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"View Slideshow\n\nAmsterdam is without a doubt one of the world's preeminent museum cities. Lately, however, it's been a little hard to tell, what with a trio of the most important art institutions in the canal-crossed Dutch capital having been closed for renovations\u2014two of them, in all or in part, since 2003. But now these spaces are finally reopening, and the city's distinctive design and culinary scenes are thriving. Which, along with an army of aesthetically ambitious new hotels, makes it an ideal spot to spend a long weekend. \"There are always really great cultural things to do in Amsterdam,\" says local design force Marcel Wanders, who just created the interiors for the new Andaz hotel here. \"And so much is happening right now that this year is going to be the highlight of the entire decade.\"\n\nWhether you are a connoisseur or have a more casual interest in art, a perfect place to start a tour of the new Amsterdam is at the Museumplein, a square that functions as the capital's artistic ground zero. Here, in April, the august Rijksmuseum will reopen after a lengthy makeover, with a new Asian-art wing and a complete rehanging of 800 years' worth of Dutch masterworks. Nearly simultaneously, just across the plaza, the Van Gogh Museum will emerge from its own seven-month face-lift, with the world's largest collection of the native son's paintings back on display. And next door, the Stedelijk Museum, home to one of Europe's premier collections of modern and contemporary art, recently unveiled its renovated neo-Renaissance\u2013style edifice, featuring a hotly debated extension by Dutch architect Mels Crouwel. In addition to being the museum's main entrance, the sleek white synthetic-fiber-and-glass pavilion houses a bustling restaurant overseen by Michelin-starred chef Ron Blaauw that serves a delightful lunch.\n\nTo accommodate the crowds of visiting art aficionados, a host of sophisticated hotels have arrived. Located just off the Museumplein, in a 1901 former music school, the year-old Conservatorium Hotel Amsterdam is a clean-lined 129-room retreat with a soaring glass atrium and an indigo-lit underground spa and pool\u2014all conceived by Italian minimalist Piero Lissoni. More exuberant is the new 122-room Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht, at the southwestern edge of the historic center, where Wanders devised a whimsical, through-the-looking-glass explosion of all things Dutch\u2014from delftware-inspired bathrooms to custom-made carpets that reimagine East India Co. maps. For those who prefer something more intimate, the 23-room Canal House, a bit north of the Andaz, has been stylishly decorated by local design firm Concrete in boudoirish blacks and deep purples.\n\nEven if you don't stay at the Andaz, drop in one morning to the hotel's Bluespoon restaurant for a hearty breakfast before some boutique-browsing in the historic center. A good first stop is the Frozen Fountain, a mecca of modern Dutch furniture and decor for more than 20 years. A few blocks away, Bebob Design boasts a staggering collection of midcentury pieces by the likes of Eames and Le Corbusier. And for smart gifts, Maison Rika, an emporium by women's-wear designer Ulrika Lundgren, recently arrived on the scene, opening right across the street from her original clothing shop, Rika. Nearby, the British-born, Amsterdam-based interiors star Kate Hume has a charming by-appointment-only atelier. \"Amsterdam is especially great for the odd little object, the stuffed bird, the funny little stool,\" Hume says. \"There are a lot of places that have slightly eccentric, kooky choices. That's Amsterdam\u2014always a bit beneath the radar.\"\n\nWhen it's time to break for lunch, head to Bussia, a new neighborhood haute spot that offers inventive Dutch-accented modern Italian cuisine.\n\nAcross the Prinsengracht (Prince's Canal), stroll through the courtyards and art galleries of the Jordaan district, particularly the established contemporary venues Annet Gelink Gallery and Galerie Paul Andriesse. For spaces devoted to up-and-coming artists, hit the Oud-West borough, where the year-old Boetzelaer|Nispen sits beside Jeanine Hofland Contemporary Art. \"The city really has a focus on developing fresh talent,\" says Adriana Gonz\u00E1lez Hulshof, who runs Capital A, a local arts nonprofit. \"Galleries here are often the first to exhibit rising stars, and that gives a vibrant energy and a constant sense of the new to the city.\"\n\nFarther east you'll find a mix of old and new on Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, long the hub of antiques dealing in the city. Stop into Aronson Antiquairs for 17th- and 18th-century delftware treasures such as rare pieces from the De Grieksche A factory. The street is now also home to Carmacoma, where cutting-edge men's and women's fashions (by Ala\u00EFa, Rick Owens, etc.) are displayed on industrial-looking racks.\n\nOf course, any visiting aesthete must check on Droog, the collective that has helped define contemporary Dutch design for two decades. Last fall the group rebranded its flagship as H\u00F4tel Droog; it now includes not only the original shop but a gallery, fashion boutique, one-room hotel, and inviting caf\u00E9.\n\nIn the evening, a refined setting for an aperitif is the bar at the recently renovated Deco-inflected Hotel De L'Europe, overlooking the Amstel river. For dinner in the area, the buzzy Lion Noir presents hearty French dishes amid dark-green walls and taxidermy birds and beasts. Or make your way to Samhoud Places, which just opened next to the central train station in September and has already been awarded two Michelin stars for its molecular Mediterranean creations. (The nearby waterfront offers glimpses of the new Eye Film Institute's dramatically cantilevered building.) Perhaps the most innovative place in town is the book-ahead experimental eatery De Culinaire Werkplaats. The intimate spot serves exquisite high-concept meals and sells furniture and textiles as well. This carefully calibrated mix of design and gastronomy wouldn't work everywhere, but in Amsterdam it feels just right.\n\n\"You find the spirit of Dutch design in places you don't expect to here,\" Wanders says. \"We're open to ideas, ready to change, ready to make connections\u2014and that's why we've been so successful creatively.\"\n\nClick here to view the slide show of the latest shops, restaurants, hotels, and must-see museums in Amsterdam."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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