ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE
Enter IceBar Amsterdam, the coolest bar in town. A bar unlike any other in Amsterdam, where it’s cold all year round. We invite you on a journey to the north pole, and provide you with a warm coat, gloves and three (3) free drinks!
ESSENTIALS
3 drinks included, 1 in the front bar and 2 in the ice bar
Warm Icebar coat and gloves are provided to survive the icy cold
The experience lasts about 45 minutes, with 20 minutes in the Icebar (if you can last that long), and unlimited time at the warm bar!
Minimum age is 18
Valid ID required
Free rescheduling or cancellation up to 8 hours in advance
E-ticket immediately available on smartphone
What is the Amsterdam Icebar
Right in the centre, there’s a place cooler than anywhere else in the city: The Amsterdam Icebar. Made entirely out of natural ice, the ice bar is a wonderful space, filled with ice sculptures, ice walls and an actual bar made of ice. This unique place is made out of tons and tons of natural ice, and kept at a steady -10°C, or 14°F, to make sure nothing melts. Every visit to the Icebar comes with three free drinks, and your drinks inside the Icebar are served in glasses made out of real ice! The Amsterdam Icebar is a must-visit spot when in town, one of the top attractions in the city, and truly cool.
What to expect at the Amsterdam Icebar
The Amsterdam Icebar is located right in the city centre, by the Amstel river and around the corner from Rembrandtplein. The Amsterdam Icebar is inspired by Amsterdam’s long history of seafaring and exploring, including in the arctic, and will take you on a journey straight to the north pole. The experience consists of two parts.
First, when you check in, you will get three tokens, one gold and two silver, which you can exchange for your free drinks. After checking in, you will be brought to our warm front bar, an authentic sailor’s tavern, where you can grab your first drink with your gold token. Here we serve delicious cocktails, shots, and ice cold beer, to help you warm up before you head into the ice. Sit down, and enjoy the warmth… while you can.
When it's your time to enter the Icebar, which is the time of your time slot, you will be called by a ship bell. You are guided by Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz, who sailed towards the north pole and got lost in the ice. After the introduction you are brought to the entrance, where you get your jacket and gloves. Get ready to enter the Amsterdam Icebar. Brace yourself!
Step into -10°C, where everything, from the walls to the furniture, is made out of ice. Explore, look around, and try not to freeze while you do so. Inside the ice bar you can exchange your two silver coins for two drinks of choice, served in a glass made of actual ice! Try one of our delicious flavoured Icebar vodka shots, including nougat, coconut and whip cream. We also have sambuca, ice cold Heineken and a healthy glass of orange juice. Check out the menu in case you’re curious.
Inside the Icebar, you can also get your photo taken by our photographer. No worries, our cameras don’t freeze. You can pick up your photo at the photo desk afterwards, or check it online. So pose, smile, dance and enjoy your ice cold drinks! Your visit to the Icebar will be approximately 20 minutes, if you can stand the cold that long. After that you are free to grab another tasty cocktail at the front bar, or head out for your next adventure in Amsterdam.
PRACTICAL INFO
Check in 20 minutes in advance, giving you time to enjoy your free drink in the front bar
See our contact page for the current times
Wear what you like! Open shoes or bare legs are not recommended
Wheelchair accessible
Free access to bathroom
Free wifi throughout the bar
For more information, email hello@xtracold.com
The Amsterdam Icebar is not just a cold place, it is inspired by an actual historical voyage from Amsterdam to the north pole. Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz left the city in 1596 to head up north, and find a way to Asia through the Northern Passage, on the Arctic sea. For a while, the trip went well, until they got halfway, where they got stuck between icebergs. They ended up stranded on Nova Zembla, close to the North Pole, and surrounded by polar bears.
The crew was stuck on the island, and couldn’t go anywhere. To stay safe, they built a cabin from driftwood and planks of their ship, which they called Het Behouden Huys, the Saved House. Barentsz and his crew were stuck on the island for more than a year, with little food, and under constant threat from polar bears and icy winds. The bears even moved into the ship, and with their primitive guns the crew could barely defend themselves. Meanwhile, the cold was so extreme that when the crew attempted to warm their feet by the fire, their socks would burn before they got warm.
After a few months in the cold, the surviving crew members decided to take their chance and head out. From their open rafts they headed out into the sea back home, travelling for seven weeks. Willem Barentsz died a few days after departure, but 12 of the 17 remaining sailors survived and made it to Russia, after which they were brought back to Amsterdam by a Dutch merchants’ ship. This history has been recorded in the diary of one of the crew members, and is well known in Dutch history.
Today, we honour the legacy of Willem Barentz in the Amsterdam Icebar. Our front bar is sailor themed, with ice sculptures related to the expedition, and when it's your time to head into the ice, a ship’s bell will sound! The ice bar is home to a real polar bear ice sculpture and a ship’s wheel and more. And in the cold you’ll feel like you are stranded on the north pole. But if you get cold or scared, you are of course allowed to leave.
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