Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Day in the Museum
Quarter
Morning
Depending on your taste
in art, start the day either
in the
Rijksmuseum
(see
pp12-15)
or the
Van Gogh
Museum
(see pp16-19)
. If
you choose the former, be
selective, and do bear in
mind that from late 2003,
the main building will be
closed for restoration,
(see
p12)
. Whichever museum
you visit, you should aim
to spend the whole
morning there. The Van
Gogh Museum has a
useful ground floor café,
and you can end your visit
with a browse in the
museum shop next to the
main entrance.
Hollandsche Manege
Hollandsche Manege
Magnificent and quite
unexpected, concealed behind
an unexceptional façade, A L van
Gendt's Hollandsche Manege is a
vast Neo-Classical indoor riding
school, built in 1881. (It was
commissioned to replace the
original Dutch Riding School
building, which was situated on
Leidsegracht.) Based on the
Spanish Riding School in Vienna,
it sports elegant plasterwork,
sculpted horses' heads, and a
stunning open ironwork roof
rising high above the sand arena.
The school was threatened with
demolition in the 1980s, but
public outcry saved it. If there is
a lesson in progress, you can
stay and watch. There is also a
café.
d
Vondelstraat 140
•
Map B5
•
020 618 0942
•
Open 10am-midnight
Wed-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun,
2pm-midnight Mon-Tue
•
Free
Next, cross
Museumplein
to the
Concertgebouw
(see p115)
and pop in for a
look. Make your way to Art
Deco Brasserie van Baerle
(Van Baerlestraat 158) for
lunch. It has a lovely shady
garden and is popular, so
it's worth booking a table.
Afternoon
Head back to Paulus
Potterstraat and
Coster
Diamonds
, where you
could take one of the half-
hour tours. Afterwards,
walk along Hobbemastraat
until you reach the elegant
shops of
P C Hooftstraat
.
Turn left and window-shop
your way along the street.
If your feet are up to it,
spend an hour or so stroll-
ing around the Vondelpark,
finishing either at the
Blauwe Theehuis
(see p50)
or the
Nederlands
Filmmuseum's
Café
Vertigo, which has a lovely
terrace overlooking the
park. You could end with a
visit to the
Hollandsche
Manege
, which opens till
midnight on weekdays.
P C Hooftstraat
This elegant shopping street
is to Amsterdam what Bond
Street is to London. All the
names in international fashion
are here - Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo
Boss, DKNY, Gucci, Mulberry,
Emporio Armani - although well-
heeled locals tend to favour
friendlier Cornelis Schuystraat
nearby.
d
Map C5
117
