Amsterdam City Guide - Nightlife

Amsterdam is one of Europe's top party cities. At night, it is like a human zoo, with all sorts of weird and wonderful activities on offer. The city can be the venue for a romantic stroll, with the lights of the bridges and old houses reflected in the canals, or a night spent bar hopping from buzzing bar to buzzing bar, before partying until dawn in one of Europe's top clubs. It could even be a nefarious evening, dipping into the dirty underbelly of a city with few inhibitions. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of bars dotted around Amsterdam and it can be just as pleasant to idle away a few hours in a neighbourhood bar as it is to spend the night in one of the trendier venues in the centre of the city. If, however, you are interested in listening to live bands and dancing the night away, then you should head for the Rembrantsplein-Leidseplein area. If you want seedy, then head for Walletjes and indulge. Over the last few years, the trend in Amsterdam is the renovation of city centre townhouses to produce club/bar/restaurant hybrids.

Amsterdam's clubs usually open at 2200 and, by law, must close promptly at 0400 during the week and 0500 at the weekend. The best nights to go out tend to be Thursday and Saturday. The mainstream clubs prefer a smart-casual dress, with no trainers or jeans. Anything goes at the funkier, more cutting edge venues. Only those over 18 years can purchase alcohol in bars and clubs and drinks cost in the region of €5-6.

Amsterdam tolerates the sale and use of soft drugs, which centres around smoking cafes or coffee shops. These are easy to recognise, as their names normally include words like 'free', 'high', 'happy' and 'space', and, of course, you can smell them too. These places usually have a drugs 'menu', with all sorts of nefarious offerings available.

Bars: De Waag, Nieumarkt, is a trendy bar in the red-light district, which also stages cultural performances and exhibitions. Whisky lovers should head for De Stil, Spuistraat 326, which boasts hundreds of single malt whiskies as well as old whisky barrels that serve as tables. The owners are friendly and will coach whisky virgins through the first stages of discovering whisky unaided by cola or water as a mixer. Meanwhile, beer aficionados should make a beeline for De Wildman, Nieuwezijds Kolk 3, which has an array of over 200 bottled beers from all over Europe. Satellite Sports Café, Leidseplein 11, is tacky and touristy but a great venue for those missing their football and rugby.

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal is one of the most hip areas in the city for bar and clubs. Seymour Lounge, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 200, is a funky place with a bizarre fish tank full of bricks behind the bar, where live DJs entertain Amsterdam's party set before they move onto the clubs. Just across the road, at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 169, is the chic NL Lounge, with its dance sounds, discerning crowd and nightmare bouncers - dress to impress. Current favourite watering holes of the local ‘in crowd' include 18Twintig, 18-20 Ferdinand Bolstraat (website: www.18twintig.nl), with its art deco chic decor and smooth cocktails, and the Zebra Lounge, Korte Leidsedwardstraat 14, with its sofas and champagne.

The gay and lesbian scene thrives in Amsterdam, with Reguliersdwarsstraat one of the more cutting-edge nightlife areas, with De Trut, Bilderdijkstraat 165, and Soho, Reguliersdwarsstraat 36, two of the most popular venues.

Clubs: Old dame the Melkweg, Lijnbaansgracht 234 (website: www.melkweg.nl), seems like it has been around forever but it is still going strong and is a fun place for a party. It might not always get the big contemporary names anymore but it is a good bet at weekends for an unpretentious and fun night out. Escape, Rembrandtplein 11, is a massive venue that can hold up to 2,000 revellers. A recent addition has been Escape Delux, Amstel 80, which offers the same diet of dance music in a more intimate venue (website: www.escape.nl for both). Panama, Oostelijke Handelskade 4 (website: www.panama.nl), caters to an older crowd in the up-and-coming Zeeburg warehouse district. Other options include Odeon (see Restaurants), Singel 460, and Rain, Rembrantplein 44 (website: www.rain-amsterdam.com), the latter a huge nightlife complex right at the heart of Rembrandtplein that is a hybrid bar/restaurant/nightclub, all the rage in Amsterdam at the moment. It is worth battling past the scary-looking bouncers.  

Live Music: Jazz has always been popular in Amsterdam. Many of the jazz greats have lived in the city, including Chet Baker, who died here. Head for Bimhuis, Piet Heinkade 3 (website: www.bimhuis.nl), the city's top jazz venue. The Dutch Jazz Orchestra plays on Wednesday and musicians from all over Europe perform on the other days of the week. Melkweg, Lijnbaansgracht 234 (website: www.melkweg.nl), often has rock gigs and sets by alternative acts. The Arena Stadium, Arena Boulevard 1 (website: www.amsterdamarena.nl), stages many of the bigger international rock and pop acts.