the flea markets, they organized 7 years ago a shopping event. They were sold out within hours. After a while they went looking for a retail space and from there it snowballed. In the meantime they have already 5 locations in Amsterdam. They sell a wide variety of fashion and decor brands, combined with an own designed collection. I immediately felt a connection with this store.

• Petit Gâteau https://petitgateau.nl/
  Offering “Minimini’s”, delicious little pies of 6 cm diameter maid by hand in infinitely different tastes and colors. Every cake is a piece of art itself… Everything is prepared in-house with pure ingredients of the very best quality. The variation is enormous; my personal favorites are the caramel - sea salt and the passionfruit – merengue. We visited them at the food halls, but they have another location at the Haarlemmerstraat.

• Rain couture www.rain-couture.nl
  The local rainwear label, combining fashion with functionality. It’s Europe’s only raingear flagship store!

• L’Etoile de Saint Honoré www.etoile-luxuryvintage.com
  They sell a great collection of second-hand designer bags, belts and wallets from first class brands like Chanel, Cucci, Hermès, Prada, … They have 3 stores in Amsterdam.

• Joe Merino www.joemerino.com
  In this store every man can find his perfect pullover. By offering one model in 50 different colors and 6 different sizes.

  
  

“Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.”

~ John Green