Despite its name, the Nieuwe Zijde (new side), together with the Oude Zijde, was at the centre of Amsterdam’s early maritime settlement. From the boundary between the two districts, the Nieuwe Zijde extends west to the Singel. Its canal pattern once mirrored that of its neighbour, but over time it developed an entirely different character. The medieval city, with its wooden housing, was highly susceptible to fire, and much of the area was burnt down in 1452, necessitating extensive reconstruction. During the 19th century, most of its canals were filled in; the resulting thoroughfares, Damrak, Rokin and Nieuwendijk, are lively shopping streets, as is Kalverstraat, scene of a medieval market. Despite the changes, pockets of history survive – in the network of narrow 14th-century streets off Kalverstraat, the Begijnhof, the 17th-century orphanage that houses the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, and, at the heart of the district, Dam Square.
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Morning
Spend the morning in the Amsterdams Historisch Museum , although a morning is scarcely enough. When you feel like a break, leave the main building and head for the Kalverstraat entrance, where the café-restaurant David and Goliath is on your left. Make sure that you keep your ticket so that you can re-enter the museum without having to pay again. The end of the tour brings you to the excellent museum shop.
Rather than leaving by one of the exits, cut through the Civic Guards’ Gallery to the Begijnhof , and while away some time in this secluded place. Come out of the Gedempte Begijnensloot entrance and turn the corner into Spui, where you might lunch at Café Hoppeor Café Esprit (Spui 10).
Afternoon
After lunch, walk down Kalverstraat, the district’s main shopping street, to Dam Square, where you could visit the Koninklijk Paleis as well as the Nieuwe Kerk. Then take a break among the tiny shops built into the buttresses of the church in Gravenstraat; at No.18, De Drie Fleschjes is one of the oldestproeflokalen (tasting houses), dating from 1650.
When you are revived, walk down Damrak past the Beurs van Berlage to finish your day at the Centraal Station, where you can hop on a tram back to your hotel.
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DJs spin and you might too, after sampling theLa Fée Verte (The Green Fairy), the controversial wormwood-infused hallucinogenic this late-opening lounge bar takes its name from.
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Located in a stately Neo-Classical house built in the 1860s as a bank, this delightful small museum was named after the University of Amsterdam’s first Professor of Classical Archaeology, and contains its archaeological collection. Fascinating exhibits conjure up vivid pictures of life in ancient civilizations; they include Egyptian mummies and sarcophagi, Coptic clothes, Cypriot jewellery, Greek geometric and red-figured pottery, Etruscan metalwork and Roman glassware and statuary. One of the museum’s attractions is its size: even with an extra wing opened in 1994, it is possible to see everything in one visit.
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Authentic British fish’n’chips, complete with tabloids and lashings of tomato ketchup and brown sauce.
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An excellent place to start a visit to Amsterdam, this museum chronicles how a tiny fishing village on the Amstel river grew into one of the wealthiest and most beautiful cities in the world (see Amsterdams Historisch Museum).
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This small lounge bar, with its guest DJs, is just the place to get into the mood for a long night out on the town.
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A charming and secluded courtyard of houses surrounding a tranquil garden in the centre of the city, the Begijnhof was established in the 14th century as a sanctuary for a lay Catholic sisterhood (see Begijnhof).
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The innovative Stock Exchange building was derided when it was unveiled in 1903, but is now considered a key work of the period and almost universally admired. Designed by the pioneer of Dutch modern architecture, H P Berlage, its functional lines are softened by ornamental ironwork and tiled mosaics. The Stock Exchange has now moved next door, and Beurs van Berlage is home to the Nederlands Philharmonic Orchestra. It is used for concerts and exhibitions, and contains a permanent display on the history of the Stock Exchange. Try to get a look at the amazingly light and spacious interior.
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For many visitors, their experience of Amsterdam begins at Centraal Station, the transport hub of the city, where some 1,400 trains arrive and leave every day. It was built in the 1880s in Neo-Renaissance style by P J H Cuypers, who was also responsible for the startlingly similar Rijksmuseum, and A L van Gendt, designer of the Concertgebouw. Before work on the building could start, three artificial islands had to be constructed and 8,600 wooden piles sunk to support them. The fact that the building blocked Amsterdammers’ view of the sea caused much controversy at the time. The ornate red-brick façade depicts themes of travel, trade and city history, picked out in gold and other colours. If you have time to while away, the station restaurant Eerste Klas serves full and light meals in a splendid Art Nouveau setting.
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In a pretty alley behind the Nieuwe Kerk, downstairs a caféand upstairs a restaurant providing Breton cuisine.
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Restaurant price categories
For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
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