The Nine Streets, or De 9 Straatjes, is the prettiest small grid in Amsterdam: nine little streets stitching together the main canals between the Jordaan and the centre, packed with independent shops, cafes and some of the best dessert in the city. It is flat, walkable and made for an unhurried afternoon. Here is a local guide to the best things to do in the Nine Streets in Amsterdam.
We are biased, because we are here: Ruma (formerly De Beste Lekkernij) is a Mediterranean bakery right in the middle of it on Herenstraat. So consider this the tour we give visitors who walk in asking what else to do nearby.
First, get oriented
The Nine Streets sit between the Singel and the Prinsengracht, crossing the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht canals. Each little street has its own character, and you can walk the whole grid in twenty minutes, or spend half a day if you keep stopping, which you will. The Anne Frank House, Dam Square and Amsterdam Centraal are all a short walk away.
Things to do in the Nine Streets
1. Browse the independent shops
This is the heart of it. The Nine Streets is known for small, owner-run boutiques: vintage and second-hand clothing, design and homeware, books, jewellery, and the odd wonderfully specific specialty store. It is the antidote to the chain-heavy main shopping drags.
2. Take the canal photos
The corners where the little streets meet the big canals are some of the most photogenic spots in Amsterdam, bridges, leaning houses, houseboats and all. Bring a camera and no particular plan.
3. Stop for coffee
The area has a strong coffee scene. Screaming Beans, with its own blend, is right here, and there are more specialty spots a short walk up into the Jordaan. See our best coffee in Amsterdam guide.
4. Eat the viral trilece at Ruma
Our corner of the day. We bake trilece, the three-milk cake that has pulled over 600 million views, fresh every morning, plus baklava, simit sandwiches and pistachio cannoli. It is the kind of stop that turns a shopping wander into a proper outing. Background in what is trilece.
5. Hunt down the warm cookie at Van Stapele
Down the Heisteeg, Van Stapele bakes a single warm chocolate cookie that is one of the great small pleasures of the neighbourhood. Get there before they sell out.
6. Wander into the Jordaan
The Nine Streets flows straight into the Jordaan, with its galleries, brown cafes and the Noordermarkt. It is an easy and rewarding extension of the same walk. Our where to eat in the Jordaan guide picks up from here.
A simple half-day plan
- Start with a coffee and a slice of trilece at Ruma on Herenstraat.
- Browse the boutiques street by street, no rush.
- Pause for canal photos at the crossings.
- Grab a warm cookie at Van Stapele.
- Drift into the Jordaan toward the Noordermarkt.
When to go
Late morning to mid-afternoon is the sweet spot. Shops are open, the light is good for photos, and the dessert spots are freshly stocked. Weekends are livelier, especially with the Saturday markets nearby. We are open daily 8am to 7pm.
A short history of the Nine Streets
The grid you are wandering is older than it looks. The Nine Streets were laid out in the seventeenth century, during Amsterdam's Golden Age, as the canal belt was dug and the city expanded. The little cross-streets between the grand canals were where the working trades clustered, leather tanners and craftspeople among them, which is why several streets still carry old trade names. Today those same narrow lanes house independent boutiques rather than workshops, but the human scale and the canal-house facades are largely unchanged. You are essentially shopping and eating your way through a preserved piece of seventeenth-century city planning.
Shopping in the Nine Streets
This is one of the best parts of the city for independent retail. Each of the nine little streets has its own mix: vintage and second-hand fashion, Dutch design and homeware, specialist bookshops, jewellery, perfume, cheese and chocolate. Because the shops are small and owner-run, the stock changes often and you find things you will not see on the main shopping drags. Give yourself time to drift rather than plan a route. Half the pleasure is ducking into a shop you did not know you wanted to visit.
Best time to visit the Nine Streets
Late morning to mid-afternoon is the sweet spot, when the shops are open, the light is good for canal photos and the dessert spots are freshly stocked. Weekends are livelier, helped by the nearby Saturday markets, but also busier. If you prefer it calm, a weekday morning is lovely, and you will have the canals more or less to yourself. Whatever you choose, the area is compact enough that you never need transport once you are here. For a sweeter focus, our best desserts in Amsterdam and best cafes in the Nine Streets guides pair well with a day of wandering.
Where to find us
Ruma is at Herenstraat 24A, in the middle of the Nine Streets, a short walk from the Anne Frank House, Dam Square and Amsterdam Centraal. Come for the trilece, see the menu, plan a visit, or order across Amsterdam. Hungry for dessert specifically? See our best desserts in Amsterdam guide.