Nieuwmarkt is where the infamous White Bus is "early" in the evening before it moves to Centraal Station... the White Bus sells/distributes clean needles/kits/methadone to the junkies... this is NOT a great neighborhood to be in late at night.

For me this is the most quintessential Amsterdam square. You see locals, from yuppies, students, junkies to chinese (it's located just next to china town/street). tourists and even a prostitute or two cominig from or going to work in the adiacent red lighyt district. Most tourist tend to sit on the terrace in the middle of the square, but to sit between the locals go to Loosje (middle aged locals), cafe Fonteijn (students, young crowd), Cuba (yuppies) and Cottom Club (jazzy 'black' athmosphere) Get some fruit, a sandwich or a haring at one of the vendors, sit down on a bench or at one of the cafe' terraces and see the world and all the (sometimes weird) people stroll and cycle by.....

We can't wait to go back to this extrodinary place, it is the most beutiful place on earth, it is just breath takeing!