Introduction
For more than 20 years, the Amsterdam book market has been the place to be for book lovers in search of that one missing piece in their collection. Every Friday, book lovers flock the square at the Spui in search of different kind of books. Old, rare, second hand and out-of-print books, they can all be found at the book market.
The Feel
The beauty of this book market is that if you're in search of a book, all you have to do is talk to the sellers about the book you're looking for and they are sure to help you find it. Since they all come from far and wide to the Spui, they usually don't travel with all their books, so when you ask them for a certain piece, they give you their card and make an appointment with you for the following week. They then go in search and it's only a matter of time before they find it for you. The books are cheaper than new ones and if you're lucky, you'll get a rare copy of the one you're looking for.
While many of the publications are in Dutch, there is also a wide selection of English, German and French books on offer.
Payment
It must be noted that it is not possible to pay by card. All payments are made by cash and if you happen to visit the market without any banknotes, there is a GWK Travelex ATM machine just 10 feet from the market square (in the Kalverstraat).
Accessibility
By foot, the book market is about 10 minutes from the Dam square and ca. 20 minutes from the Amsterdam central station.
By tram, the trams 1, 2, 5, 13, 17 & 20 all stop at Het Spui. It's best not to go by car as finding a parking spot nearby can be quite a chore. The only chance of parking is on one of the canal streets and parking in Amsterdam can be quite expensive, so I'd suggest you come by tram. Tram 1 and 2 stop right in front of the market (Spui Stop).
For more information on the market, visit their official website.
Have fun shopping!
