Things to do in Amsterdam
Cruise the canal belt
Added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list in 2010, Amsterdam’s canal belt not only graces the cityscape but offers a fun way to explore the city. The most popular option for visitors is to join a canal tour, of which there are numerous operators, most offering dinner or cocktail cruises. Otherwise take the helm yourself and hire an eco-friendly motorboat from MokumBoot (tel: +31 (0)20 2105700; mokumbootverhuur.nl).
Hit the beach
In summer it’s easy to get out to the North Sea coast by train, although the trains are likely to be mobbed if it’s especially warm and sunny. The broad sand beach at Zandvoort (about 30 minutes away by train from Amsterdam Central Station) stretches for miles, studded with casual cafes along its length. However, within Amsterdam there are a few urban beaches, notably at Blijburg Aan Zee (www.blijburg.nl), a swath of sand facing the Ijsselmeer sea. It’s accessible from Central Station by Tram 26. Atnother great urban beach within the city is Amsterdam Roest (Amsterdam Roest) on the east side.
Joy distilled at Wynand Fockink
As with all the best bars, you could walk past Wynand Fockink (tel: +31 20 639 2695; wynand-fockink.nl/en) and never know it was there. Built in 1679, just behind the National Monument, the distillery is best known for its tasting room. An hour-long session will include a 15-minute tour of the distillery itself, then 45 minutes tasting local liqueurs and genevers (Dutch gin).
Purr over the cat museum
Yes, we all know that Amsterdam has a sex museum and a weed museum, plus actual proper museums too. But did you know it had a cat museum? The brilliantly named Katten Kabinet (tel: +31 20 626 9040, www.kattenkabinet.nl) was founded by Bob Meijer in commemoration of his ginger moggie and displays a collection of feline-themed art through the ages.
Soothe yourself with a sauna
As cold and wet as Amsterdam can be, the city sports a number of attractive saunas where you can sweat off the chill and emerge rejuvenated. These facilities offer a combination of dry sauna, steam room and cold plunge pool, but they're not for the modest: nudity is the norm. Try the elaborate decoration of Sauna Deco (tel: +31 20 623 8215; saunadeco.nl).
Visit a secret church
In the 17th-century Amsterdam, Catholics were unable to worship in public and the attic of this canal house (at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 38) was turned into a church complete with an altar and wooden pews. A few decades later, when Catholics were allowed to worship openly and following the Church of St Nicholas opening in 1887, this house church became Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic Museum) in 1888, making it the second oldest museum in Amsterdam after Rijksmuseum.
