Amsterdam by Night

From tree-lined canals and museums by day, to an explosion of electronic music and illicit offerings at night, Amsterdam certainly lives up to its name as a European party destination. In that spirit here are my recommendations for a night out on Amsterdam’s straats (streets) and pleins (squares).

Before you dive deep into Amsterdam’s nightlife grab a copy of the Amsterdam Weekly, an English-language newspaper. It is free, so keep your eyes open for copies in cafés or bookstores. In addition to being an interesting read, having concert schedules, and special events, it tells you what is happening at major nightspots literally every night of the week. New issues come out each Wednesday.

One last word of advice: Before you lose your way under the influence of Heineken or purple haze, know that all trams end up back at Centraal Station, and take note that they do not run after 1 a.m. Taxis can be expensive, but will get you home safely in a pinch. Biking with a buzz is the way of the locals, but not necessarily recommended for inexperienced urban cyclists. Enjoy the straats and try shot of Genever (a Dutch gin) somewhere along the way, if only to clear the sinuses.

Amsterdam by Night: Red Light District, Leidseplein, Centraal Station
The Red Light District is definitely more active in the dark and worth a gander, but offers little in the way of entertainment other than sports bars, bachelor parties, strip clubs, and those infamous ladies of the night. If this is your scene, then read no further, for you are in heaven. (Or, if you fancy, take a guided nighttime walking tour of the Red Light District). Leidseplein is the centerpoint for more mainstream nocturnal amusement, but there are plenty of other options throughout the city. If you like techno music, it is the world capital.

Club 11 is a trendy nightclub thumping house music into the early morning. It is on the eleventh floor of an industrial building, also temporarily housing the Stedelijk Museum. Take a freight elevator up to the top before stepping out into a posh club with world-class views and DJs. Cover charges can be hefty (about fifteen euros or so), and doormen are strict with attire and disproportionate male-female ratios, but once inside you will be glad you came. Get there soon as the building has been long rumored awaiting demolition.

Melkweg and Paradiso are the two major concert venues in the city center, and both abut Leidseplein. Most nights they offer themed “clubs” with varying cover charges. Depending on the evening you can dance to gypsy, hip hop, techno, pop, or indie music, and sometimes more than one in a single night. Paradiso is a former church, with a main stage on the first level and a smaller more intimate venue upstairs. Melkweg (“Milky Way” in Dutch) has two fairly large rooms. On most club nights a single cover charge grants you access to both venues.

Just up the alleyway from Melkeweg is Sugar Factory, another top-notch club best known for Sunday night’s “Wicked Jazz Sounds,” a combination of live jazz and techno beats.

Culture hounds need not separate intellectual pursuits from a Saturday night fever. De Balie, between Paradiso and Leidseplein, is a unique fusion of art, culture, and nightlife. There are films, debates, art exhibits and a large, modern bar and café.

The bars directly on Leidseplein are fine, but not necessarily interesting. Otherwise there’s Boom Chicago, an American-style comedy club, with stand-up and sketch acts. Try any number of the alleys splitting off the square for more options—like De Spuyt, a ways down Korte Leidsedwarsstraat (the alley near Burger King), which has myriad Belgian beers … but beware, some top out at near 15 percent alcohol.

Spuistraat runs from just west of Centraal Station, looping south-ish towards Spui square. There is a string of bars, most of which are worth a stop. The Minds is a punk bar with cheap beer, a pool table, and interesting clientele. Bitterzoet (Bittersweet in Dutch) is good for unique live acts and a favorite among locals, but its pro-Dutch, anti-foreigner door policy may make it worth boycotting on principle. A brief “goedenavond” at the door should get you an “A” for effort and entry. In Spui square, nearby alleys are packed with small student bars.