World 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 cafés 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 100s single malt whiskies as well as old whisky barrels which 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/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 on the clubs. Just across the road, at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 169, is the trendy NL Lounge, with its cutting-edge sounds, discerning crowd and nightmare bouncers – dress to impress. Chic new arrivals on the Amsterdam scene include Rain (see Clubs), Rembrandtplein 44, and Odeon (see Restaurants), Singel 460. The gay and lesbian scene thrives in Amsterdam, with Reguliersdwarsstraat one of the more cutting edge nightlife areas, with April, at Reguliersdwarsstraat 37, and Soho, Reguliersdwarsstraat 36, two of the most popular venues.

Casinos: Two places in which to win or lose money are Holland Casino Amsterdam, Max Euweplein 62, open daily 1330-0300 (last entry at 0200), and Holland Casino Schiphol Airport, in Terminal West at Schiphol Airport, open daily 0600-1930 (website: www.hollandcasino.com). Smart attire is requisite and only those over 18 years are admitted – passports are required.

Clubs: Old dames Paradiso, Weteringschans 6-8, and Melkweg, Lijnbaansgracht 234 (website: www.melkweg.nl) seem like they have been around forever but are still going strong and are fun places for a party. They might not always get the big contemporary names anymore but they are both 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. Its Saturday ‘Chemistry’ night is a Dutch institution, attracting some big name international DJs, although the queues to get in can be a nightmare. A more intimate club venue is Sinners in Heaven, Wagenstraat 3-7, with a trendier and older crowd than many of the city’s larger, more mainstream clubs. Newcomer Panama, Oostelijke Handelskade 4, also caters for an older crowd in the up-and-coming Zeeburg warehouse district. New arrivals include Odeon (see Restaurants), Singel 460, and Rain, Rembrantplein 44, 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. 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 Bourbon Street Jazz and Blues Club, Leidsekruisstraat 6-8, or the main jazz venue of Bimhuis, Oude Schans 73-77, in the historic centre, where the Dutch Jazz Orchestra (website: www.dutchjazz.nl) plays on Wednesday and musicians from all over Europe perform on the other days of the week. Paradiso, Weteringschans 6-8, and Melkweg, Lijnbaansgracht 234 (website: www.melkweg.nl), both often have rock gigs and sets by alternative acts.