The Concertgebouw is one of the world’s premier concert halls, renowned for its perfect acoustics. The building was completed in 1888 and has been a major centre for classical music in the Netherlands for over a century.

For more information: www.concertgebouw.nl

If you collect antiques or modern art, be sure to visit the historic Spiegelkwartier (Spiegel Quarter), with its many 17th and 18th-century houses distinguished by characteristic bell and step gables. This quarter has been the heart of the Dutch art and antiques trade for some 80 years and has a friendly, informal atmosphere. Few other places in the world can boast such an astonishingly wide selection of art and antiques concentrated in such a small area.

For more information: www.spiegelkwartier.nl

The nearby Vondelpark, dating back to the 19th century, is one of the best-known city parks in the Netherlands. Designed by the landscape architect Louis Paul Zocher and his son Jan David in the English garden style, it quickly became popular. Nowadays, some ten million people a year visit the park. Tourists, daytrippers and locals go there to jog, skate, play football, picnic or simply enjoy the fresh air and greenery.