Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [132]
’t Blauwe Theehuis Vondelpark 5 (Museum Quarter and Vondelpark) 020/662 0254, www.blauwetheehuis.nl. Free open-air dancing with DJs playing throughout the summer in the Vondelpark; usually weekends but check website for programme.
Club Home Wagenstraat 3 (Grachtengordel south) 020/620 1375, www.clubhome.nl. Relaxed dance club, spread over three floors and offering all styles of house and club music. Mixed audience with mainly students on Thursdays and the hip(per) on weekends. Thurs 11pm–4am, Fri & Sat 10pm–5am.
Club NL Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 169 (Old Centre) 020/622 7510, www.clubnl.nl. What used to be the city’s first lounge bar is now a posh, stylish house club, frequented by the rich and famous. Daily 10pm–3am, Fri & Sat till 4am.
Dansen bij Jansen Handboogstraat 11 (Old Centre) 020/620 1779, www.dansenbijjansen.nl. Founded by – and for – students, the popular dance nights here have an emphasis on disco, club classics and R&B – and, as you would expect, cheap beer. Open nightly from 11pm; officially you need student ID to get in.
Escape Rembrandtplein 11 (Grachtengordel south) 020/622 1111, www.escape.nl. This vast club has space enough to house two thousand people, but its glory days – when it was home to Amsterdam’s cutting edge Chemistry nights – are long gone, and it now focuses on weekly club nights that pull in crowds of mainstream punters. Recent renovations and the opening of the Escape café, lounge and studio should pull in more trendsetting crowds. Impressive sound system and visuals. Thurs–Sun from 11pm.
Heineken Music Hall ArenA Boulevard (Amsterdam Oost) 0900/68742 4255, www.heineken-music-hall.nl. Metro or train to Bijlmer station. Hosts dance events featuring well-known Dutch DJs, including the renowned Tiesto.
Jimmy Woo Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 18 (Grachtengordel south) 020/626 3150, www.jimmywoo.nl. Intimate and stylish club spread over two floors. Upstairs, the black lacquered walls, Japanese lamps and cosy booths with leather couches ooze sexy chic, while downstairs a packed dancefloor throbs under the oscillating light from hundreds of light bulbs studded into the ceiling. Popular with young, well-dressed locals, so look smart if you want to join in. Thurs–Sun from 11pm.
Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234a (Grachtengordel south) 020/531 8181, www.melkweg.nl. After the bands have finished, excellent offbeat disco sessions go on well into the small hours, sometimes featuring the best DJs in town. Also plays host to some of the most enjoyable theme nights around, ranging from African dance to experimental jazz-trance.
Nachttheater Sugar Factory Lijnbaansgracht 238 (Grachtengordel south) 020/627 0008, www.sugarfactory.nl. Busy Leidseplein’s “theatrical nightclub” hosts a stimulating programme of cabaret, live music, poetry and theatre – up to two events a night, plus a late-night club that kicks off after the last show. Pulls in a young, trendy crowd. Closed Tues & Wed.
Odeon Singel 460 (Grachtengordel west) 020/521 8555, www.odeontheater.nl. Originally a brewery, this beautifully restored seventeenth-century canal house has since been a theatre, a cinema and a concert hall, until it was gutted in a fire in 1990. Rescued by the owners of the Hotel Arena, it’s now a stylish nightclub hosting Eighties parties and regular club nights (Fri & Sat) with a splendid bar overlooking the canal. There’s also a restaurant (Tues–Sat) and a café (daily).
Odeon
Panama Oostelijke Handelskade 4 (Old Jewish Quarter and Eastern docklands) 020/311 8686, www.panama.nl. One of Amsterdam’s coolest clubs, Panama overlooks the IJ and plays host to top-name international DJs Thurs–Sun. Dress to impress. There’s also a restaurant, which is open daily from noon.
Panama
Paradiso Weteringschans 6–8 (Grachtengordel south) 020/626 4521, www.paradiso.nl. One of the principal venues in the city, this converted church just around the corner from the Leidseplein is