Retail Conservatorium Hotel, Oud-Zuid Fill your tote Light touch Italian designer and architect Piero Lissoni has reinvigorated this historic building, with natural 21 light playing a key part. Many rooms benefit X Bank, Centrum from heritage-listed windows. Going Dutch 27 Van Baerlestraat, 1071 AN +31 (0)20 570 0000 Inside the design-savvy heritage Kas Bank conservatoriumhotel.com building in Amsterdam’s centre, X Bank provides Amsterdam an engulfing space for those who appreciate great products and thoughtful design. Its abiding Maison Rika, Centrum mission is to highlight design and fashion brands Boutique hideaway with distinctly Dutch roots. At first glance, horseshoe- 172 Spuistraat, 1012VT In the heart of the De 9 Straatjes neighbourhood, +31 (0)20 811 3320 shaped Amsterdam is a one of the 200-year-old corner houses has been xbank.amsterdam breeze to navigate and its converted into a pocket-sized guesthouse. It only has two rooms but both occupy an entire floor. offerings seemingly obvious. 12 Oude Spiegelstraat, 1016 BM No Label, Oud-Zuid But look closely and you’ll +31 (0)20 330 1112 Tailor-made rikastudios.com find hidden pockets in No Label aims to take the fuss out of the the maze of canals and Food and drink men’s clothes-shopping experience, leaving just Going Dutch well-made, good-fitting fashion. The formula burgeoning neighbourhoods is showcased at the brand’s flagship store in that are a quick pedal from the retail district in Amsterdam’s south. 66Willemsparkweg, 1071 HK the city centre. This archetype +31 (0)20 846 5591 of liberalism is forever Little Collins, De Pijp nolabel.nl reinventing itself and won’t fail Best of the brunch to surprise first-time travellers The restaurant takes the now ubiquitous avocado Shop/Shop, Oud-Zuid on toast to new levels with fennel, goat’s cheese Splash of colour and longtime visitors alike. and dukkah; it also serves delicious waffles with Amsterdam is about more English bacon or kimchi pancakes. Shop/Shop is where Amsterdammers head when 19F Eerste Sweelinckstraat, 1073 CL looking for good design with an international than cheese and windmills. +31 (0)20 753 9636 air. The neutral walls make for a perfect canvas littlecollins.nl for Dutch product designers Carole Baijings and Stefan Scholten’s colourful tableware. 2-4 Ruysdaelkade, 1072 AG Worst Wijncafé, Westelijke Eilanden +31 (0)20 420 8940 Nice sausage scholtenbaijings.com Need to know Get to grips with the basics Starter-sized servings are ideal for sharing during a borrel (evening drink) with friends. Marie-Stella-Maris, Centrum The pigs’ trotters – one of the few imported Thirsty work ingredients – are highly recommended. 01 Meet and greet: When meeting someone 171 Barentszstraat, 1013 NM Marie-Stella-Maris opened in 2014, inspired by a for the first time, a warm handshake will +31 (0)20 625 6167 social incentive to support water projects around suffice. If you’re meeting a friend, a trio of deworst.nl the world. The two-storey flagship immaculately kisses is the go-to greeting. displays a selection of room sprays, perfumes 02 Building a case: Visit the Eye Filmmuseum and natural skincare products. in Noord, the Westergasfabriek in Westerpark Choux, Centrum 357HS Keizersgracht, 1016 EJ and Bimhuis in the Eastern Docklands to see Conversation starter +31 (0)85 273 2845 attractive contemporary public buildings. marie-stella-maris.com 03 Pedal to the metal: Cycling is the best way to Owners Figo van Onna and Merijn van Berlo get around. Indicate your direction by sticking experiment with umami-loaded sustainable Vocabulary out a hand and bear in mind that traffic ingredients such as seaweed to get people Local lingo from the right has right of way. Helmets thinking about meat-free cooking. The results aren’t compulsory but lights at night are. are particularly impressive. 04 Cash in hand: Maestro is king in the city 128 De Ruijterkade, 1011 AC and the card machines used by retailers and +31 (0)61 651 2364 01 Hallo/hoi: Hello/hi smaller cafés don’t always accept Visa or choux.nl 02 Dank je wel: Thank you Amex. Be sure to carry a little extra cash. 03 Dag/doei: Bye 05 Learn the lingo: An important nuance to 04 Proost: Cheers note is the use of “IJ” as a single letter. It’s Toki, Jordaan 05 Jammer: Too bad pronounced along the lines of “aey” and is Easy does it 06 Potverdorie: Damn derived from a Germanic word that means 07 Nog een biertje/wijn: One more beer/wine water. It’s also the official name given to the This light-filled hangout offers a superb range 08 Mijn fiets is kapot: My bike is broken harbour and river. of coffee from Berlin roastery Bonanza, with an ever-changing selection of beans. Order a flat 21 Hotels white and a slice of fresh lemon-drizzle cake Where to stay and sink into the large sofa along with the rest Amsterdam Need to Hotels Food and Retail Essays know H F drink R E Culture Design and Sport and Walks Index of the neighbourhood. C D architecture S fitness W I Canals. Bridges. Bicycles — Bruine cafés. Borrels. Gezellig — Print. Music. Galleries 15 Binnen Dommersstraat, 1013 HK +31 (0)20 363 6009 tokiho.amsterdam Hotel V Fizeaustraat, Watergraafsmeer The 1970s with a twist Kanarie Club, Oud-West In-house designer Mirjam Espinosa has blended Chirpy vibe a modish 1970s aesthetic into the boxy Piet Zanstra building. All 91 rooms are finished with By day this is a relaxed café but at night the hexagonal solid-oak parquet floors, pebble-grey space comes into its own. Join the trendy Oud- ... Hoi! Stroll with us through the city’s outposts of good food, design, retail and more. Veel plezier! ... linens and woollen tapestries. 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