Amsterdam travel guide

With direct Eurostar services almost underway, the happening Dutch capital is firmly on the map for family travellers. Local Mia Grout reveals the best places to eat, shop and get a dose of culture

Amsterdam's canals were built in the days when the Dutch ruled the waves. Once polluted, today they're thriving again, having welcomed back pike, eels, herons and even swimmers — not to mention the mysterious canal lobster

From retired ferries to converted cranes, Amsterdam's latest crop of hotels includes some genuine oddities. We pick out the best beds in neighbourhoods new and old

The famously liberal city might be reinventing its red light district but it's still an eclectic, progressive and seductive place where 'acting normal is crazy enough'

From converted shipping containers to the self-proclaimed 'dirtiest, worst hotel in the world', there's nothing ordinary about Amsterdam's growing crop of hotels. We select the best beds, canal-side and beyond