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Bookmark & shareTwo Wheels, Three Days
Amsterdam could occupy you for a lifetime, but flying visitors will find the city so compact that even three days can give a rewarding glimpse of its charms. Hire a bike to get that 'Dam feel and speed things up. On the first day, get up early and beat the crowds to the Van Gogh museum so you can have your perfect moment in front of your favourite canvas in peace. Freshen up with a stroll in the Vondelpark and head for a late lunch at Café de Jaren. Take a canal tour and check out the neon-soaked waters of an Amsterdam night.
Start the second day with a leisurely brunch at Café Reibach, then explore the Jordaan before taking in a free concert in the Concertgebouw. Do some fancy shopping on Kalverstraat then recover on the cushions at the Supper Club. If you're feeling energetic, go for a boogie at Melkweg.
It's the last day! Get on your bike and check out as much of the city as possible, from the Begijnhof to the Red Light District to the flower market to the green south. Pop into the Museum Willet-Holthuysen for a taste of what it would have been like to live in one of those regal canal houses, and pull out a pocket picnic to eat in its lovely garden. Spend the afternoon larking around at Artis Zoo before a slap-up dinner at De Belhamel.
A Top Day in Amsterdam
There's a gorgeous blue sky above the rooftops of the Old South. I unlock both chains on the junky but trusty bike and ride through the stately Spiegel Quarter to a late breakfast in the Jordaan with a friend. We browse the Noordermarkt and swing down to the Negen Straatjes to window shop. The bells of the Westerkerk remind us to break for coffee or a biertje with the two perfect fingers of foam. The afternoon is for stretching out, and nowhere better than a grassy stretch in the Vondelpark, or people watching at the Round Blue Teahouse. Dinner is in Chinatown, before the show (and the architecture) at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. Afterwards, we'll club, or at least chill, at 11 (a bar-restaurant-club), the rooftops of the whole city spread out at our feet and twilight's last, orange glow over the harbour.
Author: Andrew Bender
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