BELIEVE it or not, there are far more intoxicating reasons to visit Amsterdam these days than its infamous coffee shops or its red-light district. Not since the Dutch Golden Age has Amsterdam seen such a creative boom. All along the harbor and in the city's South Axis area, futuristic buildings designed by architects like Renzo Piano and Rafael Vi?oly have been going up — a modernist foil to the city's venerable canal houses. The country known for Rembrandt and Franz Hals also has modern day counterparts in Amsterdam design stars like Marcel Wanders and Tord Boontje. And the restaurant scene is finally catching up with the rest of Europe. Amsterdam is angling to become Europe's creative capital, and it's doing so without even inhaling.

Friday

4:30 p.m.
1) GET SOME WHEELS

First things first. Renting a bike is key in Amsterdam; you can avoid expensive taxi rides and feel like a local from the start. Don't be nervous. Two-wheels rule the roads, it's difficult to get lost and there are bike paths everywhere. A central spot to find a safe and sturdy bicycle is Orangebike (Singel 233; 31-20-528-9990; www.orangebike.nl) near Dam Square. Rentals are 9.50 euros a day, or about $13.20 at $1.39 to the euro. They also offer amusing excursions, including bike tours of cafes, beaches and gay landmarks.

5 p.m.
2) GET YOUR BEARINGS

The tower at Westerkerk (Prinsengracht 281; www.westerkerk.nl) recently reopened after a major restoration. At more than 279 feet tall, it's the highest church tower in Amsterdam and, on clear day, affords stunning views of the entire city, including the glittering modern towers of the South Axis neighborhood. It's also where Rembrandt was buried and where Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus were married.

6 p.m.
3) UNWIND AT VYNE

A few blocks away on the Prinsengracht, you'll find Vyne (Prinsengracht 411; 31-20-344-6408; www.vyne.nl), a trendy new wine bar from the owners of Envy, the hotspot restaurant next door. Although the space was designed by the ultramodern local architectural firm Concrete, the bar is cozy and sensual with a wall of backlit wine cases and sexy suede banquettes.

7:30 p.m.
4) DINE WITH STRANGERS

The next best thing to having cool, connected friends in town is hiring a few. The quirky company Like-a-Local (31-20-530-1460; www.like-a-local.com) connects tourists with friendly locals who will invite you into their homes and cook dinner for you. Choose the 1930s-style apartment of a graphic designer couple, dinner on a house boat or a traditional three-course Dutch meal in a classic canal house. These dinners are not only fun and informative, but they're a great deal as well, with prices ranging from 23 to 35 euros, including a lot of wine.

10 p.m.
5) DANCE WITH GROWN-UPS

The popular nightclub Jimmy Woo's may be good times if you're 22, but anyone older might feel like a chaperone. Go instead to the Mansion (Hobbemastraat 2; 31-20-616-6664; www.the-mansion.nl), an upscale saloon that feels like a members-only club for stylish 30-somethings. Fortunately, you don't have to be a member or know one to be admitted to this three-story town house. It has an over-the-top Asian restaurant with ostrich wallpaper and mirrored tables, three cocktail bars with pretty lighting and hotshot bartenders, and a cool dance floor that vibrates with some of Europe's up-and-coming D.J.'s.

Saturday

10 a.m.
6) FLAT FOOD

The Dutch love their pancakes. Pancakes with cheese, pancakes with butter and even pancake sushi. You name it, stick it in a pancake and they'll eat it. You'll find all these options and much more at the newly opened and often packed Pancakes! restaurant (Berenstraat 38; 31-20-528-9797; www.pancakesamsterdam.com). A pancake with endive, ham, Camembert cheese and raspberry sauce is 9.80 euros.

11:30 a.m.
7) DRESSED TO THE NINES

You're already in the renowned shopping zone known as the Nine Streets (www.theninestreets.com), loaded with funky independent stores, so you might as well do some consuming. On the same street as Pancakes! is Fashion Flairs (31-20-620-2104) a new women's shop that sells flirty and glamorous dresses. In the opposite direction on Wolvenstraat is Spoiled (Wolvenstraat 19; 31-20-626-3818; www.spoiled.nl), a fashion emporium with a denim bar and a hair salon. For avant-garde clothing, there's Van Ravenstein (Keizersgracht 359; 31-20-639-0067; www.van-ravenstein.nl) which carries Dries Van Noten, Viktor & Rolf and Balenciaga. And for home accessories with a sense of humor, drop into DR Wonen (Hartenstraat 27, 31-20-489-2808).

