Ruigoord

Ruigoord is an artists' village in the western harbour area and calls itself the oldest free haven in the Netherlands. Artists squatted its empty houses in 1972, took over the church in July 1973 when the village was due to make way for a new harbour, and won the right to stay as an enclave in 2000.

Dozens of artists still work there, and the calendar mixes music, poetry, art and ritual: trance weekenders, a Samhain ceremony, poetry walks and family days. It is not a club with weekly nights, so plan around an event. Bus 382 runs from Amsterdam Sloterdijk towards IJmuiden. Not for you if you want to drop in for an hour.