Shopping

Best for vintage shopping:

Family

Best family experience:

Kinderkookkafé

Amsterdam’s reputation for sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll shouldn’t put parents off what is actually a very family-friendly city. Canal boat-rides, loads of parks and special children’s activities at museums are just some of the activities open to little ones. But the most unusual experience that the city has to offer kinder (children) is an afternoon at the Kinderkookkafé (Children’s Cook Café), where they can get dolled up in chef hats and aprons, and learn to cook anything from cookies to pizza. They then serve up, wait tables, barkeep, settle the bill and wash up in this most unusual of cafés.

Where: Kinderkookkafé, Vondelpark 6B, 1071 AA Amsterdam. Tel: +31 (0) 20 625 1932 1957. Open daily from 10am to 5pm

Website: www.kinderkookkafe.nl

Comedy

Best comedy club:

Boom Chicago

Located at the famous, centrally located and very lively Leidseplein, the improvisational shows performed at Boom Chicago are undoubtedly some of the best in Europe. The talented American actors will leave you in stitches from laughing so hard. They have even appeared on MTV Europe and Comedy Central. The club salso erves dinner before the show – the food is just above average, but the laughs are on tall order. Don’t miss this place, we guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
Where: Boom Chicago, 12 Leidseplein, Amsterdam, Tel: +31 (0)20 423 0101.
Website: http://www.boomchicago.nl/

Museum

Best art gallery:

Electric Ladyland

Yes, it’s true that Amsterdam has one of the finest collections of art in the world. And, yes, both the Van Gogh Museum (www.vangoghmuseum.nl) and the Rembrandt House Museum (Museum het Rembrandthuis, www.rembrandthuis.nl) should be on everyone’s to-do list. But for a truly Amsterdam experience, visit a gallery where the art isn’t just on the walls, it is the walls. Named after the Jimmy Hendrix song, Electric Ladyland (or ‘The First Museum of Florescent Art’), is a showcase for all things psychedelic. Visitors are invited to become part of the art, as they don soft-soled shoes and enter rooms made of glowing, florescent minerals and lit up with black light and phosphorescence. Plus, learn about what makes things glow in this eerie way. Mind-bending.

Where: Electric Ladyland, Tweede Leliedwarsstraat 5, 1015 TB Amsterdam. Tel: +31 (0) 20 420 3776

Website: www.electric-lady-land.com

Best history lesson:

Het Grachtenhuis

There will be a lot of museums vying for your attention on a trip to this culture-filled city, but as well as booking in for the Anne FrankHuis (http://www.annefrank.org/) and the Rembrandt Museum (http://www.rembrandthuis.nl/), a little time needs to be saved for Het Grachtenhuis, the Dam’s newest museum, which opened in April 2011. Housed in a 17th century townhouse, the museum tells the story of one of the city’s most famous features – its double horse-shoe formation of canals, from the inception of the idea to the traditions of those who live and work on them. The multi-media tour leads you through the creative process behind one of the world’s most distinctive cityscapes.
Where: Het Grachtenhuis, Stichting, Herengracht 386, 1016, CJ, Amsterdam
Website: http://www.hetgrachtenhuis.nl/