Jordaan

The Jordaan lies in the Centrum district, enclosed by four waterways: the Prinsengracht to the east, the Brouwersgracht to the north, the Singelgracht (on the Lijnbaansgracht side) to the west and the Leidsegracht to the south. It covers about 95 hectares and had about 19,500 residents in 2023 (postcodes 1015 and 1016).

It was laid out during the seventeenth-century expansion of the city as a quarter for workers and craftspeople. Its streets follow the old drainage ditches of the polder rather than the curve of the canal ring, which is why they meet the Prinsengracht at an angle. The Jordaan has been a protected townscape since 1972, and the annual Jordaan festival, celebrating the neighbourhood's tradition of popular Dutch music, has been held since 1975.

The Jordaan is small-scale, busy in its main streets and quieter on the side canals.

• Markets: the Noordermarkt (Monday mornings and Saturdays), the Westerstraat textile market (Monday mornings) and the Lindengracht market (Saturdays). Despite its name, the Westermarkt square has no regular market.
• Hofjes: historic almshouse courtyards founded by wealthy residents as charitable housing, many of them restored and now home to students, artists and older residents; some host summer courtyard concerts (hofjesconcerten).
• Galleries, speciality shops and restaurants line many of its streets.
• Landmarks: the Westerkerk on the corner of the Rozengracht and Prinsengracht, where Rembrandt was buried; the Anne Frank House is just beyond the neighbourhood's eastern edge.

Once a crowded working-class district, the Jordaan has become one of the most expensive and sought-after areas in the country since many original residents moved out from the 1960s onwards.

The Jordaan has no metro station, but the centre and Centraal Station are within walking and cycling distance.

• Tram 5 runs along the Marnixstraat on the western edge (stops Marnixplein, Bloemgracht, Rozengracht and Elandsgracht), towards the Westergasfabriek in one direction and Leidseplein, Museumplein and Station Zuid in the other.
• Trams 13 and 17 normally run through the Rozengracht and Raadhuisstraat to the Dam and Centraal Station. During the Oranje Loper roadworks they are diverted into 2027 (line 17 via Leidseplein and the Leidsestraat; line 13 not to Centraal Station).

Check the GVB or 9292 planner for current routes; the tram network also changed on 29 March 2026.

Homes are mostly small flats in narrow, older buildings, many of them listed. In 2011 the neighbourhood had about 12,700 dwellings for about 19,000 people; 69% of households were single-person households and 13% included children. More than a quarter of homes are social rentals owned by the housing association Ymere.

There is no official rent figure for the Jordaan alone, but demand is very high. According to I amsterdam, Amsterdam rents are among the highest in the Netherlands and social housing has waiting times of typically 8 to 18 years, so newcomers usually rent privately. Check whether a rent falls under the points system before you sign (see our tenant rights guide).

With so many single-person households and small flats, the Jordaan has relatively few families, and there is no large park inside the neighbourhood; the hofjes are private residential courtyards, not playgrounds. The Westerpark lies a short walk to the north-west, across the Singelgracht.

Register in good time for primary school, as many schools keep waiting lists; I amsterdam recommends Scholen op de Kaart to compare schools near your address.