A'DAM Lookout

The A'DAM Lookout is the best place to see Amsterdam from above, in a city that is otherwise almost entirely low-rise. It occupies the top of the A'DAM Tower, the striking cross-shaped tower on the north bank of the IJ, directly across the water from Centraal Station. The tower was built around 1970 as the headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell's research operations in Amsterdam, and it stood largely empty after the company moved out before a group of entrepreneurs reinvented it as a cultural and entertainment hub, reopening it in 2016 with hotel rooms, offices, music-industry tenants, restaurants and bars, and the observation deck at the very top. The visit starts with a fast lift ride that doubles as a short light-and-sound show, then opens out on to an enclosed top floor with an interactive introduction to the city and a bar, and finally the open-air roof deck, where the whole of Amsterdam lies spread out below: the station and the old centre with its church towers, the arcs of the Canal Ring, the cranes and docks of the port, the IJ busy with ferries, and to the north the flat green polders of Waterland stretching toward the horizon. The headline thrill is Over the Edge, a swing on the roof edge that sends riders out over the drop, high above the IJ, for a few seconds of very real vertigo; it is an optional extra on top of the deck ticket, and age, height and weather restrictions apply. Getting there is part of the fun: the free GVB ferry to Buiksloterweg leaves from behind Centraal Station every few minutes and takes about five minutes across the water.

What it is like: the experience is designed as an outing rather than a quick photo stop. The interactive exhibition on the indoor floor introduces Amsterdam's history and quirks, the bar serves drinks and snacks with the view, and on the roof there is room to wander around the full panorama, with seating and, in warm weather, a sociable terrace atmosphere. Sunset is the most popular time — the light over the IJ and the old centre turns gold, and the city's lights come on below — so expect queues for the swing and a busier deck in the hour before dusk. Clear winter days can be the most spectacular, with long views across the flat landscape, but it is windy and cold up there, so dress warmly. Strong winds and storms can close the outdoor deck and the swing for safety, so check the weather before you commit to a specific time.

Practicalities: buy tickets online for a time slot; optional add-ons include the swing and combination tickets with drinks or with other attractions. The swing has minimum age and height rules, so check them before promising it to children. The whole visit, including the ferry, takes about an hour and a half to two hours. The ferry runs day and night and is free for pedestrians and cyclists; it is a lovely short crossing in itself, with views back to the neo-Gothic station. On the north bank, the Eye Filmmuseum, the angular white building next to the tower, has exhibitions, cinema screens and a waterside café-restaurant terrace that is one of the best places in the city for a drink in the sun.

Pairing it well: the Lookout works as a first-day orientation, when you can see the shape of the city you are about to explore, or as a sunset finale. Combine it with an afternoon in Amsterdam Noord, the former industrial district across the IJ that has become the city's creative frontier — take another free ferry west to the NDSM wharf for street art, flea markets and waterside bars. Couples should time a visit for sunset and stay for dinner on the north bank; families with older children and teenagers will be most excited by the swing; and anyone with a fear of heights can still enjoy the indoor floor, where floor-to-ceiling windows give the views without the exposure.