Once a busy harbour side, Prins Hendrikkade is today a mayor road taking traffic in and out of Amsterdam via the IJ Tunnel. Unattractive as it may sound – and look – to a pedestrian, a stroll to the entrance of this tunnel is worth the effort. Above the entrance, at 2 Oosterdok, is a giant, fantastical, patina-sheathed building which, seen from the north, has the appearance of a large ship’s prow.

From Prins Hendrikkade you can ascend to its roof. At the top you are standing on a terrace with a panoramic view over the Eastern Docklands and the IJ. From this point you can see a lot of sights as well as shipping, Rhine barges and local harbour traffic.

The building is the NEMO Science and Technology Centre, designed by the architect Renzo Piano and opened in 1997. This science museum, whose motto is “A world wherein you are the greatest miracle”, lives up to its promise. Nearly all of the exhibits are interactive, from refilling radio-controlled model oil tankers to conducting light and sound experiments and carrying out your own investigation in a laboratory. You create your own voyage of discovery in six departments on four floors. All exhibits are in Dutch and English, and the place is child-friendly.

Walking between Prins Hendrikkade and NEMO, you can hardly miss the collection of vintage vessels along the quayside: they are all registered as floating monuments, and lovingly restored with plaques on the quay detailing the history and working life of each boat. A pedestrian walkway connects NEMO with the Oosterdokskade area just to the east of Central Station. From May 2004, the TPG Building at 3-5 Oosterdokskade beside the Central Station has been the temporary home of Amsterdam’s modern art museum, the Stedelijk Museum (Municipal Museum).

Housed in an appropriately futuristic building between NEMO and the Maritime Museum, and designed by René van Zuuk, is ARCAM, the Architectuur Centrum Amsterdam (Amsterdam Architecture Centre; 600 Prins Hendrikkade), a resource centre devoted to the city’s fast-changing architectural landscape. It hosts educational seminars and discussion groups, and organises exhibitions on topical architectural and urban development themes.