Walk with us on a tour of Amsterdam’s most amazing book places, including a book hotel, bookstores, libraries, and a book café.
Prepare yourself for a bibliophile’s dream journey through Amsterdam. Start off with a book hotel and walk through the best book places in a clean, easy-to-follow route.
Hotel Library Amsterdam
For a hotel with a cozy and aesthetically pleasing in-house library, look no further than Hotel Library Amsterdam. Built into a historic 18th-century canal house, it offers all the modern amenities a traveler could hope for. And for the book lover in us all: a small library with comfortable seating, floor-to-ceiling shelves, and a second floor that makes reaching the top shelf easy.
It’s located just across the street from the Central Library, and is a pleasant stroll away from some of Amsterdam’s best bookstores. Speaking of which…
Location: Prins Hendrikkade 144, 1011 AT Amsterdam
Scheltema
This five-story bookstore was established in 1853 and stands as the largest bookstore in the country. Inside, you can find a vast selection of new and used books in multiple languages—mostly English and Dutch, with some German and French mixed in as well. It has a pretty even blend of both local and international authors, making for a multicultural experience.
Scheltema also has a nice little café on the first floor. It has more of a modern, sleek design that’s softened a bit with natural wooden furniture.
Location: Rokin 9, 1012 KK Amsterdam, Netherlands
Athenaeum Bookstore & News Center
Athenaeum opened in 1966 and now owns several bookstores, including Scheltema, which it acquired last year. The original shop, called Athenaeum Bookstore & News Center, is located in Spui and is best known for its maze-like layout and collection of niche and international magazines and newspapers. (It isn’t called “News Center” for nothing.)
It also offers a sizable selection of books, mainly in Dutch and English. And while navigating the interior is no easy task, with multiple floors connecting seemingly at random, there are worse ways to while away an afternoon than getting lost amid a sea of books and comfy sofas.
Location: Spui 14-16, 1012 XA Amsterdam, Netherlands
The American Book Center
The American Book Center (or, as it’s sometimes known, ABC) began by selling overstocked books and magazines from the U.S. Nowadays, it’s a three-story hub that not only sells English-language books but also hosts literary events, a café, and even a paperback printing machine for aspiring indie authors who want to self-publish.
Though the exterior might make this shop look like your everyday, ho-hum department store, the interior design is delightfully creative, with each room offering a fresh, unique look that will make you glad you stopped by.
Location: Spui 12, 1012 XA Amsterdam
The Book Market on the Spui
Every Friday in Spui Square, right in the heart of Amsterdam, a book market pops up. As of this writing, it features nineteen booksellers specializing in rare and secondhand books, though that number fluctuates over time.
The number of vendors might seem small, but that’s because this particular book market prizes quality over quantity. Each seller is carefully vetted and has their own specialty. Goods range from books on philosophy, fashion, and children’s literature to posters, art, and maps. There’s also a wide selection of languages, including Dutch, English, French, and German.
Location: Spui, 1012 WV Amsterdam, Netherlands
Waterstones Amsterdam
Waterstones, the popular UK bookstore chain, has a branch in Amsterdam, housed in an elegant four-story building. It sells English-language books alongside various gifts and British snacks. Its selection is quite broad, but UK bestsellers and travel guides are especially popular.
The store is especially known for its knowledgeable staff and relaxed atmosphere, particularly with its cozy reading nooks scattered here and there.
Location: Kalverstraat 152, 1012 XE Amsterdam
Oudemanhuispoort Book Market
Set up along a hidden 17th-century passageway at the University of Amsterdam, the Oudemanhuispoort Book Market offers a delightful selection of secondhand books in Dutch and English, along with sheet music, postcards, and other miscellanea. The building the passage leads into has a long and fascinating history, having once served as an almshouse for the elderly, a convent, and more.
Unlike the Book Market on the Spui, Oudemanhuispoort (meaning “old man’s house passage”) is open every day except Sunday.
Location: Oudemanhuispoort, 1012 CZ Amsterdam
The Book Exchange
Hopefully, you haven’t had your fill of secondhand goods yet, because this one takes the cake. The Book Exchange is just a stone’s throw from Oudemanhuispoort and has three stories filled to the brim with English-language books.
