In short
The Jordaan is the neighbourhood west of Prinsengracht where Amsterdam changes scale: smaller houses, narrow cross streets and canals such as Bloemgracht and Egelantiersgracht replace the broad merchant-house frontages nearby. Use Noordermarkt for a northern starting point and Rozengracht for a southern one. A walk here works best with time for a café and a few turns away from the busiest waterfront.
- Start: Noordermarkt for the northern streets; Westermarkt for the central and southern Jordaan.
- Market: Saturday brings the organic farmers’ stalls; Monday has a different market character.
- Allow: about half a day for a relaxed walk and food stop, longer with a booked attraction.
- Boundary: the Nine Streets are across Prinsengracht in the canal belt, not another name for the Jordaan.
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Finding the Jordaan between Prinsengracht and the smaller canals
Think of Prinsengracht as the eastern reference line, then turn west into the neighbourhood. Brouwersgracht provides a useful northern approach; Rozengracht cuts across farther south. Westerstraat and Lindengracht are broader, busy streets, while the lanes around Egelantiersgracht and Bloemgracht invite slower walking. This difference makes a better route than simply following the crowds outside Anne Frank House.
For a first visit, start around Noordermarkt, look towards Brouwersgracht, then work south through the canal streets. Finish around Bloemgracht or Rozengracht according to your next destination. This is a suggested walk rather than a fixed signposted trail: leave space for shop visits, bridges and a café stop.
Good to know
- A compact way to combine smaller canals, independent shops and cafés.
- Easy to join to a central Amsterdam walk without an extra transport journey.
- Different experiences on market mornings and quieter non-market days.
Keep in mind
- Narrow pavements and bridge slopes can make a short route slower than expected.
- Private courtyards are residential spaces, not guaranteed visitor attractions.
- Queues around the Anne Frank House area do not represent the whole neighbourhood.
6 Jordaan places beyond the busiest Prinsengracht corner
Choose a few of these stops rather than treating every street as a separate attraction. The neighbourhood itself is the main visit; churches, museums and performances have their own access arrangements.
Noordermarkt and Noorderkerk Start here
The square and church anchor the northern Jordaan. Come for a market morning or use the square as an orientation stop on another day; a church service, concert and casual building visit are different arrangements.
Brouwersgracht
Follow the canal junction towards Prinsengracht to appreciate the change between warehouse façades and smaller residential streets. Bridges provide useful views, but keep their crossing space clear.
Egelantiersgracht
A good canal for slowing the walk and looking along the water rather than rushing to the next sight. Nearby cafés make it a practical place for a break between northern and southern streets.
Bloemgracht
Use this smaller canal as the southern part of a neighbourhood loop. The appeal is the street scale and waterside buildings, so there is no need to add a separate admission stop.
Westerkerk and Westermarkt
The church and square stand at the Prinsengracht edge of the Jordaan. They connect the neighbourhood walk with central canal-belt sights; treat any interior or tower access as a separate visit.
Anne Frank House area
The museum is on the Prinsengracht edge. A walk past the outside is not access to the museum, and a neighbourhood or Jewish-history walking tour must not be assumed to include its admission.
A Jordaan half-day: market morning or canal-and-café afternoon
On a Saturday, begin with Noordermarkt before turning into the smaller streets. On a non-market day, let a café opening or a booked cultural visit determine the order instead. Do not fill the route with several food queues: choose one substantial pause and leave the rest of the time for the neighbourhood.
If you are also visiting Anne Frank House, place that reserved entry first in your planning, then arrange the walk around it. Without a museum visit, the Jordaan makes a flexible half-day rather than a timetable of attractions.
Best moment
Morning for a market; daytime for shop browsing
Crowd
Busier near Noordermarkt and Prinsengracht
Kid friendly
Short loops work well with children
Unmissable
Egelantiersgracht and Bloemgracht
Visit style
Walking, small shops and a café pause
What to expect
Residential streets between busy visitor corners
Activities near the Jordaan
A guided food walk can add tastings and local context, while a canal cruise gives a different view of the waterways. Check the actual meeting point and inclusions. Neither activity is an admission ticket to the Jordaan or an automatic booking for Anne Frank House.
Van Gogh and Rembrandt in Amsterdam - Immersive Experience
Amsterdam Food and Cultural Tour with 10 Tastings
Eating Amsterdam: Food Walking Tour with Private Canal Cruise
Avoid these mistakes
- Do not enter a hofje merely because its door is open; follow the residents’ signs.
- Do not expect Saturday’s farmers’ market on every weekday.
