Guidebook for Amsterdam

Peter
Guidebook for Amsterdam

Food Scene

The heart of the neighborhood, it offers an excellent selection of meals, great coffee, while from the outside terrace you can watch the world parade by.
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Café Restaurant Piet de Gruyter
4-6 Van Limburg Stirumplein
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The heart of the neighborhood, it offers an excellent selection of meals, great coffee, while from the outside terrace you can watch the world parade by.
A modest neighborhood café, well off the beaten tracks. For dinners, Heidi the cook provides a new choice of culinary delicacies every week, to please the critical palate.
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Bistro Bentinck
32 Bentinckstraat
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A modest neighborhood café, well off the beaten tracks. For dinners, Heidi the cook provides a new choice of culinary delicacies every week, to please the critical palate.
A short walk from our home, the restaurant is located in a former industrial building, where the drinking water for the city was pumped thru 20 yards of ice age sand from the bed rock below. The restaurant has a large menu, long tables, and a high ceiling. While it seats hundreds, the acoustics are suitable for intimate conversations.
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Café Restaurant Amsterdam
6 Watertorenplein
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A short walk from our home, the restaurant is located in a former industrial building, where the drinking water for the city was pumped thru 20 yards of ice age sand from the bed rock below. The restaurant has a large menu, long tables, and a high ceiling. While it seats hundreds, the acoustics are suitable for intimate conversations.
Other bakeries are near by, but this one you reach after a morning walk thru the park. The fresh bread or pastries can be eaten on the premises, along with coffee or tea.
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De Bakkerswinkel
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Other bakeries are near by, but this one you reach after a morning walk thru the park. The fresh bread or pastries can be eaten on the premises, along with coffee or tea.
This bakery also provides a sitting area to enjoy your morning coffee. The croissants are the closest you'll find to a Parisian version within Amsterdam.
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Bakkerij "Mediterrane"
184 Haarlemmerdijk
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This bakery also provides a sitting area to enjoy your morning coffee. The croissants are the closest you'll find to a Parisian version within Amsterdam.
The Haarlemmerdijk, and its extension towards the centre has become known the past 25 years as the culinary centre of the Netherlands. Although the restaurants may not be exceptional, the street caters to the needs of all who love to cook: a huge supermarket, organic food stores, shops specialized in tea/coffee, mid-eastern or Asian cuisine, as well as cooking utensils and cook books.
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Haarlemerdijk
Haarlemmerdijk
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The Haarlemmerdijk, and its extension towards the centre has become known the past 25 years as the culinary centre of the Netherlands. Although the restaurants may not be exceptional, the street caters to the needs of all who love to cook: a huge supermarket, organic food stores, shops specialized in tea/coffee, mid-eastern or Asian cuisine, as well as cooking utensils and cook books.
Dutch cuisine is not particularly extraordinary, unless you crave split pea soup or dishes dominated by mash potatos. Nowhere else in Europe however will you have such a wide choice of Indonesian restaurants. Definitely a culinary experience. I have no specific restaurant I frequent, most emanate an ambience that gives me the creeps. Quite regularly however I pick up dinners here on the way home. Most dishes are on display, you can simply point to whatever interests you, ask for an explanation, and indicate the quantity you want. They have a couple tables if you can't wait to eat.
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Afhaalcentrum Terang Boelan
3 Tweede Lindendwarsstraat
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Dutch cuisine is not particularly extraordinary, unless you crave split pea soup or dishes dominated by mash potatos. Nowhere else in Europe however will you have such a wide choice of Indonesian restaurants. Definitely a culinary experience. I have no specific restaurant I frequent, most emanate an ambience that gives me the creeps. Quite regularly however I pick up dinners here on the way home. Most dishes are on display, you can simply point to whatever interests you, ask for an explanation, and indicate the quantity you want. They have a couple tables if you can't wait to eat.
There's a growing number of Sushi restaurants in the neighborhood and city, but I've found none more satisfying than the take-out offered by Etienne and his assistants. The past ten years I'm treated at least once a month to one of his meals. Always excellent.
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Jo-Sushi japanse sushi bar
5 Eerste Goudsbloemdwarsstraat
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There's a growing number of Sushi restaurants in the neighborhood and city, but I've found none more satisfying than the take-out offered by Etienne and his assistants. The past ten years I'm treated at least once a month to one of his meals. Always excellent.

Drinks & Nightlife

A modest café on a quiet street in the neighborhood, the Pianist offers live music most evenings which, thanks to the great accoustics, rarely hinder a relaxed conversation with your table mates.
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Cafe Pianist
41 Groen van Prinstererstraat
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A modest café on a quiet street in the neighborhood, the Pianist offers live music most evenings which, thanks to the great accoustics, rarely hinder a relaxed conversation with your table mates.
With an outside terrace for sunny afternoons, this bar - just around the corner - can get rather rowdy. The friendly proprietors however (Piet, Mike and Monique) will give you an excellent tour of Belgian beers.
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Cafe Brel
37 Van Hallstraat
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With an outside terrace for sunny afternoons, this bar - just around the corner - can get rather rowdy. The friendly proprietors however (Piet, Mike and Monique) will give you an excellent tour of Belgian beers.

