6 Amsterdam bookstores to fall in love with
For English speakers looking for a fun city to visit in Europe, you can’t go wrong with a trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful city, and every Amsterdam street is a postcard-perfect view: canals, row houses with gabled roofs, and bicycles galore.
It’s easy to navigate your way around Amsterdam as an English speaker because nearly everyone speaks perfect English there! The added bonus for those of us with a book-focused inclination is that there are plenty of Amsterdam bookstores here to find English language books for that perfect Amsterdam souvenir.
So next time you’re in Amsterdam, grab yourself a fresh stroopwafel (trust me) and get ready to spend an afternoon exploring some of these unique and fun Amsterdam bookshops that are perfect for English language speakers.
As a literary travel expert, I hunted down the best bookshops Amsterdam has to offer to share them with my fellow bookish travelers.
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Whenever possible, I recommend buying books at local bookshops or through Bookshop.org, because shopping there puts the profits right into the hands of indie bookstores all over the country.
The Book Exchange
Kloveniersburgwal 58, 1012 CX Amsterdam
My number one recommendation for Amsterdam bookshops is the Book Exchange. It’s a maze-like store filled entirely with second-hand English language books. Just when you think you’ve gotten to the end of the shelves, you find another level to explore.
This Amsterdam bookstore has a great selection of hardcover fiction and literature at the front of the shop, but don’t miss the even larger collection of fiction and literature paperbacks upstairs (where it’s also likely to be less crowded).
I love finding unique categorizations and sections in bookstores, and my favorite at The Book Exchange was the section dedicated to travel literature. I wanted to buy up the entire stock but limited myself to one book. I did get lots of ideas to add to my TBR pile, though (it’s meant to be infinite, right?).
The Book Exchange is a great place to spend an afternoon if you’re looking for English bookstores in Amsterdam and appreciate a great secondhand find. If you prefer to buy brand-new books, keep reading; I’ve got some shops on this list for you!
The American Book Center
Spui 12, 1012 XA Amsterdam
The American Book Center is an Amsterdam bookshop founded more than 40 years ago. And it’s not just historic; it’s enormous!
Whereas The Book Exchange is the Amsterdam bookshop to hit for used books, come to the American Book Centre for the best selection of new English language books in Amsterdam.
This bookshop includes three full floors of new English language books, including a great selection of niche books: art books, travel books, science fiction, coffee table books, comic books, and more. There’s also a cafe inside for those who need a caffeine break and to dive into their latest book find without delay.
I love the architectural details inside this beautiful Amsterdam bookshop, including trees integrated into shelves and a massive book wall along the stairs that gives the impression of a book waterfall.
Overall, I’d call the American Book Center one of the best Amsterdam bookstores to spend an hour… or two… or three… browsing.
Related: Spending more time traveling around the Netherlands? Make sure you make it to Maastricht and visit the gorgeous Boekhandel Dominicanen, inside a 14th-century gothic cathedral.
Antiquariat Lont
Herenstraat 39, 1015 BZ Amsterdam
Whenever I’m looking for bookstores or sharing a list of ones to visit, I make sure to seek out the lesser-known, hidden gems. Antiquariat Lont is one of those hidden gems of Amsterdam bookstores. I might have missed it entirely if I hadn’t been ogling the tilting row house across the street and turned around to catch the beautiful window display.
You won’t find it on many lists of Amsterdam bookstores or on social media. It’s just there, without fuss, but with lots of charm.
This bookshop’s size may be lilliputian, but it’s stuffed to the rafters with antique books and eye-catching etchings and art prints. I walked away with a lovely pop-up edition of A Christmas Carol and a recommendation on a local Dickens festival from the lovely bookshop owner.
There aren’t too many English language books to find in this quaint Amsterdam bookshop, but I still think anyone who appreciates antiquarian books and prints will find this cute shop to be a worthwhile stop.
If you’re looking for cute Amsterdam bookstores to visit during a weekend in Amsterdam, check out Antiquariat Lont. If you pop in for a browse you may also end up meeting the owner’s two small, friendly dogs. A cute bookstore pet is always a bonus in my book.
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Amsterdam Book Markets
For those who like to browse for books at stalls, Amsterdam does have a couple of book markets worth visiting. European book markets are always a highlight of any city I visit (like the bouquinistes in Paris and the Istanbul book bazaar). Here are two book markets to check out in Amsterdam.
Oudemanhuispoort Book Market
This Amsterdam book market is in a covered alleyway near the University of Amsterdam in the oldest part of the city. Its vendors are stocked with a sizable selection of primarily second-hand books. You’ll find a respectable number of English language volumes and will likely find yourself browsing along with university students in this hidden gem.
When I visited, only a few stalls were open, but it was enough for me to imagine what more it would be on a normal book market day in Amsterdam. It is a must-visit for anyone searching for Amsterdam bookstores and should definitely be included in your Amsterdam itinerary.
Note that the market is closed on Sundays.
Spui Book Market
Het Spui, 1012 WSZ Amsterdam
This compact Amsterdam book market is open on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. While some say it’s become a tourist-driven market featuring primarily low-cost prints for sale, you may still find some interesting rare, vintage, and antiquarian books in Dutch, French, and English. You might also find some antique maps, posters, and prints.
