Marianne Crone: Follow me on Twitter @amsterdamguide
Best Steak in Town
It is often the case that some of the best dining choices are away from the tourist centre. Café Loetje falls in this category. It is close to the Concertgebouw and Van Gogh Museum and a thirty-minute walk from Centraal Station. This should not deter you, especially if you are a carnivore. Loetje’s ossenhaas biefstuk (filet of steak) and frites (French fries) are the best in town. The meat is so tender that you can cut it with a spoon.
What else to order? Anything that appeals to you; perhaps...
October 25th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Begijnhof: A Step into the Middle Ages and Back
Tucked away behind Kalverstraat, Begijnhof, Beguine Court (Travel Guide), a green space, offers a welcome break from Amsterdam’s people-packed streets. Begijnhof is one of my secret spots where I like to sit and relax. Sneak into this restful haven through a little gateway on Spui or go to the main entrance on Gedempte Begijnensloot.
Begijnhof History
Begijnhof began in the 14th century as homes for Beguines, Catholic lay nuns who educated the poor and cared for the sick. When men took off during...
October 21st, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Amsterdam City Walk: Red Light District
Amsterdam’s Red Light District is the district around the Oude Kerk or Old Church. Canals and narrow alleys criss-cross this part of the city. The Red Light District’s outer boundaries are Kloveniersburgwal, Zeedijk and Warmoesstraat, Amsterdam’s oldest street. This part of the city is peppered with bars, sex shops and coffee shops aka hash bars.
Explore the Red Light District by day and notice beautiful old buildings, kinky shops, a secret church and a museum without art.
Start of the walk:...
October 19th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
From Weigh House to Restaurant
De Waag is a castle-like building dating from 15th century and one of the few remnants of Amsterdam’s defence wall. When the city expanded the structure became included within the city. In 1617, the ground floor was converted into a waag, a weighing station. The open gate got a roof and a floor was added to the building. The surgeons, bricklayers, painters and smiths guilds were located on this floor. In 1690 a domed room was added to the second floor. Surgeons held anatomy lectures here. The...
October 13th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Tuschinsky Theatre: Movies in Style
When Polish born Abraham Tuschinski opened his variety theatre in Amsterdam in 1921, he was instantly successful. Until then, movie cinemas were dark places. Tuschinski theatre showed a wondrous mix of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Amsterdam School architecture.
Squares and rectangles grace the façade. Tiffany-style windows, garlands and curvy iron lamps are eye-catchers. This landmark building is all glamour and glitter inside and out. It attracted large audiences and famous artists such as Marlene...
October 7th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Amsterdam Photo: Ornate Gables
In seventeenth century Amsterdam, house fronts and gables were status symbols. As the city levied tax according to the width of houses, home owners added a few metres to the top of their houses to show wealth. Have a close look and see the sturdy rods that support these false gables.
The best place to see the rods is on the fifth floor of Metz Department Store. The large windows of The Metz Café look out over Amsterdam centre. Sit at one of the window tables in Metz Café. Down below stretch spiderweb...
October 1st, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Budget Suggestion for a Rainy Day
Help! It’s raining and you have already been to Anne Frankhuis and Van Gogh Museum. You spent hours in a brown café, sipping Heineken. You hopped on a tram and saw Amsterdam from steamed-up windows. You wandered through Bijenkorf Department Store and did not buy anything because your budget did not allow you AND IT IS STILL RAINING.
Here is my budget suggestion for a rainy day: Spend an afternoon in de Openbare Bibliotheek, the Public Library. This huge library is spread over ten floors. You can...
September 25th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Museum Quarter and the Big Three
Amsterdam’s big three – Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art – showcase the brilliance of Dutch masters, modern art and impressionists. Add Amsterdam’s Concert Hall, throw in a high-end shopping street or two and you have the Museum Quarter, Amsterdam’s most prestigious neighborhood.
Museum Quarter is the area around Museum Square and only a-ten minute walk from bustling Leidseplein. The district is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city. Grand mansions...
September 23rd, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Walking Amsterdam: Anne Frank House and Prinsengracht
My favorite Amsterdam canal walk is along Prinsengracht or Prince’s canal. Along this canal is Anne Frank House, the house where Anne Frank hid from the Nazis. It is a modest building by Amsterdam standards, but with more than one million visitors a year, it is Amsterdam’s second most popular museum. Leafy Prinsengracht is named after William of Orange, forefather of the Dutch Royal family. The canal is crisscrossed by shopping streets and lined with charming cafes and canal houses with...
September 23rd, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Why Getting Lost Is So Much Fun
When on a city trip, I catch myself heading in the same direction. Leaving the hotel, I take a turn that goes to the city centre and I always follow the same streets. But on my last trip, I decided to play a little game that guaranteed a more interesting way to explore any city.
Find cheap short-term rentals in the area with iStopOver.com !
Super Sunny Retro Living
Bellampyplein
$130 USD per night
Central, Cute, and Cosy
Red Light District
$155 USD per night
Oude Waal B&B
Historic Nieuwmarkt...
September 18th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Van Gogh in the Morning and Diamonds in the Afternoon
What does Van Gogh mean to you? Sunflowers, Starry Night, the painter who cut off his ear, the man who committed suicide?
