Van Stapele

Medieval Centre & Red Light District


Teensy Van Stapele is a true specialist, baking just one thing and baking it well: chocolate cookies. Specifically, it's a Valrhona dark chocolate cookie on the outside, filled with melted white chocolate inside. The super-sweet disc is served soft and warm straight from the oven (it makes 46 every 10 minutes). Arrive early as the day's bake often sells out.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Medieval Centre & Red Light District attractions

1. Spui

0.04 MILES

Inviting cafés (pubs) and high-brow bookshops ring the Spui, a favoured haunt of academics, students and journalists. On Friday (weather permitting) a…

2. Houten Huis

0.05 MILES

Located in the Begijnhof, the Houten Huis dates from around 1465, making it the oldest preserved wooden house in the Netherlands.

3. Begijnhof Kapel

0.06 MILES

Contained within the Begijnhof and dating from 1671, this is a 'clandestine' chapel where the Beguines were forced to worship after the Calvinists took…

4. Krijtberg

0.07 MILES

The spiky spires of this neo-Gothic church are an unmissable landmark amid rows of handsome Singel homes. Officially known as the St Franciscus…

5. Engelse Kerk

0.07 MILES

One of two churches located in the Begijnhof, the Engelse Kerk was built around 1392. It was eventually rented out to the local community of English and…

6. Begijnhof

0.08 MILES

Dating from the early 14th century, this enclosed former convent is a peaceful haven, with tiny houses and postage-stamp gardens around a well-kept…

7. University Library

0.09 MILES

Today's library is a concrete hulk, not nearly the beautiful building you'd expect at such a historical site, but its background is fascinating. Citizen…

8. Het Grachtenhuis

0.12 MILES

Learn about the remarkable feats of engineering behind the Canal Ring through this museum's holograms, videos, models, cartoons, scale model of Amsterdam…