Amsterdam Arena Area shops open 7 days a week

The shopping area in Amsterdam South-East, the Amsterdam Arena Area, will be allowed to open on Sundays too.

The Amsterdam Arena area is rapidly developing as the 'second center' of Amsterdam. With main attractions such as the Arena Stadium, the Heineken Music Hall, the Amsterdamse Poort (with some 200 shops, Amsterdam's largest shopping area outside Amsterdam Center) and some mega stores, the area is attracting more and more visitors.

It recently became known that another large theater will be built next to the Arena Stadium, the 'Ziggo Dome'. The Ziggo Dome is to host mainly large pop concerts.

By officially naming the area a 'tourist area', under Dutch law shops may be open on Sundays. In Holland this is always a bit of a sensitive subject, as active Christians usually want shops to close on Sunday. With two Christian parties in the current Dutch coalition government, the debate on Sunday opening hours has recently increased. The national government in The Hague intends to limit the 'abuse' of the tourist regime rule.

The centre of Amsterdam has had Sunday opening hours for years, and has developed into Holland's busiest shopping area.

While the megastores area already open every Sunday, the Amsterdamse Poort shops still close on Sunday. It is unknown when the new opening hours will start.

A map of the area is on this page.