“DONE that!” I concluded after ticking Amsterdam off my Interail checklist in
the early 1990s. Fun, pretty, but a bit one-note. Fifteen years on, it does
indeed appear much the same.
Stag parties still stalk the red-light district in comedy headgear. Unionised
prostitutes stare joylessly from behind their curtains. Shopkeepers laugh
when you ask if they speak English. And a late-afternoon stroll down the
Prinsengracht, the loveliest of the 165 canals, is heaven on earth.
But look closer, and you begin to realise that change is afoot. Some of the
windows that once occupied ladies of the night have been given over to
displays by fashion students.
The Indonesian restaurants have been joined by Argentine steakhouses, sushi
joints and tapas bars. Even the coffee shops will have no-smoking sections
when the cigarette ban comes in on June 1.
With VLM flying from London City airport in less than an hour, there's now
more reason than ever to venture beyond the traditional cannabis and
carnality into a city that feels as cosmopolitan as London, as arty as
Berlin and as forward-thinking as Tokyo.
Nowhere is Amsterdam's resurgence more obvious than in the eastern docklands,
which, unlike London's, are a short walk from the city centre and place as
much emphasis on culture and hedonism as they do on commerce.
A futuristic waterside cityscape through which cyclists glide incongruously on
machines straight out of Mary Poppins, this is 21st-century regeneration
with a quirky, parochial twist. An appropriately esoteric base is the Lloyd
Hotel, a converted borstal overlooking the steel-blue River Ij, which is
only a short tram ride from Central Station, the city's transport hub.
Jamie Oliver has cottoned on to the docklands' cachet, establishing the Dutch
outpost of his Fifteen restaurant in a choice riverfront location near by.
His policy of employing former young offenders seems to chime with Dutch
sensibilities - perhaps one of the earnest lads preparing my fig and Parma
ham salad was an inmate of the Lloyd before its refit?
Everywhere there is space, light and expanses of water, criss-crossed by
eccentric bridges. Nemo, a children's science museum, rises out of the
Oosterdok like a blue-green galleon; opposite is the gleaming white Centrale
Bibliotheek, the largest library in Europe, full of funky sculptures. Next
door is CS, a temple to art, food, drink and all-night clubbing.
Amsterdam clubland is in rude health - the city even has its own nightlife
mayor, Chiel Van Zelst, who holds court over a beer on Friday nights at his
Chiellerie gallery on Raamgracht.
It would be remiss not to take to the water at least once in this most
nautical of metropolises, so ride the free ferry from Central Station to
NDSM, a shipping yard art complex complete with quayside restaurant. “It's
just like Hackney,” said my girlfriend - but where in E8 could you watch
coots cavort beside a huge rusting submarine from the comfort of your brunch
table?
Need to know
VLM Airlines (0871 666 5050, www.flyvlm.com)
offers 12 return flights every weekday from London City to Amsterdam, with
daily services on Saturdays and five flights every Sunday. Prices start at
£90.30 return.
The Lloyd Hotel (00 31 20 561 3604, www.lloydhotel.com)
has doubles from £82.
Where to go on the hip trail
Stay
Marketing itself as a “hotel and cultural embassy” - there was a Bulgarian
crafts exhibition when we stayed - the Lloyd has an eccentric variety of
rooms, from one-star cells to five-star palaces. On the banks of the River
Ij, it's an ideal base for exploring the eastern docklands. Oostelijke
Handelskade 34 (00 31 20 561 3604, www.lloydhotel.com).
Eat
De Kas, an organic restaurant sited in a converted 1920s greenhouse, enjoys a
deserved reputation as a culinary oasis. You get what you're given, which
generally includes three small starters, a free-range main and an indulgent
dessert, although you can supplement them with a cracking international wine
list. Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3 (00 31 20 462 4562, www.restaurantdekas.nl).
See
A city of culture crammed into one 1960s tower block, the CS is the temporary
home of the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, whose collections include pieces
by Picasso, Matisse and Warhol. After dark, take the lift up to 11, a
restaurant-bar-club with stupendous views. Oosterdockskade 3-5 (00 31 20 625
5999, www.ilove11.com).
Drink
Churchill, Chagall and generations of freemasons have patronised Wijnand
Fockink, a 17th-century proeflokaal (tasting house), which is invariably
crammed with a crowd of locals and intrepid tourists sampling the local
jenever gin. The menu is almost as head-spinning as the firewater, with
splendidly monikered jenevers such as Parrot Soup and Bridal Tears.
Pijlsteeg 31 (00 31 20 639 2695, www.wynand-fockink.nl).
Amsterdam's fashion trail
BETWEEN the lush Vondelpark and the neon-clad Leidseplein lies a mesh of
streets known as the Fashion District. What it lacks in canals, this small
area - centred on Pieter Cornelisz Hoofstraat, Amsterdam's answer to Bond
Street - more than makes up for in style. Drop your bags at the Roemer (00
31 20 515 0455, www.vondelhotels.com),
a cosy boutique hotel, and gear up the plastic for a serious assault.
Around the corner lies PC Hoofstraat, where designer names such as Gucci, Dior
and Chanel jostle for space with quirky Dutch boutiques. Blokes will love
Boutique (no 47), specialising in boy's toys and For Our Friends (no 142),
which mixes denim and trainers with gadgets and toys. Bits and Pieces (no
22) and Azzurro Due (138) mix new designers with established names such as
Clements Ribeiro and Stella McCartney. Stop for coffee, lunch or a
restorative glass at Patou (no 63, 00 31 20 676 032, www.patou.nu),
a laid-back bistro that does a nice line in big salads.
Don't be put off by the busy feel of neighbouring Van Baerlestraat - there are
gems to be found here, including the city's hippest jeweller, Ace & Dik
(no 46) and more affordable fashion at Linhard (no 50).
If your feet are weary, take the stress out of supper by heading to Joost (00
31 20 515 0455, www.hotelvondel.nl),
two minutes' walk from the Roemer. The restaurant is housed in its sister
hotel, the Vondel, and offers sleek modern dishes.
Annabelle Thorpe
I'm not sure why one would want to fly from London to Amsterdam. St Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal, via Brussels, takes 6 or 7 hours, with seven departures a day (five at weekends) and a return ticket is cheaper than your one-way flight if booking ahead. Given the extra travel for most travellers to get to City Airport, plus the additional check-in and baggage collection time, the real time saving from flying is minimal. I've made this journey three times over the last few years, and can thoroughly recommend it. seat61.com has details on this journey as well as the overnight ferry from Harwich.
Philip Howard, Croydon, UK
For some time now there have been good reasons beyond cannabis and carnality to go to Amsterdam. Jamie Oliver is not one of them
Chris, Horsham, UK