Eat
The old: Het Groot Melkhuis
Place an order for a diet-busting, traditional Dutch pancake as large as your plate and people-watch from the lakeside terrace till they call out your order number. This chalet-style cafe/restaurant in the heart of one of the city’s most popular parks is the ideal place to watch Amsterdammers at play. Families will appreciate the well-equipped children’s area. Vondelpark 2, +31 20 612 9674; www. groot-melkhuis.nl. Open daily from 10am.

The new: Studio K
Glitter balls and dog-eared ’60s furniture set the vibe at this funky eaterie, theatre, cinema and nightclub. Unpretentious, tasty grub such as spicy lamb soup, orange cheesecake and the classic Dutch hangover cure, uitsmijter (think croque madame), is served by carefree, but rarely careless, students. Dine at tables or eat off your lap on one of the sofas overlooking the terrace. And you can borrow a board game, should your dining partner’s conversation leave you bored. Timorplein 62, +31 20 692 0422; www.studio-k.nu).

Sleep
The old: Eden Amsterdam American Hotel
Spacious rooms have been tastefully refurbished in this grand art nouveau building in the museum quarter. Guests are greeted by ‘Lady American’ – a 1920s flapper on the carpet inside each bedroom – and can watch live footage from a webcam on the roof. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the ‘Cafe Americain’ – a stunning art deco room with Tiffany lamps, stained glass and recently uncovered murals inspired by ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Leidsekade 97, +31 20 556 3000; www.edenamsterdamamericanhotel.com.

The new: Citizen M
We’ve seen the future, and it’s a bit trendy. Citizen M (M for ‘mobile’) is a new concept for those who want luxury on the cheap. A little way out of town – though definitely bikeable – this design hotel is stuffed full of iconic furniture (Eames recliners and the like) but not unnecessary grinning staff. Which would be a mighty triumph of style over substance, if it didn’t seem to work so nicely. Prinses Irenestraat 30; www.citizenmamsterdamcity.com.

Do
The old: Rijksmuseum
Despite outward appearances, the Rijksmuseum, the grande dame of the Amsterdam art world, is in fact open. While most of its galleries are under construction for an ambitious renovation, the recently refurbished Philips Wing is accessible to visitors, with an exhibition of the treasures of the museum’s extensive holdings: Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals and of course, Rembrandt’s famous ‘The Night Watch’. Jan Luijkenstraat 1, +31 20 674 7000; www.rijksmuseum.nl.

The new: The Hermitage
Following a €40 million expansion, the Hermitage Amsterdam is ten times its former size, and has almost unlimited access to the treasure troves of the huge State Heritage Museum in St Petersburg. Its June 20 grand opening unveiled everything from Romanoff thrones to Catherine the Great’s eighteenth-century carriage, all of which was winched through the amazing retractable roof into the gorgeous, luminous space that preserves elements of the building’s original late seventeenth-century features. Amstel 51, +31 20 530 8751; www.hermitage.nl.

For more information, see Time Out Amsterdam.

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