Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [165]
Sports and activities |
Baseball (Honkbal)
Local team the Amsterdam Pirates are in the top baseball division, and based at Sportpark Ookmeer in Osdorp (020/616 2151; tram #17 then bus #19 or #192), 4km west of the centre. Matches take place on either Saturday or Sunday afternoons (2pm) in the summer, and most games are free.
Sports and activities |
Beaches
The Netherlands has some great sandy beaches, although it has to be said that the weather is notoriously unreliable. Temperatures can be bracing and the North Sea is pretty murky and often teeming with jellyfish. For swimming and sunbathing, the nearest resort is Zandvoort, a couple of short train rides from Amsterdam (via Haarlem), but there are nicer, quieter stretches of coast nearby, most notably amid the wild expanse of dune and beach that makes up the National Park Zuid-Kennemerland; the park is easily reached by bus from Haarlem bus station. Amsterdam’s own city beach is Blijburg, a small stretch of sand on the IJsselmeer, a popular spot on warm summer days. The improvised beach bar Blijburg aan Zee has frequent live music and cheap food. To reach Blijburg, take tram #26 from Centraal Station and get off at the last stop.
Sports and activities |
Bowling
The closest bowling alley to the city centre is Knijn Bowling Centre, Scheldeplein 3, opposite the RAI complex (020/664 2211; Mon–Thurs 10am–midnight, Fri 10am–1am, Sat noon–1am, Sun noon–11pm; tram #4 or #25 from CS), with eighteen lanes and a café. Lanes cost between €20 and €26.50 per hour, with a maximum of six people per lane. Reservations recommended. Friday and Saturday evenings have “twilight bowling” (€11.50 per person), accompanied by a DJ.
Sports and activities |
Football
It’s a mark of the dominance of Amsterdam’s Ajax, Eindhoven’s PSV and Rotterdam’s Feyenoord that most foreigners would be hard pushed to name any other Dutch football team. More generally familiar, perhaps, is the Dutch style of play – based on secure passing with sudden, decisive breaks – which has made Dutch players highly sought-after all over Europe. Not surprisingly, therefore, getting hold of tickets to watch Ajax play at their extravagant all-seater ArenA stadium in the Amsterdam suburbs takes a little time and effort. You can’t buy a ticket without a Clubcard, and although these only cost €6 for two years, you must apply in advance (020/311 6666) and wait up to five weeks for your application to be processed. Having done all that, you can then buy your ticket (€15–50). Much easier for visitors from abroad is to book a package through Ajax Travel & Events (020/311 1940), which costs €80–100 and includes a guided tour of the grounds, lunch or dinner and entry to a match, though you’ll still need to book your trip well in advance.
Buying tickets for Feyenoord and PSV, whose grounds are both within easy striking distance of Amsterdam by public transport, is similarly awkward; most games require a club card, and limited numbers of tickets are available for visitors from abroad, purchased only by prior application. The football season runs from September to May, and matches are generally on Sundays at 2.30pm, with occasional games at 8pm on Wednesdays. Your best bet is to catch a game on screen in a bar. Try the Globe at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 3.
Ajax Amsterdam Amsterdam ArenA, Bijlmer 020/311 4444, www.ajax.nl. Metro Bijlmer.
Feyenoord Rotterdam Olympiaweg 50, Rotterdam 010/292 3888, www.feyenoord.nl. Trains from Amsterdam stop near the ground.
PSV Eindhoven Frederiklaan 10a, Eindhoven 040/250 5505, www.psv.nl. Matches are played at the Philips Stadium, a 10min walk from Eindhoven train station.
Sports and activities |
Dance and gyms
Dancestreet