8 Best Performing Arts Venues in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Step back in time and catch a flick at one of Amsterdam's oldest cinemas. In operation since 1912, it now includes three additional screening rooms, each decorated with classic Art Deco ambience that perfectly sets the stage for art-house, indie, and international flicks.

Sleek, modern decor fills the lounge of this arthouse theater opposite the Melkweg, while four screens downstairs play independent, international films, and documentaries including some expat-friendly screenings with English subtitles.

In 1912, this small canalside "lookout," as its name means in Dutch, transformed from a store to a cinema, ranking it as the city's oldest. Red velvet seats and a small viewing balcony nod to its 1920s heyday. Today, the theater is run by a small group of students with a diverse program featuring documentaries, Hollywood classics, and the odd mainstream film.

This cinema has been run by students since the end of World War II and reflects their world-embracing tastes (especially during the showings of cult, arthouse, and foreign language films). The adjoining café is always buzzing with chatty humanities types, but that's not to say that the long-graduated among us are unwelcome.

Since 1921, this eclectic Art Deco reverie has been the most dazzling place for moviegoers to escape from reality. Owned by the country's main movie distributor, the theater has six screens showing the latest Hollywood blockbusters and the occasional art-house number. Before the lights go out, enjoy the beautiful interior of the main room.

Away from the madding crowds, this little old-worldly 1920s theater is noted for showing art-house cinema and more highbrow film classics. If you're looking to see a non-English language film, the best time to visit is on Monday evening when it's Expat Night and all subtitles are in English. At Realto VU ( De Boelelaan 1111), which opened in 2021, you'll find foreign films with English subtitles daily.

The Amsterdam foundation Kriterion, which has been promoting student-run business ventures since World War II, added this Indische Buurt-based venue to its résumé in 2007. This two-screen theater shows not only art-house and foreign films, but with a club, theater, open stage, and a restaurant-bar, it's a multidisciplinarian's dream come true.