Avoid the crowds with an autumn visit
It’s easy to fill one’s day in the Netherlands’ capital
Autumn is a fantastic time to visit Amsterdam. The crowds are gone (or at least thinned) and the weather is still relatively warm.
If you’re looking to hang out with local hipsters, I suggest you stay in the western side of the city known as Oud West.
This neighbourhood, while largely residential, has been given new life thanks to the conversion of a former electric-tram depot into a beautiful event and food space, complete with a library, cinema and, of course, a bicycle repair shop.
A sleek indoor food market, Foodhallen, will celebrate its first anniversary this October and is a locavore’s dream.
Best of all, you’re still just a tram ride away from the centre, including the Museumplein (ride for free with the two-day, € 57 I Amsterdam city card), and Jordaan, with its narrow streets, bohemian cafés, tiny galleries and the house where Anne Frank hid from the Nazis during the Second World War. Where to stay: Hotel De Hallen is located next door to the food market in Oud West. With train tracks running through the dining room and a swing in the lobby, the 55-room red-brick hotel has retained an industrial yet contemporary feel, with skylights and a stunning art collection hand-picked by the owner, Arjen van den Hof.
The staff is incredibly helpful, the breakfast is hearty and the butterflies and vintage glasses in the reception display case all add to its growing reputation as a hot spot.
Meat West, adjacent to the hotel, is the perfect place to people-watch with its roomy booths and tall industrial ceiling.
The salted shoulder tender is delicious and the entrecôte is perfectly cooked with tasty chimichurri sauce and a side of Dutch fries with pimento mayonnaise. The sommelier was knowledgeable and attentive. Getting around: You’ll have a blast on a rented granny bike and can glide along the cobblestone streets beside mothers ferrying their children on handlebars and middle-aged commuters with grocery-laden baskets.
Weirdly, cyclists do not wear helmets here, the logic being that dorky headgear dissuades people from taking up cycling by making it appear dangerous.
No worries, with thousands of kilometres of designated paths and traffic lights specifically for riders, there is no safer place to ride. I did not see one Lycra-clad road warrior. Museumplein: If you’ve always wanted to see your favourite Dutch masterpieces in the dark, you can. Just make sure you’re in the city on Nov. 7 for the 10th annual “Spend the night in the Museum” festival.
Most of the museums in town, as well as other cultural institutions, hold a party that begins at 7 p.m. and lasts into the wee hours. The fun continues at clubs such as Club 11, Bitterzoet and Hotel Arena.
Also until Jan.17, the Van Gogh Museum will host a special exhibit of paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Norway’s Edvard Munch, another tortured artist most famous for his pre-expressionist painting The Scream.
You can compare their genius and discover parallels when you view their work side by side. The museum charts Van Gogh’s journey from pastor to painter, his struggle with men- tal illness and his relationship with his brother, Theo.
Dam Square and the Kalverstraat, a pedestrianized street that ends at the Munttoren tower, are fun to wander around any time of year.
If you need a break from the noise and crowds, peek inside the Amsterdam Museum, an old orphanage with a beautiful courtyard, or the Begijnhof, a beautiful enclosed former convent, situated in the middle of the bustling shopping zone.
This being Amsterdam, I dropped by the Hash, Marijuana and Hemp Museum.
Its motley display of pipes and hemp art were interesting, but not worth the € 9 entrance fee.
The smoke-filled Funky Munkey coffee shop was also a disappointment: the grumpy server waved me away because I didn’t place my pot order in the entranceway (Sorry!).
I tried again at another coffee shop and the staff was friendlier, showing off their in-house specialty: Albert Hennep Bonbons, made from “fine Irish budder,” to be consumed in one-quarter portions.
“Overdosages are hardly possible, since one just falls asleep,” the written instructions helpfully noted. Marina Jimenez was a guest of Hotel de Hallen. The trip was supported by Visit Holland.