Its collection spans a wide range of genres, including fiction, history, and plenty of academic texts. It also buys and trades books, allowing customers to exchange used books for store credit. (Something that students from the nearby university are no doubt grateful for.)
Location: Kloveniersburgwal 58, 1012 CX Amsterdam
Huis de Pinto
Originally built in 1605, this historic mansion was once owned by the well-known De Pinto family. It features an austere, classical façade and a decadent interior that fell into disrepair but was restored 50 years ago.
It now serves as a cultural and literary meeting space for the community, offering a public reading room and book exchange library. The collection is mainly in Dutch, with some English and even Hebrew titles. Visitors can also admire the room’s painted ceilings and opulent mantlepiece.
Location: St. Antoniesbreestraat 69, 1011 HB Amsterdam
Ets Haim Library (Livraria Montezinos)
Ets Haim Library, founded in 1616, is the oldest functioning Jewish library in the world. It houses 30,000 printed works, some dating back to the 15th century, and the oldest from 1282. The library has a fascinating history, its collection miraculously surviving Nazi invasion during World War II: stolen but returned almost entirely intact after the war’s end.
In 2017, they began converting the collection into a digital format, available for free online. UNESCO named it a Memory of the World site in 2003.
Location: Mr. Visserplein 3, 1011 RD Amsterdam
Artis Library
Next up on our adventure, the Artis Library is a natural history library that has been around since 1838. Its collection holds over 100,000 items, including rare books, manuscripts, and illustrations on all natural history subjects (zoology, botany, etc.).
It has a unique but elegant interior design, though it’s not something just anyone can waltz in and admire. To visit, you must schedule an appointment in advance. Those hoping to use the library’s collection for education or research can usually stick around for a bit to find the materials they need, but tourists and gawkers only get a quick, 15-minute glimpse.
Location: Plantage Middenlaan 45, 1018 DC Amsterdam
Rijksmuseum Research Library (Cuypers Library)
We’d be remiss not to include the largest and oldest public art history research library in the Netherlands. The reading room is in Renaissance and Gothic style, designed by Pierre Cuypers. It features wrought iron railings and pillars, a massive barrel-ceiling skylight, and decorative arches above the shelves lining the walls. It contains a wealth of special editions, early works, and historic auction catalogues dating back to the 16th century.
While anyone can apply to borrow from the collection, direct access to the library is not permitted (except, presumably, for staff members). However, visitors can enjoy a stunning view of the library from a second-floor indoor balcony.
Location: Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam
Het Martyrium
Het Martyrium is another bookstore in Athenaeum’s chain of Amsterdam bookstores. It has a well-rounded collection of new releases as well as classics, both in Dutch and English. Here, you can find novels, poetry, philosophy, children’s books, and staff who love books and know their stock inside and out.
The interior is simple but pleasantly arranged and well-organized, with a color scheme both calming and welcoming.
Location: Van Baerlestraat 170-172, 1071 BH Amsterdam
Van Rossum
This bookstore has been around since 1929, going through multiple owners over the years. Before Athenaeum purchased it in 2020, it was owned by a woman named Johnson Van Rossum, who expanded the store and gave it a complete makeover in 2015—a transformation that continues to attract customers with its creative interior design.
Its most striking feature is a unique circular doorway framed by curved shelves. The collection is primarily in Dutch, but it also includes a good number of English volumes, mainly fiction and travel books.
Location: Beethovenstraat 32, 1077 JH Amsterdam
Café Belcampo
This literary café is connected to the De Hallen branch of the Amsterdam Public Library. Named after a Dutch writer, it offers a spacious environment that lets in plenty of natural light, perfect for studying or socializing. It also comes with its own curated selection of newspapers and magazines for patrons to peruse.
Café Belcampo regularly hosts live music nights, book discussions, and community events, such as the monthly Alzheimer’s Café program offering support and information to those with dementia or Alzheimer’s and their families.
Location: Hannie Dankbaarpassage 10, 1053 RT Amsterdam
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Migz
K Lou
K. Lou is a writer born in the U.S. who found her way to Japan through a spiritual calling—or, more precisely, better access to tea. She writes about travel, culture, and the occasional creative piece, inspired by her enduring love of books. This love began in high school when K. Lou carried books around to avoid seeming odd while lost in thought. Once she started reading, she never stopped. With zero regrets, she continues to explore the written word and invites others to join her in celebrating its varied forms.
