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Amsterdam Old World meets New Age in northern Europe's dreamiest fast-lane town. Other liquid cities are seamed by canals, but few places use them quite as creatively as Amsterdam. All sorts of surprises have been seen skimming down the city's waterways: a houseboat reserved for orphaned cats, a squad of ice-skaters playing hockey, a pontoon named Poseidon Adventure 2 listing under the weight of 100 party animals (including a proud patriot wearing one stiletto heel and one wooden shoe). But if the canals reflect Amsterdam's exuberance, they also evoke its quieter face. On hushed evenings, the waters throw back serene images: buildings, sky, gulls. "Outsiders think of Amsterdam as a city," says Ans Markus, a nationally acclaimed painter who's lived here for 12 years. "But it's more of a village, and some days it feels like an island." Fast Facts As of last count there were 720,493 people and 550,000 bikes (you do the math), 160 canals, more than 1,200 bridges, and some 6,800 landmark buildings. Winter can be dank and chilly, summer temperatures rarely shoot past 75°F, and the rain (really more of a drizzle) democratically dampens through the seasons. Springtime is when every Amsterdammer holds fast to a bouquet of tulips and the whole blooming city looks like the lushest spot on Earth. Plus airfares and hotel rates are lower than in summer. Come Queen's Day (April 30), the streets are packed with revelers and the canals bob with activity. Don't Miss Amsterdam's most sumptuous landmark, the floating flower market on the Singel Canal, looks like Martha Stewart's ultimate centerpiece. At the Rijksmuseum, flowers bloom within the confines of gilt frames, and the wealth of canvases by Vermeer and Rembrandt fully illustrate the term Dutch Master. For an edgy counterpoint to those cozy paintings, survey the sunflowers in the Vincent van Gogh Museum or the abstract canvases at the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. Remnants of the city's 17th-century Golden Age are all over town, from Westerkerk Church (the tower offers panoramic views) to Rembrandt's House (filled with the artist's etchings). Save Anne Frank's House for a quiet afternoon, when you can contemplate the eerily empty annex that briefly sheltered eight Jewish Amsterdammers from the Nazis and now offers the city's most haunting, yet oddly hopeful, elegy. Neighborhoods to Know There's hyperkinetic Dam Square and the surrounding Red Light District (surprisingly unseedy) but due west is Amsterdam's real, bucolic heart. Here you'll find a ring of canals, including the Prinsengracht and Singel, that provides the city's most characteristic mix of Old World grandeur and New Age funk. While the canals are lined with opulent manors, the cobbled side streets offer a northern casbah of eccentric storefronts: cafés with walls stained deep mahogany by centuries of tobacco, four-table restaurants, and one-idea boutiques. For more local color, keep walking west, past Prinsengracht, where the working-class Jordaan district has been only partly gentrified. Top Shopping For souvenirs, try the Galleria d'Arte, purveyor of hand-painted tiles and herring plates that are genuinely local (i.e. not Delft by way of Hong Kong). At the colorful Monday morning market on Noordermarkt Square, cheesemakers carve wheels of Edam bigger than tractor tires and vendors hawk the contents of countless bulging attics. Heirlooms jam the antique shops lining the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat (stop at Van der Peet for historic prints and maps), though Amsterdam's au courant power shoppers pack their bags with contemporary finds from Metz & Co., a department store. P.C. Hooftstraat (Amsterdam's version of Rodeo Drive and King's Road) draws the young and the restless, who pick through the black minis at Mexx, the regal cashmere suits at Leeser, and the contempo-Gothic velvet blazers at Emporio Armani. For nostalgia, head to Laura Dols, packed with enough retro wear to outfit every road show of Grease well into the 21st century. Among the quirkiest of the canalside emporiums is the all-buttons Knopen Winkel, where the best of the bunch are displayed like tiny royal jewels. Where the Locals Eat For Dutch treats, it's the Pancake Bakery, where the thin but supersize house specialty suggests crepes on steroids. Culinary landmark Haesje Claes, a beamed restaurant that looks like it could be Hans Brinker's cottage, sets the standard for Dutch soul food (think meaty stews, raw herring, and smoky pea soup). The only thing better: the Pompadour tearoom, where low fat means just one dollop of whipped cream on your tart. The best foreign flavors come courtesy of Indonesia, a former Dutch colony, and the top Indonesian kitchen may well be Kantjil en de Tijger, a glossy place where the rijsttafel (rice table) of sweet and spicy dishes teases every taste bud. Borderwyk dishes up an elegant fusion of Flemish and Mediterranean flavors, and English chef Jean Beddington, somewhat of a local celebrity, concocts a seamless blend of Asian and French accents (best bet: buttery tandoori monkfish) at her namesake restaurant, a minimalist room that makes basic black look loud. Nightlife Start on a literal high note with a concert at the stately Concertgebouw, famous for its crystalline acoustics and stellar house orchestra. Then head for Spui, a graceful square where you can browse through the periodicals at the art nouveau Athenaeum newsstand, watch the passing scene from the glassed-in terrace of chic Café Luxembourg, or brave the crowds at Hoppe, a bar that has been serving shots of Dutch gin since 1670. Among trendier clubs, try Schiller, an art deco café. Much more raucous is iT, which used to be the last word in Euro-decadence but still packs its dance floor with spice girls, party boys, and the liberally tatooed. Lodgings of Note Reserve a room at the Ambassade, a string of ten 17th- and 18th-century canal houses. Romantic refinement predominates, from the chandelier-rimmed breakfast room to the pastel guest suites. For the best bargain in town, the Seven Bridges offers cozy rooms and views of seven arched bridges. From the gray marble tubs at the height-of-luxury Pulitzer, another rambling row of converted houses, you can see boats plying canals. Working Out In Amsterdam, peddling indoors on a stationary bike would make about as much sense as running the marathon in clogs. Rent real wheels at Holland Rent-A-Bike and work up an honest sweat whizzing past ornate buildings. If you must finish up with a session on the stairmaster, park your bike in front of the high-tech Splash fitness center, where you can follow your workout with a sauna. Three-Hour Itinerary It's easy to soak up the spirit of the city even if time is tight. Take a one-hour canal boat ride (offered all over town) and enjoy the city's prettiest spots at water level. Then have a mango cream tart at canalside Café Morlang and watch the seriously trendy stream by. If there's time, stroll around the Begijnhof, the tranquil cloister of medieval houses just off Spui, and stop next door at the Amsterdam Historisch Museum, where you can chart the city's rise from backwater harbor to urbane watering hole. By the Way The bodaciously baroque gables and stone details capping most of the city's 17th-century canal houses are telling features. At a time when limited space and hefty property taxes encouraged pencil-thin buildings, the sculptural flourish was an architect's principal opportunity for whimsy. Among the most lavish is a pair of stone sea gods riding bucking dolphins atop a Herengracht manor, but the more memorable surprise lies down the street: On the wall of Herengracht 395, a carved cat stealthily stalks; on the side of the facing building, a nervous-looking stone mouse appears ready to leap for the canals. The information in this story was accurate at the time it was published, but we suggest you confirm all details before making travel plans.
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