Amsterdam

City business

Built on centuries of international trade, Amsterdam is a popular European base for multinationals, creative companies and IT specialists, thanks to its excellent transport and digital networks. Zuidas is the city’s most vibrant up-and-coming business area, and it’s just 15 minutes from the airport. Recent company arrivals to Amsterdam include Canadian ad agency Taxi and the European Grid Initiative (EGI).

Airport highlight

Stop by Schiphol’s own branch of the famous Rijksmuseum (on Holland Boulevard) for quick views of works by the Old Masters and a chance to pick up museum souvenirs.

Quintessential hotel

Consisting of 25 canal houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, the Hotel Pulitzer (Prinsengracht 315-331, +31 20 523 5235) is a stunning combination of ancient and modern, with great business facilities.

Business breakfast

Enjoy what is arguably Amsterdam’s finest continental-style breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at the College Hotel (Roelof Hartstraat 1, +31 20 571 1511), in a quiet corner of the elegant bar.

Business dinner

Het Tuynhuys (Reguliersdwarsstraat 28, +31 20 627 6603) serves original French-Mediterranean food, with a beautiful garden for summer eating. It’s eternally popular for business dining but never stuffy.

Free time

Relax on a candlelit canal cruise (amsterdamcitycruises.nl) with wine and cheese, and admire Amsterdam’s trademark canals at their most magical. It’s remarkable how different the city looks from the water.

Culture tip

Don’t try to skip the inevitably large number of meetings—they are a vital part of Dutch business culture, with a different function than meetings serve in the U.S. Every attendee, however junior, gets the chance to say exactly what he thinks, providing useful feedback that’s important in a consensus-driven business environment like Amsterdam’s.

Conversation starters

• The pluses and minuses of the “polder model,” on which the whole country is built.

Built on centuries of international trade, Amsterdam is a popular European base for multinationals, creative companies and IT specialists, thanks to its excellent transport and digital networks. Zuidas is the city’s most vibrant up-and-coming business area, and it’s just 15 minutes from the airport. Recent company arrivals to Amsterdam include Canadian ad agency Taxi and the European Grid Initiative (EGI).

Airport highlight

Stop by Schiphol’s own branch of the famous Rijksmuseum (on Holland Boulevard) for quick views of works by the Old Masters and a chance to pick up museum souvenirs.

Quintessential hotel

Consisting of 25 canal houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, the Hotel Pulitzer (Prinsengracht 315-331, +31 20 523 5235) is a stunning combination of ancient and modern, with great business facilities.

Business breakfast

Enjoy what is arguably Amsterdam’s finest continental-style breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at the College Hotel (Roelof Hartstraat 1, +31 20 571 1511), in a quiet corner of the elegant bar.

Business dinner

Het Tuynhuys (Reguliersdwarsstraat 28, +31 20 627 6603) serves original French-Mediterranean food, with a beautiful garden for summer eating. It’s eternally popular for business dining but never stuffy.

Free time

Relax on a candlelit canal cruise (amsterdamcitycruises.nl) with wine and cheese, and admire Amsterdam’s trademark canals at their most magical. It’s remarkable how different the city looks from the water.

Culture tip

Don’t try to skip the inevitably large number of meetings—they are a vital part of Dutch business culture, with a different function than meetings serve in the U.S. Every attendee, however junior, gets the chance to say exactly what he thinks, providing useful feedback that’s important in a consensus-driven business environment like Amsterdam’s.

Conversation starters

• The pluses and minuses of the “polder model,” on which the whole country is built.

• Long vacations mean many Dutch are avid travelers, and they’ll happily give you their opinions on everything they’ve seen.

• The fortunes of Ajax, the city’s football (soccer) team, and Oranje, the more successful national squad.

• Long vacations mean many Dutch are avid travelers, and they’ll happily give you their opinions on everything they’ve seen.

• The fortunes of Ajax, the city’s football (soccer) team, and Oranje, the more successful national squad.