Heineken Experience - Brewing Mastery in De Pijp

A brewery with a rich tradition and one of the largest beer producers in the world: We visited the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam and compiled the most important information for you.

The old brewery is located in Amsterdam South and was converted into an experience museum a few years ago. On the edge of the lively De Pijp neighborhood, you can explore the rich and successful history of the brewery with all your senses.

One thing you should definitely not expect here is a brewery tour through a dusty museum. The Heineken Experience is an entertaining experience with lots of interesting attractions.

• »  Heineken Experience at a glance - Opening hours, prices and tickets
• »  5 interesting facts - Gigantic kettles and 250 types of beer
• »  How to get to the Heineken Experience - Directions with map
• »  Our conclusion - Is a visit to the Heineken Experience worth it?

Read on: In the next part, you'll find out everything about tickets and opening hours, how to get to the Heineken Experience and whether it's worth a visit.

Hours and Tickets - The Heineken Experience at a Glance

The brewery claims to brew the best beer in the world. This is, of course, a matter of taste, and Bavarians would fiercely disagree. In any case, it is the most international beer – you can get a bottle of Heineken even in the most remote corners of the world.

Adults (18+) pay 23 euros at the Heineken Experience. With online tickets you save time in line in front of the ticket office. Please note that you must be at least 18 years old to visit the Heineken Experience.

Opening hours of the Heineken Experience

• Sunday to Thursday from 10:30 am to 7:30 pm
• On Friday and Saturday is open from 10:30 am to 9 pm

The regular self-guided tour takes about one and a half hours. So you should plan about two hours for a visit. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed to enter.

After visiting the glorious facilities of the brewery built in 1864, you can have a look at, taste, feel and smell the ingredients for a great beer – a real 4D tasting!

This is what awaits you at the Heineken Experience:

• Explore the brewing process - Learn all about ingredients and processes used to make beer and experience the process from the perspective of a beer molecule.
• Beer tapping training and free beer - Learn how to properly tap and drink beer and enjoy two free beers at the bar.
• Interactive areas - Use amenities like foosball, karaoke stations, photobooth and more.
• Self-determined tour duration - Spend 1.5 to 2 hours (or longer if you like) at the brewery.

What else is important:

The building is barrier-free and accessible by wheelchair. An exception is the area of the horse stables, for which there is an alternative route with a lift. Wheelchair users are escorted by a member of staff.

• You can use the free wardrobe to have your hands free during the tour.
• Guided tours of the escorted areas of the Heineken Experience are conducted in English.
• In the Netherlands, the consumption of alcohol is only permitted from the age of 18.

Stay tuned! In the next part, we'll reveal 5 exciting facts about the Heineken Experience and explain how to get there.

5 interesting facts about the Heineken Experience

Even ahead of Budweiser, Becks and Guinness: the Dutch favorite beer easily takes first place among the world's biggest beer brands. But its gigantic size is not the only exciting thing about Heineken.

Heineken is the second largest beer producer in the world. The traditional brewery has long since become a gigantic industrial group. In addition to the classic Heineken Pils, the company sells and brews around 250 types of beer in 70 countries.

1. Historic walls - The Heineken brewery was founded in Amsterdam in 1868 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken. The building he had built for the brewery now houses the Heineken Experience.
2. With quality to success - Heineken quickly became one of the first premium export beers in the Netherlands. The secret of its success lies in its natural ingredients: Water, hops, barley malt and A yeast, which give the beer its full-bodied and slightly spicy flavor.
3. Good beer takes time - The brewing process for a Heineken beer takes 28 days, longer than usual, due to the brewery's special focus on quality and taste.
4. Horse stables and old brewing kettles - In 1991, the original brewery, which closed in 1988 due to capacity problems, was transformed into a tourist attraction. Parts of the original facility, such as the disused stables and the impressive beer kettles, you can still visit today.
5. From Amsterdam to the whole world - Today, Heineken is a multinational company and one of the largest beer producers in the world. About 25 million glasses of Heineken are drunk every day and the beer is exported to around 170 countries.

Those were our 5 exciting facts. Of course, we don't want to reveal too much so as not to spoil the surprise: There is much more to discover on site. In the last part you will find directions and our conclusion.

Your Tour Recommendations

Map and Directions to the Heineken Experience

Walking: It is quite a distance to walk from the main station to Amsterdam South, which will take you around 30 minutes.

Address: Stadhouderskade 78, 1072 AE Amsterdam

Trams: From the main station, you can take trams number 16, 24, 25. Get off at the stop Stadhouderskade. Here you can buy discounted tram tickets.

Because you are just nearby: Not far from the Heineken brewery you will find other exciting sights. It is only a 5 to 10 minute walk to the Museumplein with its wonderful museums like the Rijksmuseum, the Moco Museum and the Van Gogh Museum. Right next to it you will find the popular Vondelpark.

Conclusion - Is a Visit to Heineken Experience Worth It?

The Heineken Experience is more than a simple brewery tour. It's a mix of history, science, art and, of course, beer. We particularly liked the opportunity to follow and understand the entire brewing process.

The interactive stations, such as tapping the beer ourselves and simulating the brewing process, were super exciting and educational. In addition, the staff was extremely friendly and well informed, which made our visit even more enjoyable.

After the brewery tour, there is a lot of information about the history of the company. Of course, there is also a bit of self-promotion. The insights into the sales and marketing of such a large corporation are very interesting - all in all, the Heineken Experience is very entertaining and varied.

What we did not like so much

While the Heineken Experience is well organized overall, we found that the tour was a bit crowded. This led to longer waits at some of the stations. To get around this, we recommend visiting during the week, before 1pm. That's when it's the least busy.

Recommended tickets:

• Ticket for the Heineken Experience - book online and skip the line
• VIP ticket for the Heineken Experience - Including guide, beer tasting and hidden bar

That was our big overview of the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam. Write us a comment and tell us what impressed you the most. We say cheers 🍻 and look forward to hearing from you!

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