A forward-thinking approach to culture and creativity makes Amsterdam the ultimate art and architectural hub, writes Rashmi Narayan

Flicking through a guidebook in a park near Leidseplein, I’m interrupted mid-sentence by Amsterdam local Anneke and her dog. “This city is so much more than what that book is telling you,” she says with a smile. She then points to a hand-carved wooden figure fixed to a tree above me – a tiny woodcutter frozen mid-saw. “That’s Amsterdam. A work of art just sitting there for no real reason. You have to look around to really experience it.”

She’s right. Fortunately, guests don’t have to venture far to see Amsterdam through a local’s lens, where gabled merchant houses slant like falling dominoes, geraniums spill over convex bridges and cyclists weave past canals lined with elm trees. Yet beyond those whimsical settings is a city in constant transition, from the futuristic NEMO Science Museum to contemporary galleries celebrating boundary-pushing art.

Elsewhere, the Venice of the North offers intimate jazz clubs, vinyl record shops, indie cinemas and a thriving arts scene. Whatever your customers’ tastes, it’s a city that always makes you feel welcome.

3 unmissable things to do

Anne Frank House

Anne Frank House is a sobering but essential pilgrimage for all first-time visitors. Up the steep creaking stairs of a modest canal house lies the secret annex where Anne Frank hid for 761 days, with original shelves, doors and pencil markings still intact. Light filters through gauze curtains, floors slope underfoot and you quickly realise that you stand where eight people whispered, waited and listened for footsteps below.

Canal Cruise

Amsterdam’s 165 canals have been the city’s lifeblood for centuries and were pivotal to its transformation from a small medieval town to a booming centre of trade in the 17th century. Visitors can book a private tour with Amsterdam Odyssey to get a unique perspective of the city’s architecture. Canals widen and narrow as travellers drift beneath bridges past merchant houses, waterside cafés, and opulent hotels.

Rijksmuseum

Located in the heart of the Museumplein district, the Rijkmuseum is where Amsterdam exhibits its top treasures, with more than 8,000 works spanning 800 years of Dutch art and history. Stroll Rijkmuseum’s grand hallways and marvel at masterpieces like Rembrandt’s brooding The Night Watch, Vermeer’s serene domestic scenes and Van Gogh’s self-portraits. A new £50m sculpture park is set to open this autumn, expanding the museum’s contemporary art collection via a combination of permanent and temporary exhibits.

Three places to eat

Budget

Stroopwafels, thin waffles sandwiching sticky caramel syrup, originated in 18th-century Gouda as a way to use leftover crumbs. Meanwhile, the tiny fluffy pancakes Poffertjes have been enjoyed since the 17th century, traditionally cooked over charcoal and dusted with icing sugar. Visitors can try both at the 120-year-old Albert Cuyp Market. For something cheap and cheerful, guests can grab a frikandel (fried Dutch sausage) from a FEBO vending machine.

Mid-range

Travellers can enjoy a friendly chat with local vendors at Foodhallen, a vibrant indoor market housed in a former tram depot, with benches for shared dining and plenty of lively chatter. They can slurp on fresh oysters, sip locally brewed IPAs, or browse the dozens of stalls offering everything from tacos and bao to macarons and burgers. In the east, for a French-Flemish twist on classic dishes, there’s Rijsel, which is set in a converted school and serves an excellent rotisserie chicken.

Premium

Everyone knows the most memorable meals come with a view. At legendary Ciel Bleu, you dine high above the city, tasting caviar and vadouvan-spiced red mullet as floor-to-ceiling windows frame the canals below. For something equally classy but quietly radical, guests should book Flore by chef Bas van Kranen. Its two Michelin stars crown a plant-forward menu shaped by smoking and fermentation, using local ingredients, even tulips and paired with an award-winning wine list.