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| Just a short tram ride to the south-west of the city centre, the Vondelpark opened in 1865 and attracts around 10 millions visitors each year |
Why go?
Amsterdam somehow manages to have it all. It has the buzz of a metropolis, with few big-city drawbacks. It’s small enough to walk or cycle almost anywhere you want, yet is rarely dull. Dinky gabled buildings, pretty bridges and quiet canals give it village-like charm, yet you’ll also find top-ranking art museums and one of the best orchestras in the world. Most of all, Amsterdam combines its glittering past with a wry, rough, rebellious contemporary edginess.
Popular songs have it that spring’s the time to come tulip-plucking, but really any season in Amsterdam has its allure. Summer can be a particularly heady time of long evenings on outdoor terraces.
Summer attractions and day trips
On the water
Yes, it seems predictable and touristy, but taking to the water on a pedalo or in a glass-roofed boat offers an unrivalled view of Amsterdam’s historic gabled buildings. The feeling of detachment you get sailing the canals transforms the atmosphere of the city.
The canals on foot
Amsterdam's most picturesque canals are in and around the Jordaan district, to the west of the city centre, where there are hundreds of houseboats and beautiful gabled buildings to admire. Don't miss the Torensluis (the city's oldest remaining bridge), the Herengracht or "gentleman's canal" (where some of Amsterdam's wealthiest residents reside), the Huis met de Hoofden or "House with the Heads" (found on the Keizergracht), or the picturesque Lekkeresluis (on the intersection of Brouwersgracht and Prinsengracht).
Vondelpark
Just a short tram ride to the south-west of the city centre, the Vondelpark opened in 1865 and attracts around 10 millions visitors each year. During the summer months, free entertainment can be found at the outdoor Openluchttheatre (www.openluchttheatre.nl), a venue for dramatic performances and live music, in the centre of the park.
The Oosterpark, and English garden to the south-east of the city, which features monuments to Van Gogh and to the abolition of slavery, and a speaker's corner, where orations occur on Sunday afternoons (usually in Dutch).
Wertheimpark, on the Muiderstraat opposite the botanical gardens, a shaded spot that houses the city's Auschwitz Memorial.
My hotel pick: The Conservatorium Hotel, on the edge of the Vondelpark, is a stylish design explosion in a 19th-century bank building. From £265.
Dam Square
The historical centre of Amsterdam, Dam Square is an excellent meeting point and attracts buskers, performers and summer puppet shows. The notable buildings which surround the square lend it even more appeal. The neoclassical Royal Palace lies to the west end, beside the Gothic, 15th-century Nieuwe Kerk, the National Monument dominates the east end, and the Oudekerk is a short stroll away.
Begijnhof
Escape the bustle of Amsterdam's busy heart and seek out the Begijnhof, a quiet courtyard surrounded by old houses, around 400m south of Dam Square.
Zaanse Schans
Just 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans recreates the atmosphere of village life when 1,000 windmills ground away at various activities along the River Zaan. Today there are just 12, alongside wooden houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. But they still work – making mustard, producing paint from natural pigments, and with the traditional dairy, the clog maker and more besides in the village. It all makes a great family outing.
Zaanse Schans (0031 75 681 00 00; www.zaanseschans.nl), Schansend 7, Zaandam. Opening hours and prices vary seasonally and by venue; check the website. A Zaanse Schans Card (€10 adults, 4-17 years €6) covers a number of entrance tickets and offers a variety of discounts.
Exhibitions and events
Bulbs in BloomLate March to September
Over seven million tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other bulbs burst into bloom across the 80 acres of the Keukenhof Gardens near Lisse, 36 km (23 miles) southwest of Amsterdam.
www.keukenhof.nlHolland Festival
Entire month of June
The Netherlands’ largest theatre and music festival attracts topline international names, with a handful of world premieres thrown in. There’s a strong emphasis on contemporary and avant-garde music and performance.
www.hollandfestival.nlOpen Garden Days
Mid June
The large gardens behind Amsterdam’s gabled canal houses are usually hidden from view, but for one weekend in June around 30 of them are open to the public.
www.iamsterdam.comJulidans
First half of July
A world-class program of contemporary dance, with big names, controversial newcomers and rising talent, on stages across town.
www.julidans.nlAmsterdam Roots Festival
Early July
A world music festival which over the past ten years has been making an ever stronger mark on the international scene. Some events are open-air, and the festival is expanding to cover literary and other artistic events.
www.amsterdamroots.nlHet Grachtenfestival
Mid-August
Mainly classical music is performed at striking indoor and outdoor locations along Amsterdam’s canals, culminating in a concert on a floating podium on the Prinsengracht.
www.grachtenfestival.nl
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