by Rodney Bolt, The Telegraph, December 21, 2017
From performances in the acoustic-haven of the Concertgebouw, to new hotel openings and restaurant makeovers, here are 10 reasons to visit Amsterdam in 2018 from our destination expert, Rodney Bolt.
1. Restaurant Bougainville
Open daily for dinner
Chef supremos Pascal Jalhay and Tim Golsteijn bring a delicate play of Asian and Middle Eastern flavours to more traditional haute cuisine in the wallowing comfort of the restaurant at the exclusive new Twenty Seven Hotel, close to the Royal Palace. Sommelier Lendl Mijnhijmer makes inspired and adventurous wine matches.
Location: Bougainville, Hotel Twenty Seven, Dam 27, Amsterdam
Price: menus from €65 (four courses) to €105 (eight courses); wine accompaniment €36-€72
Contact: 00 31 20 218 82182
2. Dutch Masters from the Hermitage
Open daily 10am – 5pm
More than 60 Dutch Old Masters from the collection of the Hermitage in St Petersburg go on show this year, including six powerful and deeply moving Rembrandts. Rare paintings and some curiosities hang side by side in what promises to be the blockbuster exhibition of the year.
Location: Hermitage Amsterdam, Amstel 51, Amsterdam
Admission: €25
Contact: 00 31 20 530 8755; hermitage.nl
3. Heading north
Amsterdam’s (very) long-awaited North-South Line – a metro connecting the city with an often ignored northern neighbourhood, across the waters of the IJ – starts running in the summer. Meanwhile, the north bank of the IJ has become a hip, buzzing new quarter (reached by free ferry) with the EYE film museum, the bars and viewing tower of the ADAMtoren, and artsy goings-on at the former NDSM shipyard.
Location: Amsterdam Noord
Contact: public transport websites: gvb.nl; 9292.nl; eyefilm.nl; adamtoren.nl; ndsm.nl
4. Pestana Amsterdam Riverside
Opening January 15
A new luxury hotel opens in the former city archive, on the banks of the River Amstel, promising both rooms and self-catering apartments, a spa with a large pool, special features such as a suite in the clock tower, and a restaurant supervised by Peter and Marieke Lute, already famed for their establishment in the nearby village of Oudekerk.
Location: Pestana Amsterdam riverside, Amsteldijk 67, Amsterdam
Prices: double room from €260 excluding breakfast (breakfast €25)
Contact: 00 31 20 3690617; pestanacollection.com
5. Haitink, Mahler and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
June 7-9
Bernard Haitink, renowned for his interpretations of Mahler, re-joins the orchestra he made into a world leader, in the concert hall said to have the best acoustics in the world, for performances of Mahler’s magnificent Ninth Symphony.
Location: Concertgebouw, Concertgebouwplein 10, Amsterdam
Admission: tickets from €38.50
Contact: 00 31 20 671 8345; concertgebouw.nl
6. Van Gogh & Japan
March 23 – June 24
Vincent Van Gogh was enormously inspired by Japanese prints, and owned an impressive personal collection. A new exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum explores this major influence on the artist’s work.
Location: Van Gogh Museum, Museumplein 6, Amsterdam
Admission: €17
Contact: 00 31 20 570 5200; vangoghmuseum.nl
7. Café Americain
Open daily 6.30am – 10.30pm
The Art Deco Café Americain was once the hangout of artists and writers, but in recent years has somewhat slipped into the shadows. Now a radical makeover gives it new vigour and a fresh contemporary style, as the old café reclaims a place on the Amsterdam map.
Location: Café Americain, Leidseplein 28, Amsterdam
Price: three courses from €36
Contact: 00 31 20 556 3010; cafeamericain.nl
8. Dutch Doubles
March 24, 29, 30 and 31 and April 5, 7 8 12, 14 and 15
Local choreographers (including the renowned Hans van Manen) collaborate with musicians from around the globe to produce three world-premiere dance pieces. The first Dutch Doubles, in 2014, was an enormous success, and a company much lauded for its innovative work looks set to repeat that.
Location: ‘Stopera’, Amstel 3, Amsterdam
Prices: €18 - €58
Contact: 00 31 20 625 5455; operaballet.nl
10 amazing things you probably didnt know about Amsterdam
9. Stedelijk BASE
Open daily 20am – 6pm (Friday 10am – 10pm)
The Stedelijk Museum’s extensive permanent collection (far too large to be seen all at once) gets a brand new showing on free-standing steel walls. The new design, by famed architect Rem Koolhaas, brings verve and more space, allowing work to surface from the depot.
Location: Stedelijk Museum, Museumplein 10, Amsterdam
Admission: €17.50
Contact: 00 31 20 573 2911; stedelijk.nl
Past, present and future | European Capitals of Culture
10. La Clemenza di Tito
May 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 19, 21 and 24
Peter Sellar’s pithy production of Mozart’s penultimate opera finds links with recent events in Paris and Brussels.
Location: ‘Stopera’, Amstel 3, Amsterdam
Prices: €18 - €58
Contact: 00 31 20 625 5455; operaballet.nl
This article was written by Rodney Bolt from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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