Kalverstraat Leidsestraat PC Hooftstraat

Dam Square:- You are now in the very heart of Amsterdam, one of the busiest places in the city. Storks used to walk around Dam Square in the old days, to eat the fish refuse. Some 400 years ago this was already a busy trading place and the location of the fish market.

If you stand on the steps of the National Monument, with your back towards it, you will see the renowned department store (the Beehive) on your right.

Rokin:- To the left of the monument Rokin begins, the Amsterdam Diamond Center is at the corner. This street is known for its exclusive cigar shop Hajenius, and the upmarket department store Maison de Bonneterie.

Magna Plaza:- The Magna Plaza is situated just behind the Royal Palace. This shopping centre is housed in what used to be the General Post Office, and is on the National Heritage list. This stunning building has been transformed into a super-deluxe department store, with several exclusive shops under one roof.

Tips for a coffee break:

Café Scheltema Restaurant, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 242. Traditional literary café.
Café Van Daele, corner Paleisstraat-Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. A small, popular brown café.
Café Ovidius, coffee-brasserie café restaurant located on the ground floor in Magna Plaza

The Jordaan:- Its rich historical background makes this quarter one of the most agreeable areas of the city. The Jordaan is a seventeenth-century working class district with its own traditions and its own informal and relaxed atmosphere with narrow streets, picturesque canals, brown cafes, art galleries and unique shops.

Especially in the streets which connect the three main canals - Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht - you will find a lot of interesting, sometimes amusing, shops. Take a walk, for example, through the following streets.

Starting from Dam Square you walk along the left side of the Royal Palace, just follow the Paleisstraat, and keep walking. When you cross the first bridge across the Singel you are in Gasthuismolensteeg. On the right at number 7 you will see the BrilmuseumBrillenwinkel, offering an unequalled collection of bizarre, outrageous, stylish, extravagant and classical spectacles.

Two bridges further in Reestraat number 22 you will find another remarkable shop. If you are looking for some unusual gift paper or a special type of writing paper Cortina Papier, with the largest product range in Holland is the place for you. This store regularly organises expositions of artists who work with paper. Next door, at number 20, scented oils and incense, but mainly candles are sold. You have never seen so many different types of candles before.

You have now arrived at Prinsengracht. Turn left until you reach the next bridge across Prinsengracht. If you cross the bridge you'll walk straight into Norman Automatics where you will feel as if you have stepped back into the fifties. You are sure to find something special here to suit your taste.

If you do not cross the bridge but turn left into Berenstraat, you will quite soon see Galerie Animation Art on your right-hand side, where you can buy cartoon art and gifts, while a little further down the street you can look at art while having your hair cut in beauty parlour and gallery KunstHaar.

The Jordaan is mainly known for its small specialised shops. After the next bridge - you are now in Wolvenstraat - you will see the Knopenwinkel on the left-hand side at number 14. This shop sell buttons, nothing but buttons, a staggering variety of buttons.

At the end of the bridge at Herengracht turn right and right again. You are now walking through Huidenstraat, the next street is Runstraat, where the Witte Tanden Winkel is situated at number 5. This shop sells a huge variety of toothbrushes. Art & Antiques

We cross Prinsengracht once more and arrive at Looiersgracht. Lor, de God van het Overschot is the first shop on Looiersgracht, coming from the city centre, and is a taste of what this area has in store for you. This shop's collection consists of second-hand items which can be bought, hired, or made-to-measure, depending on the wishes of the customer.

We continue through Looiersgracht and via the back door (the front entrance is on Elandsgracht 109) we come to the last part of this shopping route: Art & Antique Centre 'De Looier'. The biggest imaginable variety of items has been brought together here.

De Looier is a large, covered market with some 82 stalls, 80 showcases, and a market square where tables can be hired for the sales of arts, antiques or bric-a-brac. You can roam around the glassware, porcelain, ceramics, jewellery, gold and silver, furniture, paintings, prints, mirrors, clocks, ornaments, enamel, pewter and antique toys.

Waterlooplein:- Every large city has a flea market. Amsterdam has Waterlooplein Market, traditionally a Jewish market for the sale of everyday goods, but because of the persecution of the Jews in WW II the character of the market changed.

The heyday of the present Waterlooplein market was in the sixties and the seventies. Hippies, flower power, American tourists; those were the days, my friend!

Because of the new town hall and theatre Waterlooplein market decreased considerably in size. The present market has 300 stalls and is open six days per week.

But the old, characteristic atmosphere is not all gone. The merchandise of many stalls is still displayed on the ground, whether it is second-hand clothing, antique objects or leather coats.

Shopping Tip! The Waterlooplein market is one of the few places in Amsterdam, which has no fixed prices. You can haggle over the price of most of the merchandise offered for sale here.

Antique Stores District

Spiegelkwartier:- Nieuwe Spiegelstraat runs between the world-famous Rijksmuseum and Keizersgracht, its history goes back as far as the 17th century.

In and around this street with its many characteristic Amsterdam facades more than 70 art and antique dealers have set up business. These specialists offer a wide range of objects, ranging from Egyptian antiquities which are 6,000 years old to seventeenth-century Delft ware, from antique Chinese porcelain to abstract modern art. You name it, it is for sale in the Spiegelkwartier. This makes the Spiegelkwartier a must-see quarter for those with an eye for the unique, rare and beautiful.

How to get there?
Take tram 1, 2 or 5 from Magna Plaza, just behind the Royal Palace. Get off at Leidseplein (5th stop) and turn left into the Weteringschans.

After a 5-minute walk you will see the Rijksmuseum on your right. Turn left; you are now in the Spiegelkwartier District. You will find the first antique stores here. At the corner of Weteringschans and Spiegelgracht you will see the well-known Diamond House Lazare Diamonds on the right in the Museum Plaza building; on the left-hand corner there is Reflex Modern Art Gallery which sells contemporary art. If you keep on walking you will get to Keizersgracht. Turn left there and you will find yourself in familiar territory, in Leidsestraat

The emphasis is on food of every description and from every corner of the globe, but clothes and other goods are on sale too, often cheaper than anywhere else. If you want to experience the 'real' Amsterdam at its multi-cultural best, this market is not to be missed. As always at busy markets, beware of pickpockets!

How to get to Albert Cuyp Market?
Take tram 16, 24 or 25 from Dam Square. Get off at Albert Cuyp Market (7 stops).