Football is the favourite sport in Amsterdam and the city is home to Ajax (website: www.ajax.nl), one of the top Dutch football teams, along with PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord Rotterdam. Ajax is ranked among the top European clubs, thanks to their success over the years in major European competitions. The team plays at the spectacularly high-tech Amsterdam Arena, Arena Boulevard 29 (tel: (020) 311 1444; fax: (020) 311 1480; website: www.amsterdamarena.nl). If there are no matches being played, visitors can still look around the Arena's World of Ajax museum (tel: (020) 311 1333), which charts the history of the club, as well as take a tour of the stadium. Admission to the museum is €3.50. A valid passport is required to buy match tickets. The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) organises the Dutch Football League, which is divided into the Eredivisie (major league) and Eerste Divisie (premier league).

A truly spectacular sight in Amsterdam in winter is a frozen canal – all the more so when the local people don their skates and claim the smart Keizergracht as their own ice rink.

Formula One racing fans might want to visit Zandvoort, 5km (3 miles) west of Haarlem, where the Dutch Grand Prix used to be held, before it was cancelled due to safety reasons.

Tickets to sporting events are available for purchase direct from the football clubs and individual venues.

Fitness Centres: Club Sportif, Valkenburgerstraat 28 (tel: (020) 620 6631; fax: (020) 638 3531), offers aerobics, tennis and fitness facilities. It is open Monday to Friday 1000-2400 and Saturday and Sunday 1000-1800. Fitness Aerobic Centre Jansen, Rokin 109-111 (tel: (020) 626 9366), is open Monday to Friday 1000-2230 and Saturday and Sunday 1200-2000. The two new Splash Healthclubs (website: www.healthclubsplash.nl) are located at Lijnbaansgracht 243 (tel: (020) 422 0280) and Looiersgracht 26-30 (tel: (020) 624 8404).

Golf: Amstelborgh, Borchlandweg 6-12 (tel: (020) 563 3333; fax: (020) 697 1306; e-mail: info@golfclubamstelborgh.nl; website: www.golfclubamstelborgh.nl) is a nine-hole public course, where the green fees start at €10. It is located a 10-minute walk from Duivendrecht metro station. Amsterdamse Golfclub, Bauduinlaan 35 (tel: (020) 497 7866; website: www.amsterdamsegolfclub.nl) is an 18-hole course built in a reclaimed polder. Green fees are between €30 and €35 and membership is not required.

Tennis: Frans Otten Stadium, Stadionstraat 10 (tel: (020) 662 8767; fax: (020) 577 1145; website: www.fransottenstadion.nl) has tennis courts. It is open Monday to Friday 0700-0100, Saturday and Sunday 1000-1800. Hire of a court costs from €15.