Jordaan (Amsterdam) Travel Guide - Free

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Jordaan
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Jordaan, Amsterdam: explore canal-side lanes, Westerkerk, Noordermarkt, independent shops, brown cafés and the artistic history of this beloved district.

Canals and Narrow Lanes

Jordaan occupies the western side of Amsterdam’s historic canal belt, a neighbourhood of house-lined canals, small bridges, brick lanes and compact courtyards. Its name is associated with the area’s seventeenth-century expansion, although its precise origin remains debated. The district developed beyond the grander Herengracht and Prinsengracht as a more crowded working neighbourhood, and that practical identity still informs its intimate scale. Streets such as the Egelantiersstraat, Lindengracht and Tweede Anjeliersdwarsstraat reward slow exploration, with gabled houses, independent businesses and occasional glimpses into hofjes, the secluded almshouse courtyards characteristic of old Amsterdam.
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Everyday Culture

Jordaan’s cultural life is woven into ordinary streets rather than concentrated in a single monumental complex. Noordermarkt hosts a long-established market atmosphere, while the surrounding cafés and brown bars provide a more local counterpoint to the city’s larger nightlife districts. The neighbourhood’s former working-class character has been reshaped by rising property values and specialist retail, yet its cafés, street markets and residential lanes remain central to its appeal. Westerkerk rises beside the Prinsengracht at the district’s southern edge, and the Anne Frank House is nearby, just beyond the neighbourhood’s less formal western boundary.

Art, Food and Residential Streets

Visitors encounter Jordaan through contrasts: polished canal houses beside modest side streets, carefully presented boutiques beside traditional pubs, and busy market squares close to quiet residential passages. Restaurants range from Dutch brown-café cooking to Italian, Indonesian and contemporary European styles, while the Nine Streets shopping area begins just south of the neighbourhood. The best experience comes from combining recognised places such as Noordermarkt and Westerkerk with unhurried walks along the smaller canals, where Jordaan’s architecture and everyday rhythms remain more revealing than any single sightseeing stop.

Best attractions in Jordaan

Jordaan’s attractions are closely woven into its streets and canals. Noordermarkt is the best-known public space, combining regular market activity with the Noorderkerk and a cluster of cafés around the square. Westerkerk, beside the Prinsengracht, is one of the neighbourhood’s defining visual markers, while the Houseboat Museum offers a compact introduction to life on Amsterdam’s waterways. The narrow canals of the Jordaan, especially Egelantiersgracht, Bloemgracht and the quieter stretches around Lindengracht, provide an architectural walk through gabled houses, bridges and former working streets. Visitors interested in modern history can reach the Anne Frank House at the western side of the canal belt; it is near Jordaan but lies close to the boundary of the district’s informal definition. The smaller streets around the Eerste Leliedwarsstraat and Tweede Anjeliersdwarsstraat are equally important for understanding the area’s scale, independent businesses and residential character.

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Best landmarks in Jordaan

Westerkerk is Jordaan’s most prominent landmark, its tall tower rising beside the Prinsengracht and providing a constant point of orientation across the low canal houses. Noordermarkt and the adjacent Noorderkerk form another important historic ensemble, linking market life with the seventeenth-century expansion of the western canal belt. The neighbourhood’s most significant landmarks are often linear rather than monumental: Egelantiersgracht, Bloemgracht and Lindengracht preserve the relationship between water, narrow plots and densely built façades. The former workers’ lanes and small bridges around these canals express the district’s historical character more clearly than grand civic architecture. The Anne Frank House, on the Prinsengracht close to Jordaan’s western edge, is a nearby landmark of international importance whose wartime history is inseparable from the surrounding canal landscape, even though the neighbourhood boundary itself is informal.

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Explore Jordaan on the map

A handpicked selection of must-see spots in Jordaan, mapped for you.

