How long is the Brouwersgracht: the warehouse canal and the food street walk?

About 3 km — roughly 70 minutes at an unhurried pace, plus however long you linger.

Where does it start and end?

It starts at Amsterdam Centraal and ends at Haarlemmerplein bus/tram.

Yes. It's a self-guided route — free to follow, with no guide to book and nothing to pay.

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Brouwersgracht: the warehouse canal and the food street

Amsterdam's prettiest canal, a courtyard from the New York story, and a street of independent food shops.

Photo: Jvhertum / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Distance

3 km

Time

~ 70 min

Difficulty

Easy

Start

Amsterdam Centraal

End

Haarlemmerplein bus/tram

Best at

morning

Right now

21°C· Mostly clear

Open in Maps for turn-by-turn, or take it offline as GPX.

This is two walks that belong together: the prettiest canal in Amsterdam and the best street to eat your way along, laid end to end. Three kilometres from the water at Café Papeneiland to the city gate at the Haarlemmerpoort, with a courtyard from the founding of New York in the middle.

Start with coffee at Papeneiland, a 17th-century brown café on the corner, then walk the Brouwersgracht west. People call it the prettiest canal in the city and for once that's just true — the old pakhuizen, the brewers' warehouses, still carry their shutters and hoist beams above the water. Cut across to the Herenmarkt and the courtyard of the West-Indisch Huis, the 1617 West India Company seat where the order was given, in 1625, to fortify Manhattan.

Then the food: Haarlemmerstraat and its continuation the Haarlemmerdijk, a single long street of bakeries, cheesemongers and roasters that has somehow kept the chains mostly out. Eat as you go. The Neoclassical Haarlemmerpoort of 1840 ends the street; the tram is waiting beneath it.

The route

On the map.

A soft dashed line, numbered stops. It’s a suggestion, not a turn-by-turn.

Elevation

↑ 34 m·↓ 31 m·3–10 m ASL

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

01
1
Café Papeneiland
Begin at the corner of the *Brouwersgracht* and *Prinsengracht*, at a *bruine kroeg* — brown café — trading since the 17th century. Coffee here, then walk west with the canal on your right.
01
Café Papeneiland
Begin at the corner of the *Brouwersgracht* and *Prinsengracht*, at a *bruine kroeg* — brown café — trading since the 17th century. Coffee here, then walk west with the canal on your right.
02
2
Brouwersgracht warehouse row
Often called the prettiest canal in Amsterdam, and the rare time the claim holds. Look up: the old *pakhuizen* — brewers' and merchants' warehouses — still wear their shutters and hoist beams, now turned to flats.
02
Brouwersgracht warehouse row
Often called the prettiest canal in Amsterdam, and the rare time the claim holds. Look up: the old *pakhuizen* — brewers' and merchants' warehouses — still wear their shutters and hoist beams, now turned to flats.
03
3
West-Indisch Huis
Step into the courtyard off the *Herenmarkt*: the 1617 headquarters of the Dutch West India Company, where in 1625 the order went out to fortify Manhattan. A quiet square with a long shadow over another city.
03
West-Indisch Huis
Step into the courtyard off the *Herenmarkt*: the 1617 headquarters of the Dutch West India Company, where in 1625 the order went out to fortify Manhattan. A quiet square with a long shadow over another city.
04
4
Haarlemmerstraat
Turn onto the *Haarlemmerstraat*, the eastern half of the city's best food street. Bakeries, cheese, coffee roasters, a chocolatier or two. Buy something to eat as you walk; that's the correct way to do this stretch.
04
Haarlemmerstraat
Turn onto the *Haarlemmerstraat*, the eastern half of the city's best food street. Bakeries, cheese, coffee roasters, a chocolatier or two. Buy something to eat as you walk; that's the correct way to do this stretch.
05
5
Haarlemmerdijk
The street changes its name to *Haarlemmerdijk* at the bridge and keeps going — more independent shops, fewer chains, the same idea. The old Westergasfabriek crowd drifts through here.
05
Haarlemmerdijk
The street changes its name to *Haarlemmerdijk* at the bridge and keeps going — more independent shops, fewer chains, the same idea. The old Westergasfabriek crowd drifts through here.
06
6
Haarlemmerpoort
The Neoclassical city gate of 1840 — properly the *Willemspoort* — closes the street like a full stop. Beyond it, the Westerkanaal and a park; the bus and tram are right here.
06
Haarlemmerpoort
The Neoclassical city gate of 1840 — properly the *Willemspoort* — closes the street like a full stop. Beyond it, the Westerkanaal and a park; the bus and tram are right here.

Good to know

Before you go.

How long is the Brouwersgracht: the warehouse canal and the food street walk?: About 3 km — roughly 70 minutes at an unhurried pace, plus however long you linger.
Where does it start and end?: It starts at Amsterdam Centraal and ends at Haarlemmerplein bus/tram.
Is it free?: Yes. It's a self-guided route — free to follow, with no guide to book and nothing to pay.
When is it best?: It's best in the morning.

Brouwersgracht: the warehouse canal and the food street

On the map.

Things to notice.

Café Papeneiland

Café Papeneiland

Brouwersgracht warehouse row

Brouwersgracht warehouse row

West-Indisch Huis

West-Indisch Huis

Haarlemmerstraat

Haarlemmerstraat

Haarlemmerdijk

Haarlemmerdijk

Haarlemmerpoort

Haarlemmerpoort

Before you go.

Two more, on similar days.

De Wallen: dawn on the oldest canals

Negen Straatjes: across the canal ring