©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Plan Your Trip 12 Amsterdam “All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!” TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET CATHERINE LE NEVEZ, KATE MORGAN, BARBARA WOOLSEY Contents PlanPlan Your Your Trip Trip page 1 4 Welcome to If You Like... ................. 20 Museums & Amsterdam ....................4 ..................... Month by Month ......... 23 Galleries 40 Amsterdam’s Top 10 .....6 ......................... Travel with Kids .......... 26 Eating 43 What’s New ..................13 By Bike ......................... 29 Drinking & ..................... Need to Know .............. 14 Nightlife 48 Like a Local .................. 31 .......... First Time Entertainment 55 For Free ....................... 33 Amsterdam .................. 16 Shopping .....................57 Canals ......................... 35 Top Itineraries .............18 Explore Amsterdam 60 Neighbourhoods Southern Oosterpark & at a Glance ................. 62 Canal Ring .................. 118 East of the Amstel .....189 Medieval Centre & Jordaan & the West ...136 Amsterdam Noord ....198 Red Light District ....... 64 Vondelpark & Daytrips Nieuwmarkt, Plantage the South.................... 151 from Amsterdam ... 206 & the Eastern Islands ....87 De Pijp ........................ 175 Sleeping ....................217 Western Canal Ring ...104 Understand Amsterdam 229 Amsterdam Today ...230 Dutch Painting .......... 242 Dutch Design ............ 258 History ....................... 232 Architecture in Amsterdam ...........250 Survival Guide 261 Transport .................. 262 Language .................. 272 Directory A–Z ........... 267 Index ..........................280 Amsterdam Maps 288 MARK READ/LONELY PLANET © PLANET READ/LONELY MARK WILL SALTER/LONELY PLANET © PLANET SALTER/LONELY WILL (left) Noordermarkt CLAIRE BISSELL/LONELY PLANET © PLANET BISSELL/LONELY CLAIRE p149 One of Amster- dam’s many markets. (above) Vondelpark p159 Great for exploring by bike. (right) Sticky Fingers p171 Homemade cakes and good coffee. Jordaan & the West Amsterdam p136 Noord p198 Medieval Centre & Red Light District Western p64 Canal Nieuwmarkt, Plantage, Ring & the Eastern Islands p104 p87 Southern Canal Ring p118 De Pijp p175 Vondelpark & the South p151 Oosterpark & East of the Amstel p189 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 18 Top Itineraries Day One Day Two Vondelpark & the South (p151) De Pijp (p175) Begin with the biggies: tram to the Browse the Albert Cuypmarkt, M Museum Quarter to ogle the master­ M Amsterdam’s largest street bazaar, pieces at the Van Gogh Museum and where stalls are piled high with cheeses, Rijks museum. They’ll be crowded, so make fish, stroopwafels (syrup­filled waffles) and sure you’ve prebooked tickets. Modern­art bargain­priced clothing. Then submit to the buffs might want to swap the Stedelijk Heineken Experience to get shaken up, Museum for one of the others. They’re all heated up and ‘bottled’ like the beer you’ll lined up in a walkable row. drink at the end of the brewery tour. Lunch Slow food Gartine (p74) grows Lunch Bakers & Roasters (p184) does many ingredients in its garden. brunch best (and all day). Medieval Centre (p64) Southern Canal Ring (p118) R Spend the afternoon in the Medieval R Cross into the Southern Canal Ring Centre. Explore the secret courtyard and stroll along the grand Golden and gardens at the Begijnhof. Walk up the Bend. Visit Museum Van Loon for a peek street to the Dam, where the Royal Palace, into the opulent canal­house lifestyle, or get Nieuwe Kerk and Nationaal Monument a dose of kitty quirk at the Kattenkabinet. huddle and provide a dose of Dutch history. Browse the Bloemenmarkt and behold the Bend over to sip your jenever (Dutch gin) wild array of bulbs. like a local at Wynand Fockink. Dinner Organic dishes and canal views Dinner Cutting-edge Indonesian food at at Buffet van Odette (p125). Ron Gastrobar Downtown (p75). Southern Canal Ring (p118) Red Light District (p64) N When the sun sets, it’s time to par­ N Venture into the Red Light District. tee at hyperactive, neon­lit Leidse- A walk down Warmoesstraat or plein. Paradiso and Melkweg host the nearby Oudezijds Achterburgwal takes in coolest agendas. Otherwise, the good­time an eye­popping array of fetish­gear shops, clubs and brown cafes around the square live sex shows, smoky coffeeshops and, of beckon. Try beery Café de Spuyt or his­ course, women in day­glo lingerie beckon­ toric Eijlders. For serious all­hours club­ ing from crimson windows. Then settle in to bing, head out of the centre to venues like a brown cafe (traditional Dutch pub), such Warehouse Elementenstraat. as In ’t Aepjen. 