The best bars and cafés Netherlands

Timetable

Opening hours vary from establishment to establishment, but bars and cafés generally open from 11am and close at 1am. On Friday and Saturday nights, they close at 2am, and sometimes at 3am. Some establishments have 24-hour licenses and can stay open very late. Bars are very popular from 5pm onwards, the time of the famous borrel, the after-work drink.

Budget & Tips

Addresses that do offer them are often the ones to avoid: no happy hour in good Dutch bars..

If you're on a tight budget, we advise you to avoid drinking wine during your stay, which is often expensive, in favor of more affordable beer, preferably local.

Age restrictions

While binge drinking, particularly among students, is a real problem, alcohol is officially forbidden to minors. To buy and consume it, you'll need to prove you're over 18.

What's very local

The Borrel: the famous drink at the end of the working day, around 5pm! It's customary to get together over a lager and a tray of snacks (chunks of cheese and meatballs).

Kids

Minors will not be allowed to consume alcohol in cafés and restaurants, but they will have access to them. Some bars do not allow children, but we've made this clear in the description.

Smokers

Smoking only on the terrace! Electronic cigarettes are also prohibited inside cafés.

Tourist traps

You don't order a pint here. Beers are best drunk as halves.