Find cheap short-term rentals in the area with iStopOver.com !
Super Sunny Retro Living
Bellampyplein
$130 USD per night
Central, Cute, and Cosy
Red Light District
$155 USD per night
Oude Waal B&B
Historic Nieuwmarkt area
$122 USD per night
Vincent van Gogh’s painted sunflowers from ochre yellow to arid brown, in full bloom and wilting to die. Starry Night – a velvet...
September 16th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Kuala Lumpur: a City on the Move
Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, is a city on the move. Caught between its cultural past and commercial future, the race is on to surpass Singapore in ultra-modern high-rise buildings and shopping plazas with top-quality bargains. The pulse of the city tells that something big is happening. Droves of taxis zoom past. Motorcycles tear along. Monorail trains whiz by. The streets throb with Malays, Indians, Chinese and tourists: a colorful juxtaposition of people from many cultures. Gigantic cranes...
September 14th, 2010 | Baby Boomers, Kuala Lumpur | Read More
Paris, je t’aime – I Love Paris
A mesmerizing woman gracefully steps out the House of Guerlin, toting several crisp boutique bags. Her high heels click-clack on the pavement. An Hermès scarf draped round her shoulders, she continues her way along Avenue des Champs-Élysées, la plus belle avenue du monde, the most beautiful avenue in the world. Parisians look sharp. Parisians have style.
Paris, je t’aime – sounds better than – I love Paris. Is this because of French sophistication or the beauty of the city? Wander along...
September 13th, 2010 | Paris, Photo Highlights | Read More
Bridges and Mysterious Statues
Blauwbrug, Blue Bridge, spans the Amstel River, but it is not blue at all. The bridge was built in 1874, and inspired by Paris’ Pont Alexandre III. The main construction is cast-iron, a relatively new material when the bridge was built. It allowed builders a new flamboyance. Look at the bridge and you will see that its central piers are carved with images of boats and fish. Red granite pillars hold streetlamps capped with bright yellow crowns, copies of the Hapsburg imperial crown.
Stand on the...
September 13th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Prague: 8 Tips for a Fall Visit
Fall is the perfect time to visit Prague when the morning sun gleams through a pale haze of autumn mist. The trees on Petřín Hill are radiant in shimmering shades of deep russets and gold. This is a wonderful time of year to saunter, sight-see and look for that special spot for a bite to eat. As the cultural season begins, check out concerts, opera and dance performances. The bulk of the tourists have returned home and the city no longer feels like an overcrowded theme park.
MY 8 TIPS FOR THE FALL
Astronomical...
September 9th, 2010 | Prague | Read More
Albert Cuyp Market: Where Locals Love to Shop
Open air Albert Cuyp Market stretches for more than one kilometer and spills over into the surrounding streets. It is one of the best markets to soak up local atmosphere. Fish mongers rub shoulders with fruit and vegetable sellers. Vendors of round Edam cheese, fiery-red tulips and potato peelers bawl out their wares. Oversized-sized bras and lacy underwear spill from the clothes stands.
Wandering about Albert Cuyp Market is downright fun. Part of the appeal is that the market is very much a local...
September 8th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Goa: Gold Sand and Cobalt Sea
Every year, thousands of tourists flock to Goa (map) to escape the winter in the Northern hemisphere. Just under 600 kilometres south of Mumbai (map), Goa is one of India’s smallest states. Its 105-kilometre-long coastline is a continuous stretch of beaches. Although the interior brims with colourful villages, offers leisurely walks and visits to spice plantations, most tourists head straight for Goa’s gold sand and cobalt sea.
Colva Beach
Goa’s sun-drenched beaches rate high on the popularity...
September 7th, 2010 | Photo Highlights | Read More
Bridge of Fifteen Bridges
Amsterdam is the city of gabled buildings, tranquil canals and arched bridges. Canals and waterways criss-cross the historic centre. Working barges sail past. Houseboats festooned with flower boxes bob at their moorings. A couple reclining in a dinghy, their noses buried in books have no indentation of sailing today.
Amsterdam is a city of water and bridges. A maze of canals divides the centre into islands. Amsterdam has more canals than Venice and more bridges than London. I did not count them but,...
September 7th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Amsterdam Photo: Mint Tower
Amsterdammers and tourists zigzag across tiny Muntplein dodging cars and bicycles. The square’s landmark is elegant Munttoren, Mint Tower. This imposing 15th century tower with its flashy spire was originally part of the city wall and for a brief period it was used as the municipal mint.
Listen to the carillon that often plays at noon, while you shop for Dutch porcelain in the ground floor store. Just round the corner is the floating Flower Market, a kaleidoscope of colours. Stock up on tulip bulbs,...
September 1st, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More
Bali: Island of the Gods
With more than 20,000 temples, temple ceremonies are daily happenings in Bali. The Balinese believe their island belongs to the gods and that the mortals are custodians of the gods’ well being. To propitiate the gods, the Balinese bring offerings to their family shrines, village and city temples and in between there are all other kinds of ceremonies.
When we were staying in Amed (map), in east Bali, our villa was next to a sacred beach. This meant that almost every day a procession of devotees...
August 26th, 2010 | Photo Highlights | Read More
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