Spui is one of those magical parts of Amsterdam we think of when we envision the idealized Amsterdam. Quaint streets with bikes parked along brick-paved sidewalks, a lovely canal nearby to watch boats float by, taking us to some other time that is somehow both past and future at once.
About 10 easy-walked-minutes from the overcrowded shopping area near the palace, Spui (pronounced like sp-OU, like the ou in ouch) is not an undiscovered area. It’s quite the opposite, at least for book lovers. With my passion for all things literary, I promptly marked it on my Amsterdam map at a must-visit, honing in on several interesting bookshops and the book market I wanted to visit (tho, sadly, it was not open when we were in town). Of course I was going to go this area. And I was prepared for it to be overrun by fellow literary lovers or those that might have spied a tidbit about something cute here on Instagram. But, strangely, unlike other parts of Amsterdam that wasn’t the case in Spui. It somehow felt outside of the tourist-overcrowded zone (or zones, depending on when/where you go). (More on that Amsterdam issue here). Spui, however, was popular without being over-populated.
It’s here along Heisteeg street, which merges into another street called Spui, that we enjoyed several smaller, cooler places in Amsterdam this December that I would 100% go back to. In fact, next time I go to Amsterdam (and there will be a next time) Spui is the area I will aim to stay in. This was the Amsterdam that we came here to see. And believe it or not, the places I’m about to recommend are all just off one pedestrian-width road so small in parts that you can really only pass on foot or bike. (See map at end of this piece for all the spotlighted places below plus a few more things to visit along the road while you’re there.) You likely won’t find the below on other guide (hence the actual point of this article). Not because they’re not fab, but because they’ve just not had the fortune/misfortune of going viral (at least yet… this week). Without further adieu, here’s six must-see things you’re sure to enjoy as you meander along this special part of Amsterdam…
1. To Buy a Good Book
The heart of Spui is for the bookish. And right off the central plaza is Athenaeum Boekhandel Spui en Nieuwscentrum. Only being in Amsterdam a few days and no where long enough to see everything I wanted to see, I didn’t get to go to many bookshops. But my favorite of our whole December European adventure was Athenaeum. I knew I’d love it from the moment I saw the adorable nook-like display window under the regular store windows at child-height. Inside was a miniature world, complete with fireplace and packed bookshelf, also all dressed up for Christmas just like the streets around it.
Inside, the shop was filled with magazines, books, books and more books plus some book-adjacent things like must-buy canvas book bags. Though a local bookstore, there seems to be as many English books as there are Dutch ones. A likely product of the nation’s fluency in both. I bought Amsterdam: A brief life of the city by Geert Mak that called to me from their shelves. It was cozy inside, a home-like comfort accented with a reading chair in the window that invites customers to sit down and read or watch the world go by. Ahh! Peace with a side of readerly and writerly bliss. I could have honestly stayed here all day and been quite happy.
2. For a Moment of HistoriCal RefLection
Down the street to the east about a block, past the University of Amsterdam bookstore, then down a smaller side street (Gedempte Begjinensloot), you’ll find the seemingly hidden historic Het Begijnhof. Here, you’ll find a black-painted wooded house named Houten Huys, the oldest house in Amsterdam, dating back 600-some-odd-years, with the first mention of the area dating “back to 1307,” according to the neighborhood’s website. Literally meaning begijn courtyard, beguines (the plural of begijn) “were single women who lived in communities together. The beguine movement started in the 1100s and spread across Western Europe,” according to the website Dutch Genealogy. I Amsterdam adds, begijnhovens traditionally were “a group of houses built around a secluded courtyard and garden” to house beguines, the last of whom died in 1971 in Amsterdam. It is free to visit the begijnhoof and it’s open daily (except for King’s Day), but more than 100 women still live around the courtyard (so says its website). There’s a guard to welcome visitors and remind them to be respectful of the community, which is also home to two churches. There’s also a cool mural wall noting the “miracle of Amsterdam.” Best of all, you’ll find a feeling of peace and relaxation here, away from the hustle and bustle by only a block, but seemingly decades in distance.
3. For the Joyous Pure Holland Ambience You Came to Amsterdam For
We accidentally timed things just right and were delighted by a surprise encounter with the (I learned later) famed “Music Boat Man.” In all my research leading up to the trip, I’d not heard about this beloved Amsterdam-equivalent of a street musician, a man who performs on a boat so tiny I worried canal water would splash in and sink the boat as he spun the wheel with one hand while playing his trumpet with the other. See the photo at the top of this article to see what I mean about the teeny-weeny vessel packed with what looks to be a hand-crank old music box and symbols of Dutch pride. The saying good things come in small packages is true of the magic that will light up your heart hearing Reinier Sijpkens perform in his Muziekboot. Reinier describes his act on his website, “Trumpets, barrel-organ, a dancing painted boat, mostly classical music, a happy man, who enjoys performing by surprise.”