Amsterdam isn’t short on bookstores, but there’s something special about browsing through stalls and stalls of books en plein air.
Do you enjoy reading books set in different countries? I’ve designed a custom Read Around the World Journal specifically for readers who want to explore more world literature and track their progress. Make lists, color in bookshelves, and play Read Around the World Bingo in this unique reading tracker.
You can take a peek inside the journal, peruse my list of resources to help you on your reading journey, and order a copy if you think it’s the right fit for you!
Island Bookstore
Westerstraat 15, 1015 LT Amsterdam
Island Bookstore is a cute bookstore in Amsterdam’s popular Jordaan neighborhood. Coming from Hawaii, I have to admit I wasn’t sure what to expect from the name alone!
This Amsterdam bookshop specializes primarily in new books in Dutch, but there is a small English language section.
This is a nice pleasant bookshop to spend some time browsing for new books, with multiple floors to explore and a nice children’s section, too. If you can read Dutch, you will have much to keep your attention here. Even if you don’t, it’s an aesthetically agreeable place to escape from that bitter winter cold or that ever-pervasive smell of pot in the Amsterdam streets.
Related: The Hague is a popular day trip from Amsterdam, as it only takes an hour to get there. While you’re there, make sure you don’t miss these best Hague bookstores for English language books.
Perdu Bookstore
Kloveniersburgwal 86, Amsterdam
Amsterdam’s Perdu Bookstore proudly lauds itself as the only specialized poetry bookstore in the Netherlands. They sell Dutch and international poetry as well as experimental and progressive poetry.
This Amsterdam institution is not simply a bookshop; it’s also a literary center of Amsterdam as well as a small publishing house (much like City Lights in San Francisco and Shakespeare and Co. in Paris).
Perdu Bookstore has its own small theatre, in which they host regular literary events, called De Avonden (“the evenings”). These weekly literary events focus on showcasing innovative developments in literature “and to explore the relationships between literature and its surrounding artistic, cultural and social developments.”
If you’re interested in the future of writing and literature, be sure to visit this unique Amsterdam bookshop.
Related: Did you know the world’s largest Dickens festival takes place every December in the Netherlands? Read all about how to see it for yourself.
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Where to stay in Amsterdam
Amsterdam has lots of choices for accommodations, from hotels to hostels to house boats (yes, you can rent out someone’s houseboat and stay on an Amsterdam canal!).
As you look for somewhere to stay, I recommend checking for lodging on Hotels.com. I almost always book my accommodations through Hotels.com, because you can earn rewards for every night you stay without having to choose only one hotel chain to be loyal to. You can even book locally owned apart hotels and bed and breakfasts.
If you’re looking for privately owned vacation rentals, I recommend checking VRBO. I’ve personally had much better experiences with their owners and rentals than I have with their primary competitor.
Travel Resources At-A-Glance
All of the following are links to sites and services I actually use to book and plan my travel or to purchase books or travel gear.
For flights: Skyscanner is my number one go-to resource for booking flights. I love using the “explore” function to find the cheapest places I can fly during a given time or using the fare calendar to identify the cheapest days to fly.
For hotels and lodgings: For hotels, hotels.com, and for vacation rentals, VRBO.com. I’ve had much better experiences with private rentals through this website than through other popular private vacation rental websites.
For car rentals: Kayak allows comparisons across a wide range of booking agencies and lists reviews of companies as well. I’ve found this to be the most user-friendly and efficient way to compare car rental prices.
For tours & excursions: Viator and Get Your Guide are my top choices for booking excursions and tour experiences in a new destination.
For travel gear: Amazon.com and REI for more outdoorsy items. Check out my travel gear recs here.
For booking trains & buses: I find the Omio app and website to be the most easily navigable for comparing options for public transportation, especially in Europe,
Best travel credit card: My favorite travel rewards credit card for European travel has been the Chase Sapphire Rewards card. Visa is accepted just about everywhere in Europe, and there are no foreign transaction fees on the card. Some of the travel benefits I love on the Chase Sapphire include free TSA pre-check or Global Entry (worth it every time), an annual $200 travel credit, an annual $200 hotel benefit, built-in rental car, and trip insurance, and points are worth 50% more when used to book travel. I travel around Europe a LOT, and I end up with many free flights and hotel stays from using my points on my Chase Sapphire.
For books: Bookshop.org often has prices as good as Amazon or sometimes better, but profits go to indie bookstores all over the country. Whenever possible, consider buying your books from this online indie bookshop resource.
That concludes my list of 6 Amsterdam bookstores to fall in love with, especially for English language speakers. Finding cool bookstores is an especially great way to fill up 3 days in Amsterdam, although I always make sure to find the best indie bookstores in every city, no matter how much time I spend there!
I’ll never claim any of my lists to be exhaustive, but if you’re a book lover visiting or lucky enough to live in Amsterdam, this list is a great place to start for your book-shopping explorations.
What other Amsterdam bookshops do you love? Leave them in the comments.
And don’t forget to pin this post for your next trip to Amsterdam.
