In 't Aepjen, Centrum.

The oldest bar building in Amsterdam.

In 't Aepjen ("In the Monkey") sits at Zeedijk 1, the corner where the Zeedijk meets Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam's Centrum. The wooden building dates to 1519 and is one of only two surviving wooden buildings in Amsterdam after the city's 1521 ban on timber construction following devastating fires. The bar has functioned as a working drinking establishment continuously since the 16th century, primarily serving Amsterdam's sailors.

The bar's name derives from a 17th century anecdote: sailors returning from the Dutch East Indies often arrived without coin and paid their bar tabs in small monkeys they had brought back as cargo. The bar accumulated so many monkeys that the term "in the monkeys" entered Dutch vernacular as a phrase meaning "in trouble" or "broke." Two small monkeys are carved into the wooden lintel above the door, commemorating the era.

Why this matters. In 't Aepjen is the rare Amsterdam bar that combines pre-1521 wooden construction with continuous operation as a working drinking room. The bar is a 506-year-old continuous drinking establishment.

Genever in a tulip glass.

In 't Aepjen serves traditional Dutch genever in the historic Dutch way: in a small tulip-shaped glass, filled to the brim, served on the bar with no ice and no garnish. The drinker leans forward to sip the first centimetre of genever directly from the glass without lifting it. The pour is the bar's defining ritual.

The bar carries approximately twenty different genevers, ranging from the standard Bols Jonge to small-batch Schiedam producers. The bar's house genever is poured at three euros fifty. The bartenders pour each glass to within a millimetre of the rim, which is the traditional Dutch standard. Spilling is the drinker's failure, not the bartender's.

Genever, Heineken, kopstoot.

• House genever: three euros fifty. The Dutch way, in a tulip glass.
• Heineken: three euros fifty. The Amsterdam standard.
• Kopstoot: seven euros. The classic Dutch combination of a beer and a genever, ordered together.
• Aged genever: five to nine euros depending on the bottle. The bar carries small-batch options from Schiedam producers.
• The thing nobody knows: the bar pours a small Bessenjenever at four euros, the Dutch blackcurrant genever. Order it after the first round.

Tuesday at 5pm. The Centrum local hour.

In 't Aepjen opens at 3pm and closes at 1am. Tuesday at 5pm is the canonical local hour: the bar is at 40% capacity, the Centrum locals are reading the De Volkskrant, and the bartender pours genever slowly in tulip glasses for a small group of regulars.

The peak hour is Friday and Saturday between 8pm and midnight. The Sunday afternoon at 4pm hour is the secret experience. The bar is half empty, the wooden floor creaks underfoot, and the regulars share kopstoots in the small back room.

The bar closes early by Amsterdam standards. Last orders come at 12:45am. The wooden building's age limits the late-night extension that surrounding bars have.

Why the structure has survived.

Amsterdam banned wooden construction in 1521 after a series of fires devastated the city's wooden buildings. The 1521 ordinance required all new buildings to use brick. In 't Aepjen and the Begijnhof chapel are the only two pre-1521 wooden buildings still standing in central Amsterdam. The bar's preservation is the result of continuous occupation and careful maintenance across five centuries.

The bar's wooden beams are original 1519 timber. The wood floor has been replaced approximately every century. The current floor dates to a 1997 restoration that used reclaimed Dutch barn timber from a 17th century farm. The Amsterdam Historical Society conducts a structural survey every five years.

For two, thirty euros across an evening.

Plan for twenty-five to forty euros per pair for a three-hour visit. Three kopstoots at seven, two house genevers at three-fifty, plus a small euro coin tip. A pair of friends drinks for around thirty-five euros total.

Cards are accepted. Cash is preferred. Small euro coins on the bar after each round are appreciated.

The Centrum holdouts, the Zeedijk regulars, the genever pilgrims.

In 't Aepjen draws three populations. The first: long-tenure Amsterdam Centrum residents in their fifties through seventies, including a contingent of retired Dutch civil servants and shop owners. The second: the Zeedijk neighbourhood's small remaining working-class population. The third: international genever pilgrims, often Dutch expatriates and Scandinavian visitors who appreciate traditional spirits.

You will find some Amsterdam tourist crowd. The bar's old wooden character draws photographers, but the genever discipline keeps the audience self-selecting for serious drinkers.

How not to be the worst person at In 't Aepjen.

• Do not lift the genever glass with the first sip. Lean forward and sip from the rim.
• Do not request ice in the genever. The bar will refuse politely.
• Do not photograph the wooden lintel monkeys obsessively. One quiet photo is fine.
• Do not bring a stag party. The bar holds 30 people and your group will block the room.
• Do not order a craft cocktail. The bar pours genever, beer, and kopstoots.
• Do not request food. The bar serves only small bowls of bitterballen.
• Do not, ever, ask why the wooden floor creaks. The floor is the bar.

Bistro Bij Ons, In 't Aepjen, Wijnand Fockink.

The classic Centrum genever evening: dinner at Bistro Bij Ons on Prinsengracht at 7pm, the small Dutch bistro. Walk fifteen minutes east to In 't Aepjen at 9pm for two kopstoots. End at Wijnand Fockink, the 1679 genever distillery and tasting room two blocks west, at midnight for a final tulip glass.

For more bars in the area, see our Amsterdam city guide, the Amsterdam cocktail bars guide, and the Centrum hidden gems.

Yes. Amsterdam's most preserved 16th century bar.