This store is filled floor to ceiling with vintage glass- and tableware from France and other countries surrounding the Netherlands. It is a gem for finding birthday or housewarming gifts.

De Plantage is a bright, elegant brasserie beside Artis where great design.

Jenever is a traditional Dutch spirit, sometimes called Dutch gin or wodka in English. Wynand Fockink has a distillery and tasting house right at the very hart of Amsterdam. This place is frequented by locals and tourist alike because of their delicious jenever. Be sure to try a glass of Wynand Fockink Superior. If they empty the bottle while filling your glass you're entitled to a so-called 'Amsterdammertje'; you'll have to drink your glass in one gulp and then you get a free refill.

Banging my head against the ceiling on the first floor doesn’t stop me from drinking a coffee in café Latei at Nieuwmarkt. I love it here, especially on rainy days, which is most days in the Netherlands. This small cosy café filled with a thousand colours warms me up.

The best place to read a book outside or inside one of the greenhouses and be surrounded by all of these different species of nature.