Melkweg

A multi-floor cultural center in a former dairy factory, and one of Amsterdam's two legendary music venues (the other being Paradiso across the street). The building houses four music halls of different sizes, a cinema, a photography gallery, a theatre space, and a cafe. The programming is broader than Paradiso and leans more international, with everything from hip-hop to experimental electronic to world music on the calendar.

The main hall holds 1,500 people with a proper concert sound system. The smaller OZ hall is where you catch emerging acts before they blow up. The cinema screens independent and documentary films that you won't find at the multiplex. The gallery space hosts rotating photography and art exhibitions, usually free with your event ticket.

Like Paradiso, it sits on Leidseplein, but the entrance is around the corner on Lijnbaansgracht, which feels much calmer than the square itself. The cafe upstairs opens before shows and is a good spot to have a beer without the Leidseplein markup. On weekends, the club nights run late and the building transforms into a multi-room party venue. Melkweg started as a squat in 1970 and has kept that slightly anarchic, anything-goes energy even as it's become a fully professional operation. Check the monthly calendar, there's something good on almost every night.