if you’re coming to Amsterdam for Harry Styles, start here

One of the things I’ve loved most about the Harry Styles fandom over the years is how many different kinds of people it holds: the glitter maximalists, the Fine Line softies, the queer nightlife contingent, the people who somehow make a stadium concert feel spiritually transformative, etc. etc.

Given that, rather than writing a generic “Top 10 Things To Do in Amsterdam” list for those traveling to the Netherlands for the Together, Together tour this month, I figured I’d map the city according to the ~vibes~ of different Harry eras instead.

All of these are real places I genuinely recommend as someone who lives here, writes professionally about travel, and spends a frankly unreasonable amount of time thinking about where to bring visitors depending on the kind of experience they’re hoping to have. And as someone who loves Harry Styles, obviously.

Here’s me having the time of my life at his last Amsterdam show in 2023:

Whether you’re in town for one night or turning the concert into a full long-weekend city break, here’s where I’d send you based on your Harry era.

You packed sequins “just in case,” want somewhere fun for pre-show drinks, and firmly believe the energy of the evening starts wayyyyy before Harry even walks onstage.

Your main-character Amsterdam activity:
Book an open-boat sunset canal cruise with a group of friends before the concert and treat the entire thing like the glamorous pregame montage in a coming-of-age movie.

Amsterdam genuinely looks its prettiest from the water around golden hour, especially once the bridges begin lighting up for the evening.

Other spots worth bookmarking:

• Foodhallen, i.e. a maximalist foodie’s dream, to taste-test all the culinary excellence Amsterdam has to offer, from tacos to dim sum and beyond

• The Nine Streets (De Negen Straatjes, in Dutch) for vintage shopping and statement outfit hunting

• De Japanner to live out your “Music In A Sushi Restaurant” fantasy

• Your choice of pre-concert drinks: colorful cocktails at Flamingo’s, fine natural wines at Fabus, or women-brewed beers at Gebrouwen door Vrouwen Bar

• Waterkant if you want to keep the party going at a canalside bar after the concert—they’re open until 1 a.m. on weeknights and 3 a.m. on weekends

You want your Amsterdam trip to feel cinematic: wandering canals at golden hour, lingering in cafés longer than necessary, and staring out rainy tram windows with headphones on.

Your main-character Amsterdam activity:
Pick up a coffee and spend an unstructured afternoon wandering through the Jordaan with absolutely nowhere specific to be.

Cross random canal bridges, duck into bookstores and little galleries, and let yourself get pleasantly lost for a few hours.

Other spots worth bookmarking:

• The Grachtenmuseum for genuinely beautiful context about the canals and canal houses surrounding you

• Just around the corner, you’ll find the iconic bench from the film adaptation of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (and if you want to keep that particular theme going, make sure you get your tickets to the Anne Frank Huis online a few weeks before your trip, because they tend to sell out)

• Mathilde Gallery (because Matilda, obviously), Art gallery Carré d’artistes, or any of the other dozens of art galleries in the Jordaan

• American Book Center and Athenaeum Boekhandel for browsing books and magazines near Spui (Athenaeum is the one with the Hudson Williams ad in the window, FYI)

You care about aesthetics in a thoughtful way. Beautiful interiors, handmade ceramic cups that somehow make the coffee taste better, and a really good natural wine list are all top priorities for your visit.

Your main-character Amsterdam activity:
Spend a slow afternoon browsing boutiques and design-forward destinations through the Center and Oud-West, stopping for a drink or snack whenever somewhere with good lighting pulls you in.

Other spots worth bookmarking:

• the PleasingLand pop-up shop, obviously, at Kalverstraat 166 through June 7th

• Restaurant de Kas for a Michelin-star meal, but only if you make your reservation weeks in advance (pro tip: go for lunch, not just because it’s less expensive for the same quality of food but because the greenhouse setting is gorgeous in the daylight!)

