New York’s Greenwich Village, or de Pijp’s Sarphaatipark?

Now well-established as (arguably) the hippest area of Amsterdam, de Pijp has everything that locals and visitors could crave. There’s the beautiful Sarphatipark, bustling Albert Cuypmarkt, and enough shops, bars, cafes and restaurants orbiting those to keep everyone entertained for quite some time.

Originally built for Amsterdam’s workers during the 1800s to ease overpopulation in the Jordaan area, the neighbourhood has been repurposed in the 21st Century by students, affluent singles and trendy young families who’ve settled in the area. With that, dozens of bars, cafes and boutiques have sprung up to service a population looking for good coffee and unique retail experiences.

But it’s the street market which still provides the heart and soul of the area. Held six days per week for over a century, it’s here, in the concentrated stream of grocery-shoppers, that you’ll see a real slice of life with more locals (read expats as well as Amsterdammers) than visitors filing through the wide stall-lined street.

As busy at it is (particularly on a Saturday afternoon) it’s always good to perch on a patio somewhere on the streets that run parallel and dissect the market to watch the world go by.