How to spend the perfect day finding Amsterdam’s alternative side

It’s more than a little unfair that for decades Amsterdam’s reputation has been intertwined with its notorious Red Light District and marijuana cafes. This is a grand city of maritime heritage and leafy boulevards, where world-class museums are surrounded by exciting restaurants and canalside cyclists are the embodiment of the city’s passion for sustainable living. With 14 hours to explore the city, it’s possible to discover hidden gardens, visit creative communities and seek out lesser-known museums where Amsterdam’s complex history unfolds.

8am: Go for a float

With the boats bobbing outside on the grand Herengracht canal, kick off the day at a private float session in one of the two tanks at Koan Float. The futuristic-looking cocoons are filled with large quantities of Epsom salts dissolved into heated water, creating a buoyant bath akin to the Dead Sea. The experience is designed to promote meditation and weightlessness; with the lights dimmed and gentle music filling the pod, it feels like you’re floating in space.

10am: Browse De 9 Straatjes

If you have a picture of classic Amsterdam in your head, the ‘nine little streets’ area is probably it. This pretty quadrangle of lanes, lined with canal-fronting gabled merchant’s houses, houseboats and shady elm trees, is one of the loveliest places to go for a wander. Starting in Herengracht, grab a coffee from one of the swish bakeries here and browse the interesting independent shops.

11am: Confront colonial history

Amsterdam’s major ethnographic museum, the Wereldmuseum overhauled its exhibits in 2023 to reposition the way it presents the Netherlands’ colonial past. The result is a very frank account of how Amsterdam and the rest of the country grew rich off the spoils of its colonies — primarily Indonesia and Suriname. It’s housed in a huge mansion on Oosterpark; the interactive displays include eye-opening 19th-century photos, paintings and written accounts.

1pm: Enjoy garden time

Founded in 1638 as a medicinal garden, the Hortus Botanicus flourishes behind high walls. Stroll the walkways of its revamped greenhouse celebrating endangered South African plants, which opened this summer. Then have lunch at De Hortus, a cafe with outdoor seating in the midst of the garden, celebrating local and sustainable suppliers with a plant-heavy menu.

2.30pm: Commune with creatives at De Ceuvel

Head north to Amsterdam’s Noord area for the afternoon, starting with a pit stop at this laid-back creative hub. Its waterside community cafe serves vegan snacks and treats such as bitterballen (breaded meatballs, here made with oyster mushroom instead) or carrot cake. Afterwards, follow the quirky ‘secret garden’ boardwalk beside the water, weaving between old houseboats hauled onto land and repurposed as studios and offices.

4pm: Size up street art

In the 17th century, the area now known as Noord was a pestilent gallows field. Today, it’s a remarkable regeneration success. The cavernous Straat Museum of street art and graffiti — housed in an old shipbuilding warehouse — anchors an art-strewn waterfront zone called NDSM, formerly a shipyard. After visiting the museum, explore the industrial relics, including a crane turned into a hotel, and shipping containers housing galleries and small shops. Right on the water, Pllek is a container bar and restaurant where you can drop onto a sunlounger for a beer with a view.

6.30pm: Visit a brewery with social cred

Revived by the slap of fresh air and water spray on the ferry crossing from Noord back over to the city centre, head for a pre-dinner drink at De Prael. The local brewery has a social purpose, training and employing disadvantaged people. Take a pew in the alleyway, where its terrace seating is located, and admire the tiled facade: it mimics the famous ‘KLM houses’ — blue-and-white Delftware ceramic miniatures of Dutch canal houses given to business-class flight passengers.

(Related: How Amsterdam’s bar life continues to shape the city.)

8pm: Eat your greens at Flore

‘A celebration of nature’ is how Dutch chef Bas van Kranen describes the multi-course menus at his two-Michelin-starred restaurant Flore. Foraging and fermentation feature prominently in meals that might include up to 80 different plants. The restaurant also has a Green Michelin Star, for using seasonal produce and local suppliers chosen for their sustainable practices. It’s housed in the canal-side Hotel De L’Europe and recently got a top-to-bottom makeover to give the dining room a more natural, tactile feel that aligns with the food.