Cafe scene Amsterdam
Amsterdam has a variety of attractions to offer its visitors. This also includes the city’s café scene.
Whether for a trip on vacation or a study trip: Amsterdam in the Dutch province of North Holland is always worth a detour. So the guest will find a fascinating mixture of modern cosmopolitan city and old town. In addition to the interesting sights to be admired, Amsterdam also has a diverse café scene.
The nicest cafes in Amsterdam
To freshen up or take a break from exploring Amsterdam, the visitor can stop at one of the city’s many cafes. One of the most famous coffee houses is the Café van Puffelen in the center of Amsterdam. It is located in a canal building that is a listed building. The café also serves as a pub and has an atmospheric atmosphere. Café Americain is also located in the heart of the Dutch city. This classic grand café was built in 1902. In addition to coffee, wine is also offered on the ground floor.
Terrace cafes
One of the terrace cafés is the Vertigo, which can be found in the Vondelpark. The terrace is next to an old film museum. Café de Jaren in Doelenstraat offers a relaxed view of the canals. From there, the guest can take a look at the many passing boats. A popular place in sunny weather is Hanneke’s Boom. If you can’t find a place there, you can sit by the sea wall. There are other cozy terrace cafés such as ´t Loosje on the Nieuwmarkt.
Coffee shops
A special feature of the Amsterdam café scene are the coffee shops, which are popular with visitors from all over the world. They are also tolerated sales outlets of so-called soft drugs such as cannabis. Under certain conditions, the sale of drugs in these stores will not be prosecuted. There are more than 200 coffee shops in Amsterdam. The Bulldog chain is one of the best-known establishments of this type. She also sells t-shirts and similar souvenirs.
Amsterdam red light district
The red light district of Amsterdam is called De Wallen, or alternatively De Walletjes. It is located in the center, in one of the oldest parts of the Dutch city. De Wallen is one of the first areas in the world where prostitution and the entire sex trade were legalized. Nowadays, the red light district of Amsterdam is a sight that is visited daily by tourists from all over the world. These are not so much customers of the red light industry as visitors, for whom De Wallen is also on the tour program on their trip through Europe, the Netherlands and Amsterdam. Whether students on their study trips, whether couples, whether couples or whether single / group travelers; With the exception of families with children, all age groups are among those
Window shopping through De Walletjes
The offer on the manageable area of a few square kilometers is as varied as it is entertaining. It ranges from sex museums to sex shops, sex live shows and peep shows to ‘window shopping’. The Amsterdam red light district is known for its downright unique window prostitution. This has been officially allowed since the early 2000s and is very popular. Banana Bar, Theater Casa Rosso and Moulin Rouge are well-known and popular establishments in Amsterdam’s red light district. This is divided into the following three districts:
• De Walletjes between Central Station and Nieuwenmarkt
• Singel between Raadhuistraat and Central Station
• De Pijp behind the Rijksmuseum
These demarcations are hardly recognizable for the non-resident visitor. One flows smoothly into the other, resulting in the red light district of Amsterdam. Due to its attraction, tour operators also offer guided tours through the red light district.
If there is still time to look at the architecture in the small and winding streets of De Wallen with this abundance and variety of sights, then the visitor will realize that he is just in one of the most beautiful districts of the Dutch port city.
Het Mauritshuis
The Mauritshuis, built between 1633 and 1644, is a former noble palace in the historic center of The Hague. The compact building in the style of Dutch classicism and the Italian Renaissance houses one of the most important collections of paintings in the world today. The museum in the Mauritshuis specializes in particular in masterpieces of Dutch and Flemish painting from the 17th century. The 17th century is also known as the “Golden Age” in Dutch history, an era of great power and economic expansion for the Netherlands in Europe and overseas. Around 800 works from this period, which was so important for Dutch identity, are now part of the museum’s collection. Including ten paintings by the Dutch painter Rembrandt. One of the most famous paintings exhibited in the Mauritshuis is the portrait “The Girl with the Pearl Ear Ring” by Jan Vermeer. The picture, created around 1665, has been in the possession of the Mauritshuis Museum since 1902.
The Mauritshuis: Prinzenpalais, guest house and painting cabinet
The Mauritshuis was originally built for the German Prince Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen (1604-1679), one of the most famous representatives of the golden years of the Dutch merchant republic in the 17th century. During the construction of his city palace in The Hague, Johann Moritz stayed as governor for a Dutch trading company in Brazil. After his death, the building was initially used as a government guest house. Since 1822, the former Prince’s Palace of Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen has housed the Dutch royal family’s collection of paintings, the so-called “Royal Cabinet”.
Extension for the Mauritshuis Museum
Since then, not only has the royal collection of paintings been purposefully expanded to include old masters from the “Golden Age”, but also the museum itself. After a series of extensive restoration and renovation work in 2012-2014, the Mauritshuis now also has a nearby extension. This can be reached directly from the Mauritshuis via an underground foyer. In addition to additional exhibition space for the painting collection, the museum’s brasserie and souvenir shop are also located there.
