DESTINATIONS AMSTERDAM SHORT BREAKS It’s easily accessible; Jordaan
was traditionally defined as the area in which you could hear the bells of the city centre Westerkerk church – a sound Anne Frank described in her diaries. It’s filled with hofjes (greenery-
filled courtyards originally built by charitable Amsterdammers for widows) and wonderfully wonky buildings, and the area hasn’t (yet) fallen victim to over-gentrification. Walk past one of Jordaan’s many ‘brown cafes’, so-called because of their simple, wood-panelled interiors, and you’re likely to hear rousing renditions of songs such as Geef mij maar Amsterdam (Amsterdam is the place for me). They’re great places to sample local cuisine – typical dishes include bitterballen, washed down with steins of dark ale. But you’ll find a huge range of cuisines here, including Indonesian and Surinamese. Hundreds of thousands of Indonesians worked in Suriname when it was a Dutch colony, and when the Dutch returned, they brought back a love of both cuisines. Head to Surinamese deli Swieti
Sranang for some spicy pom (casserole), to canal-side Cafe Papeneiland for the best apple pie in town (they’ve been making it since the 17th century) and to Cafe De Prins for delicious poffertjes – tiny, puffy pancakes served with butter and sugar.
At Cafe Blond, the walls are covered with handmade plates adorned with humorous quotations
up your own piece of bespoke tableware at the cafe shop. De Pijp is also where you’ll
find The Butcher. This fantastic burger restaurant (disguised as a butcher’s) is an Amsterdam institution. The best bit? The speakeasy, tucked away at the rear. Work out the password and you’ll get access to Amsterdam’s coolest cocktail bar. For some more mainstream
w DE PIJP De Pijp (otherwise known as Amsterdam’s Latin Quarter) is the city’s hippest neighbourhood. Like Amsterdam Noord, it’s set to become even more popular with the opening of the Noord-Zuidlijn metro line. It’s got the feel of an urban village, and has been popular with creative types since the 1960s. One of the biggest draws is the Albert Cuypmarkt street market, where you’ll find 260 stalls selling everything from handmade chocolate to clothes and fresh flowers. The market, which dates back to 1905, opens daily apart from Sundays. It’s just a stone’s throw from
Sarphatipark, one of the city’s prettiest parks.
Another De Pijp highlight is
Cafe Blond, where the walls are covered with handmade plates adorned with humorous quotations – there’s even crockery on the walls of the loo. Pick
alcohol-fuelled fun, head to the Heineken Experience. You’ll be able to wander through the brewery, create your own bottle of beer and find out about the brand’s past through a high-tech 4D experience.
w MUSEUM QUARTER The leafy, park-filled Museum Quarter is home to the city’s most famous museums, including the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum and Moco Museum, a modern-art hub with a packed calendar of exhibitions (two of the most recent were dedicated to Dali and Banksy). But there’s also some fantastic shopping here. P.C. Hooftstraat is one of Amsterdam’s most popular shopping streets, home to top high-street brands. Nearby Van Baerlestraat has a great selection of high-end local labels, while Jacob Obrechtstraat has some stylish independent boutiques.
AMSTERDAM
Where to stay SAVE
The Citizen M Amsterdam City is a five-minute walk from the Amsterdam Zuid station. The 215 rooms are capsule-style, but it’s an incredibly stylish and high-tech hotel. Guests check themselves in on a computer in the lobby and the beautiful public areas are filled with colourful art. Doubles from £76.
citizen.com/destinations/amsterdam
SPEND The Sir Adam Hotel, in Amsterdam Noord, is one of the city’s coolest crash pads. The hotel takes up the first eight floors of one of its tallest buildings and the lobby is home to The Butcher Social Club, where you can chow down on diner-inspired cuisine while testing your skills on vintage arcade games. Doubles from £163.
siradamhotel.com
SPLURGE
The beautiful city-centre Pulitzer Hotel reopened following a major refurbishment in 2016. The hotel is made up of 25 ‘Golden Age’ canal houses and the bedrooms have been designed to reflect the building they’re in. Expect lots of quirky extras, such as bicycle repair kits in bedrooms. Doubles from £215.
pulitzeramsterdam.com
ABOVE: Albert Cuypmarkt street market 64
travelweekly.co.uk 3 May 2018
PICTURES: ERIK SMITS FOTOGRAPHIE; SANDER BAKS;
DESIGNHOTELS.COM; CITIZEN M HOTELS/RICHARD POWERS; MARIE-CHARLOTTE PEZÉ/KARLOTTA; KOEN SMILDE PHOTOGRAPHY; PHILLIPP BENEDIKT; EDWIN VAN ELS
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