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Terrace hopping in Amsterdam

When the sun is shining it is really popular among the Dutch to pick up their cycle and go to the parks or go to have a drink on Amsterdam’s many terraces; rooftop, canal, waterside, historical or just a terrace by a restaurant who put some chairs outside for the summer. So when traveling to Amsterdam, between all the activities and attractions, to get a little extra piece of the lifestyle in the city, you definitely need to stop by a terrace – that’s what I did!

1.Pllek – an amazing place to end a tour around the Noord

This popular restaurant really ticks off quite a few boxes on my list of what makes a good place to spend a sunny summer day: spacious (seats by the beach, terrace, two floors inside!), great service (the waiter recommended me a beer and I must say it actually might be my favorite beer of all time now) and views (what could be better than having a drink by the water and watching the sunset).  There are tons of things I could tell about this place but last but definitely not least the overall atmosphere was extraordinary; groups having drinks, couples eating dinner and also people alone just enjoying the day.

Address: Tt. Neveritaweg 59

Opening times: Sun – Thu; 9.30am – 01am, Fri – Sat; 9.30am – 3am

Busiest times: 7pm – 9.30pm

2. Hannekes Boom – just around the corner from central station

Like Pllek, Hannekes Boom also has a pretty nice view over the water. You can arrive easily from central station by bike or walking or alternatively with your boat! When arriving to the place, it felt kind of a brief getaway from the packed streets of Amsterdam. Instead of the rushing people, you would be spotting the slowly passing boats. Even though there wasn’t any place to sit at the tables when I was there, you could just find your seat by the water and enjoy the view while having a taste of beer for example from the local brewery Brouwerij ‘t IJ.

Address: Dijksgeracht 4

Opening times: Mon – Thu; 10am – 01am, Fri – Sun; 10am – 3am

Busiest times: 5pm – 9pm

3. Café Zurich – exploring the West

By cycling only 13 minutes from Teleport, you’ll find Café Zurich! The terrace looks really inviting from outside –  like a secret garden in the middle of Mercatoplein. While the terrace isn’t the biggest on this list, it didn’t seem as busy as some of the other bars in centrum. The stylish and fresh decoration of the place gives a cozy touch to it and at the same time the atmosphere is less touristic than some other places. Either having lunch, dinner, a draft beer or a gin tonic, you will definitely get enough sunshine here!

Address: Mercatoplein 2b

Opening times: Mon – Thu; 9am – 01am, Fri – Sun; 9am – 3am

Busiest times: 6pm – 8pm

4. Haven van Texel – canal view with the taste of an island

I was walking in the city and came across this spot. What could be better than having a drink or lunch and enjoying the Amsterdam’s architecture and the canals? The view is stunning from this place and even better, they offer a taste of beers from the island Texel, which is located 100km to the north from Amsterdam. Various of these beers from Texel have actually won national prizes! Overall Haven van Texel is a pleasant and convenient place to stop by between all the hectic sightseeing in Amsterdam.

Address: Sint Olofssteeg 11

Opening times: Mon – Thu; 4pm – 00, Fri – Sun; 2pm – 01pm

Busiest times: 7pm – 9pm

5. Schreierstoren – “From here women waved goodbye for the husbands who went overseas”

A friend of mine recommended this hidden gem in the heart of Amsterdam. It can’t be found on the most popular “best terraces in Amsterdam” – lists, what makes it interesting place to visit. Schreierstoren has a significant role in Amsterdam’s history – it is one of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam and was once part of a medieval wall around Amsterdam. You can certainly feel the medieval atmosphere throughout the premises and you can have a beer at the same spot where the women waved to their husbands when they were going to the war.

Address: Prins Hendrikkade

Opening times: Mon-Thu; 10am – 01am, Fri-Sun; 10am – 03am

Busiest times: 6pm – 9pm

So where are they located?

To make your life a little easier I made a small map for you of Amsterdam with the terraces of this article. Just look up the number of your favorite terrace and you know how to get there!

