Street · Amsterdam
The Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes)De Negen Straatjes
Spend a late morning or afternoon zigzagging through the nine short streets for independent boutiques, vintage and cafés, with canal views at every crossing; combine it with the Anne Frank House a few minutes north.
Map to the start
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Length
1.6 km1 mi
approximate
Walk end to end
25 min
without stops
Traffic
Open to traffic
Best time
Tuesday–Saturday 11:00–17:00; Thursday evening for late shopping (check)Tuesday–Saturday 11:00 AM–5:00 PM; Thursday evening for late shopping (check)
At a glance
- Length
- 1.6 km1 mi
- Start
- North-east corner at the Singel end of Gasthuismolensteeg
- End
- South-west corner at the Prinsengracht end of Runstraat
- Traffic
- Open to traffic
- Currency
- EUR
Decide
What the street is for, and when to be there
At a glance
A grid of nine short shopping streets crossing the Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht canals, filled with independent fashion, vintage, design and cheese shops and small cafés.
Getting there
Trams 13 and 17 stop at Westermarkt by the north end; trams 2, 4, 12, 14 and 24 stop at Spui, a few minutes from the south end. Dam Square is about 5 minutes' walk east.
Traffic and walking hours
Open to traffic. Narrow streets open to delivery vans and a few cars, but bikes are the main traffic. There is no pedestrian zone (check local changes).
Hours change for events and holidays: check locally.
Morning, afternoon, night
Best time: Tuesday–Saturday 11:00–17:00; Thursday evening for late shopping (check)
05:00–11:005:00 AM–11:00 AM local time
Cafés open from 08:00–09:00; most shops open at 10:00–11:00, and many open only at noon on Monday (check).
Best time: Tuesday–Saturday 11:00–17:00; Thursday evening for late shopping (check)
See & do
The stops in walking order, then where to shop and what to eat
Walk this street
- 1Singel end of GasthuismolensteegStart and walk west along Gasthuismolensteeg, Hartenstraat and ReestraatMap ↗
↓ about 6 min · 430 m0.3 mi
↓ about 4 min · 270 m0.2 mi
↓ about 6 min · 410 m0.3 mi
↓ about 3 min · 220 m0.1 mi
↓ about 6 min · 410 m0.3 mi
Minutes are walking time at an easy 5 km/h3 mph with a margin for crowds; add time for shops. The GPX opens in Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Google My Maps.
Where to shop and what it costs
- Vintage and secondhand clothingCurated vintage, from 1970s denim to designer resale€20–300 (≈ US$25–350) / itemPrice check →
- Independent fashion boutiquesDutch and Scandinavian labels, jewelry and accessories€30–400 (≈ US$35–500) / itemPrice check →
- Cheese shopsDutch farmhouse cheeses, vacuum-packed for travel on request€8–40 (≈ US$10–50) / piecePrice check →
- Design, stationery and gift shopsHomeware, notebooks, prints and small design objects€5–150 (≈ US$6–180) / itemPrice check →
Typical buys
- Coffee in a café€3–5 (≈ US$4–6) / cupPrice check →
- Aged Gouda cut to orderAbout 250 g€8–25 (≈ US$10–30) / piecePrice check →
- Apple pie with cream€5–7 (≈ US$6–9) / slicePrice check →
- Vintage jacket or dress€30–150 (≈ US$35–180) / itemPrice check →
Ranges, not quotes: prices move with season and exchange rates; the equivalent in your currency is approximate. Checked Sep 2026.
Eat on or near it
- Canal-side cafésMany small cafés with a few tables facing the water; good for lunch or apple pie.
- VleminckxFries in a paper cone at Voetboogstraat, about 5 minutes past the south end near Spui.
- Café HoppeOld brown café on Spui for a beer after shopping.
Sights on the street
Practical
Getting a ride there, what goes wrong, and access
Show the driver
Show the driver
Kunt u mij afzetten bij de Negen Straatjes, op de hoek van de Reestraat en de Prinsengracht, bij de Westerkerk?
Could you drop me at the Nine Streets, on the corner of Reestraat and Prinsengracht, by the Westerkerk?
Canal-side streets are narrow; the driver may stop at Westermarkt on Raadhuisstraat instead.
Safety, traffic and scams
Bikes on narrow streets and canal bridges medium
Bike and bag theft low
Canal edges without railings low
Scams and traps
- No common scams here; the main cost trap is buying overpriced souvenirs around Dam Square instead of in the independent shops.
Accessibility
- Flat, but sidewalks are narrow and often blocked by parked bikes; bridges have short slopes.
- Many shops sit in old canal houses with a step or two at the door.
Photo tips
- Stand on the bridges where each street crosses a canal for views along the water in both directions; Keizersgracht at Wolvenstraat is a good spot.
- Keep out of the bike lane when stopping to shoot.
A line of history
The nine streets were laid out in the 17th-century expansion of the canal ring, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site; several names recall the tanning trade once based here, such as Huidenstraat (hides street) and Runstraat (tanbark street).
Combine with
- JordaanCross Prinsengracht west for the Jordaan's lanes, brown cafés and Saturday Noordermarkt (check).
- Spui and the BegijnhofA few minutes south-east of the end, with a book market on Fridays (check).
Questions people ask
Which are the nine streets?
From north to south: Reestraat, Hartenstraat and Gasthuismolensteeg; Berenstraat, Wolvenstraat and Oude Spiegelstraat; Runstraat, Huidenstraat and Wijde Heisteeg.
When are the shops open?
Typically 10:00 or 11:00 to 18:00, often from noon on Monday, with late opening on Thursday and shorter hours on Sunday (check each shop).
Deep dive
Sources; hours, rules and prices change, so check before you go
Sources
- officialI amsterdam (official Amsterdam city site)
- secondaryWikivoyage: Amsterdam