Live Music in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is one of the best cities in Europe to visit of you are looking for a fun time. There is so much to do both in terms of day time and night time activities that you will never bore of being here. As well as the less conventional activity with which Amsterdam is so often associated, there are also a lot of more conventional means of entertainment, such as live music. Below are some of the best live music bars in Amsterdam.
Waterhole Live Music Bar – This is probably the most famous and popular live music venue in the city of Amsterdam. It is open each night and offers the visitor a range of different bands performing a number of genres, although rock and rock is the dominating
Music Venues in Amsterdam
influence. Other great features of this bar include free pool, pool tournaments and a happy hour.
The Paradiso – This converted church venue is popular with people who enjoy live music but also like to party the night away. Late at night at the weekends live music which caters for a number of tastes is replaced by DJs who pump out tunes until the early hours of the morning. The live music itself ranges from well known bands to bands that are just starting out.
Mulligan’s Irish Music Bar – The style of music here is a mix between rock and roll and traditional Irish music. The open mic nights attract people from all over the city.
Three Dutch Delicacies to Sample when Visiting Amsterdam
In our day-to-day lives it can be easy for us to get into a routine with regards to the foods that we eat, so when we travel around it is a good opportunity to expand our horizons and sample different foods. When visiting Amsterdam there are various different delicacies which can are unique to the Netherlands and can really add to your experience. Below are just some:
Hollandse Nieuwe: This is a traditional delicacy which can be found most often around the spring time and into the start of summer. It is a combination of raw herring, which is caught locally, and raw onion. As you can imagine, there is quite a distinctive taste to this dish and it is not ideal for those with mild taste buds.
Dutch Delicacies
Fries Suikerbrood: This is a sweet delicacy made by making bread with an outrageous amount of sugar. Cinnamon is added to the mix to give the bread an extra kick. Generally, the bread looks similar to a standard loaf but contains a gooey centre. The sugar levels make this delicacy one to enjoy only occasionally.
Olie Bollen: Another sweet delicacy, this is one that you can sample should you visit the Netherlands around the New Year celebrations. This is an oily dough ball which is dipped into hot oil and filled with various different ingredients.
Day Trips from Amsterdam
There is plenty to see and do in Amsterdam. Galleries and museums house wonderful works of art, the complex canal network is fun to explore and there are many lovely design boutiques if you fancy a spot of Amsterdam shopping. But if you have a spare day, or fancy getting out of the city there are a number of day trips which will give you a little insight into the rest of the country.
Hire Bikes
The Netherlands are a cyclist’s dream. The landscape is flat, there are well-mapped cycle routes and ample cycle lanes which should convince you to get on ‘yer bike! Stop by the tourist office in Amsterdam and pick up some of the maps specifically designed for cyclists and which extend to the northern islands and suggest pretty routes beside the Ijsselmeer.
Visit the Tulip Fields
Tulip Fields near Amsterdam
From March to May the surrounding countryside is in full bloom. Over seven million tulip bulbs are planted across 70 acres at the Keukenhof Flower Gardens so you’re guaranteed quite a spectacular floral display. A number of cruises make the journey from the port in Amsterdam to Keukenhof. Alternatively you can catch a 370 or 197 bus from Leidseplein or Museumplein, disembark at Schiphol Airport then catch the connecting number 58 bus to Keukenhof.
A Trip to the Beach
The beach at Bloemendaal attracts both day trippers and night owls. You can sunbathe, swim or have a BBQ on the vast stretches of sand by day. But Bloemendaal is also popular with Amsterdammers looking for fun after hours at weekends. You’ll notice bonfires popping up along the shore and beach parties later into the evening. There are also a number of popular beach bars and clubs such as Bloomingdale, BLM and Vroeger hosting major events. To get there catch a train from Central Station to Haarlem which takes about 15 minutes. Hop on bus number 81 in the direction of Zandvoort and get off at Bloemendaal Strand, the 15th stop.
If you want to stay in hostels Amsterdam has a number of accommodation options to suit all budgets. Find more Amsterdam day trips ideas.
Amsterdam Nightlife
You’re never short of good nightlife in Amsterdam. With over 1500 bars, this party city comes alive at night, with people filling the squares and spilling out of cafes and clubs along the canal-side until the early hours.
Amsterdam Nightlife
There are a couple of places you can go for a guaranteed great night. Leidseplein is a good place to start, with its theatres (including the grand Stadsschouwburg and Lido theatre), cinemas, cafes and restaurants, as well as live music venues Sugar Factory, Melkweg and Paradiso (a converted church) – which also put on amazing weekend club nights. Things generally get going around midnight, and bars can stay open as late as 4am.
