Nightlife
Amsterdam, after midnight.
Where the city actually goes when the museums close. Bars with personality, clubs with stamina, and the cafés that never seem to lock the door.
Nightlife
The Best Bars in the Jordaan
The best bars in the Jordaan — a crawl through Amsterdam's coziest neighbourhood, from centuries-old brown cafés to a James Bond cocktail den.
Nightlife
A First-Timer's Guide to Amsterdam Nightlife
A first-timer's guide to Amsterdam nightlife — the key going-out areas, what kind of night each offers, and how to do it like a local.
Nightlife
LGBTQ+ Nightlife in Amsterdam
A guide to LGBTQ+ nightlife in Amsterdam — the bars and clubs of Reguliersdwarsstraat, historic queer cafés on the Zeedijk, and WorldPride 2026.
Nightlife
The Best Jazz & Blues Bars in Amsterdam
The best jazz and blues bars in Amsterdam — from the world-famous Bimhuis to intimate Leidseplein clubs with live music every night.
Nightlife
The Best Live Music Venues in Amsterdam
The best live music venues in Amsterdam — the legendary Paradiso and Melkweg, an IJ-side concert hall, and the city's biggest arenas.
Nightlife
The Best Rooftop & Waterfront Bars in Amsterdam
The best rooftop and waterfront bars in Amsterdam — 360° tower views, sky-high cocktails and laid-back waterfront terraces on the IJ.
Nightlife
The Best Craft Beer Bars & Breweries in Amsterdam
The best craft beer bars and breweries in Amsterdam — a windmill brewery, Dutch-only tasting rooms, and the city's buzzing Noord taprooms.
Amsterdam's nightlife is famously varied and refreshingly unpretentious — from candlelit brown cafés that have poured beer and jenever for centuries to world-class techno clubs that run until dawn. Whatever your pace, the city makes it easy: compact, walkable or cyclable, and genuinely welcoming.
Where to go out
Each going-out area has its own character. Leidseplein is the buzzy, mainstream square, packed with clubs, live-music halls and tourist-friendly bars. Rembrandtplein is its flashier neighbour, full of big clubs and party bars. Just off it, the Reguliersdwarsstraat is the rainbow heart of LGBTQ+ nightlife. The Jordaan is the place for cosy brown cafés, while Amsterdam Noord — a free ferry across the IJ — is home to the creative, underground scene. Along the waterfront you'll find rooftop and terrace bars with some of the best views in the city.
Know before you go
Many clubs open late and close very late — some hold near-24-hour licences — and door policies tend to be music-first rather than flashy, so come relaxed and respectful. Buy club tickets in advance for weekends and big-name DJs. October brings Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), when the whole city becomes a week-long festival, and in summer 2026 Amsterdam hosts WorldPride. The legal drinking age is 18. Trams and metros stop around midnight, after which night buses take over — or do as the locals do and cycle home.
Below you'll find our nightlife guides and a directory of the city's best bars, clubs and venues, filterable by type and neighbourhood.
Every venue
Browse by type — from brown cafés to rooftops, and everything that's open in between.
Live music
AFAS Live
A large, modern concert hall in the Johan Cruijff ArenA area in the southeast — the go-to for big-name touring acts.
Cocktail bar · indische-buurt
Bar Bukowski
A buzzing Oost favourite — café up front, intimate cocktail bar in the back.
Wine bar · oud-west
Bar Centraal
GlouGlou's bigger sibling on the Ten Katemarkt in Oud-West — the same natural-wine ethos, plus a proper kitchen for shared plates.
Jazz
Bimhuis
Amsterdam's premier stage for jazz and improvised music, on the IJ waterfront.
Live music · spui
Bitterzoet
An intimate Spuistraat venue blending live music and club nights across genres.
Wine bar · oost
Bottleshop
A sleek natural-wine bar in a distinctive building on the Wibautstraat in Oost, with mostly French bottles and upscale bar bites.
Jazz · grachtengordel
Bourbon Street
A late-night blues and live-music bar near Leidseplein.
Brewery · de-pijp
Brouwerij Troost
A popular brewpub in De Pijp serving its own beers alongside hearty food.
Wine bar · centrum
Bubbles & Wines
A cosy wine and champagne bar just off Dam Square on the Nes, open since 2005 — one of the city's first dedicated wine bars.
