With its characteristic canals – surrounded by narrow, low, crooked 17th century houses – Amsterdam is one of the most charming capital cities in Europe, without doubt. Here, you do your sightseeing trip by boat, the shops are small and offer personal service, and the cafes often have tables on the pavement, facing the water. With a rich cultural life and wide range of entertainment which are difficult to beat, Amsterdam is a full-scale capital city, but has retained its small-town feel.

Población:1 million

Información al turista:
VVV Amsterdam Tourist Office
Address: Leidseplein 1
Tel. +31 105-512 525

Werck
The city’s best bar for after-work on a Friday is close to Anne Frank’s house in Jordaan. Good-looking staff and guests who want to enjoy themselves. High chat-up factor.

Helden
Mme Jeanette, a popular De Pijp bar has changed its name to Helden, but still feels exactly right. Simple, good, low priced food and a good place to start a pub crawl, with cocktails priced at €6. De Pijp, south of the Singelgracht canal, has closelyspaced bars, popular with young people wearing designer jeans and sneakers. Round the corner, you can find places like Kingfisher, 18Twantig and Angel.

The Mansion
The trendiest bar in town, and the most difficult to get into. Many local personalities (models, musicians and actors). If you have eaten here, you do not have to queue up and pay €10 for entrance to the night club in the cellar at midnight. Or come as early as eight o’clock for a cocktail in one of the three bars. Fantastic mojitos in the lounge.

Bar8
One of Amsterdam’s trendiest bars right now, clearly inspired by Paris, London and New York’s night life.

Alto
Legendary jazz bar, not far away from Leidseplein. Here, in a building renowned for its high music quality, there is an informal, pleasant atmosphere.

Jimmy Woo
The most popular night club in town, but difficult to get into after midnight because of the queue. Entrance €12. Good DJs and plenty of action on the dance floor in the cellar. The top floor with lounge has been designed to look like an opium den. Open 23-05 in the evenings.

Horario de apertura:
Normally 09.00 to 18.00 Monday to Saturday, some Thursdays and Fridays to 20.00. Larger shop chains in the tourist areas also open on Sundays, 12.00 to 17.00.

Amsterdam is the city for small shops. New, amusing and unusual shops open all the time. In addition, most of them are within walking distance, which makes shopping a pleasant experience.

Kalverstraat
The large retail chains, with fashion, shoes and accessories are lined up on the Kalverstraat between Dam square and Muntplein. Most shops also open on Sundays. De Bijenkort, the elegant department store for designer goods is up on the Dam. The Dutch fashion chain, Mexx, has its flagship shop in the middle of Kalverstraat. On the top floor, there is Europe’s largest range of Mexx Man products. Not far away, you will find Rituals, an amusing shop that sells “home and body cosmetics”. This includes everything from shampoo and tea to detergent and air cleaners in elegant packages. Amusing present packages are on offer like the designer washing-up brush with Lotus Touch washing-up liquid. Another favourite on Kalverstraat is the American Book Centre, which has a wide selection of music and fashion literature. The Kalvertornet gallery, with more exclusive shops, is down by Muntplein.

Leidsestraat
The shops continue along Leidsestraat, between Kalverstraat and Leidesplein. The colourful flower market is at Koningsplein, beside the Singel canal. Even if you had not intended to buy a bunch of cheap tulips for your beloved, you can stroll round for a while and absorb the atmosphere. There are many well-stocked shoe shops along Leidsestraat. This is also where you will also find one of Amsterdam’s new concept shops, Spoiled. They sell trendy jeans, designer leisure clothes, old records, books and oddments. The same building also houses HIP (Hair innovating people), if you need a new hairdo.

PC Hoofstraat
The cutest shopping street, with branded stores like Armani, Chanel, Gucci and Mulberry. Do not miss the neatest branch of Shoebaloo, the shoe chain. This is the best shoe shop in town for people who are happy to spend a few hundred Euro on brands like Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Dolce + Gabbana and Dior. This is also where you will find Didato, a specialist shop for fashion conscious men.

The nine small streets
The quarter between Koningsplein and Westerkerk (between the Prinsengracht and Herengracht canals) is called “the nine small streets”, and is an excellent area to stroll round in. Both because the canals and the old houses are beautiful, and also because the streets are packed with small shops, cafes and galleries. You can buy anything here from mature cheese to secondhand buttons. The area is especially well known for its second-hand shops. Margriet Nannings on Prinsenstraat has the most exclusive range. At no. 15, they sell the latest from Comme des Garçons, Stone Island, C.P Company etc, and at no. 24, there is the outlet shop with sale goods. Another charming shop is Local Service, on the crossroads between Keizergracht and Huidenstraat, which has a wide range of Paul Smith shirts.

Department stores
De Bijenkorf De Bijenkorf, in the centre of the shopping district, is Amsterdam’s largest department store. It is the city’s answer to Harrods in London and KDW in Berlin. You can shop whatever you need here - food, high quality clothes, make-up, furniture, toys, home furnishings - right in the centre of Amsterdam by the Dam square. It is not cheap - but you will certainly find what you are looking for there. And more besides.

Magna Plaza
The former post office, which was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1898, would fit perfectly into a fairy-tale. There are more than forty exclusive shops, mostly clothes, but some also have music. Take the opportunity of checking the small cheese and delicatessen shop on the ground floor!