• HAY House for design objects and homeware

• Baskèts for upscale modern streetwear, sneakers, and accessories

• Chenin Chenin for one of the city’s best natural wine selections—perfect for picking up a bottle for a canalside picnic

You’re looking for the kind of night Amsterdam does especially well: somewhere a little chaotic but very welcoming, full of people dancing like they have absolutely nowhere to be the next morning.

Your main-character Amsterdam activity:
A walking tour with LGBTOUR Amsterdam, a locally led company offering daytime queer history tours, nightlife tours, cannabis tours, and family tours, depending on what kind of experience you’re after. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Other spots worth bookmarking:

• Café ‘t Mandje, one of Amsterdam’s historic queer bars—it’s been around almost 100 years, since 1927

• De Trut, a non-commercial Amsterdam queer party that has been organized 100% by volunteers for 40+ years (!) with profits benefitting LGBTQ+ projects worldwide

• Spuistraat and Reguliersdwarsstraat for hopping between LGBTQ+ venues

• For drag performances, Café The Queen’s Head (competitions on Mondays, bingo on Tuesdays, trivia on Wednesdays, shows on Thursdays, karaoke on Fridays, and DJs on the weekend) and/or Lellebel Queer Bar (see their agenda for upcoming events, but there’s always karaoke on Sundays)

• Club ChUrch if you’re specifically looking for something more unapologetically wild

You somehow turned this concert trip into an opportunity to “reset.”

You packed activewear alongside your concert outfit, bookmarked matcha spots before cocktail bars, and would genuinely enjoy a long canal-side run before the show.

Your main-character Amsterdam activity:
Go for an early-morning run through the Vondelpark before the city fully wakes up. Amsterdam is unbelievably peaceful around 7-8 a.m., especially in good weather.

Other spots worth bookmarking:

• Tea Culture Club & Tea House Moychay, whether it’s just to treat yourself to a perfectly prepared matcha or to stay for a mindful tea ceremony

• Saint-Jean for house-made plant-based pastries that are genuinely wait-in-the-line-that-goes-all-the-way-out-the-door worthy

• A tasting menu that happens to be plant-based but is also freaking delicious at award-winning vegan restaurant Meatless District

• A long bike ride, a chance to get out on the water with a canoe or pedalboat, or even a goat yoga class in the tranquil Amsterdamse Bos just outside the city

• Wellness Spa Zuiver (also located in the Amsterdamse Bos!) for saunas, steam rooms, thermal baths, pools, and more—basically, the full reset circuit when you need to properly switch off for a few hours

You love the big arena moment, obviously, but you’re equally interested in the quieter side of the city: record shops, off-the-beaten-path live music venues, and places that still feel a little undiscovered.

Your main-character Amsterdam activity:
Spend an evening venue-hopping between tiny live music spaces and old-school brown cafés below instead of committing to one giant night out. Some of Amsterdam’s best music experiences happen almost accidentally.

Other spots worth bookmarking:

• Concerto, one of the city’s most iconic record stores, which has been around since 1955

• Classic cozy Amsterdam brown bars like Café Chris, Café Slijterij Oosterling, or Café Hoppe

• Loop51, a vinyl brunch bar by day and snack bar by night with consistently good music and drinks

• Live shows at intimate venues like Cinetol, Tempel, OT301, or OCCII

• Café Sound Garden, especially in warmer weather, for alternative local energy with pool tables and a waterfront terrace

Yes, there are museums and landmarks and “must-sees,” but some of my favorite memories here have honestly come from the in-between moments: stumbling into a café because you needed to get out of the rain, catching a rainbow over the canals purely by accident, hearing live music drift out of a bar you hadn’t planned to stop at, or biking home after a long dinner with friends while the city glows around you.

So if you’re coming for Harry, I hope you have the best concert ever—but I also hope you give yourself enough time to experience the version of Amsterdam that exists outside the standard tourist checklist!

If you do want even more local recommendations while planning your trip, though, here are some of my top suggestions as a travel writer who has lived here for years: