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Nightlife

Amsterdam at night is like a human zoo, with all sorts of weird and wonderful activities on offer. The city can be the venue for a romantic stroll with the lights of the bridges and old houses reflected in the canals, or a night bar hopping from buzzing bar to bar before partying until dawn in one of Europe's top clubs or even a nefarious evening dipping into the dirty underbelly of a city with few inhibitions.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of bars dotted around and it can be just as pleasant to idle away a few hours in a neighbourhood bar, as it is to spend the night in one of the trendier bars in the centre of the city. If, however, you are interested in listening to live bands and/or dancing the night away, then you should head for the Rembrantsplein-Leidseplein area. If you want seedy, then head for Walletjes and indulge.

Bars: Bars, often called cafÉs, are a wide range of establishments, including traditional brown cafÉs, modern designer bars and proeflokalen (literally 'tasting rooms') where punters could sample a distillery's wares before buying a bottle. The main areas for bar/cafÉs in central Amsterdam are Spui, Spuistraat, Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein. They are open until about 0100 or 0200.The latest trend amongst the city's younger moneyed types is for Grand CafÉs, which tend to be spacious and light, with a large reading table stacked with glossy international titles. The art deco Du Lac, Haarlemmerstraat 118, is one of the best. Other modern drinking haunts include the brand new Noa, Leidesgracht, with its comfy furnishings and designer beers and CafÉ West Pacific, Haarlemmerweg 8-10, with its own dancefloor and free entry until 2300. At the other end of the spectrum In't Aepjen, Zeedijk 1, is an atmospheric old drinking den where the locals enjoy the live sea shanties.

Casinos: Two places to win or lose money are Holland Casino Amsterdam, Max Euweplein 62, open daily 1330-0300 (last entry at 0200), and Holland Casino Schiphol Airport, in Terminal West at Schiphol Airport, open daily 0600-1930. Only those over 18 years are admitted.

Clubs: Over the last decade Amsterdam's reputation as a clubbing centre has attracted a host of big name DJ's. Amsterdam's clubs usually open around 1000 and, by law, must close promptly at 0400 during the week and 0500 at the weekend. The best nights to go out tend to be Thursday and Saturday. Expect to pay an admission charge, plus a tip to the doorman (f2.5) and f1 to use the toilets. Drinks cost in the region of f4.

The most popular club is Mazzo, Rozengracht 114, its dress code is quite relaxed (but avoid wearing trainers). Escape, Rembrantplein 11, is the biggest venue in town with up to 2,000 revellers on their busy Saturday Chemistry nights. All sorts of music, from hard rock to rap, R&B to world music, can be found at the small cosy venues of Melkweg, Lijnbaansgracht 234A, and Paradiso, Weteringschans 6-8, both close to Leidseplein. The legendary Paradiso has been pulling into partygoers for three decades, but the hippies have now largely been replaced by techno devotees.

Drugs:
Amsterdam tolerates the sale and use of soft drugs, which centre around smoking cafÉs or coffee shops; they are easy to recognise as their names normally include words like 'free', 'high', 'happy' and 'space', and, of course, you can smell them too.

Live music: Jazz has always been popular in Amsterdam: many of the jazz greats have lived in the city, including Chet Baker, who died here. Head for Bourbon Street Jazz and Blues Club, Leidsekruisstraat 6-8, or the main jazz venue of Bimhuis, Oude Schans 73-77, in the Old Centre, where the Dutch Jazz Orchestra plays on Wednesday and musicians from all over Europe perform on the other days of the week. Paradiso and Melkweg (see clubs) often have rock gigs and sets by alternative acts.



Copyright © 2001 Columbus Publishing
    
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