LGBTQ+ · nieuwmarkt
Café 't Mandje
A historic Zeedijk bar, one of the city's first openly gay cafés, founded in 1927.
Brown café · jordaan
Café 't Smalle
A classic canal-side brown café on the Egelantiersgracht with a coveted waterside terrace.
Jazz · centrum
Café Alto
A classic, intimate jazz café on a side street by the Leidseplein — nightly walk-in live jazz, low ceilings and low lights.
Brown café · jordaan
Café Chris
One of the oldest brown cafés in the Jordaan, pouring since 1624.
Brown café · spui
Café de Dokter
A tiny, candle-lit historic café in an alley near the Spui.
Brown café · jordaan
Café de Twee Zwaantjes
A compact Prinsengracht brown café with pure Jordaan energy — sing-alongs, karaoke and Dutch classics late into the night.
Brown café · spui
Café Hoppe
A bustling brown café on the Spui, serving drinkers since 1670.
Brown café
Café Karpershoek
A historic café near Centraal that claims roots back to 1606.
Brown café · jordaan
Café Papeneiland
A cosy 17th-century corner café on the Prinsengracht, famous for its apple pie.
Rooftop · oost
Canvas
An arty rooftop bar atop the Volkshotel in Oost — 360° views over the Amstel by day, stand-out club nights at the weekend.
Wine bar · noord
Chateau Amsterdam
An urban winery in Noord that makes its own wine on-site, serving modern and classic wines at the source in a trendy industrial space.
Club · centrum
Chicago Social Club
A warm, slightly messy bar-and-club on the Leidseplein — open until 4am daily, with several rooms and nights spanning techno to hip-hop.
LGBTQ+ · grachtengordel
Club Church
An alternative LGBTQ+ dance-and-fetish club on the Kerkstraat hosting themed parties in Amsterdam's queer scene. Strictly adult.
LGBTQ+ · grachtengordel
Club NYX
A bold, inclusive three-floor LGBTQ+ club on the Reguliersdwarsstraat mixing pop, electronic and throwbacks.
Brown café · nieuwmarkt
De Sluyswacht
A leaning 17th-century lock-keeper's house turned cosy bar near the Rembrandt House.
Club · oost
Doka
A small, sweaty basement club beneath the Volkshotel in Oost, known for long underground house and techno nights.
Cocktail bar · grachtengordel
Door 74
A reservations-only speakeasy behind an unmarked door, famous for classic cocktails done perfectly.
Club · centrum
Escape
A long-running big club on Rembrandtplein with multiple rooms and a broad mainstream-to-electronic programme.
Cocktail bar
Fitz's Bar
A 1920s-style hideaway with dark wood and plush seating, near the Oosterpark.
Cocktail bar · grachtengordel
Flying Dutchmen Cocktails
An award-winning cocktail bar near the Spui, home to the Netherlands' largest backbar and neo-classic drinks — open nightly until 4am.
Rooftop
GAPP Roof Terrace
A rooftop beer garden on the 8th floor of Hotel Casa in Oost, with 30+ craft beers.
Wine bar · de-pijp
Glou Glou
Amsterdam's natural-wine pioneer in De Pijp since 2015 — sixty-plus 'vins naturels' by the glass in a cosy, Parisian-bistro setting.
Bar · spui
Gollem
A tiny, classic Belgian-beer café on the Raamsteeg, just off the Spui, with hundreds of beers — a long-running Amsterdam beer institution.
Bar · centrum
Hannekes Boom
A rustic, much-loved waterfront bar near Centraal — reclaimed timber, a canal-side terrace, drinks, food and live music.
Cocktail bar · nieuwmarkt
Hiding in Plain Sight
The speakeasy that started Amsterdam's cocktail wave — dim, theatrical and worth hunting down on the Rapenburg.
Brown café · nieuwmarkt
In 't Aepjen
A characterful bar on the Zeedijk in one of Amsterdam's last wooden houses.
Brewery
In De Wildeman
A historic beer café near the Nieuwendijk with a vast rotating tap list.
Club · grachtengordel
Jimmy Woo
A glamorous, dimly lit club near Leidseplein with a famous light ceiling.
Club
Lofi
A spacious West club in Sloterdijk with one of Amsterdam's few outdoor dance floors — house and techno across multiple rooms.
