Amsterdam - Leidseplein

Amsterdam's second-largest amusement and entertainment center (after the Rembrandtplein) caters for all tastes with two theaters (the Municipal Theater and De Balie, formerly a prison), countless cinemas, hotels and restaurants in every price-category, night clubs, bars, cabarets and pubs. From Shakespeare to striptease, it's all there on the Leidseplein which pulsates with life until well into the night. The lively atmosphere of the Leidseplein is not a modern phenomenon. It was here that the farmers used to leave their carts and have their horses looked after when they came into town for the market. Today the square's cosmopolitan atmosphere comes from the Stadschouwburg (Municipal Theater), the Hotel Américain and pavement cafes (including the Cafe Reynders, a meeting place for artists and journalists) and, last but not least, the many visitors both from home and abroad.