Best restaurants in Jordaan

Jordaan’s dining scene ranges from traditional brown-café meals and Dutch snacks to Italian cooking, Indonesian food, bakeries and contemporary European restaurants. The streets around Noordermarkt and Westerstraat provide a useful concentration of cafés and informal places to eat, while quieter canals contain long-established neighbourhood restaurants among converted workshops and houses. Winkel 43 is associated with the area’s café culture and apple pie, while restaurants such as Café de Reiger and Toscanini reflect the district’s mixture of familiar local institutions and specialist dining. Food shopping at the markets adds another layer, with seasonal produce and prepared foods appearing alongside everyday retail. The neighbourhood’s history as a working district survives more in its sociable cafés and practical eateries than in a single signature dish, while later redevelopment has brought more polished restaurants without erasing the tradition of lingering over a meal in a small, canal-side room.

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Best bars in Jordaan

Jordaan’s nightlife is modest, sociable and largely centred on brown cafés rather than large clubs. Traditional bars such as Café ’t Smalle, Café Chris and Papeneiland offer historic interiors, canal-side settings and the unhurried drinking culture associated with Amsterdam’s older neighbourhood pubs. Around Noordermarkt and the Egelantiersgracht, evenings tend to combine local conversation, dinner and small-group drinks, while some venues host music or informal performances without functioning as major nightlife destinations. The district’s narrow streets and substantial residential population mean that late-night noise matters, and its atmosphere is better suited to a bar-to-bar walk than a club circuit. Visitors seeking larger dance venues or a broader concentration of late-night entertainment generally need to continue towards other parts of central Amsterdam rather than treating Jordaan as a nightclub district.

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Best nightclubs in Jordaan

Jordaan’s nightlife is modest, sociable and largely centred on brown cafés rather than large clubs. Traditional bars such as Café ’t Smalle, Café Chris and Papeneiland offer historic interiors, canal-side settings and the unhurried drinking culture associated with Amsterdam’s older neighbourhood pubs. Around Noordermarkt and the Egelantiersgracht, evenings tend to combine local conversation, dinner and small-group drinks, while some venues host music or informal performances without functioning as major nightlife destinations. The district’s narrow streets and substantial residential population mean that late-night noise matters, and its atmosphere is better suited to a bar-to-bar walk than a club circuit. Visitors seeking larger dance venues or a broader concentration of late-night entertainment generally need to continue towards other parts of central Amsterdam rather than treating Jordaan as a nightclub district.

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Best shops in Jordaan

Shopping in Jordaan is strongest in independent and specialist retail rather than large department stores. Westerstraat, Elandsgracht and the lanes around Noordermarkt contain boutiques, homeware shops, galleries, delicatessens and small businesses occupying former residential or workshop premises. Noordermarkt adds a market dimension, with food and second-hand stalls varying by market day, while the nearby Lindengracht area retains a more everyday neighbourhood feel. The Nine Streets, immediately south of Jordaan across the Prinsengracht and surrounding canals, are convenient for vintage clothing, design, books and specialist boutiques, but should be understood as an adjacent shopping quarter rather than wholly part of Jordaan. The pleasure lies in browsing at walking pace, where shopfronts, converted warehouses and small canal houses reveal how the district’s commercial life has evolved from local provisioning and craft work towards a mixture of independent retail and visitor-oriented businesses.