1:30 p.m.
8) LUNCH, ART, DESIGN

The menu is simple (pastas, sandwiches and salads) but the view is sublime from the trendy restaurant 11 (Oosterdokskade 3-5; 31-20-625-5999; www.ilove11.nl) hidden at the top of the Post Building on the harbor. While you're there, stop off at the second and third floors to check out the contemporary art at the temporary location of the Stedelijk Museum (31-20-573-2911; www.stedelijk.nl). Through Sept. 16, the museum is showcasing 30 artists from the Netherlands. Afterward, hop on your bike toward the city's Flower Market. You're heading to Droog Design (Staalstraat 7; 31-20-523-5050; www.droogdesign.nl), the country's iconic design collective and gallery, where you'll get a peek at future designers. A show this summer features student work from the esteemed Design Academy Eindhoven.

7:30 p.m.
9) CONCEPTUAL DINING

They may be out of the way, but the city's most buzzed-about restaurants are worth the trip. Across the harbor from Central Station is the Hotel de Goudfazant (Aambeeldstraat 10 H; 31-20-636-5170; www.hoteldegoudfazant.nl), a sweeping industrial space with an enormous modern chandelier and raw concrete surfaces. Stylish locals order unpretentious but tasty fare like roasted chicken and oyster ceviche. (A three-course meal is 28.50 euros). The conceptual Restaurant As (Prinses Irenestraat 19, 31-20-644-0100; www.platform21.com) is in the South Axis area. It's part of Platform 21, an experimental space for design and fashion. Diners sit at long communal tables while meals are cooked in a Tuscan oven. The three- to five-course menu changes daily and recently included asparagus with pecorino, wild sea bass with fennel stalks, and barigoule of artichokes and cipollini onions. A three-course dinner runs 36 euros.

10 p.m.
10) COCKTAILS AT THE FACTORY

The Westergasfabriek — a former gasworks that now houses a complex of galleries, cafes and performance spaces — is still a local secret. It comes to life at night when crowds of young adults in T-shirts and jeans meet for drinks at the laid back Pacific Parc restaurant and bar (Polonceaukade 23; 31-20-488-7778; www.pacificparc.nl). The cavernous space is a mishmash of recycled tables and chairs, a massive chandelier made from found objects, and a D.J. booth that spins different types of music every night. Like the rest of Amsterdam, there are no pretensions or velvet ropes.

Midnight
11) THE PARTY DOESN'T END

On the other end of the Westergasfabriek is Flex (Pazzanistraat 1; 31-20-486-2123; www.flexbar.nl), an intimate new two-room insider spot that features a mix of local and international D.J.'s. It attracts a crowd similar to Pacific Parc, but these are the people who want to keep the party going after 2 a.m.

Sunday

Noon
12) HIT THE BEACH

It's only logical that water-lined Amsterdam was among the first European cities to try the urban beach concept. One of the most stylish is on the sloped roof of the Renzo Piano-designed NEMO, Amsterdam's Science and Technology Center (Oosterdok 2, 31-20-531-3233; www.e-nemo.nl). You'll find more than sand and stunning harbor views; there are also D.J.'s, big cozy beanbags and tapas-style snacks.

The Basics

KLM (www.klm.com) and other major carriers fly from Kennedy Airport in New York to Amsterdam. A recent Web search showed round-trip fares starting at around $1,044. From Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, a taxi into town costs about 40 euros, or about $56 at $1.39 to the euro. Once in the city, the best way to get around is by bike or on foot.

Fashion-conscious travelers stay at the Dylan (Keizersgracht 384; 31-20-530 2010; www.dylanamsterdam.com), a modern boutique hotel with a chic lounge and 41 rooms starting at 435 euros.

Celebrities tend to choose the Intercontinetal Amstel (Professor Tulpplein 1; 31-20-622-6060; www.amsterdam.intercontinental.com). Doubles currently start at about 475 euros a night.

A new favorite among stylish urbanites is the College Hotel near the Van Gogh Museum (Roelof Hartstraat 1, 31-20- 571-1511; www.collegehotelamsterdam.com). Doubles start at about 250 euros.

There is also Miauw Suites Amsterdam (Hartenstraat 36; 31-20-717-3429; www.miauw.com), scheduled to open last Friday. Rooms at the hotel, located in the Nine Streets area, start at 145 euros.

For a bed-and-breakfast, try Steel (Staalstraat 32; www.staywithsteel.com ). Prices start at 150 euros a night, with a minimum stay of two nights.