Head to Rembrandtplein for more good vibes – it’s a popular square with a green space and Rembrandt statue in the middle, lined with packed-out cafe terraces. There are plenty of nightclubs to try around here – go smart and sophisticated at Club Rain, boogie on the multi-level, multi-genre dance-floors at Exit or try your luck queuing for mega-club Escape. This is where the city’s gay nightlife really takes off too, with gay bars and saunas continuing on down Reguliersdwarsstraat, Halvemaansteeg and along the Amstel.
If you’re looking for something a bit more relaxed, head to the impossibly pretty Jordaan neighbourhood to chill in late-night ‘brown cafes’ – cosy pubs with dark-wooded interiors that serve coffee and alcohol. Alternately, trendy bars like Getaway and Seymour Lounge on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in the city-centre are good for nights out off the dance-floor.
The Red Light District is worth a look by night, too: it’s at its busiest, most atmospheric and, oddly enough, most attractive around midnight, with its up-lit crooked 14th-century buildings and neon signs reflecting off the canal. The only heavily-enforced rule is: don’t take pictures!
Planning a trip? Find and book hostels Amsterdam. If you are nightclub person, you might also enjoy reading about Ibiza nightlife and Berlin nightlife.
My sauna experience in Amsterdam
While many people visit Amsterdam regularly, very few of them remember to visit the region’s saunas. I was determined to visit a sauna on my trip to Amsterdam and discovered that the city had several of them. Saunas are a great way to spend a few hours and do wonders for your body. In Amsterdam, most of the saunas are frequented by locals, but there are also many tourists who come here.
At the outset, I was warned that these saunas are not recommended for people who are shy about their bodies, since they all require some level of nudity. One thing that is daunting to many people is the fact that many of these saunas are unisex (although there are some that are not). There are many saunas scattered across the city and since they are all well maintained, choosing one is not very difficult. You will also be able to find saunas that cater exclusively to gay clientele if you wish to go to one of these places in Amsterdam.
Sauna experience
I decided to try one of the more popular ones in the city, the Sauna Deco. Here, for a few Euros, I was able to relax and unwind and rejuvenate my body. There was even an amazing café around the corner, which is the best place for a quick bite after the steam room experience.
Although I have visited saunas all over the world, I found that my sauna experience in Amsterdam was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. As soon as I entered, I was taken to a locker room and then on to the shower before visiting the rest of the facilities. The entire experience lasted a couple of hours and everyone seemed at ease despite being semi-naked in mixed company. There are many different facilities available here, including the steam room, Infrared Saunas, regular saunas, one plunge pool with cold water and several tubs for soaking your feet. There are even rest areas where people lie down to relax and even fall asleep. This is one place that is much better experienced than described. Learn also about spa and sauna in Paris.
If you love to enjoy relaxation and wellness, you might also be interested in relaxation in Agde, France and the Korean version of sauna in the form of mogyoktang and jjimjilbang.
On the Water in Amsterdam
You are never far away from water in Amsterdam: the city itself has evolved around its network of canals as you wander around water is rarely out of view. Nowadays the waterways are used for moving people around the city (as opposed to goods) and taking a canal boat trip is de rigueur for any visitor.
There are plenty of options for seeing Amsterdam by water. Boats depart from several departure points and it’s often best to book ahead in high season. Most have glass tops, some which can be opened in the warm weather (if you are visiting in summer make sure this is the
Amsterdam boat tour
case, otherwise you may feel you are sightseeing from a sauna).
Options include night tours that generally include some cheese and wine to nibble on or even a full meal. The Canalbus is convienent, hop-on, hop-off people mover that has stops near all the major museums and runs a very popular jazz cruise on Saturday evenings (with a live band!). Another practical service is the City (S)hopper which you can take from right outside Centraal Station. It stops at all the major sites and buying a day ticket will offer you discounts to many museums.
Like Venice water taxis exist in Amsterdam and also like Venice they can be prohibitively expensive. So why not get a bit of exercise and hire a Canal Bike instead? Canal Bikes are pretty much the Dutch version of a pedaloo and you’ll need to be pretty fit for all that peddling. You can hire them outside the Rijksmuseum.
Lovers of boats and nautical culture in general should come to Amsterdam 19th to 23rd of August for the 8th edition of SAIL Amsterdam. This festive event of all things maritime will see music, races, workshops and impressive fleet of tall ships gracing the city’s harbour.
Eating in Amsterdam
Amsterdam may not have the reputation as one of the great culinary destinations of Europe. And the truth is it isn’t. But by trying some local dishes, including those that have bought to the country by other cultures that have made The Netherlands home, it is possible to savour a true taste of Amsterdam.
One a cold day, there is nothing more warming than a steaming bowl of Erwtensoep. This hearty soup is the Dutch version of the universal Split Pea Soup, thought to be one of the oldest dishes in existence (it is mentioned in writings of Aristophanes). In Holland, it is mixed with smoked sausage
Dutch Gouda Cheese
and served with rye bread topped with ham. Another local dish you may come across is Stamppot, a comfort food mixture of endives, mashed potato and bacon, just the thing to soak up those pints of beer.