Entertainment & Activities

With its variety of restaurants, cafés, theaters, music and dance locales, the park is one huge playground for all ages.
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Zuiveringshal West
37 Pazzanistraat
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With its variety of restaurants, cafés, theaters, music and dance locales, the park is one huge playground for all ages.
Convenient outdoor swimming pool. With large wading pool for the younger ones.. Well kept grass lawns for sunbathing or shady naps.
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Brediusbad outdoor pool
306 Spaarndammerdijk
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Convenient outdoor swimming pool. With large wading pool for the younger ones.. Well kept grass lawns for sunbathing or shady naps.
A neighborhood movie theater with a good selection of quality films. The adjacent bar and restaurant provide the potential for a full evening of entertainment.
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The Movies
159 - 163 Haarlemmerdijk
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A neighborhood movie theater with a good selection of quality films. The adjacent bar and restaurant provide the potential for a full evening of entertainment.

Essentials

In a folder we offer you a map with the wide variety of stores in the neighborhood for grocery purchases. This one I mention here only because it has the widest selection of foods in the vicinity of our home.
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AH Van Limburg Stirumstraat
44 Van Limburg Stirumstraat
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In a folder we offer you a map with the wide variety of stores in the neighborhood for grocery purchases. This one I mention here only because it has the widest selection of foods in the vicinity of our home.
If you don't feel like dealing with your laundry, you can drop it off here and the men will have it ready for you in no time for a reasonable price.
Wassalon Dusko
30A Van der Hoopstraat
If you don't feel like dealing with your laundry, you can drop it off here and the men will have it ready for you in no time for a reasonable price.
A wide selection of fruits and vegetables for discount prices
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Safa Groente/Fruit en Vlees
60 Groen van Prinstererstraat
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A wide selection of fruits and vegetables for discount prices
When I want to stock up on my favorite foods and drinks, I bicycle either to the Albert Heijns in the Haarlemmerbuurt, or this one 1.5 km away. A more complete stock of all the grocery basics.
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AH Frederik Hendrikstraat
81 Frederik Hendrikstraat
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When I want to stock up on my favorite foods and drinks, I bicycle either to the Albert Heijns in the Haarlemmerbuurt, or this one 1.5 km away. A more complete stock of all the grocery basics.

Arts & Culture

This central location provides a child friendly overview of Amsterdam history.. An easy 90 minute museum to walk through.
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Amsterdam Museum Building
92 Kalverstraat
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This central location provides a child friendly overview of Amsterdam history.. An easy 90 minute museum to walk through.
The national museum contains numerous paintings by the Dutch Masters - Hals, Rembrandt, Steen, Vermeer - plus a wide range of exhibits protraying the country's colorful history.
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Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
1 Museumstraat
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The national museum contains numerous paintings by the Dutch Masters - Hals, Rembrandt, Steen, Vermeer - plus a wide range of exhibits protraying the country's colorful history.
Within the walls of this museum you can view more works by Vincent Van Gogh than anywhere else in the world. Plus rotating exhibits of the artist who inspired him, and those he inspired.
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Van Gogh Museum
6 Museumplein
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Within the walls of this museum you can view more works by Vincent Van Gogh than anywhere else in the world. Plus rotating exhibits of the artist who inspired him, and those he inspired.
The Municipal museum offers a wide range of contemporary art (late 19th century to now) with many temporary exhibits.
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Stedelijk Museum
10 Museumplein
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The Municipal museum offers a wide range of contemporary art (late 19th century to now) with many temporary exhibits.
The acoustics of this concert hall are world famous.
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The Concertgebouw
10 Concertgebouwplein
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The acoustics of this concert hall are world famous.
A bit off the standard tourist path, the tropical museum houses thousands of artefacts dating from the colonial era when the Dutch occupied land in Africa, Asia and the Americas. The building is magnificent, as well as the standard exhibit. Allowing visitors to walk from one culture to the next, while taking in world-full of sensory experience.
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Tropenmuseum
2 Linnaeusstraat
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A bit off the standard tourist path, the tropical museum houses thousands of artefacts dating from the colonial era when the Dutch occupied land in Africa, Asia and the Americas. The building is magnificent, as well as the standard exhibit. Allowing visitors to walk from one culture to the next, while taking in world-full of sensory experience.
The Dutch ruled the seas in the early 17th century. This museum helps explain how a swamp environment could be so successful. Several replicas and a day full of exhibits help you decide whether you too would have wanted to travel by boat back then, half way around the world.
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Het Scheepvaartmuseum
1 Kattenburgerplein
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The Dutch ruled the seas in the early 17th century. This museum helps explain how a swamp environment could be so successful. Several replicas and a day full of exhibits help you decide whether you too would have wanted to travel by boat back then, half way around the world.
A former church converted into a rock temple. If you're in to the current music scene, check the agenda here - and at the nearby 'Melkweg' - to see whether theres any live shows that may meet your auditory and other sensory needs.
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Paradiso
6-8 Weteringschans
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A former church converted into a rock temple. If you're in to the current music scene, check the agenda here - and at the nearby 'Melkweg' - to see whether theres any live shows that may meet your auditory and other sensory needs.
The museum is located in a remarkable building, designed by Renzo Piano, that juts out of the harbor like the stern of a copper ship. From it's roof one has a unique picnic view of the city. Inside it is jam-packed with exhibits for all ages, though normally children are in the majority. If you haven't learned anything new after a visit here; some politicians will think you already know too much.
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NEMO Science Center
2 Oosterdok
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The museum is located in a remarkable building, designed by Renzo Piano, that juts out of the harbor like the stern of a copper ship. From it's roof one has a unique picnic view of the city. Inside it is jam-packed with exhibits for all ages, though normally children are in the majority. If you haven't learned anything new after a visit here; some politicians will think you already know too much.

