Rotterdam
This fire-engine-red, 1951-built lighthouse vessel is now a Brit-influenced pub that brews its own ale, hosts live gigs (mainly rock), and serves full…
Must-see nightlife in The Netherlands
Amsterdam
Hugely popular with locals and tourists for its long list of Belgian beers, this longstanding favourite (literally, 'Gollem Tasting') is where you can…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Cavernous, dark and always crammed, Nelly's attracts international visitors from the cheap lodgings in the area, including the attached Durty Nelly's…
Amsterdam
It's got the brew tanks, it's got the hardwood interior, it's even got the history – a 16th-century brewery-cloister run by nuns. Outside tables with a…
Den Haag
This on-trend cafe in the town centre has a street terrace from which you can watch shoppers saunter past and trams trundle by. Coffees range from the…
Amsterdam
Full of gnarly locals, this characterful and snug little bruin café (traditional Dutch pub) has a canal-side terrace, friendly service and is an inviting…
Nijmegen
The cafe terrace of Lux – one component of a sleek cinema/cultural centre – faces Marienburg Chapel, a remnant of old Nijmegen miraculously missed by the…
Leiden
On a sunny day, it can be difficult to score one of the terrace tables here, which are set just outside the grand gate to the Burcht. Tourists and plenty…
Amsterdam
A textbook brown cafe next to the canal, on a convivial corner between the Amstel and the Red Light District, De Doelen is a well-weathered place dating…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This huge art-deco space is quiet during the day, but after 5pm on weeknights it transforms into a lively bar for the business crowd. You get a choice of…
Southern Canal Ring
Hung with chandeliers, this curved and columned space looks like a wedding cake. The brasserie brims with actors and chattering culture hounds…
Jordaan & the West
A rainbow flag flies above this canal house dating from the 1600s. A one-time feminist stronghold, it's still a meeting place for lesbians, although these…
De Pijp
Right on Albert Cuypstraat, the Green Butterfly strikes just the right balance between hip and gezellig (cosy, convivial), making it perfect for a koffie…
Jordaan & the West
This slightly scruffy yet lovable café (pub) is always heaving with local barflies. It's a fun spot for a beer and a snack after shopping at the…
Southern Canal Ring
Founded in 1923, this intimate bar and club on Leidseplein is still going strong, though the music policy has somewhat changed: these days, the sonic menu…
Groningen
Last of a line of boisterous terrace cafes on a busy square, the Stadlander is especially gezellig (cosy) with its interior dining area and generously…
Southern Canal Ring
This tucked-away gay-friendly cafe-bar is conveniently close to the Rijksmuseum and has an appealing narrow terrace right alongside the canal. There is…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
'Not everyone has knowledge of beer, but those who have it drink it here' is the translation of the slogan on a panel above this atmospheric bar, which…
Southern Canal Ring
Painted with huge fishtank-style murals and decorated with fake rocks and other underwater ephemera, this trippy space makes it seem like you're smoking…
De Pijp
With friendly staff, loyal regulars and snazzy white-and-red walls, Kingfisher exemplifies De Pijp's signature feel-good vibe. The communal table welcomes…
Maastricht
This unpretentious local corner pub is worth investigating on Monday evenings when a jazz trio plays after 10pm, sometimes joined by student musicians…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Staff have a wonderfully irreverent sense of humour at this grungy late-night bar where night owls inevitably end up when there's nowhere else to go…
Leeuwarden
In this spot for 30-odd years, this music and sports cafe lures a faithful older crowd with its 1950s sounds and pavement terrace that scarcely changes…
Leeuwarden
Outdoor tables fan out in all directions at this canal-side cafe, including across the canal bridge strewn with tubs of summertime geraniums. When the…
Southern Canal Ring
If amber spirits are your thing, you're in luck: this friendly, busy bar has 1350 (yes, 1350!) different varieties from Scotland, Ireland, America and…
Groningen
In a 17th-century brewery (note the keg hanging outside bearing its namesake key), this vintage bar dating to 1977 has a local following for its cosy…
Amsterdam
If your Vondelpark football game's washed out, switch to Plan B and shoot some pool at this friendly hangout with 13 pool tables, two dartboards, sports…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Amid Red Light windows by the Oude Kerk (watch which door you enter!), this cafe makes a good stop for an espresso accompanied by jukebox music while you…
Southern Canal Ring
Foremost among Amsterdam's Irish pubs, Mulligans has properly poured Guinness and Magners cider on tap. It's great fun, with live Irish trad music most…
Southern Canal Ring
This dandy place with pink leopard-print walls is just off Rembrandtplein and specialises in drag queen fabulousness. Themed nights including karaoke,…
De Pijp
The decor inside is nothing flash (an updated, blander version of a brown cafe, pretty much), but Het Paardje has one of best, most sprawling terraces in…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
A fetish-oriented clientele crowds into this busy bar, which has one of the largest 'playrooms' in Europe. You could spend a whole night exploring its…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Web is a well-established leather bar with darkrooms and a mirrored-ceilinged sling room for the more adventurous. Sundays are popular, adding DJs to the…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Fronted by an orange facade, this low-key coffeeshop attracts a young crowd keen to get off the usual tourist path.
Southern Canal Ring
Big names like Pete Tong cut loose at Air, which has interiors – including a tiered dance floor – by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. Despite the awesome…
Southern Canal Ring
Creative cocktails at this decidedly foxy bar are grouped by personality. 'Seductive' drinks are extremely creamy, with chocolate and mascarpone, …
Southern Canal Ring
Running since the '90s, this huge club gets busy with a happy crowd of 20-somethings, here for the cream of local and international DJs, who rock several…
