Gay & Lesbian Venues in Amsterdam with Gay Hotel, bars, cafes and clubs.

Gay Hotel Golden Bear Amsterdam

Gay Hotel Orfeo Amsterdam


Reguliersdwarsstraat
This street, also known simply as the Straat, has some of Amsterdam's most famous gay establishments. It attracts rafts of tanned, buff, beautiful boys who schmooze and cruise their way along the street; follow their lead and meet for happy hour at one of the various bars, eat dinner at a gay-run restaurant and finish the night off in a sweaty, sexy club.

April
(tel 625 95 72, Reguliersdwarsstraat 37).
April is equally famous for its 'shuffle bubble' happy hour (6pm to 7pm Monday to Thursday, 6pm to 8pm Sunday) and the beautiful guys who cram into the space to flirt and drink, although it has lost out a bit to Soho across the street. The revolving bar can make for a giddy experience after too many cocktails.

Downtown
(tel 622 99 58, Reguliersdwarsstraat 31).
This daytime eatery used to plate up great food; these days it's better known for its large terrace, friendly staff, good coffee and cake.

Exit
(tel 625 87 88, Reguliersdwarsstraat 42).
This multistorey nightclub plays underground house and has a selection of bars, dance floors and an always busy darkroom. 'Drag Planet' (Thursday) and 'NSDP' (Sunday) tend to be the busiest, most entertaining nights.

Havana
(tel 620 67 88, Reguliersdwarsstraat 17).
Havana boasts a camp Art Deco bar with gorgeous bar staff, thumping club music and outrageously decadent dress-up parties. There's a trendy women's night Friday in the upstairs disco.

Other Side
(tel 421 10 14, Reguliersdwarsstraat 6).
This gay coffeeshop sells hash, grass and energy drinks and plays a mix of disco, funk and soul.

Poonani Club
(tel 623 39 81, Reguliersdwarsstraat 12).
Mixed dance nights are held every Thursday at Ministry.

Soho
(tel 626 15 73, Reguliersdwarsstraat 36).
Kitschly decorated - imagine an old-world English library on the Titanic - this enormous, two-storey bar pumps with a young, ridiculously pretty clientele and an increasing number of straights who drink and flirt on the upstairs Chesterfield sofas.

Amstel & Rembrandtplein
This is real queen territory with a selection of interesting bars. Some are camp (sing-alongs to Dutch pop songs), some are cloney (lots of moustaches) and some are refined and quiet (attracting gay businessmen who pop in after work for a quick drink).

Back Door
(tel 620 23 33, Amstelstraat 32).
This club, next to iT, hosts Sunday's jam-packed 'Tea Dance'. Hot boys, thumping house music and sexy staff dressed in flamboyant costumes are the draw.

Club Showtime
(tel 620 01 71, Halve Maansteeg 10).
During the week young professionals congregate at this popular bar for after-work drinks; on the weekend it's a busy spot for pre-club refreshments.

iT
(tel 625 01 11, Amstelstraat 24).
One of the most extravagant and commercial clubs in town, this features weekly gay nights; Saturday's 'Gay Gang Bang' is always packed with sweaty, spunky guys.

Lellebel
(tel 427 51 39, Utrechtsestraat 4).
This hip drag cafe just off Rembrandtplein has drag shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Montmartre
(tel 620 76 22, Halve Maansteeg 17).
This is quite an experience: bar staff and patrons sing Dutch ballads and pop songs (think Abba) at the top of their voices; it's like a camp, festive Eurovision song contest.

Cafe Rouge
(tel 420 98 81, Amstel 60).
An older, mixed gay crowd enjoys beer and blasting Dutch pop ballads at this brown cafe decorated with hundreds of photographs.

Vivelavie
(tel 624 01 14, Amstelstraat 7).
This lively place is probably the most popular lesbian cafe in town. It has flirty girls, loud music and large windows. In summer the outdoor terrace buzzes.

You II
(tel 421 09 00, Amstel 178).
This women-only nightclub has a roster of not entirely exciting theme nights: tropical, top 40 or R&B. The crowd can be a little lacklustre too.

Warmoesstraat
Kinky Amsterdam congregates in the red-light district at a variety of clubs catering to lovers of leather, rubber, piercings, slings, darkrooms and hard-core porn.

Argos
(tel 622 65 95, Warmoesstraat 95).
Leather boys of all ages head here for the famous darkrooms, cabins and kinky toys. The monthly and aptly named 'SOS' (Sex On Sunday) is always wild - dress code: nude!

Cockring
(tel 623 96 04, Warmoesstraat 96).
This nightclub, playing techno, hard house and trance, has live strip shows and a cruisey, hot darkroom for young leather
boys.

Getto
(tel 421 51 51, Warmoesstraat 51).
This groovy restaurant and bar is loved more for its fun nightly entertainment (tarot readers, DJs, bingo competitions, cocktail happy hours) than the quality of its food. It's patronised by a hip and up-for-it crowd.

Getto Dance
(tel 623 13 80, Warmoesstraat 127).
At Winston - the gang from Getto restaurant holds a funky lesbian night every second Thursday of the month. Expect cute gals and slamming female DJs.

Other Areas
The gay establishments tend to cluster around the above three areas but there are others dotted around the inner city.

COC
(tel 623 40 79, Rozenstraat 14).
The Amsterdam branch of the national gay and lesbian organisation holds a variety of gay, lesbian and mixed club nights every weekend - such as the Saturday night 'Just Girlsz' for under-26 women in the coffee-shop, and the ever-popular disco which attracts women of all ages. It also has a wealth of information on gay health, local support groups and special events.

Cuckoo's Nest
(tel 627 17 52, Nieuwezijds Kolk 6).
A small, busy bar with the largest 'playroom' in Europe. You could spend a whole night exploring the labyrinth of cubicles and 'glory holes'.

Planet Pussy
(tel 531 81 81, Lijnbaansgracht 234).
Courtesy of Amsterdam's busiest lesbian nightclub entrepreneur, Puck Verdoes, flirty chicks dig DJ Natarcia's housey-garage tunes at Melkweg. The night is held every third Sunday of the month, 9pm to 2am.

Queen's Head
(tel 420 24 75, Zeedijk 20).
A beautifully decorated, old-world-style cafe run by the infamous, outrageous, pierced and tattooed drag queen Dusty. Her bingo nights (Tuesday) are legendary, as is the free 'Bitterball Buffet' on Sunday.

Saarein II
(tel 623 49 01, Elandsstraat 119).
During the late 1970s Saarein II was the focal point of the feminist movement, and it's still a premier meeting place for lesbians. The cafe itself dates from the early 1600s and the interior has been kept almost intact. It offers a small menu with tapas, great soups and daily specials. Bar staff Puck and Dia can give you tips on lesbian nightlife.

De Spijker
(tel 620 59 19, Kerkstraat 4A).
Leather boys and clones feel right at home at this friendly bar. Entertainment is in the form of pool tables, hard-core videos and a very busy darkroom.

De Trut
(Bilderdijkstraat 165E).
Queue for this mixed, lesbian and gay Sunday-night club institution held in the basement of a former squat well before its 11pm opening time and be prepared for the strict 'door police'; heteros are definitely not welcome.

Vandenberg
(tel 622 2716, Lindengracht 95).
Run by a gruff proprietor, this no-frills eetcafe is popular among older lesbians but men come here too. It does hearty meals.

The Web
(tel 623 67 58, St Jacobsstraat 6).
A cruisey, well-established leather and clone bar with darkrooms, 'Bear nights' and a Sunday evening buffet (food, we think).