Updated 19 September 2026
De Pijp lies south of the centre, between the Boerenwetering to the west and the Amstel to the east, and between the Singelgracht and the Amstelkanaal. For a long time it was a borough of its own; since 2010 it has been part of the Zuid district. It is one of the liveliest parts of Amsterdam, with a market, a park and a high density of cafés and restaurants.
A nineteenth-century extension
De Pijp was built in the second half of the nineteenth century as a working-class district outside the Singelgracht. The street pattern follows the old polder plots, which explains the long straight streets. Many of the original homes were small and of modest quality, built by private developers who wanted as many dwellings as possible on each plot. Most street names refer to painters of the Golden Age, such as Ferdinand Bol, Jan Steen, Gerard Dou and Albert Cuyp.
In the twentieth century much of the district was renewed. On the south side, towards the Amstelkanaal, the nineteenth-century streets give way to the closed blocks of the Amsterdam School, with brick, rounded corners and porches.
Albert Cuyp Market
The Albert Cuyp Market is a daily market on the stretch of Albert Cuypstraat between Ferdinand Bolstraat and Van Woustraat. It is closed on Sundays. With around 260 stalls it is regarded as one of the largest daily markets in Europe. Vegetables, fruit, fish, cheese, fabrics, clothing and household goods sit alongside food stalls, and the crowd is a mix of local residents, students, tourists and business owners. The street is closed to traffic while the market is on.
The market began as a loose collection of street vendors and handcarts and grew into one of the best-known places in the city. It is quietest early in the morning; around midday and on Saturdays it is full.
Sarphatipark
In the middle of the district lies Sarphatipark, a rectangular park of 4.5 hectares in English landscape style. The initiative came from the doctor and urban planner Samuel Sarphati, who died in 1866. Work on the park only began in 1885, and in 1888 it was given its name. The Sarphati monument with a bust followed in 1886. During the German occupation the park was renamed, because streets and places with Jewish names had to be given other names; after the war it got its name back.
The park is small, but on summer days it fills with local residents. It is the natural place for a break after a round of the market.
Food, drink and going out
De Pijp has one of the highest concentrations of cafés and restaurants in the city, with cuisines from many parts of the world. Ferdinand Bolstraat, Eerste van der Helststraat and the streets around Marie Heinekenplein are the busiest. The former Heineken brewery on Stadhouderskade, at the edge of the district, is now a visitor centre.
Getting there
Since the opening of the Noord/Zuidlijn, De Pijp has its own metro station under Ferdinand Bolstraat. From there it is a few minutes' walk to the market and the park. Museumplein is within walking distance on the west side, which makes a museum and the market on the same day easy to combine.