Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Candles burn even during the day in this 15th-century building – one of two remaining wooden buildings in the city – which has been a tavern since 1519…
Must-see nightlife in Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
An Amsterdam institution, Hoppe has been filling glasses since 1670. Barflies and raconteurs toss back brews amid the ancient wood panelling of the bruin…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Pull up a stool at the carved wooden bar and choose from the glinting brass taps. It's all about Belgian beers here: eight flow from the spouts, and…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Dating from 1679, this small tasting house in an arcade behind NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky serves scores of jenevers (Dutch gins) and liqueurs. Although…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Beneath 1930s arched brick ceilings, Cut Throat ingeniously combines a men's barbering service (book ahead) with a happening bar serving international…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Chandeliers glitter beneath wooden beams at Tales & Spirits, which creates its own house infusions, syrups and vinegar-based shrubs. Cocktails such as Any…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
A treasure dating from 1650, with a wall of barrels made by master shipbuilders, the tasting room of distiller Bootz specialises in liqueurs, including…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Not much bigger than a vat of jenever (Dutch gin), this magnificent little tasting house has been going strong since 1782. On offer are 14 jenevers and…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Sample organic beers (Scotch ale, IPA, barley wine and many more varieties) from the socially minded De Prael brewery, known for employing people with a…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Candles flicker on the tables, old jazz records play in the background, and chandeliers and a birdcage hang from the ceiling at atmospheric de Dokter,…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Bierfabriek's Pure pilsner, Nero porter and Rosso ruby ale (plus a seasonally changing variety) are brewed in these raw-concrete surrounds and best…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Inside the Beurs van Berlage cultural centre, with a massive vintage movie camera in its foyer, this spectacular café with soaring vaulted-brick ceilings…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The drinks list at this elegant bar in the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky pays homage to AW Krasnapolsky, a tailor who moved from Germany to Amsterdam in…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
A frieze of Delft blue-and-white tiles – the world's largest Delft-tile tableau – wraps around the walls above beautiful wood panelling at this exquisite…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Watch the Amstel flow by from the balcony and waterside terraces of this very grand two-level café with soaring ceilings, streaming natural light and…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
BeerTemple’s taps, with 35 rotating draught beers, feature mainly American varieties that you’ll be hard-pushed to find elsewhere in the Dutch capital, as…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Its location by the IJ at the northern end of Centraal Station makes this beer specialist ideal while waiting for a train or to pick up bottles to drink…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Inside the landmark 15th-century Schreierstoren, this atmospheric café (pub) has a historical interior with hefty timber beams and a canal-side terrace…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Plastered with posters and vinyl records, the subterranean Poolbar is an easy-going place to shoot pool at its eight tables, or play table shuffleboard or…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Tucked down an alleyway off Grimburgwal, this site has assumed many guises throughout the centuries: a cloister during the 14th, a horse-carriage…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
A hummingbird by Brazilian street artist L7matrix covers one wall of this hip cafe, with local art also for sale. Small-batch roasts (London's Kiss the…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
It's a simple concept: craft beers plus arcade games in a neon-bathed room in the Red Light District. You can play retro games such as pinball (machines…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Amsterdam's oldest gay bar opened in 1927, then shut in 1982 when the Zeedijk grew too seedy. But its trinket-covered interior was lovingly dusted every…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Even non-clubbers will love Winston Kingdom for its indie-alternative music beats, great DJs and live bands. No matter what's on – from 'dubstep mayhem'…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Dating from 1881, with soaring art-nouveau ceilings, this distinguished café (pub) in Centraal Station (upstairs by platform 2b) used to be the waiting…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
A roode laars (red boot) on the facade above the stained-glass windows of this lamp-lit little brown cafe remains from its earlier incarnation as a…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Don't let the word 'cafe' in the name fool you – this is a hard-core (but very friendly) punk bar (Amsterdam's last remaining one) where the beer's cheap,…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Once run by legendary drag queen Dusty, this beautifully decorated, old-world-style café (pub) has toned down a bit and the crowd is now mixed, with gay…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This long restaurant-bar is loved for its open, welcoming attitude, great people-watching from the front, and rear lounge where you can chill. It's a…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Dark, woody Molly's holds spontaneous trad-music sessions (bring your own instrument and let loose) as well as various live music gigs. Irish beverages…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The teeny, wood-panelled Tweede Kamer ('second living room') feels more like a brown cafe than a coffeeshop, especially given the local crowd and…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Also known as Engelse Reet (ask the bartender for a translation), this small, narrow and ramshackle place doesn't allow you to do anything but drink and…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
In the Tara's maze of rooms spread over six buildings (one of which is the one-time home of German expressionist Max Beckmann) you'll find warm fireplaces…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Around since 1979, the Eagle is a classic. This men-only, leather-denim bar offers three levels of action, including basement darkrooms and a house-music…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The pioneer of Amsterdam's beer cafes is a minuscule space covered all over in beer paraphernalia. The 14 beers on tap and 200 in the bottle (mostly from…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This is one of the most popular coffeeshops in town, with a mostly young, backpacking crowd partaking of the wares. Smokers love the funky music,…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Mellow music, comfy sofas, thick milkshakes and rooms with different energy levels spread across Abraxas' floors, connected by a spindly spiral staircase…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
With an interior that resembles a larger-than-life lava lamp, Dampkring is famed for having one of Amsterdam's most comprehensive cannabis menus, with…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
More than 50 wines are available by the glass at this stylish wine bar, along with wine-tasting flights (three half-glasses from €16). All up there are…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
While the terrace spreading over a bridge spanning the Singel is one of the prettiest spots for a drink when the sun's shining, the interior – with its…
