Amsterdam Holiday: A Tale of Many Cities

Taking in the sleepy, tree-lined Prinsengracht canal with its narrow squashed buildings and gliding barges, it's hard to imagine how such a peaceful scene could ever be equated with torture.

However, seen from the window of the unobtrusive canal house where Anne Frank and her family hid for three years, it is suddenly understandable. There's a lingering chill in the air and the tranquil scene has darkened visibly, a taunting postcard to those trapped inside. For it was here that, between 1939 and 1944 Amsterdam's residents witnessed the cold arm of the Nazi terror machine in action, hauling countless Jews to their deaths in German terror camps.

It's the first of many contradictions this intriguing capital has to offer. Chaotic roundabouts are a constant stream of near-collisions, cars vie for priority with ubiquitous, chaotic bicycles – yet turn the corner and the heady traffic morphs into deserted, soundless canals.

Come evening, unassuming shop windows take on a red fluorescent glow and beckoning flesh attracts a steady stream of gawpers-by – this is the Red Light District, and Europe's best-known prostitutes are a tourist attraction in their own right. Meanwhile across the city marijuana smoke emanates from the doorways of notorious 'coffee' shops that sit side-by-side with genuine, genteel cafes frequented by elderly Nederlander, bicycles propped outside.

Amsterdam is undoubtedly a forward-looking place, yet odd glimpses of tradition abound. If you can find it, a small set of impossibly narrow stairs leads to one of the last remaining Pannekoeken Huis (Pancake Houses) run by a typically cheerful rosy-cheeked Amsterdammer, whose chocolate-topped pancakes are cooked on the spot and easily rival anything a Parisian creperie can produce, while around the corner at the Bloemenmarkt (flower market) stallholders compete to flog their beloved Dutch tulips.

If when on holiday exploring Amsterdam on two wheels doesn't appeal, walking the majestic trio of the city's most famous canals – Prinsengracht, Kaisergracht and Herrengracht (Prince's, King's and Gentleman's Canal respectively) is a gentle circuit for the direction-deficient visitor. A trip on a glass-topped canal boat, one of many offering guided tours surrenders its own topsy-turvy view of the city – such as seven perfectly aligning bridges that can only be seen from the water.

Amsterdam is best seen from the inside out, by exploring the private houses of some of history's most colourful and tragic artists. The faded, popstar-decorated walls of Anne Frank's small room are quietly resonant of imprisonment and persecution, while just a stroll away in the Jewish quarter is Rembrandt's House, the home-turned-gallery of the master Dutch painter. Whilst on holiday here, for just €7 (£4) you can look around the studio that saw the birth of such priceless works as The Night Watchmen and the many masterpieces inspired by his wife and muse Saskia, who died aged just 30, leaving a bankrupt, broken heartened Rembrandt struggling to raise their only son.

Also tinged with tragedy is the Van Gogh Museum. A fittingly grand tribute to a painter who broke all the rules, Van Gogh's clashing colours and shaky sense of perspective offer a skewed reflection of lopsided canal houses, as well as the artist's fractured mental state. As his art flourished, the Dutch genius found himself driven to madness, notoriously cutting off his ear before eventually taking his life, convinced his art was worthless.

Liberal yet controlled, cultured yet seedy, picture-perfect yet tragic - Amsterdam staunchly refuses to be categorised. Prepare to come away feeling like there is not only more to see, but a completely different city to be seen.


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