This former church located near the Leidseplein was turned into a youth center in turbulent 1968 (partly through the intervention of local legend Willem de Ridder), becoming one of the headquarters of the hippie and provo movements, and one of the first places in town where the sale and consumption of “soft” drugs like hash and marijuana was tolerated, if not downright encouraged.

While the countercultural flag has been passed to other locations throughout the city, Paradiso remains one of the best places to catch a live show: all the big names have performed here, from The Rolling Stones and Nirvana to Pink Floyd, but this hasn’t gone to the venue’s head, any young upstart still gets a chance.

The Noodlanding (“emergency landing”) parties are more or less the after school parties of the nearby Barlaeus high school, but if you you don’t mind hormone-addled teenagers (or paying through the nose for a flat Heineken beer), you could be in for a wild night.