Looking for a cosy spot to focus on your studying or work in Amsterdam? Well, you’re in luck because we’ve compiled a list of the best cafés in Amsterdam to buckle down and get stuff done! 👏🏼
Let’s be honest; sitting at the same desk and staring at the same walls every day for hours on end messes with your focus.
But if you’re living in Amsterdam, you have a ton of great options for studying and working outside of your home.
Oh, and it goes without saying, but all of these spots have top-quality coffee to help you power all your tasks! 💪🏼☕️
1. Volkshotel
The Volkshotel is a trendy spot for students in Amsterdam and at the top of our list. Located in central Amsterdam across the Amstel river, the hotel has a werkplaats (working area), with plenty of indoor and outdoor study spaces. They even work CABINS! How gezellig is that?
Have a group project or need to schedule a work meeting? The Volkshotel has lots of meeting rooms that you can book for group sessions. 🙌🏼
🕐 Opening times: Every day from 7:00 AM to 1:00 AM
📍 Location: Wibautstraat 150, 1091 GR Amsterdam
2. Coffee & Coconuts
A former cinema built in the roaring ’20s, Coffee & Coconuts is now home to a relaxing and easy-going environment. A great place to study, especially if you feel anxious about your workload. It will make you feel like you’re on a holiday getaway with its bohemian atmosphere.
They offer a menu of mostly organic and locally-sourced food, as well as freshly roasted beans from every continent in the world (with the exception of Antarctica obviously). 🌿
🕐 Opening times: Every day from 7 AM to 5 PM
📍 Location: Ceintuurbaan 282-284, 1072 GK Amsterdam
3. Coffee Bru
The perfect coffee spot for socialising, meetings, and alone time, Coffee Bru has comfortable seats and a quirky atmosphere. It’s also a great spot to take aesthetic photos for the ‘gram! 😉 On top of the amazing coffee, they also have delicious desserts and even a white chocolate cheesecake that’s to DIE for!
🕐 Opening hours: 8 AM to 4 PM
📍 Location: Beukenplein 14, 1092 KG Amsterdam
4. Back to Black
Are you super serious about coffee? Well, then this is the spot for you! Along with the coffee bar, Back to Black boasts own their own roastery and produces high-quality sustainable coffee — and many call it the best coffee they have had. They also offer barista and latte art workshops so you know they’re not messing around!
The comfy layout is perfect for studying, with tons of seating to work solo or in a group.
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 AM to 6 PM; Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 6 PM
📍 Location: Weteringstraat 48, 1017 SP Amsterdam
5. Bocca
Looking for a clean, minimalist atmosphere for your focused work sessions — Bocca’s got your back. They also boast their own coffee workshops and have their own and even make their own beans. However, the café charges €6 per hour to study/work there but you do get 1 free drink that’s included with the price.
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 AM to 6 PM; Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 7 PM
📍 Location: Kerkstraat 96H, 1017 GP Amsterdam
6. Rum Baba Cafe
They call themselves “your happy eclectic home away from home”. Rum Baba is undeniably cosy and get this — they have their own bakery just a few doors down for your sweet tooth. 🥐 There’s plenty of seating, including a long wooden table perfect for groups. On sunny days, you can also work outside and take in that sweet vitamin D.
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 10 AM to 4:30 PM; Friday 8 AM to 5 PM; Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM
📍Location: Pretoriusstraat 33h, 1092 EX Amsterdam
7. The Coffee Virus — A Lab
With two locations in the city already and more to come, the Coffee Virus is spreading (a really ironic name for these COVID-19 times 😩). A hidden gem, the café is discretely located in one of Shell’s old laboratories. It’s famous for its great coffee and amazing chai tea and offers a a relaxedenviornment for studying.
It’s also a popular spot for building connections with startups, creatives, and freelancers. 🤓
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9 AM to 4:30 PM; closed on Saturday and Sunday
📍 Location: Overhoeksplein 2, 1031 KS Amsterdam
8. Espressofabriek
Espressofabriek is known as the ideal meeting place in the heart of Westerpark. It has a spacious room with plenty of seating, perfect for silent studying. They have expanded to two different locations, roast their own quality coffee and bottle their own Iced Cascara.
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 4 PM; Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM
📍 Location: Pazzanistraat 39, 1014 DB Amsterdam
9. White Label Coffee
White Label Coffee says they focus on quality to give as a better cup of coffee and to pay producers fairly in Rwanda and Brazil (yay to fair trade!). The café has long tables perfect for studying and SO MANY nice plants for all you greenthumbs out there! 🌿 Don’t get too distracted snapping photos.
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 7 AM to 6 PM; Saturday to Sunday 8 AM to 6 PM
📍 Location: Jan Evertsenstraat 136, 1056 EK Amsterdam
10. Lot Sixty One
Their motto “stay caffeinated” is something we can get behind. 😉 The nicest part of the place — you can watch them hand roast your coffee beans on their huge Probat roaster in the middle of the café. They have limited space for seating so get there early for a morning study session. The coffee and rustic atmosphere are worth it.
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 AM to 6 PM; Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 6 PM
📍 Location: Kinkerstraat 112, 1053 ED Amsterdam
11. Monks Coffee Roasters
For instagrammable coffee designs and pastries, spend an afternoon at Monks Coffee Roasters. They have loads of comfortable seating areas for you to focus on work whilst enjoying a nice cup of coffee. If you’re REALLY into coffee, they have a wide range of choices from Aeropress to French press.
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 AM to 4 PM; Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 4 PM
📍 Location: Bilderdijkstraat 46, 1052 NB Amsterdam
12. Scandinavian Embassy
Just as you would expect from the name, Scandinavian Embassy is beyond aesthetically pleasing. Located in the Pijp, it offers a trendy atmosphere and a relaxing environment to work in. A two-minute walk away is Sarphatipark, perfect for some reading or sunbathing study breaks in the Spring.
🕐 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 AM to 5 PM; Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM
📍 Location: Sarphatipark 34, 1072 PB Amsterdam
I’m looking forward to grabbing a latte at one of these and procrastinating some more by pretending to work. Hopefully, you’ll do better. Good luck! ☕️
What are your best places to study or work in Amsterdam? Tell us your thoughts below!
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2019 and has been updated in September 2022 for your reading pleasure.
these places are overcrowded and very touristy, INACCURATE!
Legroom and breathing space. Something the Dutch don’t have a lot of in the big cities. Try the countryside and it is a metaphorical breath of fresh air as well as literal one, for those who only ever visited the Dutch cities before. Especially in Summer.