90 Best Nightlife in Amsterdam, Netherlands

On the edge of the Red Light District sits this neighborhood institution, which dates back to the 1940s. For better or worse, cracks have started to appear in its jazzy foundation, as the programming has become diluted by DJ sets and karaoke.

Having a drink at this corner cafe is reminiscent of the Golden Age, which makes sense since this quaint bar has been pouring beverages since 1624, making it the oldest bar in the Jordaan. The historic interior features stained glass windows and a wooden ceiling decorated with old ceramic pints.

This always-lively Nieuwmarkt mainstay serves relatively cheap cocktails and with a jazzy electronic sound track. On sunny days you can enjoy your drink on the terrace overlooking the square.

This light and airy multilevel café offers reasonably priced food and a lovely terrace overlooking the Amstel. It is popular with a big cross section of the population, from students and pensioners to artists and businesspeople.

Hardly bovine in any sense, the Cow's Café is still a fine place to chew the cud or graze a little, and it's a special favorite of local musicians and students. There's an extensive beer menu and, downstairs, a restaurant that's popular for a bite before a show at one of the many venues nearby.

One of the few authentic pubs around Leidseplein has a genuinely friendly staff, an extensive beer list, and acoustic music sessions, all of which provide an oasis of civilized authenticity among the noisy tourist traps in the area.

Quite popular with students and locals, this well-known brown café near Dam Square has far too many beers to try in one go. In fact, there are more than 250 bottled beers and 14 on tap, mostly from the Netherlands and Belgium. One of six Gollem cafes in Amsterdam, there is also a bar and restaurant, Proeflokaal Gollem (Overtoom 160-162), with beer tastings and, on some nights, pub quizzes or disco bingo. The latest addition, Biercafé Gollem aan het Water (Entrepotdok 64), offers waterside views of the elephant enclosure at the ARTIS zoo.

Occupying a 17th-century canalside warehouse, this beam-ceilinged bar with a large terrace serves beers, cocktails, and meals from morning until the wee hours 365 days a year.

A family business since 1966, Café Nol has a cozy living room feel where four generations of owners have welcomed guests for a biertje and the lively sounds of native Jordaaners singing folk songs while having the time of their lives. Looking for live music? Stop by on a Thursday evening.

Open to all “queer minded” people but catering mostly to lesbians, this traditional bruincafé has a modern interior, complete with pool tables, where plenty of drinks flow along with the music and conversation.

Housed in a former newspaper building rechristened the Volkshotel, or People's Hotel, Canvas offers splendid views over the city from its seventh-floor perch. The restaurant and bar is satisfactory but really comes into its own with sunny weather when you can enjoy the rooftop terrace. Meanwhile, Canvas Nights (Friday--Saturday) is known for its relaxed vibe and progressive programming of live jazz, experimental house, hip-hop, indie, and so forth.

Three floors of play-and-dance space offer changing theme nights six times a week. If you're looking to cruise, this is a good bet.

An intimate little shoebox of a venue shares some of its amenities with members-only artists' society De Kring. As a result, arty house parties and banging electro nights attract a hip crowd that's sometimes sprinkled with puzzled tourists in search of a dive bar.

Founded in 1946, this center of the Dutch Association for the Integration of Homosexuality is the oldest organization of its kind in the world. Check the website for parties and events.

Back in 1984, this bar was so leather-lined it put San Francisco's Folsom Street to shame. Today it attracts a more diverse crowd, many of whom find their way to what's rumored to be one of the biggest dark rooms in Europe.

Eyeglasses peek over books and tablets as a well-read and socially conscious crowd fills the café-bar of this center for art, culture, and politics. This is an ideal spot for an affordable meal, drinks with friends, or date night. The English-language program includes film screenings and lectures, too.

In this small sawdusted and kitsch-strewn haven, students and alternative types don't mind yelling over the latest in loud guitars and funky beats. They also enjoy a pool tournament every now and then.

Wine and whiskey are just what patrons of De Dokter (The Doctor) have been ordering for centuries. Founded by a surgeon in 1798 to serve the doctors and medical students from the nearby university, the city's smallest pub is still run by the Beems family six generations later.

Also referred to as "the Pilsner Club," this unmistakably brown venue, which celebrated its quasquicentennial in 2018, seems to belong to some lost age when beer was the safest alternative to drinking water. Reinforcing the impression that time has stood still here, the bar has been run consecutively by a Teun van Veen (I, II, III and IV) since opening.

For many years, this riverside theater has been the city's most vibrant venue for cabaret and comedy, mostly in Dutch but not always.

This mainstay along the Prinsengracht is blessed with a canalside patio and a perfect view of the Westerkerk tower and adjacent canal. While a bruincafé atmosphere prevails, their modern kitchen sends out simple, well-priced snacks and meals.

Every Sunday night, the basement of an old squat in an unmarked building opens its doors to the queer crowd. All staff are volunteers, and all proceeds from the evening go to various LGBTQ+ rights nonprofit organizations. The beer and the cover are cheap, and despite a few strict rules—no straight friends, no mobile phones, and certainly no cameras—it is still as popular as ever, so be sure to arrive on time (before 11) to get in.

Stop by this intimate canalside café for a traditional Jordaan feel. Singing is encouraged, and (tipsy) patrons are known to belt out a song or two.

Founded in 1974, this must be the oldest fetish bar in Amsterdam. Today, this self-proclaimed "sleaze pit" offers a darkroom on two floors, cabins, slings, a golden shower bathtub, and free condoms, among other features.

At this friendly Red Light District café, you'll find an excellent selection of beers on tap and tasty and sustainable food. Despite its name, which means "foolish things" in Dutch, the place has a Christian identity, but if you're not looking for it, you probably won't see it.

The history of this traditional "brown café" can be traced back to 1832, and thankfully the bar has not lost its prewar charm to prefab fittings or hip design. In fact, the clock behind the bar runs backward, so you can happily lose all sense of time. The owners pride themselves on reasonable prices and a friendly atmosphere. Go Dutch and order an uitsmijter (fried eggs with cheese, ham or bacon on sliced bread): according to local lore it was once served to café patrons just before closing time as one for the road, which is perhaps why its name translates as "bouncer." Nowadays, you'll also find it on breakfast and lunch menus.