Summer is approaching and that means it’s time to book that last minute flight and have a great escape over a long weekend. 

You want somewhere chilled but also exciting and obviously filled with culture! Amsterdam is a city with an abundance of all three of those things plus a whole lot more - as we're sure you've probably heard. 

With a city so packed it can be hard to work out what to narrow it down to, so I thought I’d help you by taking a trip and letting you know my pick for the 5 things to do whilst in Amsterdam.

Visit a ‘Coffeeshop’

Let’s face it, this is the sole reason half the tourists visit Amsterdam in the first place. 

The coffee shops are really nice places and not at all how the uninitiated might imagine. The staff are friendly for the most part and happy to advise those of us that aren’t regular visitors. 

Try not to buy too much as you’ll no doubt want to try lots of different shops around the city. It’s well worth having a look online at the menus and checking out reviews of the shops to make sure you are getting a good deal. 

We recommend going and sitting inside with a coffee (the name coffee shop isn’t a joke, the coffee is really great) and just relaxing. Do as others do and bring your own paraphernalia because not everywhere will have some to lend out. You can get this stuff in just about any shop in the city. 

Oh and don’t go into a place labelled “Café” or “Koffiehuis” and try to buy weed, that’s just as bad as trying to buy some in your local café at home.

Journey through the Red Light District

The walk through the infamous Red Light District was really something. There is absolutely nothing like it anywhere else I’ve been. There’s not too much to say on the subject as it is hard to put the atmosphere into words but just go and you’ll understand. So, so strange.

Go to Amsterdam's Museumplein (Museum Square)

There are a few reasons to do this but you’ll want to save it for a sunny day. First off you need to get the compulsory cliché photo with the ‘I Amsterdam’ sign so you can use it as your Facebook cover photo for the next three months. 

Secondly take a look a look at the building behind the sign. What you are now staring at, open mouthed, is Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam has a vast array of unique and wonderful architecture but this was my personal favourite. After you’re done gawking you can sit and relax with some food in the lovely park and move on to the next attraction.

Plenty other strange museums around the city too - from the famous sex museum to Rembrandt house, and of course, as we'll chat about, the home of Vincent Van Gough.

Visit Van Gough

Technically this could be included in the point above as it one of the three museums located in the square, but I felt this one deserved some special attention. 

A perhaps unexpected highlight of the holiday was the visit to see the masterpieces inside the Van Gough museum. The art is truly mind blowing and a must see. 

It was pretty strange to see all of the pictures that you see on TV and learn about in school in real life and it definitely left an impression. Even if you’re not an art enthusiast this one should be on your list. Hell, it should be on your list even if you’re not going to Amsterdam.

Enjoy the alcohol

Bit of a strange one and probably not the thing that jumps in to your head when thinking about the Dam but the Dutch have a rich history filled with beers and spirits. 

Home of Heineken, Grolsch and Bols, not to meantion being the birthplace of Genever (The spirit that Gin was inspired by and reason for the phrase “dutch courage”) you should definitely immerse yourself in activities Amsterdam has to offer. 

The Heineken factory tour and a visit to The House of Bols come highly recommended. After all, what’s a holiday without a few drinks.

If you're looking for a more out of town/tourist experience and to really take in the culture, get along to Canvas - an art gallery and cocktail bar on the 7th floor of a building that turns into a club on Fridays and Saturdays. Music policy comes from funk and soul to house and techno, and with an open air panoramic view of the city from the balcony outside, this is a place a bit off the map that is well worth a trip.

The Dam square has plenty good nightlife going for it too - pretty much tourist central come dark. We ended up partying in an old comedy club called Chicago Boom where half the rooms are filled with folk smoking and the other half is electronic music. It was pretty insane.

                                                                                                                                Robbie Ambrose

First things first, the West End production of Let It Be currently touring the UK shouldn’t be described as a musical.

The gargantuan rise of The Beatles from a small time Scouse four-piece to the masters of rock ‘n’ roll and all the narratives that occurred along the way would no doubt lend itself wonderfully to a theatrical production, but Let It Be is not that show. There is no narrative, barring some scene-setting archive footage which tracks the band’s progression, and dialogue is used minimally in order to allow for as many songs as possible to be played from the Beatles catalogue.

That said though, the production is certainly one that does not struggle to entertain. The show knows what it is – a showcase of four very talented musicians providing a tribute to one of the greatest bands of all time – and it provides the big stage necessary to turn a tribute act into a production worthy of the theatre stage.

Former Fame Academy man James Fox impresses with vocals as Paul McCartney, the Italian Michael Gagliano looks the part and sounds great as John Lennon, and John Brosnan’s George Harrison and Ben Cullingworth’s Ringo Starr looked on form as well. A well rounded grouping then, and one which were up to the task of doing the great band justice.

We start off at The Cavern in Liverpool, hearing the likes of ‘I Saw Her Standing there’ and ‘It Won’t Be Long’, and soon move to the Royal Variety Performance in 1963, where we hear favourites such as ‘Help!’, with ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ soon following. All of this is performed by the team in an effort to re-enact very precisely the past performances of the group at specified venues, and while at times rigid, they do a good job. Shea Stadium also features, although a visit to the Ed Sullivan Show comes first that prompts a great rendition of ‘Yesterday’ from Paul.

The simple truth of this production becomes apparent pretty quickly. While there isn’t much narrative, the musicians are more than commendable and it’s needless to say that the songs on show are brilliant. Good songs and good musicians make a good night.

The show does rely heavily on a fat dose of nostalgia to drive it forward, but this tactic clearly struck a chord with the Edinburgh audience (not least the 65-year-old to my right who unleashed deep sighs of delight throughout the production). The costumes were familiar and well chosen and the archive film footage focused on events from around the 60s, not just relating directly to the band.

It was the kind of show you would expect to see if you went to see a big name band at The SEE Hydro in Glasgow rather than a production in the West End in London though, an example of this being seen in the fact that any brass or string input was added electronically rather than performed live.

Indeed, the show made use of a simplistic set, but provided what was needed – all the footage and costume changes worked well to provide a clean transition from that famous early Beatles suit and bowl cut look to the more contemporary, hippy vibe later on.

Getting back to the on stage performance though, when the band stopped trying to copy the exact movements of The Beatles in past gigs to take on the more concept range of tracks performed in the later years, they seem to come into their own. Continuously impressive performances pleased the crowd after the interval; the show moved fast and entertained.

By the end of the night, as the group closed with ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Hey Jude’, the entire theatre were on their feet, twisting and shouting, waving their hands and reverberating the words back to the band on stage. It was an enjoyable night of Beatlemania for fans, and one dominated by nostalgic amusement.

Verdict: There is no prevailing storyline, no narrative, and really nothing but the music to drive this production on from the start. Over the course of the two and a half hours though, that didn’t prove a problem. The talented four-piece musicians performed well, the songs, of course, are still wonderful, and the overall production provides its audience with continuous fun.

                                                                                                                                         Stuart Kenny