iwannagothere.com This is travel, not tourism

On a visit to Amsterdam you obviously don’t want to miss the canals or the Anne Frank House.  But if your thinking of skipping the following lesser known inspiring places, don´t do it. You will regret it.

De Kas Restaurant: One of the most contemporary and exquisite gastro experiences I have enjoyed lately. It´s not simply a plain restaurant because it also boasts its own vegetable gardens. That means that the carrots you taste in the big dining room have just been collected a few meters from you. A real luxury.

Het Schip. Don´t be discouraged by the fact that it´s not downtown. Bus number 22 takes you 10 minutes to this interesting neighbourhood. The main symbol is Het Schip, a complex designed by De Klerk during World War 1, as part of the Amsterdam School. This bizarre but charming building is made by red brick and contains housing, a museum, a school and a meeting room. It still retains its atmosphere of a revolutionary place.

Hema: It´s cheap but it doesn´t look cheap. This huge store is great for real Dutch souvenirs. Food is beautifully packed and lamps could be from Ikea or Habitat. Plus its a great chance to mix with the locals.

LLoyd Hotel&Cultural Embassy: It used to be ( in chronological order)  an inmigrant hostal, a prison and artist’s residences…. Today it is an interesting hotel that includes rooms from 1 star to 5 star. The Lloyd also works as a Cultural Embassy, but a real one: a vibrant place for guests and the whole community. A great exercise of reinvention.

Westergasfabriek: Don´t stay downtown all the time. Grab a bike ( one of the almost half a million of the city) and go to the Westerpark area. There you will find this impressive and huge complex. It used to be a gas factory but now it´s a cultural center with a lot of things going on. A great example of how “dead” industrial sites can be resurrected with the right energy.