One of the most scenic terraces on one of the prettiest canals, it's no surprise that waterside seats are snared early in the day, so patience - or an alarm clock in good...

Occupying a prime spot on a side-canal of the Amstel, this bar's cavernous insides are filled with yuppies chowing down posh Dutch food and grooving to weekend DJs. But that's...

The western islands feel like a secluded retreat from the city's bustle, and this modern glass cube is great for a break after aimless exploring. Food caters to all pockets,...

Being 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the sea, Amsterdam was hardly anyone's choice for a beach holiday until sand was tipped on the artificial islands of IJburg, where 45,000...

A justifiably popular neighbourhood bar on the eastern fringes of the Pijp, the dark wood interior is enlivened with old posters and chandeliers. A kitchen pumps out...

Despite its Swiss origins, the Dutch adopted the cheese fondue as a 'national dish' long ago. Sample its culinary conviviality at this suitably cosy brown bar that was...

Definitely the smallest bar in Amsterdam at just a handful of square metres, the Doctor is also one of the oldest, dishing out the cure for whatever ails you since 1798....

Totally touristy and thus thoroughly uncool, this deserves a mention for its utterly unreconstructed 1970s interior. Forget ironic retro reinventions. This is what the decade...

Popular with the neighbourhood's more affluent young people, there's a mod-retro feel here - lacquered walls, 1970s lamps, school chairs - and weekends are livened up with DJs...

If you're burnt out by the Museum District, you can do far worse than recover at this smart locals' café set back from the main road. Although it calls itself a 'real brown...

A glass cabinet of trophies and trinkets and a jukebox give this bar an easygoing 1950s feel. It's an Amsterdam classic, by night full of bar-room philosophers and locals mixed...

Light from the enormous windows floods this delightful locals' café that's busy at all hours with students taking advantage of Wi-Fi, parents treating offspring to (excellent)...

A slice of Paris on the Spui, waiters in long white aprons glide among tables, serving a huge range of drinks, (reasonably good) Dutch brasserie food and cigars (from PGC...

So slick a bar comes as a surprise plonked canalside in an unremarkable residential area not far from the Vondelpark. Inside it's all blonde wood, cool, creamy colours and a...