So in conclusion Amsterdam has something to offer for everyone: good beer by the water at Pllek, boat spotting in Hannekes Boom, relaxed atmosphere away from the busy centrum in Café Zurich, canal views with special beers at Haven van Texel and a bit of Dutch history in Schreierstoren.

Besides these examples, there a lot of other places to choose from as well like: Nemo, A’dam Tower, Lion Noir… When walking on the streets of Amsterdam, you’ll see that almost every restaurant has built a terrace for the summer – just pick the one you like and have a taste of Dutch summer![:]

Alternative Amsterdam: Off the beaten tourist track

Amsterdam is renowned for its beautiful architecture, canals, world class museums, coffee shops and red light district. There is so much to see and to do and then still after spending a couple of days exploring Amsterdam you have a feeling you didn’t have enough time to see it all! And guess what? You are right! Amsterdam, despite being a small city, compared to for instance Paris, London or Berlin, has so much more to offer than the regular tourist experience! Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic Amsterdam probably just as much as you do, but let’s be honest you truly get to know the city in its full glory, once you get off the beaten tourist track! Hopefully this article will help you to make your trip to Amsterdam more unique, diverse, interesting and local!

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NDSM

NDSM is a former wharf on the other side of the IJ, the big river behind the central station. To get there is already a small adventure by itself. There are free ferries connecting the centre of the city with different parts of Amsterdam North. The one you need to get to NDSM is the one all the way on the left if you get out of back entrance of the station. In about 10 minutes you will be on the other side and able to see the iconic NDSM crane and old submarine laying in the water. NDSM is thriving and getting more interesting every day. Ever since the wharf went bankrupt in 1984, free spirits and creative souls have taken over the area and given it its unique character that makes NDSM so different than other parts of the city. Visitors can expect to see a lot of beautiful street art, especially around the old wharf area, the unique NDSM breeding place full of small workshops and galleries and cool bars and restaurants such Noorderlicht, Plekk and KEBEC.

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Ruigoord

Ruigoord is a small artistic village a bit outside the city, about an 8km bike ride away from the hotel. This former village and island was taken over by squatters in 1973 and became a free haven for artists.  Here they can work in peace, not being distracted by the ever developing and fast city environment, being surrounded by lots of green and tranquillity. Very often the whole village works together on big art projects that characterize the place. In this unique place, living as a community and integrating art in their daily life has become a communal experiment. Ruigoord is also known for all the parties, festivals and other events that take place there. The best part about it all is that they usually take place in the beautiful old church that this artist community is famous for.

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Westergasfabriek

This old factory, in the Westerpark, has become a very popular hot spot of the city amongst locals. This former late 19th century gas factory closed its doors in 1967. Luckily, instead of taking the buildings down the area slowly developed into a place where innovation and creativity became the beating heart and energy of the renewed Westergasfabriek. It is difficult to describe what this place is like since there is so much to see and to do. The best thing to do is to hop on your bike or hike from the hotel, since its only 3km away and experience it yourself. If you decide to do so make sure you grab a coffee at the Espressofabriek, buy a fairtrade candybar at the Tony Chocolonely store, have a sandwich at the Bakkerswinkel, try a local draft beer at Brouwerij Troost, dance, eat with locals at the Pacific Parc and play old school arcade games at the TonTon club.

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Amsterdamse Bos

Not many tourists are aware of the fact Amsterdam has a beautiful forest that offers a great getaway from the busy city. Here locals love to walk their dog, swim during summer, enjoy open air concerts and plays, attend festivals, have their morning run or just simply enjoy the changing seasons and nature throughout the year. If you are planning to go here you should first go to the beautiful visitors’ centre that explains everything about the forest, where you can buy maps with all the different trails on them and that has a great educational centre for kids as well on the second floor.

