One of the best ways to get a quick impression of local life and local food in my opinion is to visit the largest open-air market of Amsterdam! It’s a daily market, only sunday there is no market. It’s like an open-air hypermarket where almost everything that you can carry with you in large bags is being sold. It’s 260 stands sells clothes, vegetables, fruit, flowers, fish, chicken, bags, cheese, a lot of local and foreign snacks, but things like perfume, bicycle parts, glasses as well. Traditionally a lot of locals visit the market for buying their daily neccessities. It’s a place which locals from a wide range of backgrounds visit. It’s visitors are like a mirror of the population of the city. It’s a good place to get a feeling of local life!

The market historically has been an important place to meet acquintances and to be seen as well. Open -air markets do have a long history in Europe. Many cities developed as market towns where farmers from the surrounding countryside came to, to sell their fruit, vegetables, cheese and butter and their animals to butchers while they bought handicraft products like shoes and clothes which were produced by guildmembers inside the cities. Up to the 19th century there were a lot of markets in the center of Amsterdam. Certain streets were dedicated for markets in certain products. So there was a sea fish market, a vegetables market, a fruit market, a butter and cheese market, and so on.

There is a lot of food and snacks being sold at the stands and at the restaurants and bars surrounding the market. So it’s a great place to get an idea about local food as well! Besides you get an impression about local prices at the market! I strongly recommend visiting this most important market of Amsterdam for everyone who would like to get an idea about local life, local food and prices of products!

I do tours to the market, it’s possible to incorporate a visit of the market in a customized tour program as well of course! Please fill out the form underneath to request a tour or a customized program which includes the market: