A walk through some of the nicest parts of the Jordaan south area

3.2 miles = 5.1 kilometres

With street names like Roses Street (Rozenstraat), Eglantine Street (Egelantierstraat), Flower Canal (Bloemgracht), it should be no surprise that this area is blooming. In fact, the name of this Amsterdam district the ‘Jordaan’, is supposed to derive from the French word ‘jardin’, for garden. Jordaan is pronounced ‘yor-dahn’ by the way.

The Jordaan is an area of little canals and streets, little bridges, little houses; everything here has big ‘cute’ appeal. In the morning or evening, it has a restful atmosphere, especially during the weekend.
The Jordaan is very famous however and parts of it can get clogged with droves of tourists. So our advice would be to:

• Walk there early in the morning, or later in the evening
• Figure out the street & canal configuration so you can wander happily and if necessary, make a quick getaway from bottlenecks

Jordaan South Walk in Amsterdam (follow link to see in Google maps)

This walk will take you through some of the nicest streets and canals but you need not feel confined to this route. In the Jordaan, it's nice to just follow your nose and explore all the little streets, byways, and canals.

It's very quaint and picturesque and the pavement gardens with roses, clematis, wisteria, laburnum shooting up to the roofs are marvellous. What you get to see depends on the season of course.

‘Hofjes’ (hidden courtyards) in the Jordaan

Many of Amsterdam's ‘hofjes’ (hidden courtyards) are to be found here in the Jordaan. Some you can visit and have a look around but remember that people live here; they don’t always relish tourists traipsing through their territory if it's without any respect for their privacy. That said, the Jordaan is traditionally a people's neighbourhood, so the atmosphere is generally relaxed and easy-going.

If you would like to know more about these courtyards, the houses and gardens, and where they are, there is lots of information on the web.

• List of hofjes (courtyards) on Jordaaninfo website
• Map of hofjes (courtyards) on Jordaanweb website

Places to stop for a drink or food along the way

The Jordaan has an abundance of attractive cafés, pubs and restaurants. The corner pubs are hard to miss, and irresistible wouldn’t be an inaccurate adjective to use. There are places to suit all moods and ages, just remember the street name if you're planning to return.