traveldk.com

Wood, air, glass and light seem the building elements of this spacious, multi-levelled grand café. Have a leisurely through international newspapers at the reading table, pile up your plate at the salad bar, or sun yourself beside the canal on one of the best terraces in town (see De Jaren).

Waiters in long white aprons glide beneath crystal chandeliers at the grandest of grand cafés, in the heart of Amsterdam’s night-life district. The glassed-in balcony is a great late breakfast spot and things hot up at night on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with a live DJ.

The man at the next table may be writing a novel; the couple across the way arguing politics. An interesting, literary clientele gives an edge to this classic “brown café”. There might even be a jazz band playing, and some locals swear that the French-fries you can have with your beer are the best in town.

The dark wooden interior and tang of cigar smoke in the air are the very essence of the classic “brown café”. Pink-faced old men enjoying one too manyjenevers , smart young professionals on the way home from work, friends meeting up for beer and a gossip, populate this cheery Amsterdam institution (see Hoppe).

“The Blue Teahouse” in the middle of the Vondelpark is a 1930s architectural treasure, a trendy night spot and a great terrace café all in one. Snack on well-filled sandwiches under the trees, dance the night away to DJs upstairs, or just stop by for a coffee on your walk through the park (see Het Blauwe Theehuis).

Sip a champagne cocktail on the canal-side terrace, or show off your latest designer wear to the fashionable crowd inside one of Amsterdam’s most popular cafés. Piles of magazines and intriguing artworks help while away the time (see Het Land van Walem).

De Reiger is the king of theeetcafés . Join the contented local clientele eating good food, knocking back the wine and just chatting (see De Reiger).

At this popular spot on one of the prettiest canals in town you’ll find pleasant staff, a friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere, good sandwiches and salads, and a fine waterside terrace (see Spanjer & Van Twist).

A station café? If that gives you the horrors, think again. A minute or two in this stunningly decorated, classy 19th-century former first-class waiting room, and you’re transported back in time. Station bustle becomes part of the atmosphere – though when you’re back on the platform, it comes as a shock to find there are no steam trains.

Join in a jolly sing-along (the sort of happy, beery songs you feel you know the words to even if they’re in a foreign language), and have a drink with the real, pre-gentrification Jordanese.