Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CentralLibrary
Architecturally funspot—withgreatviewterrace—totakeabreath-
Cost and Hours:
Church—free, generally April-Sept Mon-Sat 11:00-15:00, closed Sun
and Oct-March. Tower—€7 for 30-minute tour—departures on the half hour April-Sept
Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, July-Aug until 20:00; Oct Mon-Sat 11:00-16:00; closed Sun year-
round, last tour departs 30 minutes before closing, Nov-March tourable only by appoint-
ment—call 020/689-2565 or email
anna@westertorenamsterdam.nl
.
Reypenaer Tasting Rooms
While essentially just a fancy cheese emporium, this place does a great job of showcasing
Dutchcheese.Youcanpopintothedelightfulshopanytimeforafewsamples,orexperience
an hour-long cheese tasting in the basement (which has just 20 seats—it's smart to reserve
ahead). The tasting session starts with a video that's somewhere between an ad for cheese
and dairy soft porn. Then, with an English-speaking guide, you guillotine six different
cheeses and taste them with a nice wine accompaniment.
Cost and Hours:
€15 for tasting; Mon-Tue at 13:00 and 15:00, Wed-Sun at 12:00,
13:30, 15:00, and 16:30; book by phone or online, Singel 182, tel. 020/320-6333,
The Canal House (Het Grachtenhuis)
This recently opened and aggressively promoted museum sounds exciting and tells an inter-
esting story—but, for most visitors, it's not worth the time or money. There aren't any arti-
facts on display, and as you shuffle through a series of rooms showing video presentations,
you get no sense of the great canalside mansion you came to experience.
Cost and Hours:
€12, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon, Herrengracht 386,
Nearby:
Nextdooristhe
BiblicalMuseum,
which,likeitsneighbor,hasthepotentialto
befascinating.Instead,it'sanold-schooljumbleofallthingsBiblical,withtemporaryexhib-
itsthat'lldisappointmostvisitors(€8,Mon-Sat10:00-17:00,Sun11:00-17:00,Herrengracht
366-368, tel. 020/624-2436,
www.bijbelsmuseum.nl
)
.
