It is hard to be objective when it comes to assessing the quality of dance teachers or dance…read moreschools, so I'll try and avoid that pitfall and stick to some of those things that some people call "facts". This dance school is small. Or more accurately, the dance floor is small. And that is probably the biggest disadvantage of this school. In second place would be the lack of air flow, resulting in it becoming a bit too hot. Many tango schools have a bar but this one is too small for a bar. Having said that, there is a dedicated group of tango students who continue to take lessons here. The aforementioned disadvantages don't seem to mean much to them. One of the advantages of its size is that many of the students know each other. And the lack of a bar isn't such an issue when a bottle of wine appears out of nowhere at the end of the evening. What makes this tango school stand out from others? Lessons are given in blocks of five. (It's a personal thing, but I find short blocks much better than long ones that might be 10 or 14 weeks long. Fourteen weeks sounds like a punishment!) They have a "tango fitness" class - a cross between a tango lesson and an aerobics class, which I don't think is available elsewhere. It is the only place I know of that has lessons for show tango or stage tango. When you have gone through the late nights, the early starts, the hours of rehearsals necessary for such a show, your fellow performers take on a much different role than "fellow students". And that might be the secret of the place.

It's the blue floor. The blue linoleum floor. It is so undeserving of tango dancers. Such a…read moresensual, initimate dance. Other venues bait dancers with their wooden floors. Or better still, their "floating" wooden floor. The blue floor, the low ceiling, the four pillars that always get in the way and being on the fourth floor of a building facing the Melkweg, don't combine to make this the ideal tango venue. That's enough about the floor! Academia is one of the oldest tango schools in Amsterdam. And one of the largest. (Aside: many parties claim to have been the first to bring tango to the Netherlands; there are many stories, many contradictions and I take them all with a pinch of salt. Actually, a handful of salt.) They offer lessons five evenings a week, from a variety of teachers. Some schools offer lessons three or four evenings, but then always from the same teachers. While other schools might have lessons only once or twice each week. This is probably the most attractive thing about Academia: choice of evenings, choice of teachers, and a chance to have a catch-up lesson should you miss on. It is also worth mentioning that Academia is very centrally located, has a bar, seating all around the dance floor and a nice, old fashioned atmosphere. Some venues play a mixture of traditional and modern ("neo") tango or even non-tango, but here you shoukd expect to hear only traditional tango.

From the owner: Tango Argentino: Lessen, workshops, choreografie, privé lessen, salons met optredens /live muziekread more

This is a very nice Cuban salsa school also offering Kizomba, Bachata, Rueda and Ladies Styling…read moreclasses. They teach M-F in two rooms and have a wide range of offerings from beginner to advanced, from 6-10pm. They are in partnership with Cafe Sao Paulo next door to offer dance nights a few times a week. The teachers are good and students friendly. They also have experienced dancers who aren't officially teachers to help even out the M/F ratio; I've never had to stand on the side waiting for a guy to "open up." Compared with other schools I've been to, class sizes are smaller and you get more personalized attention.

Just positive things about this school. Such a wonderful place (in the centre of Amsterdam) to…read moreenjoy my first salsa steps. Atmosphere is really cosy and made a lot of new friends. The level of the lessons is quite challenging but at the same time with a lot of fun. After few months I was able to dance with intermediate and advanced (from other schools) with no single problem at all. Last but not least, Rodolfo is a great teacher, you will notice that from the beginning (I did!!!). His level of salsa expertise is above the level of other teachers I have seen in The Netherlands.

At this address you will find Zaal 100, a podium for jazz, spoken word and experimental music; also…read moreRestaurant 100 that serves only vegetarian (often vegan) food at very low prices and, of relevance to this review, Studio 100. The latter is a high-ceilinged room with climbing frames along one wall and was the gym in the school that this building once was. I know, it doesn't sound very attractive. But read on. Every Wednesday evening, Studio 100 becomes Tangoland. This is one of only two places in Amsterdam where you can come for a drop-in lesson. No commitment, no planning, just one and a half hours of of tango instruction. As I mentioned in another review, I wil try and avoid rating subjective qualities such as the quality of teaching, but one thing that helps make the lessons here so worthwhile is the small size of the class. Instead of having 13 couple competing for the attention of the teachers, here five couples will do just that on a busy evening. On a quite evening you will get evenb more attention. Last week, no one else turned up so my partner and I had a private lesson. That is nice! Some points worth noting: there is only one lesson/workshop per week, so levels are mixed. The teachers do adjust to each pair's ability and the more experienced dancers will be given more challenging exercises to work on. The lesson is not suited to beginners. If you have a good basis of tango, then you can come here. After the lesson/workshop, there is free dancing ("milonga" or "salon" in the vernacular). Because of the low attendance figures, this will probably feel more intimidating than other salons, where you can hide in the background until you're ready to take the floor. The way how everyone is huddled around one table that makes it seem like the rest of the world is locked out. But nothing could be further from the truth - the regulars here are open to newcomers and welcome them with open arms. Or a close embrace ;-) Did I mention that this might be the best dance floor in Amsterdam? And that it is free to come and dance after the lesson? (The lesson ends around 22:00.) If you have an allergy to 14-week long courses or just want some extra instruction, you might want to pop along here some Wednesday.

Nice bar for an outdoor afternoon, or a late evening. quite…read morelarge terrace in the sun until late. Nice cocktails and some bar food. They have live music inside very often. Nice owners.

Gorgeous little club with delicious cocktails. Went through 3 espresso martinis; they were a little…read morepricey as live shows like this usually are but we didn't mind. It fills up QUICKLY, we got there at 7:50 and it was too early to go in. We would've been the first people inside, came back by 8:30 and it was COMPLETELY full. So go early or you'll have to stand and can't see. Will definitely be a reoccurring spot for me when I visit. Band was amazing!

Really great atmosphere and service, also saw Ariana Grande here! Would recommend 100%read more

If you're looking for an amazing live band to dance to, this is the place. It's almost like it's a…read moremini-concert. Extremely talented group of people here.

It was a cool spot to check live music. I actually didn't find many like it that played Jazz/Blues…read more One issue, I saw that they offered rum for 5 euros, I asked for a rum and coke and they were like that will be 8 euros. I was like damn, I thought it was 5 euros, the bartender said, you asked for a coke, that's why it's extra. Ok, I got screwed there!

If you dig a cozy, historic, "conversation bar," this is a place for you. I liken it to Vesuvio…read moreCafé in San Francisco and McSorley's in NYC. Friendly, sane, and gently dusted by time.

What a gem of a place. Dusty in the right way, welcoming, oozing history and delicious GTs. A+++read more

Paradiso had a very cool atmosphere as it was built inside the church. Get tickets before for a…read morelower fee. We paid €20 on a Friday night and it wasn't crazy fun of a crowd. It was latin night where the salsa was fun but there weren't that many people.

This place is right along the river behind the Hard Rock Cafe. It's hard to miss this enormous…read morechurch looking building. My one gripe, which I expected because I've been to Amsterdam before, is the 4 euro membership charge for concerts. I'm sure it's well known among locals but beware that your ticket price will not be the only charge. The inside of this venue is beautiful. We were there to see Kevin Devine. He was playing in the smaller room upstairs. They had a full bar and a very intimate feel. Sound and lighting was great. Always an awesome time when I get to see KD.