Summer in the city: Amsterdam

With glorious parks and myriad wacky ways to get waterborne, in summer Amsterdam gives ‘the great outdoors’ a whole new meaning…

Seven floors up, atop the former Volkskrant newspaper offices you’ll find Canvas, a splendid, sun-drenched cafe/restaurant/club/whatever. The bar staff mix a mean lemongrass-infused Martini – toast the panorama out over the city’s east from the Astroturf’d deck. www.canvasopde7e.nl

Or, overdose on old-school charm at Café ’t Smalle with a sunset beer (look for the local Brouwerij ’t IJ brand). The terrace overlooks one of the most picturesque canal bridges, on the corner of residential Egelantiersgracht and the stately Prinsengracht. www.t-smalle.nl

Brunch by the river

Brunch has yet to catch on in Amsterdam, but that could change once locals taste the glorious Eggs Benedict and smoked salmon at recently revamped brasserie Ysbreeker, on the Amstel river. Admire the airy, post-industrial interior, then settle on the terrace to watch the life aquatic pass by. www.deysbreeker.nl

Or, you don’t need to have performance tickets to enjoy Star Ferry, the startlingly proportioned cafe-restaurant at mammoth concert hall Muziekgebouw aan t’IJ. With views over the docklands, the huge deck extends, infinity pool-style, to the water, creating the sense of being caught somewhere between earth and sky. www.starferry.nl

Beat a secret retreat

Seconds from touristy Dam Square is jenever (gin) distillery Wynand Fockink, a boozy haven since 1679. The sunny garden is a prime example of an Amsterdam hof (secluded courtyard) – all trees, ornamental lampposts and stonking sandwiches. (Pijlsteeg 31 & 43; 00 31 20 639 2695, www.wynand-fockink.nl.)

Or, don’t waste an hour queueing for the Anne Frank Huis – pre-book at www.annefrank.org then sun yourself over a pastrami sandwich on the upper terrace of Werck, the adjacent bar-cum-restaurant. Peer below and you’ll see the comings and goings on Amsterdam’s busiest canal. (Prinsengracht 277; 00 31 20 627 4079, www.werck.nl.)

Party ‘til sunrise

Westergasfabriek is a summer paradise, a former gasworks edging the green expanse of Westerpark. It’s full of galleries, places to eat and cypress-fronded walkways. Arrive at midnight for its warehouse nightspot, Flex Bar. Stay until the party’s over and you’re all set for a reviving dawn stroll. (Pazzanistraat 1, Westergasterrein; 00 31 20 486 2123, www.flexbar.nl.)

Or, there’s just one gondola in the whole of Amsterdam; it’s mostly locals who keep the elegant six-man vessel afloat, but you too can take her out. Expect a glass of prosecco and envious looks from the bridges. (Stichting Batello;  www.gondel.nl

Get back to nature

A 20-minute cycle ride out of town takes you to Spa Zuiver, an impressive ‘wellness complex’ by the Amsterdamse Bos forest. The £28 day pass grants access to plunge pools as well as steam and relaxation rooms. Dutch national sporting teams kick back here – naked, of course. (Koenenkade 8; 00 31 20 301 0710, www.spazuiver.nl.)

Or, catch the free ferry from behind Central Station to Noorderlicht, a glass greenhouse where Amsterdammers in-the-know come to gaze on the shimmering spectacle of the river IJ over an ice-cold beer, before clubbing until sunrise. (TT Neveritaweg 33; 00 31 20 492 2770, www.noorderlichtcafe.nl.)

Savour sushi, Dutch-style

Its sister establishment, ‘Envy’, incites just that among Amsterdam’s chefs, but Nevy restaurant is where they go for summer northern exposure. With a ‘raw bar’ of fish, its waterside terrace – in the futurescape of the docklands – smacks of good things to come.  www.nevy.nl

Or, pushing your boat out – literally? Before your voyage you’ll need to get your hire vessel stocked up with drinks and snacks. Call Café Galerie Het Molenpad before you cast off and the staff at this canalside gastropub will bring it all down to the water. (Prinsengracht 653; 00 31 20 625 9680, www.goodfoodgroup.nl/molenpad.html.)