Amsterdam Travel Guide (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Amsterdam is a gathering spot for fringe performances, and buzzes with places offering a wide and often inventive range of affordable entertainment. Rock , jazz and Latin American music are well represented in a number of small bars and clubs but the club scene is relatively tame: drinks prices are normally fifty percent or so more than what you pay in a bar, but entry prices are low - usually around €7 - and there's rarely any kind of door policy. Most places open around 10pm and close around 4am or slightly later. For more highbrow entertainment, the Concertgebouw assures Amsterdam a high ranking in the classical music stakes, and the city has also pulled itself up into the big leagues for dance and opera . The best source of information is the Uitburo , or AUB , in the Stadsschouwburg theatre on the corner of Marnixstraat and Leidseplein (daily 10am-6pm, Thurs until 9pm; tel 020/621 1211 or tel 0900/0191). They stock the free bimonthly Pop & Jazz Uitlijst and sell tickets for a small fee; you can also buy tickets for most events from the VVV. Saturday's Het Parool newspaper has good listings .