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Jordaan essentials

Getting There
Jordaan is easiest to reach from Amsterdam Centraal by walking west along the Brouwersgracht or via the streets leading towards the Prinsengracht. Tram services run along the neighbourhood’s edges, particularly around Rozengracht and Marnixstraat, while buses serve nearby corridors. The district is also within practical walking distance of the western canal belt, Dam Square and the Nine Streets. Amsterdam Centraal is the most useful rail connection for visitors arriving from Schiphol Airport or elsewhere in the Netherlands, though the final approach into Jordaan is usually simplest on foot or by tram.
Getting Around
Jordaan is compact and best explored on foot, with bridges, narrow pavements and short canals creating a sequence of small-scale routes rather than a single main avenue. Cycling is common, but visitors should keep to the side and watch for bicycles at bridge approaches and junctions. The Prinsengracht, Lijnbaansgracht and Marnixstraat provide useful orientation lines, while cross-streets such as the Egelantiersstraat and Westerstraat lead into the older residential fabric. Cobblestones, steps into older premises and uneven pavements can make some routes difficult for wheelchairs or large luggage.
Safety
Jordaan is generally visited as a residential and sightseeing district, but normal urban precautions remain important. Keep phones, wallets and bags secure around busy markets, bridges and crowded routes towards the Anne Frank House, and pay close attention to bicycles using streets that may appear pedestrian-friendly. Canal edges are unfenced in many places, so supervise children and avoid walking close to the water after drinking. At night, respect the quiet character of residential lanes and use well-lit routes when returning from cafés or bars.
Emergency Situations
In the Netherlands, call 112 for an immediate police, fire or medical emergency. State that you are in Amsterdam and give the nearest street name, bridge or canal number; street signs and canal markers can help emergency responders locate you. For non-urgent medical advice, ask accommodation staff or a local pharmacy about the appropriate out-of-hours service. Visitors should carry identification and details of travel insurance, while anyone taking prescription medication should bring an adequate supply and its original packaging.
Do's and Don'ts
Treat Jordaan’s canals, courtyards and narrow streets as living residential spaces rather than an open-air attraction. Keep noise down outside homes, do not enter hofjes unless access is clearly permitted, and ask before photographing people, private doorways or market traders. Give way to cyclists and avoid standing in the middle of bridges for photographs. In cafés and restaurants, wait to be seated where requested and check whether service has been added before tipping modestly. Do not climb on canal railings or leave rubbish beside market stalls.
Local Tips
Use Noordermarkt and Westerstraat as orientation points, then move away from the busiest routes towards the Egelantiersgracht, Bloemgracht and smaller dwarsstraten. The most atmospheric walks often combine one principal canal with several short cross-streets, revealing varied façades and quiet water views. Westerkerk offers a useful landmark beside the Prinsengracht, while the Nine Streets are convenient for independent retail just beyond Jordaan’s southern edge. Allow extra time for photography, café stops and canal bridges rather than planning the district as a sequence of distant sights.
Eve, your Evendo local guide

From Eve

Local phrases worth knowing

You don't need to get them perfect. A few words go a long way, and locals appreciate the effort.

