Take a trip to Amsterdam
Quirky attractions for a truly memorable break in this vibrant and exciting city
Solo travellerS Do good, feel good!
Combine your trip with a spot of altruism and you’ll gain a warm glow and new friends. On Plastic Whale boat trips down the famous canals, passengers use nets to collect up plastic rubbish from the waterways. The company has found these tours surprisingly popular, taking out 6,000 visitors last year. The boat itself is made from 8,500 plastic bottles! ■ Two-hour trips cost €25pp including snacks and drinks. Call 020 737 3049 or visit www.plasticwhale.com
Keep the vampires away…
Make the most of your solo status with a meal at Garlic Queen – just as the name suggests, every dish involves a clove or two. Along with standard fare (garlic breads and soup, fish or meat with garlic) there’s garlic ice-cream or even beer for the brave! Pack some mints…
■ Main courses from €16.50. Call 020 422 6426 or visit www.garlicqueen.nl/en/
Fabulously floral
Have a moment of calm in one of the world’s oldest botanical gardens. The Amsterdam Hortus dates back to 1638 when it was originally a herb garden for doctors.
■ Entry costs €9.50 adults, €5 children. Open daily. Call 020 625 9021 or visit www.dehortus.nl
With friendS Go up in the world
Enjoy incredible views over the city at the A’dam Lookout – wander the sky deck (22 storeys high) or book a meal or drinks at the revolving restaurant and bar. The truly brave will enjoy the Over The Edge swing – the highest in Europe – which will swing you a stomachchurning 100m high, with the city beneath your feet.
■ Tickets for the Lookout tower cost €12.50 adults, €6.50 children. Over the
Edge swing costs
€5pp. Call 020 242
0100 or visit www. adamlookout.com
WITH A PARTNER Classic and classy
How’s this for a date – watching classical music played by a professional orchestra, in an elegant venue. Sounds expensive? Time your visit right and it’s completely free! The Royal Concertgebouw is a stunning concert hall that dates back to 1881. Most Wednesday lunchtimes there’s a free concert in the main or recital halls, and can feature anyone from the in-house orchestra rehearsing to chamber music played by up-and-coming artistes.
■ Get your ticket from the entrance hall from 11.30am, for 12.30pm start. Visit www.concertgebouw.nl/en/
Island escape
For an equally romantic evening, take the onehour ferry to the secluded Lighthouse Island (Vuurtoreneiland) for a slap-up five-course meal with plenty of carefully paired wines. The island is home to the city’s only lighthouse and until recently wasn’t open to the public. Summer visitors can eat in a sunny glassenclosed restaurant, while winter guests can sit by the fire in the fort – either way, it’s a lovely way to unwind. ■ Five-course meal, wines and both boat rides cost €100pp. To book, call 020 362 1664 or visit http://vuurtoreneiland.nl to see some amazing photos (the website is in Dutch only)
Shop and sample
Don’t return empty handed – stock up at the Albert Cuyp market. It’s a lively place that’s more than a century old and one of the largest daily markets in Europe. Have a nibble of cheese, try poffertjes (small pancakes) or buy souvenirs to take home.
■ Open Monday to Saturday
WITH THE GRANDCHILDREN
May 11 is National Windmill Day and there are eight in the heart of the city. The Sloten windmill is the only one open to visitors and a museum on-site shows how barrels are made. ■ Mill and museum tickets €8 adults, €2.50 children. Visit www.molenvansloten.nl/en
Cat crazy
Animal-mad little ones will love the Kattenkabinet – a quirky museum dedicated to all things cat! It’s set in a beautiful 17th Century canal house and is packed with paintings and artefacts as well as being to home feline residents.
■ Entry costs €7 adults, children under 12 free. Call 020 626 9040 or visit www.kattenkabinet.nl ■ Open daily except Wednesday and Sunday