After my hectic week starting in Gothenburg, heading back to the UK for a day and then jetting off again, I landed in Amsterdam on the Thursday. I really like Amsterdam, and it’s a city I’ve loved more and more each time I’ve visited. Whilst it’s good to visit the main touristy area around Dam Square and the Red Light District, I much prefer (and have completely fallen for) the much quieter areas of Jordaan and the Nine Streets, easily walkable from the city centre. The area has become where I choose to stay whenever I visit the city, and this visit was no different.
Whilst I do include the area for a morning on my 2 day Amsterdam Itinerary, it’s really worth a full day of your time if you can spare it. Given how much I love the area, I thought it was about time I wrote a guide – my photos are from different visits across spring, summer, autumn and winter, and I hope it does justice to this beautiful area!
Contents
To Do
The Canals
Without a doubt, this is the best area to enjoy the canals of Amsterdam. Just stroll, or board a boat for a tour of the area, and you’ll find it’s beautiful at every turn! It’s impossible not to love the canals in any season, but autumn has a special kind of vibe.
Anne Frank House
One of the most famous places in the area is the Anne Frank House. The house is where Anne, a young teenage Jewish girl, went in to hiding with her family and others during Nazi occupation in WW2. Whilst in hiding she wrote a diary about her hopes, dreams, fears and the reality of being in hiding. Anne and her family were betrayed and sent on the last train from The Netherlands to Auschwitz – where Anne and her sister were both murdered. Her diaries were saved, and later given to her Father Otto (the only member of the family to survive time in the concentration camps), who then published the diary – now the world renowned book.
Touring the house, you can see the rooms behind the bookcase in which they hid, including children’s height markings on the wall, posters Anne had up, and information about those hiding and those helping them. You can’t take photos in the museum, so these are just from the outside.
Houseboat Museum
The houseboat museum is a museum paying homage to the famous Amsterdam houseboats. Many people in Amsterdam live on boats, which are moored and permanent, and are connected up to electricity, heating, sewage etc systems. The museum itself is on a preserved houseboat so you can explore and learn what it’s like inside these Amsterdam institutions!
Cheese Museum
Another Dutch icon, cheese is everywhere you turn in Amsterdam. I love the cheese museum because not only does it sell cheese, but you can learn all about how it’s produced and why it’s so important in the country. A great way to spend 45 minutes or so to learn a bit more beyond just the amazing displays you’ll see in shop windows.
Lindengracht Market
Every Saturday from 9.30am, Lindengracht market opens its metaphorical doors. This is a really local and authentic market, and one of my favourite places to wander when I’m in the area. It’s perfect for a stop off for breakfast or lunch – I absolutely love the pitta wraps from one of the vans, and you could try the Amsterdam speciality of Herring sandwiches!
Tulip Museum and Shop
I know I bang on about flowers, but if you’re at all interested in gardening or flowers then the tulip museum is a must visit for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the shop is INCREDIBLE. It sells a huge variety of bulbs and each pack comes with a card of how to care for the plant – plus where it grows best – e.g. instructions are different for England vs. Germany vs. the US. The people in the shop are botanists and can advise based on your specific location – I bought a pink and white dahlia and some nerine bowdenii which are now nicely planted in my garden.
Secondly, the museum is lovely. Tulips are a symbol of the Netherlands, but did you know they actually originate from the Middle East? Plus, absolute insanity – tulips were so popular in the 1600s in Holland that a single bulb was selling for up to 20x the average annual salary of the time!!! They were worth literally way more than their weight in gold.
Boutique Shopping
The area is the best in Amsterdam for unique, boutique shops selling everything from clothes, to souvenirs, to art, to cheese and everything in between. There are also a whole host of cafes and food shops as well to stop for a treat.
Felix Meritis
Felix Meritis is an intellectual society in Amsterdam, which is now used an events venue and ‘culture house’. It sometimes has events on which you can visit (e.g. art exhibitions etc), but otherwise just seeing the building and having a peep inside is pretty impressive.
To Eat
Breakfast: Pluk, Koffeehuis de Hoek
Jordaan is one of the best areas in the city for breakfast. Pluk is an amazing place which serves absolutely delicious eggs and avocado toast (and french toast), and Koffeehuis de Hoek has the best breakfast yoghurt and fruit bowls I’ve ever had. Both are really reasonably priced.
Lunch: Pancakes Amsterdam, Fabel Friet, Jansz
There are also a whole host of options for lunch in the area. Two restaurants serving something ‘traditionally Amsterdam’ are Pancakes Amsterdam and Fabel Friet serving the local version of pancakes and fries respectively. The pancakes won it for me! If you want something a bit more fancy, then Jansz is a lovely restaurant with a nice outdoor seating area which serves elegant traditional fare (e.g. burgers, club sandwich etc).
Dinner: Salmuera, Rakang, Proeflokaal A. van Wees
Salmuera will forever be the place I left my favourite jumper. I took it off and then left it on the back of my chair. Aside from that it’s an Argentinian power house – you have to try the empanadas, and the cocktails are delicious!! I also love Rakang for a super good value Thai meal. Or if you want a bit of something fancy, head to Proeflokaal for wine tasting and traditional food – my friend and I spent too much time in there!
To Sleep
Luxury
The Dylan
Full Review: HERE
The Dylan is a beautiful 5* hotel, and what set it apart for me were the service and staff. Of course, the rooms are also large and comfortable, plus spotlessly clean – and there’s a nice restaurant and bar serving good food.
The Pulitzer
Full Review: HERE (coming soon)
My favourite hotel in the area, The Pulitzer is a 5* hotel which is a cut above. Whilst I didn’t find the service as good as at The Dylan, the rooms are just absolutely gorgeous. I stayed in a cosy single room (it still had a Queen bed) and woke every morning to the sun rising on the canals in a blissfully comfortable bed – I honestly could have stayed for weeks.
Lovely
There are lots of lovely options for hotel stays in the area, including Mr Jordaan, The Hoxton and Hotel IX. Whilst I haven’t personally stayed in any of them, one of my friends stayed in Mr Jordaan and said it was amazing.
Budget
Whilst the area doesn’t have lots of budget hotels, there are a couple, including De Westertoren, Melrose Hotel and Hotel Nadia. You could also book a houseboat, which come at a range of prices.
So there you have it – a complete guide to the Jordaan and Nine Streets area of Amsterdam. What did you think? I hope you enjoyed the tour and can see why I love it so much – stay safe and happy travelling!
Saasdia Travel Gid
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