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House of Bols

House of Bols Cocktail Experience Amsterdam

House of Bols is an interactive experience that will guide you through the world of cocktails and the iconic Bols brand.

At House of Bols Cocktail Experience Amsterdam you will be taken on a journey through creating the perfect cocktail. This journey looks at all aspects: the history, flavours, how it is made and of course drinking them. Any budding Tom Cruise can also enjoy learning how to make the perfect cocktail.

Amsterdam is lucky to have so many cool drink experience venues including House of Bols, Amsterdam Ice Bar and the Heineken Experience.

House of Bols has proven to be a very popular attraction in Museum Square and is a perfect counterpoint to the areas iconic museums.

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House of Bols Tickets

There are a few choices available in terms of House of Bols tickets.

  • Bols Cocktail Experience Entrance (audio guide and one cocktail inc): €17.50
  • Bols Experience & 30-minute Cocktail Workshop (2 cocktails inc): €32.50 
  • Bols Experience & 60-minute Cocktail workshop Academy (3 cocktails inc): €46.50
  • House of Bols also offers a 25% discount on the experience entrance with I Amsterdam City Card.
cocktail abstract house of bols

House of Bols Hours

  • Sunday to Thursday: 1pm until 6.30pm
  • Friday & Saturday: 1pm until 9pm

amsterdam cocktail experience

House of Bols Cocktail Experience Amsterdam

The first thing to mention is you need to be over 18 to visit.

Once there though you will enjoy a sensory interactive experience that dives deeply into the glamour of cocktails.

Ordering a cocktail is not quite the same as ordering a beer from the tap. There is an art form involved in making them, mixing the different ingredients and the all important showmanship of the bartender when creating your favourite drink.

House of Bols Experience is made up of a series of rooms that you make your way through using either an audio guide or on your own. This part of the experience takes around 40-60 minutes depending on how long you linger. At the end you get to enjoy a cocktail in the mirror bar and perhaps appreciate its origins a little more in the process.

History Room

Here you will walk through the history of the cocktail, you find out all about Lucas Bols which is the worlds oldest distilled spirit brand.

Art of Flavour

You get to see how ingredients come together to help create perfect taste fusions.

Hall of Taste

Special effects help you experience smell, taste and colour.

Ingredient Room

Discover exhibits about an authentic genever and the ingredients that create it.

Genever Room

What is a Genever? This drink is a Dutch Gin, a traditional juniper-flavoured liquor in the Netherlands. In this room you’ll discover the history of this iconic Dutch drink.

House of Bols Mirror Bar

Spend some quality time in the mirror bar reflecting on just how great that cocktail tastes. A professional bartender will prepare your favourite(s).

Shake your own

If you have booked onto a House of Bols cocktail workshop ticket then you’ll get the chance to have some fun making your own cocktail, learning all the techniques involved.

House of Bols Amsterdam 

Should you visit?

You could I suppose, sit in a bar and ask for a cocktail and sip this looking out the window or enjoying the music.

Or you could visit House of Bols as an attraction and a museum. You’ll learn so much more about what you are drinking. This drinks attraction gives you a more sensory experience surrounded by the history and ingredients that make up the perfect cocktail. In the end, the drink you choose will be created by a Bols trained professional and taste all the sweeter for it.

Visiting House of Bols Amsterdam is a great way to spend a couple of hours. With cocktail(s) included, the price is certainly worth it when compared to high end prices of some bars.

If you are in a group and taking one of the workshops, it is great fun and sets you up perfectly for the night ahead in Amsterdam.

cocktail being made amsterdam bols

House of Bols location

How to get to House of Bols

House of Bols is situated just off Museum Square (Museumplein) across the road from Moco Museum. In this area of the city, you will find some of the biggest attractions Amsterdam offers. Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Moco Museum and Concertgebouw. Not to mention the beautiful Vondelpark is on its doorstep too.

You can reach House of Bols using Amsterdam’s public transport easily. Museumplein is on many stops of both metro lines and trams.

By Tram

Line 12 on the trams will take about 15 minutes from Central Station to Museum Square. If you have the choice then Tram Line 2 is voted as one of the most beautiful tram routes in the world and passes through Museum Square and will take about the same length of time. Learn about Amsterdam trams.

By Metro

Take Line 52 from Central Station to Vijzelgracht, from here it’s a 10-min walk. So, this Amsterdam Metro route works out a similar time to the trams.

You could also walk from Central Station to Museumplein in about 40-45 minutes if you felt like a stroll along the canals.

House of Bols Address

House of Bols
Paulus Potterstraat 14
1071 CZ Amsterdam

cocktail abstract amsterdam bols

Attractions – Alcohol in Amsterdam

Amsterdam has attractions to suit every taste. It has so many major museums and experience style attractions that the visitor will always find something amazing to do.

When it comes to alcohol in Amsterdam, outside of its amazing nightlife, bars, clubs and local brewerys, it has three fascinating experiences for anyone with an interest in drink.

There is the Ice Bar Extracold in Amsterdam that is not just cold, its made out of ice. Visiting here is a fabulous 007 style moment.

Then the Heinken Experience is a hugely popular attraction that explores the history of the Heinken Brand in Amsterdam. Set in the original premises it has created brand ambassadors throughout the world due to its interactive experience coupled with the drinks available.

House of Bols covers the cocktail side of alcohol and again offers an immersive experience all around history and experience.

Could this be the ultimate bar crawl?