Maison de Bonneterie
An old, luxurious department store with wooden balconies, and not least, a very exciting lift. This is the place to go for clothes and sporting goods. If you appreciate the English dress code - or its architecture - you will appreciate the Maison de Bonneterie. A tip: take the lift all the way up and drive a few balls in the golf shop.

Canal boats
Sightseeing boats depart continually during the day from the Central station, Damrak and the Rijksmuseum. The guided tours take 45 minutes. Other alternatives are the canal bus – with eleven stops close to museums and shopping streets – or the museum boat which circulates between all the museums.

Walking round
The narrow 17th century houses have large windows at eye height, so you can see a lot more than just the beautiful facades – overlooking is part of the street scene. Some exciting areas to walk round in: The Dam square with the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace) built in 1665, Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) built in the 15th century. The Old Church (the city’s oldest building) dates from 1302 and is sited on Warmoesstraat. Western Canal Belt (Herengracht, Keizergracht, Prinsengracht) consists of charming small streets containing shops, galleries and cafes.

Van Gogh Museum
In addition to the world’s largest collection of art by Vincent van Gogh, there are a lot of other impressionists, such as Monet and Gauguin. Open daily 10-18.

Rijksmuseum (National Museum)
One of the world’s most exclusive art collections. Among the 5000 works, Rembrandt’s “Last Supper” is definitely the finest. The museum will be under renovation until 2008, so be prepared for a bit of building dust. At present, “only” 200 works are on display, which can actually be an advantage, since the museum becomes easier to survey. Open every day 10 - 17.

Stedeljiks Museum
The Modern Museum’s permanent premises on Museumplein will be under renovation until 2008. Temporary exhibitions are found in the former post office by the Central Station, on floors two and three. If you are here anyway, go on up to Bar 11 on the eleventh floor and enjoy some coffee with a fine view. Open every day 10 - 18, but closes at 17.00 on certain public holidays and Christmas Eve.

Anne Frankhuis (Anne Frank’s house )
This is where a Jewish family, the Franks, hid from the Nazis during WWII , but were betrayed and their daughter Anne died in a concentration camp. After her death, the diary was found and it became world-famous. Frequently a long queue. Least crowded a few hours before closing. Open every day 9 -19.

Galleri De Kunstfabriek
The Art Factory has recently moved to new premises in a hip location, Westergasfabriek. There are always exciting exhibitions to be surprised about.

Galleri De Appel
At De Apple, the latest avant-garde art is always on display!

Ajax Football Museum
Watching a league match in Amsterdam with Ajax, the home team, is great fun, even if you are not interested in football. It is obvious that football is equated with high gravity beer (in plastic glasses) here, and that the mood in the arena is animated, but friendly. Tickets are sold via www.ajax.nl. There is also an Ajax museum in the stadium. Open daily 10-17.

De Kas
The restaurant is housed in a renovated greenhouse built in the 1920s and serves ecological fine cuisine. The chef decides the threecourse menu of the day on the basis of the availability of good raw materials, in consultation with the restaurant’s own market gardener. Perfect for business dinners etc. Book a table a couple of weeks in advance. Phone between 10-17.

Envy
Domestic charm and minimalism with up-to-the-minute Italian hors d’oeuvres and fine wines. The chef’s menu costs €50, but Envy is a delicatessen bar, so you can just have a glass of wine and some tapas. Half of the tables can be booked, half are drop in only.

The Mansion
Restaurant, bar and club which is top of the pops on the trend list right now. The restaurant is one flight up and consists of three crowded, beautiful rooms with a relaxed atmosphere. More jeans than suits. The innovatively prepared Chinese hors d’oeuvres taste divine. Book a table a couple of weeks in advance.

Local
No longer new, but still a very nice place to eat an early dinner. Two long tables and only kebabs on the menu. Large groups can book a table. Other people line up to share a table with strangers/new friends.

Amsterdam’s airport, Schiphol, is the main airport in the Netherlands, but even the smaller airports like Rotterdam and Eindhoven - are not far from Amsterdam. The easiest and cheapest way to travel to Amsterdam from Schiphol is by train. This costs €3.50 and takes about a half hour from the Central Station. Taxis cost at least €35 and can take a long time. There are frequent traffic jams, not least in the central area where the canals mean that many streets are one-way. From Rotterdam, it takes 45 min by train to Amsterdam. The train costs €9 and departs frequently, once or twice an hour. Local buses to the train station take 20 min and cost €2.70. From Eindhoven, it is twice as far, but a direct bus goes from here to central Amsterdam, which takes 90 minutes. This costs €17.50 one way, €30 for a return ticket.

Salud:
Doctors can tell you which pharmacies have evening opening. There are also a lot of “drugstores” which sell the most common remedies. Tel: +31 (0)20-570-9595 or +31 (0)900-821-2230) for 24-hour dental care.

Moneda: Euro

Teléfono de emergencias: 112

Electricidad: 220V AC, 50Hz

Idioma: Dutch

Telefonía: Country code: +31

Transporte:
It is easy to get about by tram. The new metro has a limited number of stations, but the bus and canal bus (boat) complement the tram network. Priceworthy 72 hour rover passes for municipal transport cost €13 at the GVB office outside the Central Station. There are also 24 and 48 hour rover passes. Ask for a map with all the tram routes. There are no trams between 00.30 and 07.00, but there is a night bus. All Amsterdamers cycle, and if you want to do so as well, there are bicycles to rent.

Taxi:

Taxi Tulip
Tel: + 31 (0)20 636 3000