Leidseplein: Party time!

The Leidseplein is the party square for tourists and known for its nightlife.

 

Around the Leidseplein are many wild, touristy bars playing easy tunes with an après-ski entourage, mostly in the Korte & Lange Leidsedwarsstraat. Here you will find diverse people, from old men to young girls, from tourists to true Dutch, watching the bartenders in shorts that are ringing loud bells and handing out shots, while confetti, fog, and blinking lights stir up the crowd. Most Dutch locals go to the bars that are hidden just off the Leidseplein on small side streets, and many end up at the end of the night in one of these happy and casual bars.

 

Aside from the bars, the Leidseplein also offers two alternative music venues, Paradiso (in a former church) and the Melkweg (in a former milkfactory), club Jimmy Woo, Holland Casino, Movie theatre Pathe, Boom Chicago (an English comedy theatre) and the municipal theatre offering acting, dance and music. The Leidseplein is also known for its street artists, from acrobats, violists, life statues to singers. Expect to always be entertained! From the Leidseplein take the Leidsestraat, it is shared by pedestrians and street cars and is lined with boutiques, shops and restaurants as it makes its way to the Kalverstraat, Amsterdams 2 most famous commercial shopping streets, definitely worth a stroll, but watch out for the trams and the overcrowded Saturday and Sunday afternoons!

Culture ++ (old Dutch buildings)
Shopping +++ (Leidsestraat)
Eating +++ (many restaurants around the Leidseplein and off the Leidsestraat)
Nightlife +++ (many bars and clubs, dress code: sexy)
Nature ++ (Leidsebosje, Vondelpark not too far)