Since taking the helm of Booking Holdings in 2017, Glenn Fogel, the CEO, has taken more than his fair share of international trips.
Nonetheless, Fogel, who is in charge of online travel companies like Priceline, KAYAK, Booking.com, and OpenTable, claims that Amsterdam is his favorite destination. These are his recommended tours around the Dutch capital.
WHAT MAKES AMSTERDAM SO AMAZING
As a student, I went to the city for the first time in 1983. One of my favorite things about Amsterdam is how diverse the city is.
Despite being small in size, it is highly global. It serves as a regional hub for business and technology in addition to tourism. Although there is a lot going on, things move more slowly here than in many other large cities.
WHAT TO DO AS SOON AS YOU LAND
If I’m traveling from New York early in the morning, I go to my lodging and work out there. If the weather permits, I’ll run in Vondelpark (the Amsterdam-Zuid borough). I enjoy changing places I stay.
TOP SITE FOR TEAM REUNIONS
Some of the nicest views of Amsterdam can be found from the Booking.com offices (Herengracht), and any location on its outside terrace is a terrific place to gather.
The view over Het Scheepvaartmuseum (The Maritime Museum, Kattenburgerplein), which boasts a line of repaired and replica ships dating back to 1818 docked at its pier, and NEMO, the spectacular science museum (Oosterdok), is my favorite viewpoint. It is difficult to defeat.
A FUN PLACE FOR GROUPS TO GO
Amsterdam is best viewed from the ocean. Teams from the firm book boats for excursions, stopping along the way to pick up bitterballen (fried balls of meaty gravy coated in bread crumbs) or other delicacies, then docking for beverages at Hannekes Boom (Dijksgracht).
AN ITEM UNKNOWN BY INSIDERS
A lot of people are unaware that beaches are only 20 minutes away from Amsterdam. We just held a team outing in the town of Noordwijk, which boasts expansive beaches, flower meadows, and massive dunes.
The beach clubs are packed with people enjoying cocktails and basking in the (sometimes rare) sun on nicer days.
A NEW DETECTION
Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic Museum, Oudezijds Voorburgwal) is a 17th-century canal house that houses a church in its upper three floors that dates back to the 1660s and the “schuilkerk” period in the city, when Catholics and other religious groups were not allowed to practice openly. My wife recently discovered this lesser-known museum while on a trip.
