Matisse, followed by a French dinner

Start with colour. H’ART Museum brings more than 80 works from the Centre Pompidou collection to Amsterdam, following Matisse from his early experiments to the bold colour, simplified forms and cut-outs that made him one of the defining artists of the twentieth century. Along the way, his work sits alongside Picasso, Sonia Delaunay, Rothko and others. Then keep the evening French. Head east to La Vallade, a tiny neighbourhood restaurant that's been doing things its own way since 1989. Everyone eats the same daily-changing, seasonal menu around communal tables — the sort of place that feels less like you've booked dinner and more like you've briefly left Amsterdam for France.