With September coming up fast, it’s the perfect time to head on over to the Netherlands. Just recently, the country marked the US as “safe” due to low risk of contracting COVID-19. Fingers crossed for the other non-EU countries but luckily authorities say restrictions on travelers from even high-risk nations could be reduced if a negative Covid test result can be presented. Just a hint- never too early to start planning that Euro trip :)

If you’re looking for a serious rave in international territory, there’s no other city that does it as wild as Amsterdam. One of the most loved cities in the world, it is honestly a paradise for pleasure seekers. A big part of this is the decision taken in 2014 to appoint a night mayor to protect and grow the nightlife economy, making it the best in Europe. With that, Amsterdam has seen some long-awaited changes to policy including the introduction of 24 hour licenses for nightclubs (woot woot!).

But there’s more to this city than meets the eye. Similar to Côte d'Azur, Amsterdam is beautiful, quirky and super addictive. Home to a UNESCO World Heritage site - the 17th century Singelgracht - it's pretty much canal city over here, with special boat cruises for people and cats! It’s also a destination for cycling lovers with bike tours being the best way to sightsee. Still, most visitors can’t get enough of the beer here and after one too many Heinekens, it’s safe to say cycling near a canal isn’t the smartest idea. In the middle of those ROFL moments, you cannot go without exploring the many layers of history, culture, tradition, art and design you’ll witness. This includes the iconic Dutch windmills, never-ending fields of colourful tulips, the artwork of world-famous Dutch-born painter Rembrandt and the Amsterdam Museum where you will learn that 11 million wooden poles support the buildings in this city from sinking. It’s a wild ride! Needless to say, the city’s nightlife is easily one of its best attractions. We recommend against the Red Light district and give you a small heads up on seedy pubs but nights of hardcore clubbing are a must.

Here are 3 locations I’ve handpicked for that classic Amsterdam rave experience.

Paradiso

Standing in a historic spot inside a former church building, Paradiso has been around for a while - since 1968 to be exact - and is home to one of the most famous venues for the alternative music scene in Amsterdam. The venue has a long history of hosting concerts for world-famous bands of genres rock, pop and beyond including the White Stripes (what?!) as well as an indie band or two. But its 1500 capacity church hall is just the ticket for the most impressive acoustics around. Club nights, festivals and more are just an excuse to flock to this awesome atmospheric nightclub.

Radion

Remember that 24 hour license to party? Yeah Radion’s got one of those. So when they say non-stop partying, they mean it. Stepping into this club is an out-of-body experience because they offer more to clubbers than just music, which is a hard-driving techno pumping you up all night even if you’re a little off balance towards the end from all those refills at the bar. It’s got an industrial-chic restaurant, art exhibitions, workshops and movie screenings. Radion also has an exclusive underground smoking room where 'mini-parties’ go down in a more intimate setting where you can slow down a bit for a conversation. A sort of creative bubble in a trippy location, it’ll be one of the hippest pit stops of your alcohol-fueled night.

Escape

If Rembrandtplein is one of the city’s favourite locations after dark then Escape is the rendezvous point for dancing and clubbing. Amsterdam’s top record spinners come out to play here and that’s not all. So do the international chart-topping ones you’ll know by name - David Guetta, Tiësto, Kevin Saunderson, Paul van Dyk, and Todd Terry. Escape is a mainstay of Amsterdam’s clubbing scene and ages like fine wine. As Rihanna would say - this is what you came for! It’s a good dose of beautiful people, ritzy vibes and dance music that covers the entire spectrum of the genre - electro, house, pop and techno.