One of the most scenic terraces on one of the prettiest canals, it's no surprise that waterside seats are snared early in the day, so patience - or an alarm clock in good...

This busy, comfy and casual bar triples as a venue for theatre and music. Both bands and DJs tend to embrace the jazzy, world and urban side of sound, as demonstrated by...

Being 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the sea, Amsterdam was hardly anyone's choice for a beach holiday until sand was tipped on the artificial islands of IJburg, where 45,000...

The famous tasting house at the base of the Gooyer windmill, where wares from award-winning local brewery 't IJ can be sampled. Inside is bare (still retaining the look of the...

Despite its Swiss origins, the Dutch adopted the cheese fondue as a 'national dish' long ago. Sample its culinary conviviality at this suitably cosy brown bar that was...

When the previous owners hung up their pinnies in the '80s after 40 years behind the bar, they sealed up their café, retired upstairs and eventually passed away. Twenty years...

A glass cabinet of trophies and trinkets and a jukebox give this bar an easygoing 1950s feel. It's an Amsterdam classic, by night full of bar-room philosophers and locals mixed...

A dirty old rockers bar where musos, journos and everyone else who refuses to grow up gets smashed in one big, sloppy melée. The soundtrack is the entire back-catalogue of...

Cheap, cheerful, tasty, filling. That's what the food is like at this sparkly diner at the back of the thoroughly mixed lesbian and gay lounge. On Wednesday night all burger...

The bar that began the gentrification of the Pijp is now one of the old guard, but its sleek-with-a-twist-of-kitsch chic (glossy red walls, American fridges) still sets the...

Queer or not - Prik is hot. Indeed, true to the bar's slogan this venue attracts a diverse crowd who enjoy its delicious snacks, groovy sounds and special events such as the...

Fun, attitude-free bar and clientele, with a great view over a canal at the back. Tuesdays is Show Night with drag acts and Thursdays is ArtLaunch café. It also hosts special...

Women-friendly during the week, Sappho turns totally lez on Friday nights, as a couple of hundred gay girlies and their friends of every gender and sexuality cram in to dance...

Oom-pah-pah, oom-pah-pah: that's how it goes at this salt-of-the-earth bar. It's relatively quiet during the week, but weekends are real swinging singalong affairs, with...