Threaded between the great canals of central Amsterdam, the Nine Streets form one of the most charming shopping districts in the city, a compact grid of narrow lanes packed with independent boutiques, vintage shops, galleries and cafes. The area takes its name from the nine little streets that link the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Singel canals. The streets lie within the famous ring of seventeenth-century canals, the Grachtengordel, a World Heritage area built during the Dutch Golden Age, and the gabled merchant houses that line them now shelter a very different kind of commerce from the warehouses and trades of the past. What sets the district apart is its concentration of small, independent businesses rather than international chains, with each street offering a mix of fashion, design, antiques, books and speciality food, making it a favourite for browsing and for discovering one-off shops found nowhere else. Between the shops sit some of the most agreeable cafes and brown bars in the city, where shoppers pause for coffee or a drink, and the constant glimpses of the canals at every crossing give the area a relaxed, picturesque charm. The neighbourhood has long been a fashionable and creative quarter, and its blend of historic architecture, independent retail and canal-side atmosphere captures much of what visitors come to Amsterdam to find, away from the crowds of the main tourist sights. Easily explored on foot and lying right in the heart of the canal ring, the Nine Streets reward unhurried wandering, and whether for serious shopping, a leisurely lunch or simply soaking up the atmosphere of old Amsterdam, the district offers one of the most enjoyable strolls in the city. The district sits within the great seventeenth-century ring of canals dug during the Dutch Golden Age, a feat of urban planning so remarkable that it has been recognised as a World Heritage Site, and the elegant gabled houses that once belonged to merchants now lend the shopping streets their distinctive charm. Locals and visitors alike treasure the area for its mix of the historic and the contemporary, where a vintage clothing shop or a tiny gallery occupies a building three or four centuries old. Compact, walkable and endlessly photogenic, the Nine Streets capture the essence of Amsterdam in miniature, and for many a slow afternoon spent drifting between its shops, cafes and canal bridges is among the most pleasant ways to experience the city.

Type: Street

Address: Amsterdam, Netherlands