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Other local gems

After describing four great places where you can experience the true Amsterdam spirit and where you probably will meet way more locals than tourists, there is few true gems left that are totally worth mentioning. Even though the summer has long passed it’s never too cold or rainy for a drink at Hanneke’s Boom, Café Sound Garden or Waterkant.

hanneke-boom

Another great way of spending your day is by visiting one of Amsterdam’s local markets at the Albert Cuypstraat, Dapperstraat and Noordermarkt to try some of the delicious local delicacies like stroopwafel or herring. For the ones that even the above experiences are not local enough should have a look at DinewithDutch, a super cool platform where you can arrange an at home dinner with a true Dutch family! It doesn’t get any more local than that! :)

The Street Art Life of Amsterdam

As the Banksy exhibition has  recently left Amsterdam, it’s time to explore the  stunning street-art of the city available year-round and for free. From the first glance it might look that Amsterdam doesn’t have enough graffiti, murals, stencils, stickers and other forms of alternative art, but the first impressions can be deceiving. The truth is that our radiant city is full of them, but you might need to have your eyes open, pay attention and even know the hot spots of the local street artists. Let us help you a bit with that and send you at the right direction.

The NDSM Wharf

We can’t highlight enough the creative artsy spirit of the northern part of Amsterdam, where you see stunning graffiti and stencils every way you look. The NDSM Wharf is a vibrant industrial area with old cranes, trams turned into art projects, metal containers, huge ship halls and plenty of walls. All the colors of street-art look especially bright and vivid here with the rusty objects on the background. You can even see artists creating new pieces right in front of you, making the old walls come to life again. All you need to do is take a free ferry in the direction of NDSM behind the Central Station, and the best water views and street-art are guaranteed! As soon as your ferry arrives to the other side, you will be astonished by a gigantic colorful mural of Anne Frank’s portrait (240 square meters!!), recently painted by a very talented Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra.IMG_0118

Space Invaders of the Jordaan

The historical and more authentic part of Amsterdam, called the Jordaan, might be one of the least expected places for street-art, but it’s full of small charming pieces. One of the most impressive murals here is done by iconic local artists the London Police that spread love with their joyful LADS characters. The Jordaan also hides a bunch of Space Invaders, which are mosaic artworks spread around 60 cities all over the world. The best news is that now you can collect those pieces through a Flash Invaders app same way as you do with Pokémon these days. Except these invaders are the real art that you find on the walls. Make sure to check out Marnixstraat for constantly updating colorful graffiti.

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The Past Glory of Spuistraat

Not that long ago if you walked down Spuistraat in Amsterdam, you could enjoy numerous art pieces on the walls of all the squatted buildings right in the heart of the city. Creativity used to be limitless here, while the rebellious vibe was felt in the air. The situation has changed quite a bit since the municipality took over the central masterpiece of De Slang. What used to be an iconic picture of alternative scene of Amsterdam is unfortunately no more there. However, you can still find a few brightly painted garages’ doors, squatted bars with their doors full of graffiti and millions of small stencils and stickers along the street. Spuistraat is definitely worth having a look still, but you really need to look closely and check out tiny side streets too.

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Schellingwoudebrug

In case you want to see whether the roots of Amsterdam’s street art are coming from, then welcome to this bridge (under the bridge to be precise). Just take a tram 14 to the Flevopark, and you will find the graffiti paradise in the end of the line. Schellingwoudebrug goes over the IJ and is the witness of the crazy 90s, when street artists from all over the globe presented their wall pieces to Amsterdam.

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Downtown Street Art Map

How about turning your day in Amsterdam into a street art quest? Just use this map to locate the best pieces in town, see how many invaders you can detect and what gallery turns out to be your favorite. Amsterdam’s street art goes way beyond some cool graffiti in the hidden spots, it becomes a trend of the city, worth exhibiting in museums and galleries. Even the local municipality realizes the importance of alternative art for the cultural life, providing the street artists with legal opportunities to create and present their pieces to all the guests to enjoy.

Amsterdam Teleport Hotel is happy to join with our grand Street Art Event on 27-28 November, so stay tuned to learn more!