World City Guide

Further Distractions

Vondelpark
Named after a famous Dutch poet, the Vondelpark is known as the ‘green lung’ of Amsterdam. It contains 49 hectares (120 acres) of ponds, gardens, lakes, playgrounds, cafés and a bandstand. During summer, there are regular free concerts. At times, palm readers and buskers (African drummers, classical quartets and jazz singers) provide entertainment. Just a short walk from the Leidseplein, the Vondelpark is an ideal place for visitors to get away from it all.

Vondelpark, Roemer Visscherstraat
Tel: (020) 676 5860.
E-mail: info@vondelpark.tv
Website: www.vondelpark.tv
Transport: Tram 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10 or 12.
Opening hours: Daily dawn until dusk.
Admission: Free.

Nieuwe Kerk (New Church)
Despite its name, the building of the original church that stood on this site was started in 1408, as the congregation had outgrown the Oude Kerk (Old Church). The present structure dates to the 17th century, the previous wooden church having been badly damaged by fire. One of the most interesting pieces inside the church is the pulpit. Rising to a height of more than 10m (33ft), it took sculptor Albert Jansz Vinckenbrinck almost 20 years (1645-1664) to create. A close look at the carved ‘rope’ of the handrail will reveal mischievous angels sliding down it. Located next door to the Royal Palace, on the Dam, the Nieuwe Kerk has been used for the inauguration of Dutch monarchs since 1815 – Queen Beatrix was crowned here in 1980. The church is also renowned for excellent exhibitions and it is rated as one of top three exhibition locations in the Netherlands.

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal
Tel: (020) 638 6909, for recorded information.
E-mail: mail@nieuwekerk.nl
Website: www.nieuwekerk.nl
Transport: Tram 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 24 or 25.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1600, Sat and Sun 1100-1700 (can vary).
Admission: Variable according to exhibition; often free.

Hortus Botanicus
The very pretty Hortus Botanicus is home to more than 800 plants from all over the world. It is also one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, established as a ‘Hortus Medicus’ herb garden in 1638. The garden became an ornamental garden, displaying foreign plants brought back by the East India Company, from as far afield as South Africa, India, Indonesia, Australia and Japan. Conducted tours take place on Sunday at 1300 and last for 60-90 minutes.

Plantage Middenlaan 2a
Tel: (020) 625 9021. Fax: (020) 625 7006.
E-mail: hortus.amsterdam@wxs.nl
Website: www.hortus-botanicus.nl
Transport: Metro Waterlooplein; tram 7 or 9.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat and Sun 1000-1700. Close at 1600 in Dec-Jan and stay open until 2100 in Jul-Aug.
Admission: ¬6 (concessions available).

Roemer Visscherstraat
Also known as United Europe, or Seven Countries Houses, the extraordinary street, Roemer Visscherstraat, was built in 1894, by architect Tjeerd Kuipers, with the intention of focusing on the history of European architecture. Lying between the Vondelpark and Leidseplein, numbers 20 to 30a of this street provide a one-minute excursion through seven European cities. Number 20, with its Gothic windows, is based on romantic German architecture. Number 22 is a miniature French Loire château, while 24 is a Moorish masterpiece reminiscent of Granada’s Alhambra. There is an Italian palazzo at number 26, next door to which, with its onion-shaped dome, is a house reminiscent of a Russian cathedral. Number 30 is a Renaissance-style Dutch house, while 30a is an English cottage.

Roemer Visscherstraat 20-30a
Transport: Tram 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10 or 12.

Houseboat Museum
Living on a houseboat sounds like an alluring way of life and it is increasingly popular in the Amsterdam area, partly due to the city’s chronic housing shortage. This modest museum, reputed to be the only one of its kind in the world, attempts to delve into this unique way of life, answering questions about what it is like to live on a boat in this historic city. The boat is much as it would be as a house (with a living room, shower, toilet and bedroom) and is a far better way of scouring a houseboat that poking through the windows of a real one, as many curious tourists cannot help themselves doing.

Opposite Prisengracht 296
Tel: (020) 427 0750.
E-mail: info@houseboatmuseum.nl
Website: www.houseboatmuseum.nl
Transport: Trams 13, 14 or 17.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1100-1700 (Mar-Oct), Fri-Sun 1100-1700 (Nov-Feb).
Admission: ¬3 (concessions available).