Must-see nightlife in The Netherlands

  • Mr Mofongo

    Groningen

    Drinking spaces don't get cooler than Mr Mofongo. Think student-hip cafe with buzzing pavement terrace on the ground floor, and cocktail bar with…

  • In ʼt Aepjen

    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…

  • Aloha Bar, restaurant in pool

    Aloha

    Rotterdam

    Sustainable, innovative and funky as anything, this bar-cafe in the former Tropicana baths has a large terrace boasting views across the Nieuwe Maas river…

  • Pllek is built from old shipping containers

    Pllek

    Amsterdam Noord

    Uber-cool Pllek is a Noord magnet, with hip things of all ages streaming over to hang out in its interior made of old shipping containers and, when the…

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    Café de Ceuvel

    Amsterdam Noord

    Tucked in a former shipyard and designed by architect Wouter Valkenier, built from recycled materials and with a focus on sustainability, this waterside…

  • The bustling Cafe Hoppe has been around since 1670.

    Hoppe

    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…

  • Man met Bril, facade

    Man Met Bril

    Rotterdam

    Rotterdam's first artisanal coffee roastery (there are now 12), Man Met Bril sources direct-trade, 90% organic beans from across the globe and then roasts…

  • AMSTERDAM - NETHERLANDS: AUGUST 14, 2014: Cafe de Sluyswacht. It is in the historical lockhouse and is dating from 1695 in the Jodenbreestraat.; Shutterstock ID 222122779; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    De Sluyswacht

    Amsterdam

    Out on a limb by the canal and listing like a ship in high winds, this tiny black building dating to 1695 was once a lock-keeper's house on the Oude…

  • Row of beer taps

    Café Belgique

    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…

  • Amsterdam Roest

    Amsterdam

    This is one of those 'only in Amsterdam' places, and well worth the trip. Once-derelict shipyards now host this epically cool artist collective–bar…

  • Uiltje Brewing Co

    Haarlem

    At its brewery 4km northeast of Haarlem's centre, Uiltje has a lively bar area and sunny courtyard where you can try its 10 draught and two cask beers,…

  • Distilleerderij 't Nieuwe Diep

    Amsterdam

    Appearing out of the woods like a Hansel and Gretel cottage, the quaint architecture and rural setting of this old pumping station are enchanting and it…

  • Brouwerij Troost

    De Pijp

    Watch beer being brewed in copper vats behind a glass wall at this outstanding craft brewery. Its dozen beers include a summery blonde, a smoked porter, a…

  • Sunset

    Frisian Islands

    Not far from the picture-book lighthouse in Hollum is this sizzling beach club on the sand. Lounge here with islanders in the know over a G&T and cocktail…

  • Wynand Fockink

    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…

  • Demain

    Nijmegen

    Famed far and wide for its expertly shaken craft cocktails, Demain (French for 'tomorrow') is a fantastic spot to begin or end an evening out. It has a…

  • De Ysbreeker

    Amsterdam

    This gloriously historic but updated bruin café (traditional Dutch pub) first opened its doors in 1702. It's named after an icebreaker that used to dock…

  • Brouwerij 't IJ

    Amsterdam

    Can you get more Dutch than drinking a craft beer beneath the creaking sails of the 1725-built De Gooyer Windmill? Amsterdam's leading microbrewery makes…

  • Labyrinth

    Amsterdam

    Mixologist Sam Kingue Ebelle concocts impressively inventive cocktails (€10.50 to €13) at this moody bar on Amstelveenseweg. For theatrical drama, try the…

  • Het Concerthuis

    Groningen

    The hip go-to address at any time, the Concert House is a hybrid cafe, bar, and DJ and live-music space with pavement terrace overlooking one of the city…

  • Hannekes Boom

    Amsterdam

    Reachable via a couple of pedestrian/bike bridges from the NEMO Science Museum, this cool, laid-back waterside cafe is built from recycled materials and…

  • Canvas

    Amsterdam

    Zoom up to the Volkshotel's 7th-floor bar for some of the best views in town, either through its large windows or on the open terrace. A creative-folk and…

  • Café de Sigaar

    Groningen

    With traditional, plum-painted facade overlooking the Hoge der A canal, this stylish cafe is the last word in canal-side chic. Its summertime terrace –…

  • Lot Sixty One

    Amsterdam

    Look downstairs to the open cellar to see (and, better still, smell) fresh coffee beans being roasted on the Probat at this streetwise spot. Beans are…

  • Rosalia's Menagerie

    Amsterdam

    Named after the owner’s grandmother, this charming bar in the canal-side boutique hotel, Misc EatDrinkSleep, feels like your grandma’s living room with…

  • Jopenkerk

    Haarlem

    Haarlem's most atmospheric place to drink is this independent brewery inside a stained-glass-windowed 1910 church. Enjoy brews such as citrusy Hopen,…

  • Eurotrash United

    Rotterdam

    This excellent brewery is the brainchild of Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam, the artists responsible for the enormous Cornucopia work on the inside of…

  • Cut Throat

    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…

  • Robbies Cafe

    Den Bosch

    Perfect for a coffee, fresh juice, croque-monsieur or lunchtime baguette, Robbies is a prize-winning 'concept store' in a former bank building – look…

  • Tales & Spirits

    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…

  • De Drie Fleschjes

    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…

  • Verward

    Rotterdam

    Beer is a more common tipple than wine in Rotterdam, so many bars here have less-than-stellar selections of wine by the glass or bottle. That's not the…

  • Bokaal

    Rotterdam

    In a bokaal (trophy) location at the heart of the enclave around pedestrian Nieuwemarkt and Pannekoekstraat, Bokaal has an indoor bar and a huge all-day…

  • Proeflokaal de Ooievaar

    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…

  • Brouwerij De Prael

    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…

  • SkyLounge

    Amsterdam

    With wow-factor views whatever the weather, this bar offers a 360-degree panorama of Amsterdam from the 11th floor of the DoubleTree Amsterdam Centraal…

  • Olivier

    Utrecht

    Located unpromisingly beside the ugly Hoog Catharijne building is this blessed beer heaven, an astonishingly slick yet super-characterful reworking of a…

  • Café de Dokter

    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,…

  • DeDakkas

    Haarlem

    From the ground, it looks like any other multistorey car park, but taking the lift to the 6th floor brings you out at this fabulous rooftop with a…

  • Warehouse Elementenstraat

    Amsterdam

    In an industrial estate at Sloterdijk, this warehouse's four enormous halls with phenomenal lighting and sound systems accommodate up to 2500 clubbers,…

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