Cafeography
Terrassen · Amsterdam

Terraces cafés in Amsterdam

Canal decks, harbor roofs and neighborhood tables, with winter closing times by district.

Photo: wai sing, Pexels License

A terras (terrace) is the part of a café where you sit in the open air, and when it stands on public ground, as pavement tables do, the owner may owe precario, a fee for using the street.1 Een terrasje pakken (taking a terrace) is a pastime in its own right, and terrashopping, moving from one terrace to the next, is the Dutch answer to a bar crawl.1

Amsterdam splits the terrace year in two. Winter rules apply from 1 November to 1 March, and a terrace whose permit carries no special conditions may stay out all winter, though some locations must shrink theirs.2 Sitting outside has a price, too: in 2020 the average coffee on a Dutch terrace cost €2.46, up 12% in five years, according to the hospitality consultancy Van Spronsen.5

Local tip: In winter, pick a terrace in Noord or Oost: under the current rules they may stay open until 24:00, while parts of Centrum, Zuid and West must close theirs at 20:00.2

Where these cafés are: Oud-West (22), Oud-Zuid (16), Grachtengordel (13), De Pijp (10), De Baarsjes & Bos en Lommer (10), Noord (9), Oost (7), Jordaan (7), Westerpark & Spaarndammerbuurt (7), De Wallen & Nieuwmarkt (7), Haarlemmerbuurt & Westelijke Eilanden (6), Plantage & Oostelijke Eilanden (5), Dam & Spui (4), Zeeburgereiland (3), Zuidas & Buitenveldert (3), Oostelijk Havengebied (3), Rivierenbuurt (3), Slotermeer & Sloterdijk (2), Slotervaart & Overtoomse Veld (1).

At a glance

138Cafés listed
87With opening hours
00:00Earliest opening
03:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: De Neef van Fred, from 00:00 (Tue–Fri 11:00–00:00 · Sat–Sun 00:00–01:00, 11:00–00:00).
  • Closes latest: Ami, until 03:00 (Mon–Wed 11:00–00:00 · Thu 11:00–01:00 · Fri–Sat 11:00–03:00 · Sun 11:00–00:00).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (51%), wheelchair access (24%), partial wheelchair access (22%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Amsterdam.

Winter closing times by district

From November to February most Amsterdam terraces must close at 22:00. Parts of Centrum, Zuid and West close earlier, at 20:00, while the old city heart, Oost, the Zuidas, all of Noord and the area around the Arena keep 24:00.2 Heaters are restricted as well: most district policies allow them only against the façade, and some locations may not keep windscreens or parasols out in winter.2

The city's new hospitality policy caps winter terrace hours at 24:00 and lets each district set its own times; until a district decides, last winter's hours stay in force. The one change this winter is on Rembrandtplein, where the latest winter closing was cut from 02:00 to 24:00.3 West's district board has said it does not want to extend its winter hours.3

The 2020 terrace expansion

In 2020, when distancing rules cut indoor capacity, the city let bars and restaurants enlarge their terraces, at first until 1 October.4 That September it extended the larger terraces into March 2021 and moved the winter closing time in residential areas with cafés from 20:00 to 22:00, while taking a stricter look at terraces built on parking spaces.4

An extra precario charge on winter terraces, levied for a time in 2023, was reversed after lobbying by KHN, the hospitality trade association.2

Canal, harbor and rooftop terraces

For a seat by the water, Café de Jaren has a large canal-side deck, and Café de Sluyswacht occupies a 17th-century lock house that leans to one side.6 Waterkant, under a car park near Marnixstraat, serves Surinamese street food and fills up after sunset.6

The stepped roof of the NEMO Science Museum is a terrace with views over the harbor that you can reach without a museum ticket. Across the IJ, Tolhuistuin, a short ferry ride from Centraal Station, has a terrace on two levels over the water.6

Neighborhood terraces from Oud-West to Noord

Oud-West has the most café terraces, ahead of Oud-Zuid and the canal ring. Staring at Jacob, on the Jacob van Lennepkade, serves outside daily from 09:00 to 16:00, and Kazik and Café Jacob both have tables on Bilderdijkstraat. In De Baarsjes, Benji's at Baarsjesweg 188 has reliable Wi-Fi and power outlets in its outdoor space.7

North of the IJ, Liever Hier on the Nieuwendammerdijk opens from Thursday to Sunday at 08:30, Noorderpark Café sits in the park at Floraparkweg 1, and Cafe Keppler on Van der Pekstraat stays open until 22:00 on Saturdays. On the Levantkade in the eastern docklands, KANIS serves until 23:00, or midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sources

  1. Terras (horeca), Wikipedia (Dutch), accessed October 2026
  2. Winterterrassen Amsterdam seizoen start 1 november; dit zijn de belangrijkste aandachtspunten, Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (October 2025), accessed October 2026
  3. Winterterrassen in Amsterdam: wat verandert er met het nieuwe horecabeleid?, Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (October 20, 2026), accessed October 2026
  4. Grotere terrassen blijven in Amsterdam tot maart toegestaan, NH Nieuws (September 29, 2020), accessed October 2026
  5. Nederlanders zijn minder koffie gaan drinken, maar van betere kwaliteit, NOS (January 13, 2020), accessed October 2026
  6. Best terraces in Amsterdam city centre, I amsterdam (updated October 22, 2026), accessed October 2026
  7. Best laptop-friendly cafes and workspaces in Amsterdam, I amsterdam (updated October 19, 2026), accessed October 2026
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By area: Oud-Zuid Jordaan De Wallen & Nieuwmarkt Dam & Spui Grachtengordel De Pijp Oud-West Oost

FAQ

Terraces in Amsterdam: questions

What time do café terraces close in Amsterdam in winter?

Winter terrace rules apply from 1 November to 1 March. Most terraces must close at 22:00, parts of Centrum, Zuid and West at 20:00, and the old city heart, Oost, the Zuidas and all of Noord at 24:00. On Rembrandtplein the latest winter closing was cut from 02:00 to 24:00, and the city's new policy caps winter terrace hours at 24:00.

Which Amsterdam terraces are on the water or have a view?

Café de Jaren has a large canal-side deck, Café de Sluyswacht sits in a leaning 17th-century lock house, and Waterkant, under a car park near Marnixstraat, serves Surinamese street food. The stepped roof of the NEMO Science Museum is open without a museum ticket, and Tolhuistuin, a short ferry ride from Centraal Station, has a two-level terrace over the water.

Why did Amsterdam allow bigger café terraces in 2020?

Distancing rules cut indoor capacity in 2020, so the city let bars and restaurants enlarge their terraces, first until 1 October. In September 2020 it extended the larger terraces into March 2021 and moved the winter closing time in residential areas from 20:00 to 22:00, while looking more strictly at terraces built on parking spaces.

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