The Heineken Experience is an interactive, self-guided tour through the historic brewery of the Dutch pilsner beer, Heineken. The building, located in Amsterdam, was built as the first Heineken brewery in 1867. It remained the company’s primary brewing facility until 1988. In 1991, it was transformed into the company’s official visitors’ center.
The experience consists of a museum showcasing the history of the Heineken beer and brand, interactive exhibits that explain the brewing process, and an opportunity to sample and enjoy the beer itself.
The tour can be completed in as little as 1.5 hours. It is spread across four levels and is fully accessible to wheelchairs via electronic lifts and elevators. A printed guide detailing the accessible route is provided to each wheelchair user at the ticket booth.
Admission to the Heineken Experience is reasonably priced. Tickets are available to adults for €18,00 at the ticket booth. Tickets can be purchased online for a discounted rate of €16,00. Each ticket includes two complimentary glasses of beer at the conclusion of the tour. Heineken recommends wheelchair users avoid visiting on Saturdays due to the larger crowds.
Beyond the ticket booth and lobby is the tour entrance. Wheelchair users will need to utilize an elevator at the end of the hallway.
The tour begins in the museum. The numerous exhibits document the history of the beer’s development, the lives of its creators, and the growth of the company into an international distributor.
Museum exhibits include items and artifacts from throughout the company’s history. Pictured here is an early Heineken beer bottle and a display documenting the evolution of the Heineken logo.
Pictured above is one of the specialized electronic lifts which have been installed to make the tour wheelchair accessible. These lifts can be operated by the wheelchair user him/herself, a companion, or with the assistance of a staff member. The lifts have easy to use up and down buttons.
In addition to the historical museum, the tour also exposes visitors to the Heineken brewing process. This information is made available through audio/visual exhibits, staff who explain the process in detail, and up close access to brewing equipment. Pictured above are some of the brewing tanks that were previously used onsite.
The tour culminates with a guided tasting, as pictured here. Visitors are then funneled into a room to view a reel of historic Heineken television ads. The tour path then leads through a gift shop and then into a bar, where visitors can redeem their tokens (provided at the start of the tour) for two complimentary beers.
Getting to the Heineken Experience
The nearest wheelchair accessible metro station is Weesperplein, located 1.3 km (0.8 miles) away. This station is served by lines 51, 53 and 54.
If traveling by car, parking is available onsite at the “Heinekenplein” garage. The Heineken Experience address, for use in navigation systems, is copied below:
Stadhouderskade 78
1072 AE
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Final Thoughts
The Heineken Experience is one of Amsterdam’s top tourist attractions. It is worth a visit, and offers something for everyone, from the historian to the beer enthusiast. You won’t regret the €18,00 admission. A visit to the Heineken Experience is within walking distance of many popular sights on the Museumplein, the Vondelpark and the exciting Blue Boat Canal Cruise.