The culinary legacy of the Dutch colonisation of Indonesia include Nasi Goreng, and a few oddities such as the Rusttafel; a Indonesian-influenced, buffet-style banquet devised by the colonists in order to appease their large appetites. Dishes from other cultures that have made multicultural Amsterdam their home include salt beef and pickled vegetables (Jewish), couscous ( from North Africa) and falafel and stuffed vegetables from the Middle East.
Breakfast and even light lunches will inevitably involve rye bread, ham and Gouda, the ubiquitous, golden-coloured cheese that you’ll see in large rounds everywhere. To satisfy a sweet craving try a onthijtkoeck, or traditional gingerbread.
Amsterdam’s ‘Museum Mile’
Amsterdam has some magnificent museums on offer, and most are clustered around the Museumplein; a splendid location for some of Europe’s top cultural palaces.
Museum Mile Amsterdam
The Museum Quarter is located in the Hooftstraat district, the richest and most exclusive neighbourhood in Amsterdam. They are situated around a landscaped park and between the gardens and trees that are a feature of this elegant area. This area around the
Rijksmuseum – Holland’s most famous museum – is particularly lush.
This massive neo-Gothic palace holds an unparalleled collection of Dutch painting and sculpture, including the famous ‘Night Watch’ by Rembrandt. At the other end of the spectrum, the Stedelijk Museum houses a superb collection of contemporary art, sculpture and decorative objects, with works by Chagall and Mondriaan, to name a few.
Few visitors should leave Amsterdam without visiting the Van Gogh Museum, also on the Museumplein. Housed in a cutting-edge building designed by the modernist architect Gerrit Rietveld, the collection holds pieces from all periods of the artist’s life, as well as hundreds of letters written by Van Gogh and personal objects.
Another highlight of Amsterdam’s Museum Mile is the Coster Diamond Museum, which I talked about in my last post.
It would be foolish to try and take all these amazing museums over one day, or even two. Instead I would choose one that interests you the most, spend the morning there, then the rest of the afternoon wandering around this privileged part of Amsterdam. Interested also in museums in Barcelona, Spain?
Glittering Amsterdam
Whilst many people associate Amsterdam with tulips, canals and barges, diamonds may not immediately spring to mind. The truth is that Amsterdam was an important centre for diamond trade in the 16th and 17th centuries, with much of the business centered around the Rembrandtplein. The Second World War nearly killed the industry altogether, as skilled Jewish and polishers were tragically deported to the concentration camps.
Although greatly reduced, the diamond trade is still alive and well in Amsterdam. In fact many famous diamonds have been cut and
Amsterdam diamond museum
polished here, including the Cullian, the largest diamond ever found, and the Koh I Noor, which means ‘mountain of light’.
If you love diamonds, there are two places in Amsterdam you must visit. The first is the Amsterdam Diamond Museum (Paulus Potterstraat 8, Tel. 020 305 5300), which explains the life of a diamond from carbon atom to sparkling jewel and, most usefully, how to tell a real one from a fake. The second is tour of the Gassen Diamond Factory, where you will see expert diamond cutters at work and see all facets of production in a former steam-driven factory in the centre of Amsterdam (Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat, Tel Tel. 020 622 5333).
The Brown Cafes of Amsterdam
Going by the name you’d think that these places were simply in need of a good scrub. But no, the ‘Brown Cafes’ of Amsterdam are similar to British pubs (minus the TV screens) and are named after their dark wood furniture, low lighting and generally cosy, congenial ambiance.
They are located in all the neighbourhoods, and I love nipping into these places on a cold afternoon and having a small glass of local beer. Food tends to be limited, but you can always find a cheese sandwich or help yourself to some free hapjes (snacks) of olives, nuts or
Coffee Shop hour in Amsterdam
bitterballs (meat croquettes). On a really cold evening you could have a shot of jenever, a Dutch spirit similar to rum.
One of the most famous brown cafes in Amsterdam is the Three Sisters (Rembrandtplein 17, Tel. 020 6275660 www.driegezusters.nl), which has its original moulded ceiling, and leather sofas, which curve into circular conversation areas, making it an ideal place to go for an intimate evening with small group of friends. If you get hungry, there is a steakhouse upstairs.
Another one is Arendsnest, or ‘The Eagle’s Nest (Herengracht 90 1015BS Amsterdam, 020 421 20 57 www.arendsnest.nl) which sells over 100 types of Dutch beer from the country’s 50 local breweries. Proost!
Update – make sure to enter the brand new Travel Writing Competition to win a Free Weekend in Barcelona. New Amsterdam Travel Guides also online.
