Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [144]
Shopping | Shops |
Art supplies, postcards and posters
Art Unlimited Keizersgracht 510 (Grachtengordel south) 020/624 8419, www.artunlimited.com. Sprawling postcard, card and poster shop, with excellent stock. All kinds of images: good for communiqués home that avoid windmills and clogs. Near the corner of Leidsestraat. Mon 1–6pm, Tues, Wed & Sat 10am–6pm, Thurs 10am–8pm, Fri 10am–noon, Sun noon–5pm.
Van Beek Stadhouderskade 62–65 (De Pijp, Outer districts) 020/662 1670. Long-established outlet for art materials of all kinds. Mon 1–6pm, Tues–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 10am–5pm.
Van Ginkel Bilderdijkstraat 99 (Oud West, Outer districts) 020/618 9827. Supplier of art materials, with an emphasis on print-making. Mon–Fri 9.30am–6pm, Sat 9.30am–5pm.
Shopping | Shops |
Bikes
While in Amsterdam you may want to buy a bike, but don’t be tempted by anything you’re offered on the street or in a bar – more often than not you’ll end up with a stolen edition. Try instead the shops listed here, which sell, rent and repair bikes of all qualities; buying a well-worn model will cost around €100, maybe less, while €150 and up should get you a fairly decent secondhand machine. To rent one you’ll need to show ID and pay a €50 or €100 deposit, or leave a credit card; see Basics for further details. If you find that no one in the shop speaks English, check out the glossary of basic bike terms in "Useful cycling terms".
Damstraat Rent-a-Bike Damstraat 20–22 (Old Centre) 020/625 5029, www.bikes.nl. Traditional Dutch bikes for sale, both used and new. Bike repair and rental from €6.50 for three hours, €9.50 a day, €35 a week, insurance excluded. Daily 9am–6pm.
Freewheel Akoleienstraat 7 (Jordaan and Western docklands) 020/627 7252. Women-run bike sales and repairs. Tues–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 10am–5pm.
MacBike Centraal Station (Eastpoint), Stationsplein; Mr Visserplein 2; and Weteringschans 2, on the edge of Leidseplein 020/620 0985, www.macbike.nl. Three locations (but one central phone number) for this well-established and very popular bike sales, rental and repair firm, though the circular MacBike disks sported by every one of their bikes do look distinctly un-cool. They also organize city tours. Rental from €7 for three hours, €9.50 a day and €30.80 a week. Daily 9am–5.45pm.
Shopping | Shops |
Books and comics
Virtually all of Amsterdam’s many bookshops stock at least a small selection of English-language books, though prices are always inflated (sometimes dramatically). A particular speciality is the city’s range of secondhand and antiquarian bookshops, several of which are listed here, but for a comprehensive list pick up the free Antiquarian & Secondhand Bookshops of Amsterdam leaflet at any of them. For gay and lesbian bookstores see "Gay and lesbian Amsterdam".
Shopping | Shops | Books and comics |
General bookstores
American Book Center Spui 12 (Old Centre) 020/625 5537. This store has a vast stock of books in English, as well as lots of imported US magazines and books. Mon 11am–7pm, Tues–Sat 10am–8pm (Thurs till 9pm), Sun 11am–6.30pm.
Athenaeum Spui 14–16 (Old Centre) 020/514 1460. Perhaps the city’s most appealing bookshop, and although it’s relatively short on stuff in English, its array of books about Amsterdam is always current, and its selection of international newspapers and magazines is one of the best in the city. Mon 11am–6pm, Tues–Sat 9.30am–6pm (Thurs till 9pm), Sun noon–5.30pm.
The English Bookshop Lauriergracht 71 (Jordaan and Western docklands) 020/626 4230, www.englishbookshop.nl. A small, quirky collection of titles on a wide range of subjects, in particular literature, but also cookery, travel and children’s books. Tues–Sat 11am–6pm.
Martyrium Van Baerlestraat 170–172 (Museum Quarter and Vondelpark) 020/673 2092. Good general bookshop with lots of material in English. Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 9am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm.
Selexyz Scheltema Koningsplein 20 (Grachtengordel south) 020/523 1411, www.scheltema.nl. Amsterdam’s biggest and arguably best bookshop. Six floors of absolutely