City of culture

This year, there are extra reasons to visit as it is celebrating a number of milestones. These include 400 years since construction began on its famous canals, 125 years of one of the finest concert halls in the world, the Concertgebouw, and 40 years of the Van Gogh Museum.

We were staying in the modern WestCord Fashion Hotel, on the outskirts of Amsterdam. And while its location may not be the best – next to a motorway – its strange array of mannequins were a point of interest, and there were no complaints about the spacious bedrooms and good service.

We arrived late in the evening and were immediately whisked away for dinner at Baut, in the east of the city, a modern mix of dimly-lit bar and restaurant with industrial type styling. And while the food didn’t float my “Baut”, the venue was thronged with locals, despite being off the beaten track.

The same could certainly be said of city centre pubs Bar Italia and Cafe Hoppe, one of the oldest in Amsterdam, which we also visited. After muscling my way to the bar a round of three lagers, admittedly very large ones, cost just under 17 euros (about £14.50).

Trams are everywhere in the city and a good way to get around. We were given “I Amsterdam” City Cards by our hosts, which allow free transport on the GVB transport network, as well as a free canal cruise and admission to more than 30 museums.

While it can be a bit head scratching to find the tram you need, it’s simple enough to use these prepaid smart cards once you get on – just swipe them past a sensor and the same again when you get off.

During our stay we visited the Amsterdam Museum, which tells the story of the Netherlands and Amsterdam, taking in the “Golden Age” in the 17th Century, when it was the richest city in the world.

The museum sprawls over several floors and explores issues such as the slave trade and the creation of the canals. There are interactive exhibits and key dates over the centuries are displayed on the walls.

Kings of the road: thousands of bicycles throng the city

An unexpected bonus was an exhibition in the basement, complete with artificial turf on the floor, focusing on one of the most famous locals, footballer Johan Cruyff. It is told from the perspective of ordinary Dutch people who have met him.

WALKING around Amsterdam in the daytime can be unnerving simply because of the sheer number of cyclists.

This is a city where the bicycle is king – there are more than 600,000 – and particularly in the narrow streets of the 17th Century canal district, you only have to step off the kerb to encounter one, although a bell will often warn you.

Amsterdammers don’t stand on ceremony and will expect you to make way. And if you miss your turn in a queue don’t be surprised also to find someone quickly take your place.

That said, the city’s residents are tremendously friendly. Most speak good English and several times when we had cause to ask for directions people were happy to help.

We were given a tour of “De negen straatjes” – nine streets, with many boutiques, jewellers and cafes which criss-cross the canal district.

With our hosts keen to cram as much into our itinerary as they could, the only shame was that we had relatively little time to linger or take photos of some of the glorious architecture and street scenes.

Such an example was the bustling Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, home to the grand looking De Bijenkorf, which translates as The Bee hive, a department store known for its thousands of lights during the festive season.

Artworks: inside the Amsterdam Hermitage Museum

Our next stop was The Van Gogh Museum, currently housed at Amsterdam’s Hermitage Museum, but due to move back to its customary location on the Museumplein, in May.

It’s a comprehensive showcase of the paintings of another of Amsterdam’s most famous sons, Vincent Van Gogh, along with his letters, drawings and objects. There are also a number of 3D versions of his artworks, which really bring them to life.

A couple of these were spookily unsettling and featured the artist’s stay in an asylum and also crows emerging over a cornfield. You’ll be tempted to duck as they fly towards you.

LATER we took a canal cruise, which is a great way to view the city at night. We went from the centre of Amsterdam, out into the manmade harbour and back through the old town. A useful audio commentary also pointed out many of the landmarks.

Saturday night was again spent in some of the city’s bars, including one which featured some of the most appallingly bad karaoke ever heard. The contrast from some of the culture we had experienced earlier could not have been greater.

Drinking in Amsterdam is something of a throwback, as many venues have rooms where people can smoke cigarettes freely. There are also coffee shops selling – legally – marijuana or hashish, and the Red Light District remains a big attraction for many tourists.

A world away from Amsterdam’s seedier side is the Concertgebouw, a classical music venue of international renown, which was built in 1888. We enjoyed a packed Sunday morning concert by its residen torchestra.

Worth a mention is Bazaar, a restaurant serving excellent tapas-style Greek and Middle-Eastern food, which served the best meal I had during our stay. The menu is relatively cheap and appeared popular with young families.

Left to our own devices on our last afternoon we took in the Royal Artis Zoo, the third oldest in the world and a short tram ride from the city centre. It is home to more than 6,000 animals from about 900 different species.

A bone chilling winter’s day was not perhaps the best time to go to an outdoor zoo, but nonetheless we embarked on a whirlwind visit. We never did quite manage to find the elephant enclosure, despite several signs pointing us in the right direction. However we did see some charming gorillas and huge, noisy seals and also enjoyed both the indoor aquarium and reptile section. There’s plenty here to keep children entertained.