Indagare’s Amsterdam Cheat Sheet

Bibliophiles will feel at home in the Pulitzer Amsterdam. In 1960, Peter Pulitzer began buying and connecting canal houses in the city center, and today the five-star hotel links 25 of them.

Housed in the former Palace of Justice—which dates back to the 17th century—Rosewood Amsterdam has a prime spot on the Prinsengracht, one of the city's four main waterways protected by UNESCO. In addition to 134 rooms and suites designed by Dutch native Piet Boon (who emphasizes oh-so-local elements like patterned textiles, hand-painted decorations and subtle color palettes), there are also five townhouses available for private takeovers.

The first Design Hotel to open in the Dutch capital, the Conservatorium Hotel has fantastic rooms and friendly, attentive service—as well as a restaurant and bar that's luring the city's beautiful people.

Pesca, the "theater of fish," has no menu: diners pick their fish and sides at an in-house fish market, and the open kitchen cooks them on the spot.

Waterkant is a staple for those looking for a drink or a bite somewhere gezellig (warm, convivial). On sunny days, locals pack its canal-side picnic tables for beer and Surinamese roti, and DJs keep the terrace lively on weekends.

Restaurante Dona is an homage to Portugal, inspired by the chefs' grandmothers. Diners can expect seasonal Portuguese plates, a four-course menu and an extensive natural wine list.

Head to Rosèl for specialty coffee and some of the best sandwiches you'll ever eat.

Housed in a refurbished garage in Amsterdam Noord, Euro Pizza is a pizza-driven wine bar where the menu changes with the seasons.

In 2002, Yamazato became the first traditional kaiseki restaurant outside Japan to earn a Michelin star, and it has held one since.

Named for its signature chocolate mousse (the name means "heavenly mud"), Hemelse Modder cooks seasonal, French-rooted dishes on one of the city's oldest canals.

De Kas occupies a 1927 greenhouse and grows some 300 varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruit, so the Michelin-starred set menu follows each morning's harvest.

Where Amsterdam's design and dining worlds meet, Copain focuses on seasonal and local ingredients in an edgy industrial space.

Michelin-starred Restaurant Flore, located in the De L’Europe hotel, serves inventive, sustainability-focused cuisine.

Van Stapele Koekmakerij sells only one item: a dark chocolate cookie with a molten white chocolate center. To avoid the long lines that gather every day, visit between 10:00 a.m. and noon.

Just off the canal belt, Pat’s Poffertjes serves one of Amsterdam’s most cherished treats—tiny, pillowy pancakes dressed in a variety of sweet toppings.

Ring the bell at an unmarked door to enter Door 74, which has twice made The World's 50 Best Bars list and is known as one of the most creative cocktail bars in the city. The moody lighting and sumptuous velvet booths make for a romantic date spot.

For a classic Dutch experience, visit Café 't Smalle, a wood-paneled brown café whose small canal-side terrace fills early on sunny days.

Built entirely from reclaimed materials, with colorful picnic tables and cozy lighting, Hannekes Boom is where locals gather for a borrel, the Dutch ritual of after-work drinks and snacks. It has its own harbor on the water, so you can even arrive by boat.

Café Twee Prinsen is an effortlessly cool spot for light bites and natural wines in the Jordaan neighborhood.

Amsterdam Watch Company restores and sells vintage Rolex, Omega and Patek Philippe watches from their workshop in the Nine Streets.

In De Pijp, Penny Lane Vintage Boutique fills its racks with well-kept pieces from the 1950s to the 1970s, from Max Mara wool coats to Burberry trenches.

Inside W Amsterdam's former bank building, concept store X Bank stocks only Dutch designers, from Viktor & Rolf to emerging labels, and runs a gallery of rotating exhibitions.

The Rijksmuseum holds masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age, including Rembrandt's The Night Watch and Vermeer's The Milkmaid.

Vondelpark, a sprawling park on the edge of the city center, is where locals and tourists alike picnic on sunny days. It's home to a colony of bright green parakeets, an open-air theater and even a Picasso.

Concertgebouw has acoustics counted among the finest in the world, alongside Carnegie Hall and Vienna's Musikverein.