Magna Plaza (Old Post Office), Amsterdam

One of the most remarkable buildings in the centre of Amsterdam, the old post office, was transformed in a shopping center.

Thinking that the interior must be so beautiful as the exterior, I felt wery sorry for having no time to enter.

The Magna Plaza was built in 1899 and was formerly the main post office.

Today it has been converted into a grand shopping centre, selling clothing, accessories and gifts.

Well worth a wander around.

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The magnificent Magna Plaza nowadays is a busy shopping centre just off Dam Square (next to De Nieuwe Kerk). It was built at the end of the 19th century as the city's post office and was later transformed into a shopping centre. This beautiful building is a fine example of Dutch architecture.

Amsterdam sells something for every one... even if that small figurine in the Antiques Shop was prohibitively overpriced. From Dam Square, running north along Nieuwendijk to Central Station, and south along Kalverstraat to the Flower Market at the canal Singel, is a very long pedestrian mall (which probably has more automobiles per linear distance than any other street in the city). There are several parks and plazas that are home to long running flea markets. On nearly every block there can be found a shop of some kind or another.

Behind the Royal Palace is the strikingly ornate Magna Plaza shopping mall, which, may actually be larger than Macy's in New York.

When walking down the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal from Central Station you'll see the beautiful, reddish brick building behind the Royal Palace on the Dam Square. Once the chic post office of central Amsterdam you can enter it now for a great shop-till-drop time.

I happen to work for some Spanish fashion shoots here and we had a marvelous time with the people working in the shops inside. Great things to buy, too, so enjoy yours!!!

There are lots of places to go, whether you want just a precise thing or have in mind to start souvenir hunting. I would suggest the following points, though there are many others, mind you!

Magna Plaza: the best (in my opinion) shop of the city, on the expensive side, but located in the centre and funny from architectural point of view. It is worth visiting just for seeing its interiors. You could buy lots of traditional items, clothing, CDs, etc.
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, 182. Right near the Royal Palace

Artika: great place for books, posters and postcards. It's a pity I was not collecting postcards then. Radhuisstraat, 2

Art Book: great books on the city, its museums and architecture, go to Prinsengracht, 645

Christmas World: I just love Christmas, so this was the place for me. Christmas souvenirs are sold all the year round, not just in December. Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, 137.

i completley forgot where this mall was, let me tell you that their malls are all royalty. Amazing beautiful columns with alot of marble. It was very high class and elegant. It was your tipical mall with clothing for you skaters, beauticions, and for those of you who want to look like fabio. They had a Tag Heur watch store which i thought was prity cool. It's deffinatly worth a vist.

This is the first shopping mall in Amsterdam. It was originally a post office building. The original post office was built on this spot in 1748. It was closed in 1854, demolished, and then in this new building was erected in 1899. Restored in the 1990s and turned into a shopping mall, it's now a mix of over 40 trendy stores including international stores such as Virgin Records.