Amsterdam City Guide

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Check out The Scene's recommendations for the Dutch cultural capital and send us your ideas and suggestions.

SEE: So you've gorged on the high culture of the Rijksmuseum and queued to see van Gogh's Sunflowers and want something a little more contemporary? Check out works by the likes of de Stijl and de Kooning at the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, temporarily located in Post CS building in the Oostelijk Havengebied docklands district to the east of the main station. Once derelict and abandoned, the docklands have undergone a major facelift, with avant-garde architects and designers given free reign. With warehouses converted into cafes, clubs and galleries, the area is heaving with young creative types. It's also the new home of the Bimhuis -- a spectacular glass-fronted jazz venue that manages to retain the intimacy of a club alongside the larger Muziekgebouw concert hall. Film enthusiasts should also pay a visit to the Filmmuseum, which covers the history of cinematography and holds regular screenings from its collection of 46,000 films. It's currently housed in a striking 19th century pavilion in the chilled out Vondelpark, the city's largest green space, but it's due to join the cultural migration to the waterfront in 2009.

BE SEEN: From sophisticated jazz bars to anarchist squats, Amsterdam nightlife has everything and more. More welcoming than most, many consider Basjoe (Kloveniersburgwal) to be the pick of the coffee shops, while Anton Corbijn prefers De Tweede Kamer (Heisteeg). If beer is your poison of choice, De Zotte (Raamstraat) has 130 to choose from and a good food menu to match. Explore alternative Amsterdam at OCCII (Amstelveenseweg), a former squat that now features regular music and cabaret. Other than Ibiza, there are few places in Europe that can match Amsterdam's clubbing scene. Start the night at Twstd (Weteringschans), one of the city's leading DJ bars which makes a great meeting point close to the Leidseplein. Set in a former power station, Panama is the pick of the crop of cool new superclubs on Oostelijke Handelskade, with an eye-catching terrace for summer nights. For a more quirky evening, try Odessa (Veemkade), a former Ukrainian fishing boat that now bobs to a dance music beat. If you're looking for an out-and-out hipster crowd, check out Bar Bep (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal) or the laid back Finch (Noordermarkt) -- both favored by Amsterdam's artistic and creative types.

EAT: Amsterdam may no longer be the center of a global trading empire but its legacy lives on in the city's culinary traditions, with the tastes and smells of the Far East and the Caribbean adding an exotic flavor alongside more stolid northern European fare. One of the classiest dining options has to be the original Supperclub (Jonge Roelensteeg) -- now spawning a global chain -- which is so laidback that diners lounge on beds as they eat, drink and savour the sleek design. Another eatery that scores as highly for its design as its food is Vakzuid, a Paul Linse-designed restaurant set within Amsterdam's ageing Olympic stadium which serves Indonesian fusion cuisine. Another popular Indonesian option is Blue Pepper (Nassaukade), run by a Michelin Star-winning chef Sonja Pereira. For a more tradition Dutch dining experience, try the Het Gasthuys (Grimburgwal), an uncomplicated and inexpensive eetcafé serving meats, salads and French fries which is popular for its waterside terrace in the summer. Given Amsterdam's maritime heritage, it's no surprise that the city is well-stocked with seafood restaurants. Lucius (Spuistraat) -- rightly considered one of the best -- is renowned for its Perle Blanche oysters and lobsters.

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