And what a pleasant surprise it was when we saw the muziekboot meandering down the Singel canal, about a block west of Athenaeum. The oldest of the canals in UNESCO World Heritage Canal Ring of the Grachtengordel (the canal district), Singel once served as a moat around the Middle Ages version of the city. So it was perfect coming across classical Christmas music here. But there are literally more than 100 canals connected by more than a thousand bridges in the “Venice of the North,” as Amsterdam is known. Where you might find the muziekboot can’t be known, but there’s a good chance to come across him along the Singel, like we did in Spui. You can follow Reinier on his Instagram to find out more about where you might spot him and how to watch him in an official concert too!
And now for the foodies…
There’s lots of places to eat and drink in Spui, of course! Below are suggestions for lunch, dinner and for a snack break…
4. For a Delicious, Traditional Sweet Snack
Next to Singel canal just off its eastern bank on Wijde Heisteeg street, you’ll find the quaint Lanskroon Bakery. Here is where I tried my first freshly baked Dutch treats of global fame: stroopwafels (thin, cookie-like waffles sandwiching caramel; meaning “syrup waffle” in Dutch), along with oliebollen (the Dutch version of a big donut ball, tho nothing like a donut) and honingwafel, a honey-version of the famed caramel stroopwafels. I sat at one of their tiny tables with a fresh latte, the European way with just espresso and milk, which perfectly compliments the sweet baked goods.
While both the honey and caramel wafels were of course SO much tastier than the pre-packaged versions I’d had stateside over the years and delightful with my koffie, the oliebollen blew my mind with its goodness. These winter holiday treats are made with a yeast-based dough deep fried in oil (hence their name) that’s filled with fruit pieces (the one I had tasted like they’d been soaked in a delicious brandy) and served with a dainty coating of powdered sugar.
These quintessential Dutch snacks are traditionally served for New Year’s Eve, symbolizing luck and prosperity for the coming year. The Dutch Review website says the recipe was first in a cookbook in 1667 and “are said” to date back further, as they appear in “a painting by Albert Cuyp from about 1652 depicting a cooking pot with oliebollen.”
5. For A Modern Dutch lunch
The Lebanese Sajeria is a teeny whole-in-the-wall eatery run by two self-proclaimed foodies (Lia and Ziad) who started out serving “at food markets around Amsterdam, then out of a food-truck window as we toured the country. Today, we have four of our very own counters across the city,” as they say on their website. The flavors are amazing and at first bite, or even first sniff when you walk inside, you can tell why they’ve been so successful over the last decade.
Most people coming here seem to do takeaway. And for good reason, the dining space is up a thin ladder-like staircase that leads to a small loft and about 14 spots to sit and dine. It’s teeny but cute and certainly not accessible or even for those with fears of heights or not good with balance. It’s like going into a treehouse to feast. But feast you will. The food is delicious!
This place will delight vegans, vegetarians and meat-lovers alike and is a perfect break from all the fried goodies you’ll likely feast on while in Amsterdam. Everything here is made fresh and healthy with no sugars or additives and you can taste it. I got theie lemon paprika chicken breast with hummus, lettuce, tomatoes and pomegranate-sumac dressing on their homemade manousheh (a fresh flatbread you can watch them bake on the saj dome-shaped oven in the window). It is as their website accurately describes it, a perfect “contrast” of “crunchy, chewy, and creamy.” The spices warm the senses and tastebuds to harmony. I also rec the side of lentil soup, if you visit on a winter day like we did.
To get here from Lanskroon, just cross the canal and it’s on the south side of the street, which takes you into the “Nine Little Streets” (aka De 9 Straatjes) district of Amsterdam, a place known for its small, local shopping, offering “a mix of trendy, antique, modern, luxury, cheap, second-hand, and other small interesting stores,” according to the Amsterdam Sights website. We didn’t have time for a relaxing shopping trip around De 9 Straatjes, but eating here and heading out for a day of shopping before going for a relaxed dinner at Pizza Beppe (described below), would be ideal!
6. For A Relaxed Dinner
When in Europe, we seek out authentic pizza. So when we saw the sign for Pizza Beppe Amsterdam Spui on our way to Het Begijnhof with another declaring its official certification of Naples authenticity, we had to stop and look at the menu (and then make a booking to come back for dinner). It was a happy meal, definitely one of the better pizzas I’ve had… and that includes ones I’ve had in northern Italy, tho I have not (yet) been to Naples itself to compare to the source. I make it my duty as a foodie to seek out the best pizzas and Beppe didn’t disappoint. Just look at that crust, sauce and ooey-gooey cheese in the photo! Mmmm. Wish I was eating it now.
On a related note, if you’re looking for a great meal of Dutch-origins, I recommend Café Sonneveld. Only reachable from Spui on foot (in under 20 minutes) or 5 minutes by bicycle, or, I suppose, a 6 minute Uber/taxi if you insist on American ways of travel. Full details/review on this great local, family-run restaurant coming soon!
More from Amsterdam…
- 6 Amsterdam must-Visit places Along One Tiny Street you likely won’t see on any other guide – but will love!
- The Call of Amsterdam & Why You Should Go, Despite Overtourism (& How to not be Part of the Problem)
- Steal This Itinerary: Milan to London (or Amsterdam)
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All photos, videos and text for this story are by Angelé. See more on our Instagram!
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