Canal Belt West

Canal Belt West is not an official neighbourhood; it is part of Amsterdam city centre. But this area has some really nice shopping streets worth mentioning. Close to the Jordaan the Haarlemmerstraat, Haarlemmerdijk, Herenstraat and Prinsenstraat are streets not to be missed if you like shopping.

The neighbourhood

All four streets have a wide variety of shops and restaurants, but the Herenstraat and Prinsenstraat are a bit smaller and therefore – in my opinion – a bit more charming. Nonetheless I recommend all four streets equally. They are not far apart, so there is no need to choose between them anyway. Haarlemmerstraat extends into Haarlemmerdijk (NL) as the Herenstraat extends into the Prinsenstraat (NL).

Lengthy shopping and dining in the Haarlemmerbuurt

Haarlemmerstraat and Haarlemmerdijk is a long, long street and has a lot to offer. There are independent gift shops, (Fair Trade) fashion shops like Nukuhiva, speciality chocolate and candy stores, cheese stores, a tea bar, (hand) bags and lots of charming cafes and restaurants. There are also some main chain stores, but they are a minority here.

Another thing worth mentioning is cinema The Movies on Haarlemmerdijk. This is Amsterdam’s oldest cinema, built in 1912! It is a very cute and charming Art Deco style cinema. Most movies are shown in their original language with Dutch subtitles, except for some kids movies.

A nice mix of independent shops and restaurants

De Herenstraat and Prinsenstraat are quite a bit smaller than the other two streets and run respectively, between the Herengracht and Keizersgracht and Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht. The charming (a word I use a lot to describe the various neighbourhoods of Amsterdam, sorry) streets have a nice mix of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. Here you will find mostly independent establishments.

An impression of the Haarlemmerstraat by Dutchified

Check this video of our vlog partner Dutchified to get an impression of what to expect in the Haarlemmerstraat.

Canal Belt West

Website: Haarlemmerbuurt (NL) and Herenstraat and Prinsenstraat (NL)