Day one

Morning

Begin at Centraal Station with a kick-start coffee (or simply to admire the décor) at Café 1e Klas (Stationsplein 15; 00 31 20 625 0131), the period-perfect 1880s former first-class waiting room tucked away on Platform 2b.

Then depart on a Stromma canal cruise (Prins Hendrikkade 33A; 00 31 20 217 0501) in a glass-topped boat from one of the moorings across from the station – not the tourist-trap it sounds, but a quick way to feel a sense of place, get the perfect angle on the city’s decorative gables and watch Amsterdam coming to life.

If you have time to spare before the next boat, take a wander along Brouwersgracht west of the station. The pretty bridges mean it is justifiably Amsterdam’s most photographed canal. When the cruise is over, grab a quick lunch at the café atop OBA (Oosterdokskade 143; 00 31 20 523 0900), the public library near Centraal Station where there’s a rooftop terrace with a spectacular view of both the old and new parts of the city.