Free-roaming bunnies, hundreds of books, and silence: welcome to The Quiet Rex

Somewhere in Amsterdam-Noord, a rabbit named Caesar is waiting for you to feed him some mint — oh, and he lives among hundreds of books and crafts.

If your idea of a good time involves a velvety rabbit napping near your feet and uninterrupted peace with a good book, we’ve found your happy place. 

It’s called The Quiet Rex, an adults-only (20+) quiet reading lounge on Amsterdam-Noord’s Papaverweg, where the whole concept is doing very little, very peacefully.

Born from corporate burnout

The Quiet Rex founder, Paola, spent years in the high-pressure corporate world before deciding enough was enough. 

“The fun had left my life,” she recalls, “and the happy moments were when I was reading on the sofa and having my bunnies run all over me.”

So, she and her husband, Gero, made a plan. As she describes it, “I decided to quit corporate and do what I like and what I think other people might enjoy,” and The Quiet Rex was born.

Together, they’ve created a space to decompress and momentarily escape the stresses of life — all in the company of rabbits. 

Read, craft, work, or simply exist

The space (and bunnies) run across two floors:

Downstairs is the Focus Lounge, where you can settle in with a book from the library, dip into the free arts and crafts (painting, diamond painting, colouring, puzzles, you name it), or plug into the Wi-Fi and quietly work. 

The ground floor means step-free access too, so guests who can’t manage stairs still get the full experience. Upstairs is the Reading-only Lounge, with a wider English-language collection.

Booking is simple: you can choose between reading with the bunnies, doing arts and crafts with the bunnies, working with the bunnies, or even feeding the bunnies. 

Reading and arts and crafts both cost €16.50 for an hour, €31 for two, or €42 for three. A quiet work desk is a little cheaper at €12, €23 or €34 for the same slots.

Want to do all of the above and feed the bunnies at the same time? You can book an hour slot for €19.50, or you can come during their twice-daily feeding times at either 3:30 PM or 6:30 PM. For an extra €3, during this time, you can feed the rabbits fresh vegetables. 

There are no hot drinks, no loud machines, no clatter, just turning pages and letting your shoulders drop. 

Chilled drinks and snacks such as bottled water, iced teas, a vegan cappuccino, plant-based chocolate and banana milk are all available, as well as small, medium, and large health snack bags (all vegan and gluten-free). However, this isn’t a bunny “café.” As Paola emphasises: “We’re a reading lounge.”

The bunnies are in charge

The real staff here have fur. There’s Julius (Chief Risk Officer) and Caesar (Chief Executive Officer), brothers just over eighteen months old and former house pets. Caesar, apparently, used to double as a makeup remover. 

Meanwhile, upstairs, you’ll find Evelyn (VP of Business) and young Hugo (Sales Executive).

Just remember, you don’t get to chase them. Guests stay seated, and the rabbits do exactly as they please.

“It’s a cohabitation type of situation,” Paola explains. “You come here to do your thing, you read, you relax, and the bunnies are around you. Whatever interaction happens, it has to happen organically.”

And that gentle restraint is the entire philosophy. “We’re here to give the guests space for themselves, to just think about something else,” she says. 

For anyone worn down by demanding jobs, busy families or general adult life, that might be the best bit of self-care going.

Fancy an hour of doing gloriously little with a rabbit for company? Reserve your lounge chair and tell us in the comments: would you read, craft, or just quietly nap?