Heineken Experience

The Heineken Experience is Amsterdam's most popular brand attraction, and even visitors who are not beer devotees tend to enjoy it more than they expect. It occupies the brewery that Gerard Adriaan Heineken built on the Stadhouderskade in the 1860s after buying an old Amsterdam brewery, De Hooiberg, and turning it into the foundation of what became one of the largest beer companies in the world. Brewing on the site stopped in the late 1980s, when production moved to bigger plants outside the city, and the old building was opened to visitors as an information centre that has since grown into a full interactive attraction. The self-guided route takes you through the company's history — the family, the advertising, the famous green bottle and red star — and through the brewing process itself, with the huge copper kettles of the old brewhouse, a demonstration of the ingredients and an introduction to Heineken's own yeast strain. Interactive rooms let you see brewing from the beer's point of view, there is a lesson in tasting and pouring, and the tour finishes in a bar where adult visitors get their included drinks. Combination tickets add extras such as a canal boat trip or a rooftop drink, depending on the package. Visitors must be 18 or over to drink, and ID is checked; under-18s can visit with an adult and receive a soft drink instead. Tickets are sold online for timed slots and are cheaper than at the door; the experience is very popular on weekends and in the late afternoon, so book ahead. The location is convenient: the brewery stands on the corner of De Pijp, a few minutes' walk from the Rijksmuseum and the Albert Cuyp Market.

What to expect inside: the route is self-paced and takes about an hour and a half, through a series of rooms that mix genuine brewery heritage with high-energy marketing. The historic highlights are the old brewhouse with its copper kettles, the stables that once housed the brewery's dray horses (Heineken still keeps Shire horses for promotional events), and displays of advertising through the decades. The more modern sections are loud, bright and interactive, with immersive projections and games, and the tasting lesson teaches you how to taste a lager properly. The brewery has announced a renovation of around fourteen months that moves the entrance into a new, more spacious entrance hall and puts the copper kettles and the historic facade in the spotlight; the attraction stays open throughout, and most of the tour is unaffected, though the entrance area may look different at different stages. Be honest with yourself about what you want: this is a celebration of a global brand rather than a craft-beer tour, and enthusiasts of small-batch brewing may prefer a visit to one of Amsterdam's independent breweries, such as the windmill brewery at the Gooyer windmill in the east of the city.

Visiting well: book online for the time you want — weekday mornings are the quietest — and bring ID if you look anywhere near the drinking age. Bags are restricted, so travel light. Allow time at the end for the bar and the shop, where you can personalise a bottle. Weekends, especially in the late afternoon and around big football matches, can be crowded and boisterous, which suits groups of friends more than families. If you have bought a combination ticket with a canal cruise, check the separate departure point and time for the boat. The building is largely accessible, with lifts between floors, but check the official information if you have specific access needs.

Around the brewery: the Heineken Experience sits on the Stadhouderskade at the northern edge of De Pijp, Amsterdam's liveliest neighbourhood for food and drink. Walk a few minutes south to the Albert Cuyp Market for stroopwafels and herring, explore the cafés and restaurants around the Sarphatipark, or cross the canal to the Museum Quarter for the Rijksmuseum and the Vondelpark. For groups of friends, the brewery visit makes a good afternoon start to an evening in De Pijp; for families, keep it to a weekday morning and follow it with the market and the park.