A local’s guide to Amsterdam

Working for an Australian company while being based in The Netherlands means I get a lot of overseas visitors. These are the places I take them to and my best tips for spending a few days in our beautiful capital.

How to get there

From Schiphol Airport, the cheapest and quickest way to get to the city is by train. The trip to Amsterdam Central Station takes about 15 minutes. For all public transport in The Netherlands you can purchase a travel card that lets you check in and out for every trip (similar to London’s Oyster card). You can buy these at train stations and kiosks. Trips work out much cheaper on this card than paying for each trip individually.

Where to stay

I am always asked to recommend places to stay in Amsterdam. These are my favourites:
Park Hotel Amsterdam
A very stylish hotel that looks different every time I visit. Their lobby is referred to as ‘the Living Room’ and always houses different art exhibitions. There is a chocolate counter that is impossible to ignore, and the flower arrangements are spectacular (I love it when hotels are not afraid to spend money on this – they do create an atmosphere that plastic fakes never will!).
The hotel is famous for MOMO Bar, where Amsterdam’s cool crowd can be found. The hotel is located on the corner of Amsterdam’s posh shopping street, the PC Hooftstraat (more on that later), near the Museum square and Leidse plein.
Boutique Hotel Notting Hill
An odd name for a hotel in Amsterdam (their restaurant is called London) but a very cool address for your stay here! It is located near the Albert Cuyp market, just south of the canal ring and an easy walk to most major attractions. I love this hotel for all the little extras they provide for their guests and for the cool design – it’s the kind of place where you just want to hang out all day. But you shouldn’t: there is too much of Amsterdam to explore!

Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Centre
I love their décor of Amsterdam photos of places and faces – they are everywhere!

Albus Hotel Amsterdam City Centre
Again some very cool design here, and THE best location if you want to go shopping, clubbing (a lot of the cool clubs are near Rembrandt Square) or party with the gays – the hotel is right behind the Reguliersdwarsstraat where the best gay bars can be found.

When to go

Amsterdam is at its best in the warmer months, from April until September. Summer here is no guarantee for nice weather (it can still be cold and rainy) but if you are lucky enough to visit on a sunny day, no place in the world is better!
There are two major events that also show Amsterdam (and the Dutch) from its best side:
1. Queen’s Day on 30 April – Our queen’s birthday and a national holiday: millions of Dutch people dressed in orange partying all over the city. Music everywhere, and the crowds are crazy. People are allowed to sell things in the street so you might even pick up a bargain!
2. Canal Pride on the first weekend in August – Our gay pride parade takes place on the water! Boats go all along the Prinsengracht and the whole city becomes one big party with everyone dressed in pink.

Where to go

These are my must do’s for a city break in Amsterdam.
Site seeing

• Museum Square – Something for everyone here with the famous Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Van Gogh Museum all in the one spot. The square between the museums is an attraction in itself: when the weather is nice locals flock here to spend the afternoon. In this spot you also find the “IAmsterdam” letters, which make for a great souvenir photo.
• Vondelpark – Amsterdam’s famous park is the best spot on a warm day. Enjoy a drink on one of the terraces or enjoy a picnic in the park itself.

• Red Light District & Coffee Shops– Yeah yeah I know it needs to be done. As a local I have to admit it gets quite frustrating when foreigners associate your hometown mostly with drugs and prostitutes. But then we are still one of the most tolerant countries when it comes to this kind of thing. (Prostitution is a legal tax paying profession and smoking marijuana is still legal in Amsterdam’s coffee shops – however the wheels are in motion to end this; soon it may be available to local “cardholders” only!) so I can understand why a lot of people are curious.

A walk through the Red Light District is actually quite entertaining and perfectly safe, as long as you don’t try to take photos of the ladies behind the windows – this makes them mad. And please don’t do anything you wouldn’t happily do at home – why visit a live sex show here if you would NEVER do this at home?
Shopping
• PC Hooftstraat – This is where the Dutch WAGs like to shop. Check out Dutch label Supertrash (owned by ex soccer wife and entrepreneur Olcay Gulsen), see if you’re brave enough to walk past the mean looking security guards at Chanel or Louis Vuitton and for a more affordable treat check out the great collection of coffee table books at Taschen. For people watching you cannot beat a table at Brasserie Maxime, honestly it is just a parade of characters all day here.
• The nine streets – Cute boutiques and quirky galleries, mostly in monumental small buildings.
• Bijenkorf – Luxury department store located on Dam Square.
• Marlies Dekkers – The lingerie by this famous Dutch designer is worn by celebrities like Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Fergie, and by most Dutch women I know. A great souvenir!
Wining and Dining

• Wynand Fockink – At this tiny place just off Dam Square they make their own liqueur, it’s great! You HAVE to drink the first sip without touching the glass with your hands, very funny. My favourite flavour is Speculaas, which is a Dutch spiced cookie.

• In de Wildeman – Great beer bar with a huge number on special beers on tap. Must be consumed while munching on cubes of Gouda cheese dipped in mustard. No really. It’s like, the law.

• Blue Amsterdam – Come here for the fab views, on the top floor of a shopping mall (Kalvertoren, take the elevator – it goes up above the building) in the Kalverstraat.

• De Eetkamer van de Jordaan Restaurant – Traditional Dutch dishes and some international flavours, something for everyone.
• Café de Kroon – Great for late night drinks. Beautiful bar with a nice crowd, in the centre of Rembrandt Square (it’s upstairs).
• FEBO – Now I am not technically recommending this…..but a snack out of the wall is such a Dutch thing to have that you should try it, at least once (best served late at night after a few beverages). Try the kroket with mustard or the frikadel with ketchup, Mayo and onions (“special”) and try not think about what’s in them…..

Day trips from Amsterdam

If you have a bit more time in The Netherlands, I recommend getting out of the city to check out our most famous tourist destinations. Of course you can book a tour from your hotel, however most places are easy to get to by public transport.
• Keukenhof – The world famous flower park is only open in springtime. From Schiphol airport bus 58 takes you straight there.
• Volendam – This fishing village is worth a visit for the opportunity to dress up in Dutch costume alone! It’s a very good place to enjoy our lovely raw herring served with pickles and raw onion 🙂 Take bus 316 to the Prinses Margrietstraat in Volendam, this is right near the harbour.
• Zaanse Schans – If you need a windmill and clog fix this is the place to go. Take bus 91 from Amsterdam Central Station to St. Michael College next to the Zaans Museum and Zaanse Schans.
• The beach! A surprising suggestion for Holland I know but when the weather is nice I recommend getting the train to Zandvoort aan Zee (about 20 minutes away). You will find some wonderful beach bars (most of which are there during the summer months only), where it is very easy to spend all day sipping rose wine in the sun. In the evenings the whole beach turns into party central with many of the bars hosting dance parties. There’s even an Aussie themed bar in case you feel a bit home sick….