Amsterdam
Join the throng of cyclists in the heart of Amsterdam and you quickly encounter many of the city’s most familiar elements: the horseshoe network of canals, the merchant houses that line them and the characteristic Dutch nonchalance of locals gliding alongside you – provided you follow the rules of the road. Its best addresses, however, are often tucked away down quieter streets or a short pedal beyond the centre. Here, cultural outings sit alongside exciting bars and restaurants, revealing a capital that still finds ways to surprise visitors on every trip.
“Amsterdam is a city that rewards curiosity,” says Trang Vo, Hyatt’s cluster sales coordinator and Amsterdam resident. “the more you wander the more you notice its character in the smaller, more intimate places”. Here, Vo shares a few local recommendations, followed by some of Monocle’s own favourite addresses across the city.
Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht, Prinsengracht
Set on the longest of Amsterdam’s principal 17th-century canals, Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht brings a playful sense of theatre to its storied address. The former public library has been reimagined by renowned designer Marcel Wanders with interiors that nod to Dutch heritage while allowing for a few surreal surprises. In the lobby, a high flying installation pays tribute to astronomy, while the rooms continue the sense of design-led flair – some with canal views. Dining options abound but it is Renvy from Michelin-starred chef Randy Karman that requires your immediate attention.
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam, De Plantage
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam sits just east of the city centre in De Plantage, one of the capital’s greenest neighbourhoods. Its leafy boulevards and elegant squares, once laid out for the city’s upper classes, now offer everyone a spacious counterpoint to the tighter lanes of the canal ring. The hotel carries that same sense of calm indoors, with botanical-inspired rooms and sustainable touches throughout. It makes for a restorative stay, helped along by a 24-hour fitness centre with a steam room, sauna and state-of-the-art showers that feature scent, light and sound settings that can be tailored to suit your mood.
Monocle’s top picks…
Bars and restaurants
Jazz Café Alto, Amsterdam-Centrum
Near Leidseplein, Jazz Café Alto is a lively Amsterdam institution and one of the city’s most reliable addresses for live music. The walk-in bar hosts jazz every night of the week, with doors opening like clockwork at 21.00 and the mood building quickly from there. It is a charmingly small room, where the musicians up close make each outing feel spontaneous. Settle in and grab a drink – no two evenings are ever quite the same.
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Esra, Amsterdam-Noord
In Amsterdam’s eastern docklands, Esra brings the warmth of Turkish cooking to a former industrial quarter. The intimate restaurant is led by London-born Turkish Cypriot chef Selin Kiazim, whose menu follows the seasons closely; it sometimes shifts from one day to the next. Dishes might include pollock with pistachio cream or Turkish eriste egg noodles with pickled mushrooms and sheep’s cheese sauce. The wine list looks east too, with bottles from Turkey (of course), Georgia, Croatia and Greece adding another reason to linger.
Polly Goudvisch, Amsterdam-Noord
Polly Goudvisch is an all-day restaurant with interiors by Esther Stam of Studio Modijefsky. The space takes its cues from Amsterdam’s traditional brown cafés but updates the inspiration with a lighter, more contemporary touch. Outside, the terrace overlooks the Buiksloterweg ferry stop and comes into its own in summer, when tables fill with locals enjoying the sun. Come for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or simply stop by for drinks with bitterballen on the side.
Massalia, Amsterdam-Oost
Named after the ancient Greek settlement that became the French city of Marseille, Massalia is a brasserie with inspiration from the Mediterranean but well at home in contemporary Amsterdam. Chef-restaurateur Angelo Kremmydas brings a Hellenic touch to a French menu built for sharing, from salted-cod beignets with skordalia to octopus terrine with burnt-pepper salsa and whole grilled artichokes. Finish with fennel granita, ouzo foam and grapefruit for a final flourish that neatly captures the restaurant’s Greek-French spirit.
Culture
Vondelpark, Amsterdam-Zuid/Oud-West
Amsterdam’s largest city park, and perhaps the best known in the Netherlands, Vondelpark remains one of the capital’s great everyday pleasures. Designed by landscape architect L.D. Zocher and now protected as a national monument, it offers winding paths, open lawns and plenty of scope for walking, cycling or people-watching. It is also home to Picasso’s Figure découpée, a sculpture gifted to the park in 1965 and now affectionately known by locals as the “flat fish”.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam-Zuid
No Amsterdam cultural itinerary is complete without the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands’ grand repository of art and history. Its collection spans everything from medieval sculpture and Delft pottery to ship models and silverware. The big names are all here – Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh among them – but part of the pleasure lies in discovering the lesser-known oddities: ceremonial swords, Meissen porcelain and even a lead-booted diving suit.
Pathé Tuschinski, Amsterdam-Centrum
It is not often that a cinema is worth visiting as much for the venue as the film. Opened in 1921 by Polish-born impresario Abraham Icek Tuschinski, this exuberant picture palace brings together Amsterdam School, art nouveau and art deco influences to dazzling effect. Its main auditorium still shows major releases, while smaller screens offer a broader mix of films. Book a ticket and arrive early to take in the lavish interior, or join a guided tour for the full story of one of Europe’s most atmospheric cinemas.
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