Festivals & events – All our local tips

I must admit I’m not the best in bargain hunting. Every once in a while I try to do my best at flea markets or vintage stores but most of the time I have to face the facts: I’m incapable of finding the nice clothes in the midst of all the junk. Still I keep on trying because I do know people that do succeed and I can’t stand the idea that I might miss out on a great bargain just because I didn’t give it a try…

So I gave it a try at the IJhallen in the North of Amsterdam. Every month there is a huge flea market here where people sell mostly clothes but also other things. Everyone is free to rent a stall and display the stuff they don’t longer want to wear or use themselves. And for an entrance fee of 3,50 everyone is free to spend as long as they want to rummage around the piles and piles of stuff that are on offer.

The last time I was there the market was inside. But in the summer season it is an open air market, which is really nice. The stuff people sell is really very cheap so if you do have an eye for a bargain you rally can’t miss this.

You should visit this market even because if the fact that you have to take the boat over to the other side of the water where the north of Amsterdam is. Behind Central Station you can take different ferries which take you to different parts of the north. To get to the flea market you should take the ferry to the ‘NDSM-werf’ this is an industrial area that is quite interesting to have a look at. The trip over is nice to, and its free!

(Check the website for the coming markets)

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IJhallen | Shopping, Festivals & events | Entrance adults € 3.50
T.T. Neveritaweg 15 | Waterfront/North
Usually 09:00 – 16:30, check website to be sure

The Oude Kerk (”old church”) is Amsterdam’s oldest parish church, consecrated in 1306 by the bishop of Utrecht. It stands in Amsterdam’s main red-light district.

Before the revolution in Amsterdam on 26 May 1578 in which the Roman Catholics lost sole control of the city government, the Oude Kerk was principally Catholic. Following William of Orange’s defeat of the Spanish and the influence of Calvinists, the church was adopted by the Protestants.

In the same year, the Oude Kerk became home to the registry of marriages. It was also used as the city archives, the most important documents locked in a chest covered with iron plates and painted with the city’s coat of arms. The chest was kept safe in the iron chapel.

The church covers 3,300 square meters and the foundations were set on an artificial mound.

The roof of the Oude Kerk is the largest medieval wooden vault in Europe. The Estonian planks date back to 1390 and boast some of the best acoustics in Europe. Therefor, the church is used a lot for concerts and exhibitions.
The floor consists entirely of gravestones. The reason for this is that the church was built on a cemetery. Local citizens continued to be buried on the site within the confines of the church until 1865. There are approximately 2500 graves in the Oude Kerk, under which are buried 10,000 Amsterdam citizens.

I personally think it is not the nicest church in Amsterdam, but still very impressive.

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Oude Kerk | Art & culture, Festivals & events | Entrance fee € 5.00
Oudekerksplein (entrance South) 23 | Old center | +31206258284
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 17:00, Sun 13:00 – 17:00

Quite far in the eastern part of the city you find a cinema/club/pub/restaurant rolled into one. Studio K is located prominently on the Timorplein, in a building that used to be a school for craftsmanship. The building has been beautifully renovated and it looks airy and fresh. The large building houses a budget hotel, and a number of offices for small companies. Studio K is an ambitious project, meant to create a cultural and creative center in a neighborhood that has otherwise very little to offer.

It is located in a part of the Zeeburg quarter that was already quite decent, but in my opinion this little oasis is working its magic on the rest of the district, drawing more creative initiatives to the neighbourhood.

I would not know another place in Zeeburg that is as suitable as Studio K to have a drink or enjoy a movie, but I would in fact take the effort to make the trip to this part of the town to enjoy a beer or a proper meal in a beautiful bar, served by a friendly staff, and to watch a movie if I feel li ke it.

Their selection of films is usually good, although it often includes some reruns. I do not always feel like being in the midst of the rumor of the city and Studio K has all the atmosphere that you need in a quieter part of town.

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Studio K | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Festivals & events, Restaurants (International) | Coffee € 1.70
Timorplein 62 | Plantage/Oost | +31206920422
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