Looking for a place to escape the crowded city centre and unwind? Bij Storm you will find a city beach where you can relax while lying in a hammock or sit at a campfire. If you prefer some action you can play beach volleyball. This place opened its door in April 2018 so it’s still a hidden gem. It’s very child-friendly as there is a kids playground and lots of space. Address: Ijdijk 10.

Every year, on April 27th, we celebrate King’s Day (the birthday of our King Willem-Alexander). It was formerly known as Queen’s Day. About 1 million people are celebrating this day in Amsterdam. You will find a lot of music, food and street markets all over our city. Actually, the fun already starts the night before on King’s Night. Just go downtown Amsterdam (Jordaan or Nieuwmarkt) and you will see that there is already a lot of partying and drinking going on. Some pieces of advice: – don’t try to meet up with several friends throughout the day on different locations. You don’t have a clue how crowded it gets in the…

At this new bar they really know what cooking is all about! They have some meat dishes, but the menu is dominated by fish. You can expect dishes like fish ravioli, tuna tatami, grilled octopus, fish tartar and oysters. Every dish is a delight and prepared with a special twist. The owner and chef are both from Israel and the bar is inspired by the city Tel Aviv: there is a very chill vibe. You can sit at a table or just at the bar and have a chat with the bartender (that might poor you shots). After dinner you can stay around and have cocktails. One of the best…

If you feel like having dinner (or lunch) in a haute cuisine restaurant in a beautiful location in the city centre, Restaurant 212 is your place. This restaurant opened its doors in January 2018 and is owned by two chefs that used to cook at Bord’Eau (two Michelin stars!). It is a no-table restaurant as you sit at the bar around the kitchen, so you can see your food being prepared. Every guest has its own cutlery in a drawer you will find in the bar at your seat. You can choose between a 5 course or a 8 course menu. If you would like to order a bottle of…

Located at a former car park in Amsterdam Noord, you can find this restaurant called Hangar. It has a very stylish interior with round shapes made from corrugated iron plates, which gives it an industrial but warm and cosy atmosphere. The chef already cooked at Michelin-star level when he was 21 years old and you can definitely taste that. The dishes are inspired by the Mediterranean countries and the menu changes every six weeks. Only the French bistro classics (steak tartare, côte de boeuf etc) stay on the menu all year long. In summer you can side outside on the big terrace and overlook the Ij river.  Address: Aambeeldstraat 36. 

From November 30th until January 21st, Amsterdam Light Festival will illuminate the center of Amsterdam. It is an annual light art festival where you can see 35 artworks from various international artists in our streets and canals. All the light art installations are exclusively made for this festival. One of these works is ‘thinline‘ by the world famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. There is a water exhibition as well as a land exhibition. Go and have a look, it’s really worth seeing. See more at: www.amsterdamlightfestival.com 

From November 15th to 26th, Amsterdam will transforms itself again into the international documentary capital of the world. IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) offers an alternative to mass entertainment and uniformity. The festival welcomes some 2.500 international documentary professionals during eleven days of films, industry events, panel discussions and much more. – See more at: www.idfa.nl/en

On November 4th, all museums in the city are open until 2 am. You can enjoy music, fashion, theatre, art and movies while having a drink. The event attracts about 26.000 visitors every year. One ticket gives you entrance to basically all (more than 50) museums. For more information: www.museumnacht.nl

By photographing the black lesbian and transgender community in South Africa, Zanele Muholi wants to portrait what living in a homophobic society looks like from an insider-position. At the exhibition (at Stedelijk Museum) you will see a series of transgenders as well as self-portraits in black and white. In South Africa the LGBTQI community has been constitutionally protected since 1996, but it still faces discrimination, abuse and rape. More information: http://www.stedelijk.nl/en/exhibitions/zanele-muholi