- Do not book a walking tour as a substitute for museum admission.
Quick advice
- Walk one street away from Prinsengracht when its pavements feel congested.
- Choose Noordermarkt or Rozengracht as an endpoint according to your next stop.
- Keep one café pause flexible so the walk retains its neighbourhood rhythm.
Getting to Jordaan
There is no single Jordaan station that serves every part of the neighbourhood. Choose an arrival for the northern or southern half rather than aiming at a vague district pin.
From Centraal, approach the northern Jordaan along the city-centre streets towards Brouwersgracht. For the southern canals, Westermarkt is a more useful reference than doubling back to Noordermarkt. Allow extra time when carrying luggage over bridges.
Search the current GVB planner for Westermarkt, Rozengracht or the exact street you need. Routes and stop arrangements can change; a stop near the neighbourhood edge still leaves a walk through the smaller streets.
Cycle to the edge, park in a permitted rack and explore the narrowest streets on foot. Do not leave a bicycle against a resident’s door or obstruct a bridge. A bike is more useful for reaching the area than for stopping every few metres inside it.
Noordermarkt, Amsterdam
Getting around Amsterdam
How the Jordaan grew beside the wealthy canal belt
The Jordaan developed during Amsterdam’s early seventeenth-century expansion, alongside the grand canals but with a different social and physical character. Craftspeople, labourers and migrants lived and worked in smaller plots. Older field and drainage patterns helped shape a street plan that does not simply continue the canal belt’s formal geometry.
Its attractive appearance today should not erase the history of overcrowding and poor housing. The small buildings and courtyards belonged to a densely inhabited working district, not a neighbourhood originally designed as a picturesque visitor route.
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By the twentieth century, deteriorating housing had prompted proposals for extensive demolition. Preservation, renewal and changing attitudes to the old city helped retain much of the neighbourhood’s street structure. The Jordaan also became strongly associated with Amsterdam popular song, cafés and a public image of direct humour and resilience.
Later investment brought restoration, galleries and more expensive housing. Walking here therefore means seeing both an older working neighbourhood and a place changed by prosperity and tourism. The surviving small scale is real; so is the fact that these streets remain people’s homes.
Details that make the Jordaan easier to read
- Different street scales: compare a broad street such as Westerstraat with the lanes and smaller canals nearby. The change is part of the neighbourhood’s character, not evidence that you have left the route.
- Hofjes: historic almshouse courtyards tell a social story, but many remain residential. A closed entrance is a boundary to respect rather than a hidden attraction to unlock.
- Filled canals: names such as Lindengracht and Rozengracht preserve the memory of water even where the present-day route is a street.
Tickets and experiences for this part of Amsterdam
Staying in the Jordaan: atmosphere versus access
Choose the Jordaan if you want smaller streets and cafés within your everyday walking area. Check the exact building entrance, stairs and luggage access, especially in older properties. A room near a busy café or market street can feel different from one on a quiet canal.
For a short stay, compare the final walk from your arrival stop as carefully as the district name. A central address does not guarantee a lift, a level approach or silence at night. The Amsterdam accommodation map below is a city-wide comparison, not a list of properties personally inspected in the Jordaan.
Jordaan food stops: a café pause or a planned meal
Winkel 43
Noordermarkt café known for apple pie, with breakfast, lunch and a terrace beside the western canals.
La Perla
Wood-fired pizza address on Tweede Tuindwarsstraat, with a counter and a restaurant across the street.
Frequently asked questions about Jordaan
Is the Jordaan the same as the Nine Streets?
No. The Jordaan lies west of Prinsengracht. The Nine Streets form a small shopping area across the canal within the western canal belt. They join easily on a walk but have distinct identities.
How long should I allow for the Jordaan?
Allow roughly half a day for a relaxed neighbourhood walk, shops and one café or meal. A museum entry, performance or long restaurant meal needs additional time.
Which day is best for Noordermarkt?
Choose Saturday for the organic farmers’ market. Monday has a different market mix. On other days, plan around the neighbourhood and cafés rather than assuming the regular stalls are present.
Can I visit every courtyard?
No. Hofjes can remain private or have restricted visiting access. Follow the signs, keep voices low and do not enter closed residential courtyards.
Does a Jordaan tour include Anne Frank House?
Only an offer explicitly including the relevant museum admission could do so. Many neighbourhood and history walks do not include access to Anne Frank House.
Is the Jordaan practical with limited mobility?
It can be explored in short sections, but narrow pavements, bridge slopes and older building entrances require planning. Choose the exact route and venue access rather than relying on the neighbourhood’s compact size.
