The brewery on the Stadhouderskade brewed its last barrel in 1988. What stands there now is a ninety-minute self-guided route through the old brewhouse, a tasting room and a set of loud interactive rooms, ending with a drink at the bar. From €19,95, rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than four thousand visitors — and strictly eighteen and over, which catches a lot of families by surprise.
What the Heineken Experience is
Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery on the Amstel in 1864 and built this one on the edge of what is now De Pijp three years later. It brewed here for over a century. Production moved out to Zoeterwoude and Den Bosch in 1988, and rather than clear the site, Heineken kept the listed brewhouse and turned it into a visitor attraction.
It is worth being clear about what that means. No beer is brewed here today. The copper kettles are the originals, but they are exhibits, and much of what surrounds them is brand storytelling rather than museum history. That is not a criticism so much as a description: people who arrive expecting a working brewery tour are the ones who leave disappointed, and people who arrive expecting an hour and a half of noise, tasting and photographs generally do not.
| Heineken Experience | |
|---|---|
| Address | Stadhouderskade 78, 1072 AE Amsterdam |
| Opening hours | Monday to Thursday and Sunday 10:30–19:30, last entry 17:15. Friday and Saturday 10:30–21:00, last entry 18:45 |
| How long it takes | 1.5 to 2 hours for the standard route; add 30 to 45 minutes for the rooftop |
| Price | From €19,95 |
| Rating | 4.6 out of 5, from more than 4,100 reviews |
| Minimum age | 18. Under-eighteens are not admitted, not even with a parent |
| Included | Self-guided route, guided tasting, and a drink at the bar at the end |
| Getting there | Tram 24 to Marie Heinekenplein, outside the door. Metro 52 to Vijzelgracht or De Pijp, about ten minutes on foot |
| Booking | Timed entry. Friday and Saturday afternoons sell out first |
Check available time slots and book the Heineken Experience
What you see inside
The route runs one way through the building, and you set your own pace. Roughly, it goes like this:
- The ingredients room — barley, hops, water and the A-yeast strain Heineken has used since 1886. You can smell and handle the malt, which is more interesting than it sounds.
- The brewhouse — the copper kettles, the tiled floor and the industrial scale of a nineteenth-century brewery, kept as it was.
- The ride — a short motion-based room that runs you through the brewing process from the beer’s point of view. It is silly, and it is the bit children would love, which is exactly what they are not allowed in for.
- The tasting — a staff-led pour where you are taught how to hold the glass, how the head is supposed to sit, and what you are meant to taste.
- The interactive floor — football and Formula 1 games tied to Heineken’s sponsorships, a photo studio, and a room where you can put your own name on a bottle.
- The bar — the route ends at the Best’Dam Bar, where your ticket includes a drink and the view over the Singelgracht.
Is it worth the money?
At €19,95 it sits below the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, and above almost every other paid indoor thing to do in the centre. Whether that is good value depends entirely on what you want from an afternoon.
If you are travelling with friends, want something lively and indoors, and like the idea of finishing with a cold beer, it does the job well and the 4.6 rating reflects that. If you are looking for the history of Dutch brewing, or a quiet couple of hours, you will get more from the Rijksmuseum a few hundred metres up the road. And if you have children with you, the decision is made for you: they cannot come in.
The rooftop upgrade adds a second drink and a terrace above the Singelgracht, and is worth it on a clear day and not otherwise. The VIP tour, with a guide and five beers with Dutch bar snacks, is a different product for people who actually care about the beer.
Practical points
- Bring identification. The eighteen-plus rule is checked at the door and there is no discretion in it.
- Book a slot in advance. Walk-up is possible on a quiet Tuesday and a waste of an afternoon on a Saturday.
- Allow two hours. The route is one way and you cannot easily double back.
- The building is a protected nineteenth-century brewery with stairs and narrow passages. Wheelchair access is limited and has to be arranged with the venue in advance.
- You leave through the shop, which is unavoidable and, as these things go, quite a good one.
- It is a ten-minute walk from Museumplein, so it combines well with a museum morning — and De Pijp, with the Albert Cuyp market, starts at the corner.
Staying nearby? Our guide to hotels in De Pijp covers the streets around the brewery, and the full list of paid sights is on the Amsterdam attractions page.
Frequently asked questions
From €19,95 per person for the standard self-guided route, which includes the tastings along the way and a drink at the bar. The rooftop and VIP options cost more.
No. Visitors must be eighteen or over, and under-eighteens are not admitted even when accompanied by a parent. Bring ID.
Between an hour and a half and two hours for the standard route. Add another thirty to forty-five minutes if you book the rooftop.
No. Brewing on the Stadhouderskade stopped in 1988 and moved to Zoeterwoude and Den Bosch. The copper kettles you walk past are the originals, kept as exhibits.
The standard ticket includes the guided tastings during the route and one drink at the bar at the end. The rooftop ticket includes a second drink.
Stadhouderskade 78. Tram 24 stops at Marie Heinekenplein directly outside; metro 52 to Vijzelgracht or De Pijp is about ten minutes on foot. It is a ten-minute walk from Museumplein.
