Pubgolf in Amsterdam: A Guide for UK Groups

Updated August 2026

Yes, you can play Pubgolf in Amsterdam, and it suits the city well. The centre is compact and flat, most bars sit within a twenty minute walk of each other, and Dutch beer comes in smaller glasses than a British pint, which changes how a round plays. PubgolfClub runs Amsterdam through its Dutch club, with the route delivered online.

Can you play Pubgolf in Amsterdam?

You can. Amsterdam is one of the cities PubgolfClub has mapped as a ready made route, playable as 9 or 18 holes from your phone. You get the running order, a set drink and a par for each stop, and a shared scorecard for the group, exactly like the UK editions but built around Amsterdam's own neighbourhoods.

What makes the city work for this format is the layout. Amsterdam's centre is walkable in a way most British cities are not: the canal ring is dense, flat, and full of bars that sit two minutes apart. You spend your evening playing rather than walking between districts.

How is Pubgolf in Amsterdam different from a UK round?

Three things change: the glass sizes, the pace and the etiquette. Dutch beer is usually served in a 25cl glass rather than a British pint, so a par that feels normal in Leeds behaves differently in Amsterdam. Bars are also smaller, and the city is far stricter about noise and crowds than it was a decade ago.

The glass difference matters most for scoring. A standard Dutch beer, a vaasje, is roughly 250ml, and the smaller fluitje is around 200ml. Compared with a 568ml British pint that is well under half the volume, so a round moves faster and the pars are set accordingly.

The second difference is the walking. In Manchester or Birmingham a route might stretch across a mile or more of city centre. In Amsterdam the same 9 holes can sit inside a few connected streets, which means shorter gaps between stops and a tighter evening.

Which areas of Amsterdam suit a Pubgolf route?

The Jordaan, De Pijp and the streets around Nieuwmarkt are the strongest areas for a walkable round. Each has a high density of bars, short distances between them, and enough variety that nine stops do not feel repetitive. Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein are busier and louder, better suited to a bigger group.

A quick read on the main areas:

• Jordaan. Narrow streets, brown cafés, a local feel. The most pleasant area to walk a route on a mild evening.
• De Pijp. South of the centre, younger crowd, lots of small bars in a tight grid. Excellent for a compact round.
• Nieuwmarkt and the surrounding lanes. Central, historic, and close to everything else.
• Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein. The loudest options, geared to nightlife and large groups. Expect queues at weekends.
• The Red Light District. Central but heavily policed for group behaviour, and the area many locals would rather visitors skipped. Read the section below before planning anything here.

What do Dutch bars serve for a Pubgolf round?

Beer, jenever and the standard spirits, plus a strong tradition of the borrel, the Dutch after work drink. A route usually mixes beer with one or two local options so the card is not nine identical glasses. Every bar will have alcohol free beer, which is well established in the Netherlands.

Two things a British group will not know:

• Jenever. A Dutch spirit served in a small tulip glass filled to the brim, traditionally drunk with your hands behind your back on the first sip. A well known local ritual, and a natural fit for a hole with a low par.
• Bitterballen. Not a drink, but the standard bar snack. Order them early in the round, not late.

What are the local rules UK groups get caught out by?

Amsterdam has tightened its rules on group nightlife considerably in recent years, including restrictions on guided pub crawls in the city centre. Playing your own route is a different thing from joining an organised tour, but the underlying expectation is the same: keep the group small enough to move, and keep the noise down on residential streets.

Practical points worth knowing before you arrive:

• The legal drinking age is 18, the same as the UK, and Dutch bars check identification regularly.
• Do not walk in the bike lanes. This is the single most common visitor mistake. Cyclists have right of way and they will not slow down.
• Large groups get refused. Many smaller bars will not take a party of twelve arriving at once. Split into twos and threes at the door.
• Photography rules are enforced in parts of the centre, and fines are real.
• English is spoken everywhere, so there is no language barrier at the bar.

None of this makes Amsterdam a difficult city for a round. It does mean the groups who enjoy it most are the ones who treat it as a game to play rather than a list to get through.

How much does Pubgolf in Amsterdam cost?

The Amsterdam route costs €14,95 for 9 holes and €16,95 for 18, bought once for the group rather than per person. That covers the mapped route, the game cards with the challenges and rules, the scorecard and the live leaderboard. Your drinks are bought and paid for at each bar as you go.

Set against a British city break that is a small line in the budget, and it replaces the hour or two somebody would otherwise spend planning where to go. The route is delivered online, so there is nothing to collect and nothing to carry.

When is the best time to play?

Late afternoon into the evening works best, starting around five. Amsterdam bars fill up early and the smaller places in the Jordaan and De Pijp are far easier to get a group into before eight. Starting late means queuing, and queuing ruins the rhythm of a round.

By season, April to September gives you the terraces, which makes a big difference to how a route feels. Winter rounds work too, but pick an area with short gaps between stops so nobody spends the evening walking in the rain.

Amsterdam Pubgolf questions

Is Pubgolf in Amsterdam suitable for a stag or hen do?

Yes, and it is one of the more considerate ways to run one there. A scored route keeps the group moving between bars with a shared purpose, which is precisely the behaviour the city asks for. Keep the party under about twelve for the smaller venues.

How long does a round take in Amsterdam?

Around two to three hours for 9 holes, and a full afternoon or evening for 18. Because the distances between bars are short, an Amsterdam round tends to run slightly quicker than the same number of holes in a large British city.

Do you need to speak Dutch?

No. English is spoken in effectively every bar in central Amsterdam, and the route itself is straightforward to follow on a phone.

Can you play without drinking alcohol?

Yes. Alcohol free beer is widely available across Dutch bars, and anyone playing that way scores the same as everyone else. Pubgolf is strictly 18+.

Get the Amsterdam route

Amsterdam is run by the Dutch side of the club, so the route lives there rather than on this site. It is fully online, delivered digitally with the route, the game cards, the scorecard and the live leaderboard: Pubgolf Amsterdam, 9 holes from €14,95 at PubgolfClub Nederland. The page is in Dutch and priced in euros, which is worth knowing before you click.

Staying in the UK instead? PubgolfClub has ready made editions for 45 UK cities and 5 in Ireland on the Pubgolf by City page. If you are planning the trip as a stag do, the stag do Pubgolf page covers the organising, and the outfit guide handles what everyone wears. New to the format? Start with How to Play.