The 9 Small Streets – De Negen Straatjes
The most trendy shopping area of Amsterdam is located within little streets of the Old Town. Full of small fashion shops, nice restaurants, coffee bars, bookshops, interior decoration stores and hairdressers, The Nine Small Streets is the area where locals go to shop, get beautiful, eat and drink.
You can find accommodation in this area by searching the Booking reservation engine. They offer many options for all your needs.
Diagram of nine small streets
The 9 Small Streets are actually three streets crossing two canals: Herengracht a Keizersgracht, which makes up for nine small streets. They are surrounded by Prinsengracht canal from the west and Singel canal from the east.
Reestraat
As usual fashion and decoration shops dominate this street. They are completed by two fine restaurants, vintage watch store - Amsterdam Watch Company at no.3 and an art gallery - Galerie Lughien, at no. 17, specialty: Dutch realism.
Hartenstraat
A fashion and home decoration stores street with an elegant and exciting Karl Lagerfeld boutique as its flagship. Couple of small restaurants and a traditional townhouse Hotel Belga at no.8, complete this mixture of top fashion and daily rather modest routine.
Gasthuismolensteeg
Just 5 minutes walking distance from the Dam, this small street features a small museum - The National Museum of Spectacles, a gallery, several fashion shops, designer shoe boutique Antonia and existing already for more than 50 years sandwiches shop of reputation: t’Kuyltje (at no. 9 - corner with Herengracht): breakfast and lunch; seats outside; open 7 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Berenstraat
This is the street to eat and shop. The highlights are the lingerie boutique by an internationally recognized designer Marlies Dekkers, who now for ten years brings new ideas into this important segment of woman’s fashion; together with a popular cafe restaurant t’Zwaantje (The Small Swan) and an unusual all in black bookshop Mendo; completed with several fashion outlets for men and women and some very nice eateries. A tiny night grocery (Dutch: avondwinkel) Pinguin, open 7 days a week, sells basic food products, wine and cheese, but also sandwiches and as may be expected - ice cream.
Wolvenstraat
Several fashion boutiques, also for men - Bendorff and Marchesi selling Italian shirts, several vintage clothes stores, a hairdresser and a beauty parlor plus two popular cafes and a trendy, jazzy Restaurant Brix serving also lunch, make this street one of the most popular in the whole city.
Oude Spiegelstraat
Bags by Rika, Margareth M. and a vintage second hand bags shop by most famous French couturiers called L’Etoile de Saint Honoré cohabit in this short street with an antiques shop and the Consulate of Estonia.
Runstraat
Two beauty salons, restaurants and a popular old fashioned Amsterdam Cafe De Doffer - which closes during weekends at 4 A.M. - make this street busy at any time of the day. Wine and a traditional Dutch cheese shops, together with a very good bakery complete the picture.
Huidenstraat
One of the busiest, this street offers a mixture of eateries with fashion, elegant accessories and jewelry shops. Chocolaterie Pompadour at no. 12 is known for its cakes while shop on the other side, at no. 11 - Liebeskind - for handbags. Although with no connection to the famous architect, it will certainly attract your attention with their designs.
Wijde Heisteeg
Close to the Flower Market this small street prolongs authentic Middle Ages alley called Heisteeg - Heath Alley. Here the name says Wide Heath Alley, but the car may barely enter this street, one of the shortest of De 9 Straatjes. Typical for this district is mixture of fashion stores - Mia and LouLou; lunchrooms - Lef (at Wijde Heisteeg no. 1 on your left if you enter the street from the center) and Raymond’s Sandwiches, plus a hairdresser and jewelry shop.
Visiting the 9 small streets
The real enjoyment about De 9 Straatjes is the concentration of niceties in the very small area of the city. Walk there - it is fun even if you do not intend to buy anything. When hungry, grab a sandwich or have an exquisite meal in one of the restaurants.
How to get to the 9 small streets
Walk to the area from the Dam square or from the Munt. The 9 Straatjes area is just 2 minutes walk from the Dam and 5 minutes from the Munt.
You may also take a tram 13 and 17 from the Central Station and step out after three stops - on the Westermarkt. Go left from the stop and the first crossing streets will belong already to the 9 Streets area.
If you persist on difficult task of driving to Amsterdam, you will have to exit the ring A-10 at an exit 105 and drive straight on to the Westerkerk tower. After that you will face the task of parking your car. All 9 Little Streets are too narrow - no parking possible there, but there are metered parking possibilities in all canal streets around.