Two hundred pounds buys a weekend getaway in Amsterdam: accommodation, breakfast and travel by plane or train. But how much spending money will you need? We guess you can live it for two days on £100: eating out, drinks, museums, transport, everything. But to do this, you’ll need to stay away from the tourist traps, pick the best of the sights, and adopt some local habits.
First, get a bike. Amsterdam is a cyclist’s paradise: famous for its flatness, it has 250 miles of cycle paths and very few cars. Riding a bike not only gets you out of the commercialized center of the city and into the trendier suburbs, it also gives you a sense of belonging. Suddenly, you are not a gaping spectator, but a participant in the action. Mac Bike rental (00 31 20-6200985) outside Central Station; £9.28 for 48 hours.
At the tourist office opposite the station, buy a street map (£1.42), then head east along Oosterdokskade to the 11-storey CS Post building. Contrary to what it may seem, this former sorting office is now the most popular meeting place in Amsterdam. The city’s modern art museum, the Stedelijk, occupies floors 2 and 3 while its usual home is being renovated, and the top floor, which has stunning panoramic views, is now a trendy restaurant bar called 11 (6255999). At night it becomes a club open on weekends until 4am.
The Stedelijk, to be frank, is disappointing. You won’t see any Mondriaans and Rothkos; instead, the galleries are devoted to contemporary works, most of which are difficult and obscure. Unless that’s your thing, save yourself the £6.42 entrance fee and spend £1.30 on a coffee at 11.
Nearby, in the heart (if that’s the right word) of the Red Light District is the city’s most intriguing museum, the Amstelkring (Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40): three canal houses torn down during the Reformation to create an underground church where the Catholics could worship without fear of persecution. The narrow chapel – Our Lord in the attic – has a Baroque altar, hanging galleries and a strong organ. But just as remarkable is the house itself, preserved in 16th-century gelatin, right down to the box beds and privacy in the kitchen. Admission is £5.
For lunch, head to Walem (Keizersgracht 449, 6253544), a stylish glass-and-plexiglass café with a sunny canal-side terrace, leafy rear garden and excellent sandwich menu. A toasted smoked salmon club with guacamole plus a glass of wine will set you back £7.71, service included. Then go shopping. Amsterdam is famous for its street markets: Waterlooplein is the largest and most popular with tourists; but more interesting is the 100-year-old Albert Cuyp market in the earthy southern district of De Pijp. There you can buy everything from cheese slices to salsa CDs, herring sandwiches and tulip bulbs. Best Deal: A Heavy Duty Bike Lock – £7.14.
Dinner in Amsterdam can be anything from a bag of chips and up. Top of the pile is the ultra-hip Supperclub (Jonge Roelensteeg 21, 3446400), where diners lie down on white mattresses and are fed from silver trays before heading downstairs to an all-red nightclub. Food is £47, but with drinks you can easily spend £100 per person.
Too much, too much – in every way – but, fortunately, the people of Supperclub have just opened an equally stylish and cheaper restaurant called Envy (3446407, Prinsengracht 38) where a salad with duck confit, anchovies and Parmesan, a dessert and a glass of wine costs £12.50. The style is industrial design and you eat on long wooden benches so it’s easy to make friends. Reserve early, it’s popular.
After that, crawl. Head to Korte Leidsedwarsstraat, where a beer at sultry Shanghai-style Suzy Wong (6266769) under mirrored ceilings, and another snap of your fingers to live jazz at Cafe Alto (6263249) will set you back a total of £4.18.
In the morning, shake off the cobwebs on the bike, freely strolling through the elegant residential streets of Grachtengordel, crossing Magere Brug, the “skinny bridge”, and strolling through Vondelpark, where on a good day half the city goes on a picnic, jogs and snogs on the grass.
According to the tourist office, three out of four visitors to Amsterdam take a canal cruise on a glass-roofed boat. Tempted? Well, go ahead if you really must. We’ll meet up later. Us? Oh, we’ll have coffee and a slice of delicious apple pie at Cafe Vertigo (6123021), a leafy sun terrace on the northern edge of Vondelpark. Cost: £3.75.
Another “must see” on the tourist circuit is the Van Gogh Museum (Paulus Potterstraat 7). Now, you may feel like you’re familiar with all those sunflowers and cornfields, but don’t think so. Up close, even with jostling crowds, you’ll be struck by the sheer vividness of the colors, the manic brushwork, the desperate sadness that seeps into each canvas. It’s worth £7.14.
Head north to the working-class district of Jordaan, now partially gentrified but still fresh and hip. There are some fun shops: on the Rozengracht you’ll find SPRMRKT, a former supermarket selling vintage clothing and furniture from the 1970s, and Wonen 2000, a design store and cafe in a futuristic building that breaks the mold. For lunch, Winkel (Nordermarkt 43, 6230223) charges £5.85 for a goat cheese toastie with salad and a soft drink.
It would be tempting to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in cafes and bars (or coffee shops, if you so choose). But for one last shot of culture, head to the Nieuwe Kerk (Dam Square). It’s not new – think 15th century gothic – and it’s not free to enter – think £5.71 – but it does feature some wonderful exhibits. The current one, on how different cultures view nature, is a multimedia delight; very modern and medieval; very dutch. Ends October 23.
You can’t leave Amsterdam without having an Indonesian rijsttafel. Despite an unpromising location on a neon-lit side street, Puri Mas (Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 37, 62777627) has excellent food and charming service. A dozen courses and a large beer cost £16.07.
End the evening at Rain (Rembrandtplein 44, 626 7078), a new cocktail lounge packed with blond-haired beauties of both sexes where cocktails, including a rose petalini, are £5.71.
Total spend: £99.18.
Find out about honeymoons in Amsterdam.