6 phrase groups · English, local and pronunciation

Basics
EnglishLocalSay it
HelloHallo[hah-loh]
GoodbyeTot ziens[toht zeens]
YesJa[yah]
NoNee[nay]
Please/You're welcomeAlsjeblieft[ahls-yuh-bleeft]
Thank youDank je[dahnk yuh]
Excuse me/SorrySorry[sohr-ee]
How are you?Hoe gaat het?[hoo gaat het]
Fine. And you?Goed. En met jou?[khoot. ehn meht yow]
Do you speak English?Spreek je Engels?[spreak yuh ehng-uhls]
I don't understandIk begrijp het niet[ick buh-grayp het neet]
Eating & Drinking
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to see the menu, pleaseMag ik de menukaart zien, alstublieft[mahkh ihk duh menu-kahrt seen, ahl-stuh-bleeft]
I don't eat meatIk eet geen vlees[ick ayt khayn flays]
Cheers!Proost![prohst]
I would like to pay, pleaseIk wil graag betalen, alstublieft[ick wil khrahkh buh-tah-luhn, ahl-stuh-bleeft]
Emergencies
EnglishLocalSay it
Help!Help![help]
Go away!Ga weg![gah vekh]
Call the Police!Bel de politie![bel duh poh-lee-see]
Call a doctor!Bel een dokter![bel ay-n dohk-tuhr]
I'm lostIk ben verdwaald[ick ben vuhr-dwahld]
I'm illIk ben ziek[ick ben zik]
Shopping
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to buy...Ik wil graag kopen...[ick wil khrahkh koh-puhn]
I'm just lookingIk kijk alleen maar[ick kayk ahl-ayn mahr]
How much is it?Hoeveel kost het?[huh-vayl kohst het]
That's too expensiveDat is te duur[daht is tuh doo-ur]
Can you lower the price?Kunt u de prijs verlagen?[kunt oo duh prays vur-lah-ghun]
Time & Numbers
EnglishLocalSay it
What time is it?Hoe laat is het?[hoo laht is het]
It's one o'clockHet is een uur[het is ayn oor]
Half past (10)Half elf[hahlf elf]
MorningOchtend[ohk-tuhnt]
AfternoonMiddag[mih-dahkh]
EveningAvond[ah-vohnt]
YesterdayGisteren[ghis-tur-uhn]
TodayVandaag[vahn-dahkh]
TomorrowMorgen[mohr-khun]
1Een[ayn]
2Twee[tvay]
3Drie[dree]
4Vier[feer]
5Vijf[fayf]
6Zes[zehs]
7Zeven[zeh-ven]
8Acht[ahkht]
9Negen[nay-khun]
10Tien[teen]
Transport & Directions
EnglishLocalSay it
Where's a/the...?Waar is de...[vahr is duh]
What's the address?Wat is het adres?[vaht is het ah-drehs]
Can you show me (on the map)?Kunt u mij laten zien (op de kaart)?[kunt oo may laht-uhn seen (op duh kahrt)]
When's the next (bus)?Wanneer is de volgende (bus)?[vahn-ayr is duh vohl-huhnd-uh (buhs)]
A ticket (to ....)Een kaartje (naar ....)[ayn kahrt-yuh (nahr)]

History of Jordaan

Seventeenth-Century Expansion

Jordaan emerged during Amsterdam’s great seventeenth-century urban expansion, when the city extended beyond its earlier walls and organised new residential districts around the western canal belt. The area was laid out with a denser, less ceremonious pattern than the grand canal ring, combining narrow streets, modest houses, workshops and canals. Its name is often linked to the French word jardin, meaning garden, but historians continue to debate that explanation alongside other possibilities. Whatever its origin, the district’s early form reflected the practical needs of a rapidly growing commercial city rather than the wealthier display associated with the Herengracht.

A Crowded Working Neighbourhood

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Jordaan became strongly associated with artisans, labourers, small manufacturers and families living at high density. Narrow houses and courtyards accommodated a substantial population, while canals and markets supported local trade. The neighbourhood also developed a distinctive social culture expressed through cafés, songs, informal networks and collective life on the streets, although romantic accounts can obscure the poverty and overcrowding many residents experienced. Several canals were filled during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as sanitation, traffic and public-health priorities changed the district’s physical layout.

War and the Anne Frank Connection

The western canal belt became connected to the history of the German occupation during the Second World War, when Jewish residents of Amsterdam were persecuted and deported. Anne Frank and her family hid in the achterhuis of a building on the Prinsengracht, now preserved as the Anne Frank House near Jordaan’s western side. The house is not a complete portrait of the neighbourhood’s wartime experience, but it gives the local streets a profound historical context. The surrounding canals also formed part of a wider urban landscape in which resistance, concealment, collaboration and loss affected residents across Amsterdam.

From Neglect to Reinvention

After the Second World War, Jordaan retained a reputation as a crowded and relatively modest district, and post-war redevelopment proposals threatened substantial alterations to its old housing stock. Resident opposition helped strengthen appreciation of the neighbourhood’s historic buildings and intimate street plan. From the late twentieth century onwards, restoration, rising property values and the growth of specialist retail changed the social and commercial character of the area. Contemporary Jordaan combines protected architectural character and enduring cafés with a more affluent housing market, making the tension between preservation, liveability and commercialisation part of its present identity.

Jordaan in Photos

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