Amsterdam has a market almost every day of the week, and they are not the same kind of market. One sells you dinner, one sells you somebody else’s bicycle light, one sells tulip bulbs to tourists. This is which is which, and on which day.
Which market is on which day
| Day | What is on |
|---|---|
| Monday | Noordermarkt flea market and the Westerstraat textile market, plus the six-day markets below |
| Tuesday to Friday | Albert Cuyp, Waterlooplein, Dappermarkt, Ten Katemarkt, Bloemenmarkt |
| Saturday | The busiest day: the Noordermarkt organic farmers’ market and the Lindengracht market on top of everything else |
| Sunday | None of the daily markets, but this is the day of the monthly ones: Sunday Market and Pure Markt. The Bloemenmarkt is open |
If you have one morning and want the full version, make it Saturday in the Jordaan. If you want to actually buy food without queueing, go on a Tuesday.
The markets, one by one
| Market | Days | Where | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Cuypmarkt | Mon–Sat, 09:30–17:00 | De Pijp | The big one. Food, clothing, flowers and stroopwafels made in front of you |
| Waterlooplein | Mon–Sat, 09:30–18:00 | Waterlooplein | The oldest flea market in the city, around three hundred stalls |
| Noordermarkt | Saturday | Jordaan | Organic farmers’ market. Cheese, bread, and a queue for the apple pie |
| Noordermarkt | Monday | Jordaan | A different market entirely: flea and second-hand, with textiles on the Westerstraat next door |
| Lindengracht | Saturday | Jordaan | A proper neighbourhood market, five minutes from the Noordermarkt |
| Bloemenmarkt | Daily | Singel | Flowers and bulbs, floating on the canal. More souvenir than market these days |
| Dappermarkt | Mon–Sat | Oost | The everyday market of a mixed neighbourhood, and cheaper than the centre |
| Ten Katemarkt | Mon–Sat | Oud-West | Small food market with a good indoor food hall beside it |
| IJ-Hallen | One weekend a month | NDSM, Noord | Billed as the largest flea market in Europe. Take the free ferry from Centraal |
The monthly Sunday markets
The daily markets all close on Sunday, which is exactly why two of the best ones happen then. Both are monthly, both are free, and both are worth planning a Sunday around rather than stumbling into.
| Market | When | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Market | First Sunday of the month, 12:00–18:00 | Westergas | Designers and makers, live music and food. Free entry |
| Sunday Market | Third Sunday of the month | Museumplein | The same market on the museum square |
| Sunday Market | Last Sunday of the month, March to October | Rokin | The city-centre edition, summer season only |
| Pure Markt | Sundays, 11:00–18:00 | Park Frankendael, Amstelpark, Amsterdamse Bos | A travelling market of artisanal food sold by the people who made it. Free entry |
The Pure Markt moves between parks, so check which one is on before you go. Park Frankendael and the Amstelpark are the two Amsterdam regulars.
Markets in the canal district
The canal belt itself has only two: the Bloemenmarkt on the Singel and the two Jordaan markets on its western edge. Everything else is a tram ride, which is the honest answer most guides skip. The Jordaan is the closest thing to a market neighbourhood inside walking distance of the canals.
December: the Christmas market
From 3 to 27 December the Christmas Village on the Museumplein adds more than fifty stalls to the list, free to walk into, next to the Ice Amsterdam skating rink.
Practical
- Markets are cash-friendly but card-normal now; most stalls take a debit card.
- Stalls start packing up before the official closing time. An hour before the end is late.
- Most markets close on public holidays, and hours shift around Christmas and King’s Day.
- On King’s Day the whole city becomes one enormous market for a day.
Getting between them
None of these are far apart, but they are not walkable as a set. Two tram tickets and half a day covers the lot.
- A GVB day ticket covers every tram, bus and metro for the day.
- Tram 2 runs past the Jordaan markets and on to the Museumplein.
- Metro 52 reaches De Pijp and the Albert Cuyp in minutes from Centraal.