Rooftop · centrum
LuminAir
A glamorous 11th-floor rooftop bar by Centraal (formerly SkyLounge, now LuminAir) — panoramic views, signature cocktails and weekend DJ sessions.
Rooftop · noord
Madam
Drinks and Dutch-inspired bites atop the A'DAM Toren in Noord, with a 360° view; turns club after dark.
Jazz · jordaan
Maloe Melo
Amsterdam's home of the blues — a small, sweaty Jordaan club with nightly live music.
Live music · grachtengordel
Melkweg
A multi-hall cultural institution at Leidseplein — concerts, club nights, film and more since 1970.
Live music · centrum
Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ
A striking modern concert hall on the IJ waterfront — contemporary, classical, jazz and world music, with 250-plus concerts a year.
Live music
OCCII
A volunteer-run alternative music venue at the edge of the Vondelpark.
Brewery
Oedipus Brewing
A playful, experimental brewery and taproom in Noord.
Live music · grachtengordel
Paradiso
A legendary former church near Leidseplein hosting major concerts and club nights for over 50 years.
Bar · ndsm
Pllek
Shipping-container hangout on the NDSM waterfront with a city-beach terrace, honest food and Amsterdam's best-known sunset view.
LGBTQ+ · centrum
Prik
An easy-going LGBTQ+ favourite behind Dam Square — a relaxed lounge by day, a dance party by night, with prosecco on tap.
Bar · grachtengordel
Proeflokaal Arendsnest
A canal-side tasting house on the Herengracht pouring only Dutch beers.
Club · nieuw-west
Radio Radio
A small, music-first club in West with an intimate dance floor and a strong electronic and house programme.
Club
Radion
A multi-room art-and-music space in West with an eclectic, often techno-leaning programme.
Wine bar · de-pijp
Rayleigh & Ramsay
Be your own sommelier — 100+ self-pour wines by the splash, glass or gulp on the Van Woustraat.
Cocktail bar · nieuwmarkt
Rosalia's Menagerie
A hidden gem on one of the oldest canals, pouring cocktails and locally made spirits.
Club · noord
Shelter
An underground techno-and-house club beneath the A'DAM Toren in Noord — Funktion-One sound, a discreet entrance and a music-first crowd.
LGBTQ+ · grachtengordel
SoHo
A two-floor gay bar and club on the Reguliersdwarsstraat, busy at weekends.
Bar · jordaan
Soundgarden
A grungy dive bar with cheap beer, pool and a canal-side garden out back.
Cocktail bar · centrum
Super Lyan
A playful, colourful cocktail bar in the Kimpton De Witt hotel near Centraal — bold, inventive drinks from the acclaimed Mr Lyan group.
LGBTQ+ · grachtengordel
Taboo Bar
A fun, friendly gay bar on the Reguliersdwarsstraat with drag and happy hours.
LGBTQ+ · centrum
The Queen's Head
A much-loved LGBTQ+ bar on the Zeedijk with canal views — resident DJs, themed nights and famously fun drag bingo.
Club
Thuishaven
An open-air club in the west with a cosy, festival-like atmosphere and house and techno.
Cocktail bar
Tula Cantina
An agave-focused cantina in Noord with dozens of small-batch tequilas and mezcals.
Rooftop · oud-zuid
Twenty Third Bar
Champagne and cocktails on the 23rd floor of Hotel Okura, with bites from Ciel Bleu.
Cocktail bar · jordaan
Vesper Bar
A cosy, James Bond-inspired cocktail bar near the Haarlemmerdijk, pouring smooth, spirit-forward drinks in a welcoming 'living room' setting.
Rooftop
W Lounge
Poolside rooftop glamour with DJs and views over the Royal Palace at W Amsterdam.
Club · westpoort
Warehouse Elementenstraat
A large industrial warehouse in Westpoort hosting techno and electronic events with a serious sound system and long nights.
Wine bar · de-pijp
Wijnbar Paulus
A cosy, homely wine bar near Sarphatipark in De Pijp, where owner Paul pairs European wine flights with thoughtful small plates.
Brown café · de-wallen
Wynand Fockink
A historic jenever tasting house behind Dam square, distilling since 1679.
Live music
Ziggo Dome
Amsterdam's biggest indoor arena, in the southeast — around 17,000 capacity, where the world's largest pop and rock tours play.