Sunday in Amsterdam: What Opens Late, What Shuts, What to Book

Yes, almost everything opens on a Sunday in Amsterdam. The city's shop-hours bylaw lets any shop open from 06:00 to 22:00 on Sundays, and the big museums open daily. The catches: the Albert Cuyp and Waterlooplein markets close, some supermarkets and churches start later, and museums are busier than midweek, so book timed tickets before you go.

Shops and supermarkets: open, on a later clock

Every shop in the city is allowed to open on a Sunday; what varies is the hours each one picks. Amsterdam's shop-hours bylaw, in the version in force since May 2024, permits opening between 06:00 and 22:00 on Sundays and public holidays across the whole city, and Rick Steves forum members describe Sunday as business as usual for shops, cafés and sights. The Nine Streets' business association says it outright on its website: the shops there are open on Sundays too.

Supermarkets open, often a little later. The Albert Heijn at Nieuwmarkt listed 09:00 to 22:00 for its Sundays in November 2026, against 08:00 to 22:00 on the other six days. Hours differ by branch, so check the store page if you are counting on an early breakfast run or a late grocery stop.

Smaller shops are the wild card. The Solosophie travel blog warns that certain shops close on Sundays and some supermarkets run reduced hours, and suggests doing your grocery shopping on Saturday. That matters more on a day trip: the same blog notes that more places outside Amsterdam close on Sundays, and one Rick Steves forum member put it simply: "in larger cities shops are also open".

Markets: the big weekday markets take Sunday off

Amsterdam's two best-known street markets don't trade on Sundays. The Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp runs Monday to Saturday, 09:30 to 17:00, according to its own site, and is closed on Sundays and public holidays; the Waterlooplein flea market is also a Monday-to-Saturday affair. The Noordermarkt in the Jordaan, which our Amsterdam travel guide recommends for its Saturday farmers' market, holds its markets on Mondays and Saturdays.

Sunday has its own markets. Sunday Market, a free-entry design, vintage and food market, sets up in one location each Sunday. Its Westergas edition is usually on the first Sunday of the month, 12:00 to 18:00. When checked in November 2026, the Sunday Market calendar listed Museumplein on 15 November (10:00 to 18:00), an Oostenburg pop-up on 22 November, Haarlem rather than Amsterdam on 29 November, Westergas on 6 December and Museumplein again on 13 December.

Art Amsterdam Spui is the steadier option. Artists sell their own ceramics, prints, paintings and glass on the Spui square every Sunday from March to December, 11:00 to 18:00, weather permitting, and entry is free.

Museums and churches: open, but Sunday is busy

The big museums open on Sundays, but Sunday is one of their busiest days. The Rijksmuseum opens 09:00 to 17:00 every day, sells tickets only online with a booked start time, and says it is usually quieter before 11:00 and after 15:30, naming Tuesday and Wednesday as the calmer days. Solosophie calls Sunday one of the most popular days to visit it. For how far ahead each of the big three sells out, see when to book the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum.

Churches keep Sunday hours. The Oude Kerk opens at 13:00 on Sundays, until 17:30, instead of its usual 10:00. Our Lord in the Attic, the hidden church museum in De Wallen, opens daily at 10:00 except on the first Sunday of each month from September to June, when church services push opening back to 11:00.

One thing only Sunday has. The Concertgebouw's Sunday Morning Concert is an hour of music every Sunday from 11:00 to 12:00. Standard tickets ran from €21 to €39 when checked in November 2026.

How to plan a Sunday in Amsterdam

Start early with a booked museum, browse markets and shops from midday, and save the churches for the afternoon.

Morning. Take a 09:00 Rijksmuseum slot to stay ahead of the late-morning crowds, or book the 11:00 Sunday Morning Concert at the Concertgebouw, at the other end of Museumplein.

Midday. Go to whichever market is running: the Sunday Market if it is on Museumplein that week, or the art market on the Spui, a few minutes' walk from the Nine Streets.

Afternoon. Head to De Wallen once the Oude Kerk opens at 13:00 and pair it with Our Lord in the Attic, a short walk away. Or go out to Museum Het Schip in the Spaarndammerbuurt, which opens Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00: Sunday works there, Monday doesn't.

Mid-November 2026. On Sunday 15 November, Sinterklaas arrives by boat from De Omval along the Amstel to the Scheepvaartmuseum, then rides from Waterlooplein via Rembrandtplein, Utrechtsestraat and Weteringschans to Leidseplein, between 10:00 and 15:30. Join in if you have children with you; otherwise, plan your routes around it.