Amsterdam · In season March to October

Amsterdam

Amsterdam has no shortage of charms — armies of bicycles in the after-work traffic, canals at every turn, and beer enough for anyone.

Eat

Levain et le Vin A bakery and wine shop in one — sourdough loaves that stand comparison with Paris, and a short shelf of unusual natural wines to carry out with the bread. Oud-West
Rijsel Flemish rotisserie cooking in a bright, airy room. The kitchen does far more than the famous roast chicken, but the roast chicken is why the room fills. Oost
Bottleshop Easy to cycle past, which suits it — a refined, minimalist wine bar with natural wines from everywhere and small plates that earn the detour. Oost
Café Binnenvisser A brown café arguing the intimate gastropub was never only British — beer and natural wine up front, fresh cooking behind, the bone marrow the order of record. Oud-West
Café de Klepel A table d’hôte with no à la carte and no need for one — French cooking, a weekly four-course menu, and a host worth consulting on the wine. Grachtengordel
Gertrude New to the city and already behaving like a fixture — warm service, a considered wine list and a sun-drenched terrace. Quintessentially Amsterdam. Oud-West

Soho House Amsterdam The Amsterdam outpost of the club everyone has heard of — rooms priced more reasonably than the postcode suggests, with a gym, screening room and rooftop pool above. Centrum
Carmen A seventeenth-century family home turned guesthouse, kitchen and shop, run by Carmen Atiyah de Baets and her husband Joris. Lunch daily; the ravioli first, a date scone after. Grachtengordel
The Dylan Two historic canal houses with their original detail intact. The loft rooms keep their exposed beams, the six-seat restaurant is kept quiet, and the fireplace does the rest in winter. Grachtengordel

Nxt Museum New media at full scale — a rotating programme of large, multi-sensory works, for the day the Old Masters feel too settled. Noord
Rijksmuseum The national museum, two centuries old, at the head of the Museumplein — the artwork, the building and the sculpture garden each an argument for the visit. Museumkwartier
Dutch National Opera & Ballet Home of the national opera and ballet, gracefully set on the Amstel. The classics appear, but the progressive productions are the reason to check the calendar. Centrum
Vondelpark The city’s largest park — room for a picnic, a morning run, and a rose garden of more than seventy varieties. Oud-Zuid

Fort Negen Bread better left to professionals, and these are the professionals. On Saturdays, the frozen custard on a croissant cone. De Baarsjes
Noordermarkt The Saturday market for produce, bread and cheese — early for the best of it — with stalls of vintage furs, antique trinkets and homewares alongside. De Jordaan