Canals – Local tips (music venues)

Struik is a typical relaxed, ‘easy going’ café. The audience is a mix of locals, old & young, varying from hip to old fashioned.

At Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays dj’s are playing their music: hiphop/soul/classics. Popular but original at the same time. Once in a while special events take place.

The graffiti on the brick wall changes every now and then, made by several artists. Struik has a small lunch and snack menu; and most days of the week you can enjoy a great dinner for a lousy €7.50! Check the website to see what’s on the menu! Every day another ‘theme’!

Great to start off your night, or to hang around all night. Guaranteed you meet some nice locals!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Bar Struik | Bars, Music, Snacks | Beer € 2.00
Rozengracht 160 | Canals
Mon 17:00 – 01:00, Tue – Thu 10:00 – 01:00, Fri 10:00 – 03:00, Sat 11:00 – 03:00, Sun 11:00 – 01:00

Like lots of people I have to admit I’ve gotten so used to downloading music that I hardly ever buy a CD. But step one foot inside this shop and you will instantly feel the urge to listen to and buy lots of CD’s. It’s really kind of dangerous!

The shop actually consists of five shops stuck together. There are different areas specializes in pop music, classical music, jazz, world music, rock music, dance music. And they also have a DVD section. Once you get inside you can easily spend hours rummaging around the special offers, special editions, and CD’s of artists you forgot existed.

In the DVD section they’ve got complete selections of all the great TV series you can imagine. When I walk around there I always start getting greedy and I really don’t know where to start!

The shop has lots of different little corners where you can withdraw yourself from everything else and just listen to music. The people in the shop all know a lot about all the different sorts of music so they can always help you further when you don’t know how to make a choice between everything they’ve got to offer.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Concerto | Music, Shopping
Utrechtsestraat 52 – 60 | Canals | +31206235228
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 18:00, Thu 10:00 – 21:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00

Paradiso in the seventies: think flowerpower!

Paradiso is set in an old church, with 3 dance areas. The main room is huge and has a surrounding wooden balcony on the second floor to get a better view, which also gives you a majestic feeling.

In the basement you can go to chill and have some late night food (hamburgers, candy, chips etc.) The 3rd room, on the second floor, also has a bar but is usually only opened when it gets really crowded or on special events.

Before Paradiso opens its doors for regular clubnights, the pop temple is a concert hall. Famous artists from all over the world come here to perform their act. From Robbie Williams to The Roots and many more have entertained Paradiso’s visitors, leaving them happy and satisfied.

At night, Paradiso is one of the most popular places to go to. On Wednesdays and Thursdays you can go wild at ‘Noodlanding’ with music varying from pop/indie to hip hop/rock to electro/techno. These nights are most popular among students.

In weekends they usually have a mix of jazz/soul/funk/hip hop, but the program changes very often. Be sure to check out the website.
New is Zonde! at Sundays for those that feel that the weekend hasn’t end yet!

Tip: Tickets can be bought at the door (make sure you bring your ID, they can be really strict on student nights!), but in case it’s sold out you can check for last minute tickets at the Ticketshop at the Leidseplein during the day.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Paradiso | Music | Noodlanding € 7.00
Weteringschans 6-8 | Canals | +31206264521
(Usually) 20:00 – 04:00 daily