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Bordering Waalseilandsgracht, an attractive side-canal dotted with houseboats, Binnenkant is lined with fine old merchants’ houses. A couple of well-placed benches at the junction with Kalkmarkt allow you to sit and contemplate a charming stretch of the Oudeschans, site of the city’s first shipyards, and the fortified Montelbaanstoren towering above it.

Those in the know flock here for the tastiest Thai in town. Eat in their spacious restaurant or duck out to their snackbar opposite for a more informal, utterly authentic experience.

Served much like tapas to accompany drinks in a café or bar, these deep-fried meatballs have a crunchy exterior and a soft meat filling. They are served with mustard.

Only in Amsterdam – an exclusive hotel, opened in 1998, for gay men into leather and bondage, with appropriate equipment in each room. It’s appropriately located too, near the “leather area” and Centraal Station.

An absolute treasure in the heart of the Red Light District, this Mediterranean restaurant should be savoured for hours.

In a spectacular procession, floats proceed from Aarlsmeer, home of the flower industry (see Aarlsmeer Bloemenveilingen), to Dam Square, weighed down by countless varieties of flowers – but not tulips, which are out of season. Watch from Vijzelstraat rather than join the crush in the Dam. The illuminated floats make a magical return journey.

Undoubtedly one of Amsterdam’s most picturesque sights, the flower market is a magnet for tourists. There are local shoppers too, buying armfuls for their houses, while visitors arrange for bulbs to be mailed home. Vendors once sailed up the Amstel from their nurseries to this spot on the Singel, selling their wares directly from their boats. Nowadays the stalls are still floating, though you wouldn’t know it as they feel firmly fixed.

Locals and tourists alike love the Singel’s colourful floating market (see Bloemenmarkt).