Amsterdam, Feature

Around Amsterdam

Peter D. Clee gazes beyond the canals

TEN YEARS on from my last visit to the "Venice of the North" I found myself back in the city of cheese and clogs.

For a diverse set of reasons, Amsterdam has remained high up the list of hot cultural destinations for many others and myself. The overriding impression for all though is the wonder of the densely packed city built upon a picturesque network of intertwined canals. Barges weaving their way through ornate lift bridges and cycles, cycles everywhere.

Let's get this straight from the start. The Dutch love their bikes and your best bet whilst in town is to join them by hiring your own set of two wheels to scour the streets. Cars are a complete no-no in the city, so the only other options are the slow moving trams, having a stroll or taking a canal trip aboard one of the many competing tourist barges. Be warned though, make sure you know the time of the next sailing, we waited by the canalside for over an hour for our sightseeing trip. Art lovers flock to Amsterdam to immerse themselves in the cities rich variety of public galleries. Foremost of which is the Rijks Museum, home to Rembrandt's most famous work The Nightwatchman. For me though the best art is seen on the streets in the form of the unique and beautiful architecture. Aside from the olde-worlde terraces, I have a fondness too for the some of the bolder modern buildings springing up across the centre.

Best of which is surely the Nemo, a science and technology museum designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, perched above the entrance to the IJ road tunnel. Aside from being a striking building in its own right, the place affords visitors the chance to climb up several hundred steps atop its sloping roof to obtain the best vantage point from which to see this oceanic trading hub.

Other tips include The Attic, a Catholic church surreptitiously tucked away in an anonymous townhouse on Oudezezijds Achterburgwal and the child diarist Anne Frank's House, which has recently been restored.

Of course even the clean living among us retain a healthy curiosity for the alternative side of life. Amsterdam satisfies here too with its nefarious collection of coffee shops, each of which seems more at ease doling out dope than caffeine. If cannabis is not your cup of tea join the thousands of happily married couples and tour groups who take to the streets at night. The incongruous gangs of curious voyeurs peek in the windows as the ladies of the night display their goods for all the world to see in the city's notorious red light district.

For all its picturesque trappings Amsterdam is far more than merely a tinselled up tourist town. It is a living breathing city with a sometimes sweet, sometimes sharp edge. Well worth adding to your list of upcoming weekend breaks.

Find Hotels In Amsterdam