Hilversum

Formerly a cinema and casino, now Rex is split into a separate bar and club part. The bar is a hip and cosmopolitan place with lounge music, visited mostly by upscale audiences. There is a very stylish interior, with seats and couches everywhere for chilling. At Saturdays it's best to go here in the early evening. The club features a mix of house, electro, rock, pop, hip hop, and commercial music. Inside is a VIP balcony which can only be entered by asking permission to the staff. You must order drinks in full bottles to get up there. Special events are regulary hosted by international brands like Defected and Latin Lovers.

A popular club due to its central location and free entry. It feels more like a late-night bar than a full-fledged club. It features different kinds of music styles with an emphasis on pop and dance music. The audience is in the age range of 21-35.

This nightbar often has theme parties, like 80s and 90s music every first Saturday of the month and house music every third Saturday of the month. Quite pricey though.

Generic bar with dance and pop music, mostly visited by people between 18 and 30 years old.

This is a typical Dutch "brown cafe", an excellent place with a relaxing atmosphere to try different kinds of Dutch and Belgian beers. Several kinds of dinner are also served, like meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. The place is targeted for older audiences. The music style can be characterized as a kind of emotional Dutch "folk" music.

De Dokter

At daytime it's possible to eat here, at nighttime the bar has a very young audience and music style similar to De Doelen. Pool can be played when it's not too crowded. Officially entry is only for people aged 18+, but in practice the bar is filled with 16-18 year old people.

Based in a former printing press building, Le Journal turned into a hip bar for visitors aged between 18 and 25. At daytime this is a dining facility, from 10:30PM onwards it turns into a bar. At ground floor, you can sit down and chill, while the first floor has a crowded dance floor with loud music. Ordering beer here is generally cheaper than elsewhere, around €1.75 each. Unlike other bars, they stay open till 2AM on Thursdays. At Saturdays, the music is particularly loud, even at ground floor, so forget about having conversations that night.

The only English pub in Hilversum. Great interior on weekdays, but Saturday nights it's so dark that it's barely noticeable.

De Doelen

This bar has a very young audience aged 16-18 with a wealthy background. Music is mostly pop, and it's extremely crowded in weekends.

The audience has a wide age range, but consists mostly of lower educated people. There is a dance floor downstairs, while upstairs you can find a nice balcony to sit and talk. Some better Dutch darts players started their career here, like Niels de Ruiter.

Rock bar with pool table and darts. Not very crowded on Saturdays.

The audience at this bar is young, in the age range 16-18. Pop music is the style of choice, particularly a style of pop that's called "Apres Ski", music that is familiar from winter sport holiday destinations in the Alps. At daytime, it is a nice place to sit outside when the weather allows it.

Typical "brown cafe", mostly for older audiences. The music is rock and blues, and sometimes live bands play.

Karroessel

This hard rock and metal bar caters to alternative audiences. There is a pool table, although it is not used on Fridays and Saturdays as the bar is very crowded at those days. Smoking is generally allowed throughout.

Visit this place at daytime, after a tour of Hilversum's architectural highlights. The interior is in the same style as the famous architect W.M. Dudok. Lunch and dinner are served, and are not expensive. At daytime, the music is a combination of classic, like Chopin and Vivaldi, and jazz. At nighttime, the music is more diverse, with a combination of salsa and rock. Sunday afternoons have tango as the style of choice. One of the main attractions of this cafe are the bi weekly live jazz sessions. Led by guitar player Kai Von Rosenberg the session attracts musicians from all over the country. Jazz greats like Benjamin Herman, Jos Machtel and Ilja Reijngoud all have played sets here.