15 Best Performing Arts Venues in Amsterdam, Netherlands

The city's official website is a one-stop guide to all that's happening in Amsterdam and will link you to the cultural venues where you can purchase tickets.

This theater's historic Art Deco ambience takes visitors back to the 1920s, perfectly setting the stage for art-house, indie, and international flicks.

Sleek, modern decor fills the lounge of this arthouse theater opposite the Melkweg, while four screens downstairs play independent, international films, and documentaries including some expat-friendly screenings with English subtitles.

This center for innovative and experimental theater has four venues where it puts on plays, often with an eye towards international audiences.

Although increasingly focused on commercial and large-scale musicals, this former circus theater (that still houses the annual World Christmas Circus) also schedules acclaimed Eastern European ballet and opera companies. International stars can be seen, too: Tom Waits, Idina Menzel, Dionne Warwick, and David Sedaris have all performed here.

This cinema has been run by students since the end of World War II and reflects their world-embracing tastes (especially during the late showings of cult films). The adjoining café is always buzzing with chatty humanities types, but that's not to say that the long-graduated among us are unwelcome.

Former industrial shipyards have been reinvented as, quite possibly, the city's largest broedplaats, or "breeding ground" for the arts, where regular theater performances and festivals take place. And with a ferry departing from behind Centraal Station, getting here could not be easier.

Since 1921, this eclectic Art Deco reverie has been the most dazzling place for moviegoers to escape from reality. Owned by the country's main movie distributor, the theater has six screens showing the latest Hollywood blockbusters and the occasional art-house number. Before the lights go out, enjoy the beautiful interior of the main room.

Alternatively, head to nearby Pathé de Munt, the largest cinema in the city center. With 13 screens, showing the latest mainstream films, it's a typical blockbuster venue. Don't expect much charm, but there will be plenty of legroom, a state-of-the-art sound system, and huge screens. There are also sister theaters near Leidseplein (Pathé City) and in Zuid-Oost (Pathé Arena). All tickets can be booked via www.pathe.nl.

Away from the madding crowds, this little old-worldly 1920s theater is noted for showing art-house cinema and more highbrow film classics. If you're looking to see a non-English language film, the best time to visit is on Monday evening when it's Expat Night and all subtitles are in English.

The Amsterdam foundation Kriterion, which has been promoting student-run business ventures since World War II, has added yet another venue to its résumé. This two-screen theater shows not only art-house and foreign films, but with a club, theater, open stage, and a restaurant-bar, it's a multidisciplinarian's dream come true.

This theater is the main venue for Flemish culture in the city but also plays host to the IDFA documentary film festival and other events. An atmospheric café with a terrace is perfect for pre- or post-viewing pleasure.