Parks & Nature

On the outskirts of the city, this huge park provides plenty of opportunities to hike, bike, boat, or do nothing.
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Amsterdamse Bos
4 t.o
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On the outskirts of the city, this huge park provides plenty of opportunities to hike, bike, boat, or do nothing.
The botanical gardens offers a modest but unique collection of plants common not only to the Netherlands, but also to its former colonies in the tropics. With several green houses, one of which is often filled with butterflies, and a pleasant café to take you momentarily away from the city hectic.
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Hortus Botanicus
2a Plantage Middenlaan
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The botanical gardens offers a modest but unique collection of plants common not only to the Netherlands, but also to its former colonies in the tropics. With several green houses, one of which is often filled with butterflies, and a pleasant café to take you momentarily away from the city hectic.
A train from Centraal Station will bring you to this North Sea beach in half an hour. Lined with tents for refreshments, on the south end you can go naked, very fine sand, just don't expect any surf. Though thanks to the Gulf Stream the water temperature is pleasant from June through September. There are more picturesque beach resorts along the coast but none so accessible from Amsterdam. The sand dunes behind the coast are a great hiking alternative.
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Zandvoort
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A train from Centraal Station will bring you to this North Sea beach in half an hour. Lined with tents for refreshments, on the south end you can go naked, very fine sand, just don't expect any surf. Though thanks to the Gulf Stream the water temperature is pleasant from June through September. There are more picturesque beach resorts along the coast but none so accessible from Amsterdam. The sand dunes behind the coast are a great hiking alternative.
Amsterdam's most famous and central park. it can be quite crowded on sunny days, and there's always a steady stream of bicyclists flowing through it, but it provides a great place to rest your feet after seeing one of the nearby museaums.
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Vondelpark
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Amsterdam's most famous and central park. it can be quite crowded on sunny days, and there's always a steady stream of bicyclists flowing through it, but it provides a great place to rest your feet after seeing one of the nearby museaums.

Sightseeing

This is where in the early 13th century a dam was built to control the flow of the Amstel river into the South Sea. From this point the city expanded. The dam is no longer visible, the river disappears 400 meters southwards. Instead you have the Royal Palace that gazes out upon a sea of cobblestone and continuous hordes of people.
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Dam Square
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This is where in the early 13th century a dam was built to control the flow of the Amstel river into the South Sea. From this point the city expanded. The dam is no longer visible, the river disappears 400 meters southwards. Instead you have the Royal Palace that gazes out upon a sea of cobblestone and continuous hordes of people.
This secluded little courtyard is a jewel of early Amsterdam architecture. Until this century it could be categorized a 'secret spot', still worth the pedestrian detour.
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Begijnhof
1 Begijnhof
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This secluded little courtyard is a jewel of early Amsterdam architecture. Until this century it could be categorized a 'secret spot', still worth the pedestrian detour.
The 'backhouse' where Anne Frank and her family spent the years 1942-1944 hiding from Nazi discrimination and oppression. Once discovered and sent to the Death Camps, only her father survived, to find her diary upon his return. Be prepared for a 3-4 hour wait to enter the tiny space.
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Anne-Frank-Haus
20 Westermarkt
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The 'backhouse' where Anne Frank and her family spent the years 1942-1944 hiding from Nazi discrimination and oppression. Once discovered and sent to the Death Camps, only her father survived, to find her diary upon his return. Be prepared for a 3-4 hour wait to enter the tiny space.
The concentric half-circles of canals surrounding the city centre were developed in large part in the 16th-17th century to house the city's expanding population, and to provide warehouses for its merchant economy. The architecture remains magnificent to this day. Take a canal tour, bike it, walk it, you can't miss it.
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Grachtengordel
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The concentric half-circles of canals surrounding the city centre were developed in large part in the 16th-17th century to house the city's expanding population, and to provide warehouses for its merchant economy. The architecture remains magnificent to this day. Take a canal tour, bike it, walk it, you can't miss it.