Coffeeshops in Rembrandtplein

Rembrandtplein is Amsterdam's other nightlife square, and it's louder than Leidseplein. Where Leidseplein has theatres and music venues, this one has clubs, sports bars and terraces packed four deep in summer. The bronze Night Watch figures stand in the middle of it; the Amstel is two minutes east.

The coffeeshops follow the crowd. Expect large rooms, late hours, and a lot of pass-through trade from people leaving a club at 2am. That's useful if you need somewhere open when everything else has closed, and less useful if you want a considered menu — this is the cluster where quality varies most sharply between the shops on the square itself and the ones a street back. Reguliersdwarsstraat, Amstelstraat and Utrechtsestraat all run off Rembrandtplein and all have quieter options within a two-minute walk.

Position is the real argument for basing yourself here. Nieuwmarkt is ten minutes on foot, Waterlooplein and the Amstel are next door, and the canal ring starts at the western edge of the square — so unlike Leidseplein, you can walk to the old center without crossing the whole city.