19 ANTON_IVANOV/SHUTTERSTOCK © ANTON_IVANOV/SHUTTERSTOCK NIKOLAY ANTONOV/SHUTTERSTOCK © ANTONOV/SHUTTERSTOCK NIKOLAY PLAN YOUR TRIP Het Scheepvaartmuseum (p94) Heineken Experience (p177) T Day Three Day Four O P I P Vondelpark & the South (p151) Nieuwmarkt, Plantage & ti NE Take a spin around Amsterdam’s be­ the Eastern Islands (p87) rari M loved . Elongated and Vondelpark Mosey through Waterlooplein narrow (about 1.5km long and 300m wide), M in Nieuwmarkt. Flea Market E it’s easy to explore via a morning jaunt. All Rembrandt sure loved markets, if his S the better if you have a bicycle to zip by the nearby studio is any indication. Museum ponds, gardens and sculptures. het Rembrandthuis gives a peek at the master’s inner sanctum. Neighbouring Lunch Head to Bistro Bij Ons (p110) for Gassan Diamonds gives free tours. Or timeless Dutch favourites. check out the intriguing Verzetsmuseum, the Resistance Museum, or sea treasures at Het Scheepvaartmuseum. Western Canal Ring (p104) Lunch Try a hot-spiced Surinamese R Immerse yourself in the Negen sandwich at Tokoman (p95). Straatjes, a noughts­and­crosses board of speciality shops. The Anne Frank Huis is also in the neighbourhood, and it’s a must. The claustrophobic rooms, Amsterdam Noord (p198) their windows still covered with blackout Hop on a free ferry to Noord, one screens, give an all­too­real feel for Anne’s R of the city’s coolest, most up­and­ life in hiding. Seeing the diary itself – coming neighbourhoods. Check out the filled with her sunny writing tempered cinematic exhibits at the EYE Film Insti- tute and the artists’ studios in the sprawl­ Dinner Canal views rival exceptional ing Kunststad centre at former shipyards modern cuisine at De Belhamel (p110). NDSM-werf. Ascend A’DAM Tower for Dinner Views peak at Moon (p202), the with quiet despair – is moving, plain and revolving restaurant atop A’DAM Tower. simple. dazzling views across the IJ River to the Jordaan (p136) city centre. N Spend the evening in the Jordaan, the chummy district embodying the Amsterdam of yore. Hoist a glass on Oosterpark & a canal­side terrace at ’t Smalle, join the East of the Amstel (p189) houseboat party at Café P 96, or quaff There are some fantastic nightlife beers at heaps of other gezellig (cosy) N venues in Noord; alternatively, back haunts. on the city side of the IJ, an evening spent on the terrace at De Ysbreeker, looking ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 278 Behind the Scenes SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK We love to hear from travellers – your comments keep us on our toes and help make our books better. Our well-travelled team reads every word on what you loved or loathed about this book. Although we cannot reply individually to your submissions, we always guarantee that your feedback goes straight to the appropriate authors, in time for the next edition. Each person who sends us information is thanked in the next edition – the most useful submissions are rewarded with a selection of digital PDF chapters. Visit lonelyplanet.com/contact to submit your updates and suggestions or to ask for help. Our award-winning website also features inspirational travel stories, news and discussions. Note: We may edit, reproduce and incorporate your comments in Lonely Planet products such as guidebooks, websites and digital products, so let us know if you don’t want your comments reproduced or your name acknowledged. For a copy of our privacy policy visit lonelyplanet.com/privacy. OUR READERS the many people in Amsterdam who provided assistance and gave me local tips along the way. Many thanks to the travellers who used the last Finally, a huge thanks to my partner Trent for edition and wrote to us with helpful hints, useful travelling with me and for all of your support. advice and interesting anecdotes: Becca Williams, Emma Wilding, Imogen Lockyer, Barbara Woolsey Noni May, Véronique Baar, Viktoria Pohl A big heartfelt thanks to all those who have helped in my career along the way, leading to this dream WRITER THANKS of completing my first Lonely Planet project (in no Catherine Le Nevez particular order): Clair Woolsey, Remy Woolsey, Hartelijk bedankt first and foremost to Julian, and René Frank, Marlene Dow and family, Debby Har- to everyone in Amsterdam and throughout the ris, Dixie Michie, Brenda Woolsey-Hartford, Bhec Netherlands who provided insights, inspiration and Fernandez, Alyssa Gabrielle and Allexa Scarlet good times during this update and over the years. Masongsong, Nolan Janssen, Marc Linneweber, Huge thanks too to my Amsterdam co-authors Alexa Kaminsky, Garth and Gloria Pickard, Andrea Kate and Barbara, and to Matt Phillips, Dan Fahey Schulte-Peevers and Nicola Williams. and everyone at LP. As ever, merci encore to my parents, brother, belle-sœur, neveu and nièce. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Cover photograph: Zuiderkerk at night, little- Kate Morgan wormy/Getty Images © A big thank