It’s bloomin’ marvellous in Springtime in the Dutch capital means debauched canal boat parties, vivid flower displays and cycling adventures, says Patrick Welch Party like a king Known as Queen’s Day until King Willem-Alexander took the throne in 2013, King’s Day now takes place every year on his birthday on April 27, but you can expect the same Dutch party antics. Amsterdam’s canals are packed with drunken boat parties, its bridges are full of people dancing and everyone is dressed in their finest orange in honour of the royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau. If you’re keen to channel your inner Dutch pirate, boaty.nl rents six-person boats for the day for £250 (less at other times of the year). Make sure you download the Vaarwater app, which has boat routes, rules (no drink-driving, by the way) and, handily, details on where to find a loo. The night before, pre-parties fill the city’s clubs: if you’ve stamina and the weather is good, head to the seaside resort of Bloemendaal aan Zee, 15 minutes by train from Centraal railway station, where Argentinian house maestro Hernán Cattáneo is playing a sixhour set at The Beach – think Café del Mar with tall people (Apr 26, woodstock69.nl).
Get high
No, not like that. Locals think of coffee shops much like Londoners think of Angus Steakhouses: embarrassing and full of tourists. Instead, try one of the sightseeing flights over Keukenhof, Europe’s
largest spring garden, which is marking the 125th anniversary of Van Gogh’s death with seven million bulbs showcasing over 800 varieties of tulips. Spring is the perfect time to see the never-ending sea of blooms, as well as getting a bird’s-eye view of the canals, Amsterdam city centre and the polders, land reclaimed from the sea, irrigated by a system of dikes – all from the window of a classic DC-3 aircraft (dutchdakota.nl; 30mins, £90. keukenhof.nl).
A bed in the clouds You’re spoilt for pretty accommodation options in Amsterdam but if you’re looking for a room with a view, you can’t beat the new Faralda Crane Hotel, which comprises just three luxury suites 50m up. There’s little chance of getting bored as the 250-tonne structure, complete with open-air Jacuzzi, rotates. And as if that wasn’t enough, you can bungee jump off the top (faralda.com; doubles from £340). A little more sensible is the new Ink Hotel, a boutique affair occupying three canal houses that used to be home to Dutch newspaper De Tijd (mgallery.com; doubles from £150). In July, London’s trendy, pleasingly no-faff Hoxton Hotel will open its first European branch on the canal (thehoxton.com), while September will see the opening of Holland’s first branch of fancy chain, The W, in an old telephone exchange in
Dam Square (starwoodhotels.com).
Go shopping A national holiday might not seem like the best time for a spree but Holland’s obsession with a good market is never more obvious than on King’s Day, when young and old alike take to the pavements, setting up stalls and turning Amsterdam into a giant car boot sale. There are endless tables of curious junk, the odd piece of treasure and lots of home-made food. If you’ve brought the kids, make a beeline for Vondelpark, which is reserved for the little’uns to sell and swap their old clothes and toys. Outside of King’s Day, the market at Waterlooplein is good for a vintage bargain Monday to Saturday, while IJ-Hallen’s two hangers in Noord constitute Europe’s largest monthly flea market (ijhallen.nl).
On your bike Major investment in lanes and parking lots since the 1970s has meant that cycling is the most efficient way of getting around Amsterdam. You can hire a bike from myriad places across town from as little as £6 per day (discountbikerental.nl) and even go on your own free tour after downloading themed cycle guides at www.iamsterdam.com. It’s worth bearing in mind that Amsterdammers’ cycling is like Italians’ driving: terrifying.
Furthermore, getting the front wheel stuck in a tram line is a great way to have a spectacular fall. Finally, by all means look up at all those beautiful townhouses, just remember that up to 15,000 bikes are pulled from the canals a year. Alternatively, try a self-guided cycling holiday in the countryside. Spring is the perfect time to experience one of Dutch Bike Tours’ seven-day jollies exploring the windmill-dotted fields, lakes and characterful old market towns of the blissfully flat Randstad. You’ll start in Amsterdam with the five days of cycling kept short to allow for plenty of museum time – and carb loading (dutchbiketours.com; six nights with breakfast from £589).
GETTING THERE Flights from London Gatwick to Amsterdam from £98 return with easyjet.com
Dam to the water: Take a boat tour past the city’s townhouses
Flowered up: Bicycle tours will take you into the multicoloured Dutch countryside (right), while King’s Day (left) is an all-day party