The Best Summer Bars in Amsterdam

The most coveted terrace in the Jordaan, sitting directly on the Prinsengracht with a view that earns every magazine cover it has ever appeared on. The bar backs this up with a serious cocktail list and a wine selection that leans heavily into natural and biodynamic producers from France and the Netherlands. Arrive before noon to guarantee a canal-facing table; after 3pm you are competing with half of Amsterdam. Stays open until midnight Thursday through Sunday.

Order: Spritz made with Belsazar rosé vermouth and local tonic — a summer standard here

A craft beer bar on one of Amsterdam's most photographed canal stretches — the Brouwersgracht — that manages to be excellent rather than merely convenient. The tap list runs to twenty-four Dutch and Belgian craft beers, rotating monthly, alongside a thoughtful selection of European imports. The terrace seats sixty on a good day and the kitchen serves Dutch bar food that is better than it has any right to be. One of our editors spent three consecutive summer afternoons here and has no regrets.

Order: Oedipus Mannenliefde IPA — Amsterdam's best local craft beer, on tap here all summer

Named for its address and decorated with the restraint that address implies. Keizersgracht 47 operates from a seventeenth-century canal house with a garden terrace at the rear — quieter than the street-facing options, more considered, and almost impossible to get a table at in July without a reservation. The cocktail menu is seasonal and changes every six weeks; the current summer edition features eight drinks built around Dutch genever and local seasonal produce. Book a week ahead minimum.

Order: House Genever Smash with white genever, cucumber, elderflower, and fresh mint

The most accessible of Amsterdam's rooftop bars — sitting atop the DoubleTree by Hilton and therefore benefiting from professional bar management and consistent quality. The view takes in the IJ waterway, the central station, and the city skyline in a way that earns the elevated prices. Summer programming includes sunset sessions with DJs running Thursday through Sunday from 5pm. Arrive before 6pm on weekends or join the queue.

Order: Aperol Spritz as the sun drops — not original but correct for the occasion

The ferry across the IJ to the NDSM wharf is a ten-minute journey that deposits you in one of Amsterdam's most interesting summer drinking destinations. The NDSM Wharf Bar operates from a converted shipping container with a terrace that faces directly onto the water, serves honest drinks at honest prices, and attracts a crowd of Amsterdam artists, designers, and residents who have already discovered that the tourist trail does not cross the IJ. Go on a Thursday evening when the light is best.

Order: Hertog Jan on draught — the best of the Dutch mainstream lagers, ice cold

Amsterdam's most successful urban beach bar, built from recycled shipping containers and fronted by a sandy beach on the north bank of the IJ. Pllek has been operating since 2011 and has aged into something genuinely beloved — the food programme is more serious than the setting suggests, the cocktail list is well-edited, and the programming on summer weekends runs from morning yoga to late-night DJ sets. The sand gets crowded on sunny Saturdays — go on a weekday if you want the full experience.

Order: The house Mojito — they make it properly with fresh mint and real lime

A neighbourhood cultural centre that operates one of Amsterdam's most genuinely local bars. De Nieuwe Anita has a courtyard garden that fills with Oud-West residents on summer evenings, cheap beer, and a programme of cinema screenings, live music, and discussions that make it feel like something more than a bar. Visitors who find it tend to come back. The drinks are cheap and mostly limited to beer and wine, which is entirely appropriate for the setting.

Order: Grolsch on draught — the bar's version of the classic, served with appropriate ritual

Amsterdam's best brewery bar, operating inside a windmill since 1985 and using that fact as effectively as any business could. The beer garden here seats two hundred on peak summer days, the tasting room inside is worth twenty minutes even in the heat, and the beers themselves — particularly the Columbus IPA and the Struis barleywine — are among the best produced in the Netherlands. The brewery runs tours on weekdays; the bar is open daily from 2pm.

Order: Columbus IPA — the brewery's flagship and still their best beer after thirty years

A de Pijp-adjacent bar named for the writer and decorated with appropriate disregard for good taste — which somehow works completely. Bar Bukowski has a terrace that fills from 4pm on summer days, a cocktail list that surprises given the low-key setting, and a back room that operates as one of Amsterdam's more interesting late-night spaces. The bar team are knowledgeable about spirits and generous with their pours. One of the editors' favourite summer evening starting points in the city.

Order: The Whiskey Sour — they use fresh egg white and it elevates the whole thing