Nieuwmarkt, Amsterdam

Nieuwmarkt, which is actually located in Amsterdam’s Chinatown district, is a popular square overflowing with day and nighttime opportunities that appeal to a wide variety of interests. Thanks to its proximity to the famed Red Light District, some of these interests trend towards the more puerile, but that’s hardly the only reason to come here.

Nearly two dozen cafés and coffeeshops face the open square, which itself plays host to a local market during the week, an organic-only market on Saturdays, and an antiques and books fair on Sundays. One of the more popular places for tourists to grab a nosh is De Waag, a 15th Century building that was originally part of a wall that surrounded medieval Amsterdam and that now houses a restaurant on its ground floor.

Trendy Latin bars with great cocktails, chic cafés, and homey Irish pubs can all be found around the square and down surrounding blocks, so everyone from penny pinchers to spendy scenesters will find a new favorite place at “New Market.”