Publishing Information
The first edition published April 2011 by Rough Guides Ltd.
80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL
Email: mail@roughguides.com
www.roughguides.com
Part of the Penguin Group
Penguin Books Ltd. 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL
The publishers and authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy and currency of all information in Pocket Rough Guide Amsterdam, however, they can accept no responsibility for any loss or inconvenience sustained by any reader as a result of its information or advice.
No part of this e-book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher except for the quotation of brief passages in reviews.
Martin Dunford, Phil Lee and Karoline Thomas 2011
ISBN: 9781848362352
This Digital Edition published 2011. ISBN: 9781405383042
Digital conversion prepared by DK Digital, London and DK Digital Media, Delhi.
Introduction to Amsterdam
Theres nowhere quite like Amsterdam. You could be sitting nursing a drink outside one of its cafs, chugging by boat along its canals, or riding its ringing trams, and youll know immediately that you couldnt be anywhere else in the world. What is it that makes it so unique? Well, its watery cityscape means that much of the centre is off-limits to traffic; its architecture is for the most part on a human rather than a grandiose scale; and its people are comfortable in their skin, proud of the capacity of their city to change, but also of its uncanny and reassuring ability to stay much the same as it has always been.
![Take a boat trip down the canals In part its the longstanding liberal - photo 1](/uploads/posts/book/214353/images/prg_amster004intams_002.jpg)
Take a boat trip down the canals
In part its the longstanding liberal tradition of the city that has given Amsterdam its distinctive character, beginning with the obvious the legalized prostitution and dope-smoking coffeeshops through to more subtle qualities, encapsulated by Amsterdammers themselves in the word gezellig, a very Dutch concept which roughly corresponds to warmly convivial something perhaps most manifest in the citys wonderfully diverse selection of bars and cafs. The city is also riding something of a resurgent wave, with dozens of great new restaurants, a vibrant arts scene and a club scene that has come of age, not to mention the radical redevelopment of its old docklands and the rediscovery of neighbourhoods like the Oud West, de Pijp and Amsterdam Noord a process that will only be hastened when they finally complete the Noord-Zuid metro line, whose workings have scarred the city centre for years now.
The old centre of the city spreads south from the train station, and includes Amsterdams famous Red Light District. The layout of the rest of the city centre is determined by a web of canals radiating out from here to loop right round the centre as the so-called Grachtengordel, a planned, seventeenth-century extension to the medieval town, with its tall gabled houses reflected in black-green waters.
There are plenty of first-rate attractions, most notably the Anne Frank Huis, the Rijksmuseum, with its wonderful collection of Dutch paintings, and the peerless Van Gogh Museum, the worlds largest collection of the artists work. But its not all about the sights: Amsterdam is a great city just to be in, with no attractions so compelling that they have to interrupt lazy days of just wandering the canals and taking in the city at your own pace. Finally, dont forget that Holland is a small country and that there are plenty of compelling attractions close by, not least the small town of Haarlem, with the great Frans Hals Museum, the Zuider Zee villages to the north, and the stunning Keukenhof Gardens all very easy to reach by public transport.
Best places fora cold beer in summer
Its hard to imagine a more chilled-out place than Amsterdam in summer, and a better place to just kick back and drink beer. Here are some of our favourite spots to enjoy an alfresco vaasje (glass of beer): See also
![Enjoy an Alfresco Beer When to visit Amsterdam has warm mild summers and - photo 2](/uploads/posts/book/214353/images/prg_amster004intams_003.jpg)
Enjoy an Alfresco Beer
When to visit
Amsterdam has warm, mild summers and moderately cold and wet winters. The climate is certainly not severe enough to make much difference to the citys routines, which makes Amsterdam an ideal all-year destination. That said, high summer roughly late June to August sees the citys parks packed to the gunnels and parts of the centre almost overwhelmed by tourists. Spring and autumn are not too crowded and can be especially beautiful, with mist hanging over the canals and low sunlight beaming through the cloud cover. Even in January and February, when things can be at their gloomiest, there are compensations wet cobbles glistening under the street lights and the canals rippled by falling raindrops. In the summer, from around June to August, mosquitoes can be bothersome.
![Amsterdam at night Amsterdam at a Glance Eating The food in the average - photo 3](/uploads/posts/book/214353/images/prg_amster004intams_004.jpg)
Amsterdam at night
Amsterdam at a Glance
Eating
The food in the average Dutch restaurant has improved hugely in recent years, and there are many places serving inventive takes on homegrown cuisine. The city also has a good assortment of ethnic restaurants, especially Indonesian, Chinese and Thai. There are also lots of bars known as eetcafs that serve adventurous food for a decent price in a relaxed and unpretentious setting. Note that the Dutch eat out relatively early, with most restaurants opening at 5.30pm or 6pm and closing around 10pm.
Coffeeshops
Amsterdam is well known for its coffeeshops, which dispense bags of cannabis or ready-made joints. The majority of coffeeshops are situated in the Old Centre, and because theyre not allowed to advertise their wares youll need to look at the menu to see whats on offer. The hash youll come across is pretty self-explanatory, apart from Pollem, which is compressed resin and stronger than normal. Grass is a different story, with limitless varieties of Dutch weed, grown under artificial lights. Most of it is extremely potent and to be handled with care ask before you buy and avoid any unpleasant surprises. Most coffeeshops open at 10am or 11am and close around midnight.
Shopping
The Nieuwendijk/Kalverstraat strip in the Old Centre is home to high-street fashion and mainstream department stores, while nearby Koningsplein and Leidsestraat offer designer clothes and shoe stores. Youll find more offbeat clothes shops in the Jordaan and in the small radial streets that connect the main canals an area known as the Nine Streets. The cream of Amsterdams antique trade is in the Spiegelkwartier, centred on Nieuwe Spiegelstraat. As regards opening hours, many shops take Monday morning off; Thursday is late-opening night, with most places staying open until 9pm.
Drinking & Nightlife
Amsterdams selection of bars range from traditional brown cafs cosy places so called because of the dingy colour of their walls, stained by years of tobacco smoke to slick designer bars. Most places stay open until around midnight or 1am during the week, and until 2am at weekends. Look out for the few tasting houses or proeflokalen that are left, originally the sampling rooms of small private distillers, now tiny, stand-up places specializing in
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