Canals – Local tips (cinemas)

As a foreigner, going to the movies in Holland is fun because basically all the films are in English! Big movie-theaters like Pathe de Munt and Pathe Tuschinski can be easily found in the center but are commercial, enormous and lack intimate atmosphere. Although, I can’t deny that Pathe Tuschinski is beautifully ornamented on the inside (Reguliersbreestraat 26).

My personal favourite is Cinecenter, just near the Leidseplein. This theater mostly screens arthouse films. English, Spanisch, Italian, Scandinavian etc. films are part of the daily film programm. Unlike the large commercial cinemas, Cinecenter has short breaks in the film in order to get a drink or use the toilet. Great advantage!

Since the weather is not always great in Holland, going to the cinema is a great event! Cinecenter is cosy, intimate and screens film festivals prizewinners from for example Cannes, Venice, Toronto and Rotterdam. Besides, it’s affordable.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cinecenter | Cinemas | Entrance ticket € 8.50
Lijnbaansgracht 236 | Canals | +31206236615
Mon – Sat from 15:45, Sun from 10:30

At the end of the very lively Haarlemmerdijk you will find the oldest cinema in the Netherlands. The building of The Movies does not look very impressive from the outside, but when you enter it you find yourself in a different era.

The whole interior is in the original, well-preserved Art Deco style. In the café or in the film rooms you feel as if you stepped back into a time when cinema was young and exciting.

The bar inside the cinema is rather large, with a drinking and an eating area. The place feels more like a café than the bars in bigger cinemas, and you don’t feel pressured to go to your seat in the film room. The beer that they serve, from the south of the Netherlands, is one of my favorites.

A delicious, cold beer makes for a very pleasant cinematic experience, and The Movies is certainly a good place to watch a film. Their program usually consists of a mix of art films and more mainstream cinema, so you are likely to find something that suits you. If you are in the neighborhood but you don’t feel like settling in a dark room, you might just want to take a peek at the interior, or have a drink or a meal.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
The Movies | Bars, Cinemas | Movie € 9.00
Haarlemmerdijk 161 | Canals | +31206386016
Check the website for opening times