This extremely cheerful restaurant/café/party place is uniquely located on an artificial beach in the far northeast of Amsterdam. With lots of quirkily decorated parties in the summer, and a roaring fireplace and live performances on wintertime Sundays, it’s a perfect city getaway all year round.

Surprisingly the food at this alternative beach-club is great (thank chef Rene Pronk for that). And though the service can be slow, the retro-hippie atmosphere more than makes up for it.

Allowing both swimmers and those who prefer not to get their hair wet to dry off or warm up in front of beach bonfires amidst, Blijburg always attracts interesting crowds rarely found in town.