Drinking way too much is something that nearly every stag party in history has had in common. Amsterdam is a very good drinking town, especially if you like lager, but it can be expensive if you aren’t careful. A typical pint of Heineken will cost around €3.50 or €4 at most bars and even in clubs. You can find better deals though, so searching for happy hours and cheap drinks in Amsterdam can save you a lot of money.
Follow that link just above for a list of some of the better deals and happy hours in the city, as well as the details on how to self-cater drinks back in your hotel room. Fortunately, several of the best happy hours happen to be at some of the best party hostels, and the bars themselves are pretty cool as well.
For many people, the entire trip to Amsterdam feels like a “Heineken Experience” since that one brewery dominates the beer market here, but they also have a worthwhile attraction that is perfect for stag weekends. The newly-renovated Heineken Experience is a fun and interesting trip through their former Amsterdam brewery, with plenty of multi-media displays showing their advertising campaigns, the football teams they sponsor, and everything else they could think of. At the end you’ll get a couple of fresh and delicious glasses of the beer in the World Bar.
The Amsterdam beer bike
This is another very popular activity for stag weekends. You can bring between 10 and 19 people on board this giant contraption, and then drink yourselves silly as you ply an entertaining route around the city center. They’ve even added a karaoke option recently, and it’s not terribly expensive for groups.
This can be a tough part of a stag weekend, since by definition you’ll be traveling with a big group of lads, and that’s just about the last thing that most of the trendy clubs needs more of. Your best hope for some of them might be to find some ladies who’d like to go in with you, or go to places without a strict door policy.
The club situation in Amsterdam changes pretty quickly, just as it does in most other big cities, but there are three places worth noting that don’t seem to change.
Escape – This large and fairly posh club right on Rembrandtplein is considered the premiere venue for famous DJs who visit. It’s promoted by different people for every night or event, so it can be quite different from one night to the next. It holds around 2,000 people, but even so they’ll often tell tourists that it’s a “private party” and especially if you turn up with nothing but fellows. If you can make it in, it’s usually great.
Melkweg – This famous club right off Leidseplein usually has live music in the early part of the evening, and then DJs and dancing with a separate admission after that. It’s a big place that is very popular with locals, and they usually don’t have a “door policy” so getting in is usually just a matter of standing in line and paying the modest entry fee.
Paradiso – This place is very near the Melkweg, and it’s also nearly identical in every other way. There aren’t as many rooms here, but there is always more than one thing going on after the live music ends, so this is another great place for groups, and there is usually no shortage of attractive local girls and tourists as well.
A big part of that “anything goes” feeling that people get in Amsterdam, is having well over a hundred coffeeshops scattered around the city, where people can legally buy and consume small quantities of weed or hash, while chilling out in a nice atmosphere. If there are any potheads in your stag group, then you’ll definitely have to make a stop or two in one of these infamous places. Check out the main Amsterdam coffee shops FAQ for all the information on how things work and what you can order.
You might also be interested in trying out a space cake during your stay. It’s important to be careful when eating cannabis, because having too much can really knock a person out for a long time. But as long as everyone knows what they are doing, they can be really great because they’ll still be working while you are at the club or in a regular bar.
The thing that separates Amsterdam from all the other popular stag destinations, aside from the coffeeshops, is that prostitution is not only legal here, it’s a tourist attraction as well. There are also various live sex shows and other adult businesses that can come in handy on a stag weekend. Here’s a rundown of what is what, with links for much more information on each topic.
Live sex shows – These are the classic stag party activity here, as you can get pretty raunchy without ever crossing that line to actually paying for sex. There are three main options, and each works a bit differently, so you’ll want to read up on each of them.
Prostitution in Amsterdam – Yes, it’s legal, and there are actually four different ways to participate, including a couple of methods that aren’t widely publicized in most travel guides. They are all discussed below, so keep reading for a summary and links to more information.
Red Light District window girls – If you are staying in the Red Light District in Amsterdam, then you’ll likely be passing by some of these lovely ladies on a regular basis. In spite of the fact that many of them are quite stunning, the prices for their services start at €50 for 15-20 minutes, though you’ll want to read up on this, since it’s pretty easy to be disappointed if you don’t know what you are doing.
Escorts – In many places, it’s a time-honored tradition to hire a stripper to perform for the group, and then possibly perform alone with the groom-to-be. This is all legal in Amsterdam, and there are many different companies competing for your business. Most of them charge by the hour and have either a one or two-hour minimum. Many of the companies have a page for each girl stating what she will and won’t do. Most of them will do a striptease, but you can’t assume that they’ll be willing to do it in front of 10 blokes, so it helps to be clear what you want up front. Prices start around €140 per hour, with one place even cheaper than that. You might also want to have a look at our list of the hottest Amsterdam escorts, just to see whether it might be worth it or not.
Brothels and private houses – These places probably aren’t a good choice for stag groups, because they are mainly catering to privacy, rather than a wild group outing. But if one or more people in your group want to get laid, then this is one of the better and cheaper ways.
Sex clubs – Amsterdam’s famous sex clubs are different from its famous live sex shows mentioned above. In these sex clubs, you’ll (usually) pay to enter a bar/nightclub setting, where you’ll have the opportunity to decide which girl you’d like to spend private time with in one of the bedrooms in back or upstairs. This can be fun for stag groups, but there are a couple of different parts to this that can cost a fortune, so it’s good to know about all of that in advance.
Sex Museum and Erotic Museum
These are similar and not far apart, but the Sex Museum is way better as well as cheaper than the Erotic Museum. Find out more about all the weird museums in Amsterdam, along with all the serious ones, just in case you get tired of having fun.
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