The former city central post office, this was Amsterdam's first multi-level shopping mall. Bright, airy and unlike the rest of the city, you can shop here until 7pm every night. It's mostly upmarket clothing labels with a branch of Sissy Boy (yes, very stupid name) in the basement and a ridiculously expensive and fabulous baby shop (Bam Kinderwinkel) on the first floor.

Corner of Nieuwezijdsvoorburgwal and Raadhuisstraat,
www.magnaplaza.nl

The building used to be Amsterdam's main post office but was converted into Magna Plaza in the early 80s. In fact, there was a post office on this site since 1748, even though the first Amsterdam postal service had been operating since 1624. A wall panel on the current building's frontage shows the original post office, which was taken out of service in 1854.

The current building was built in 1899 and architect C H Peters was much ridiculed for its over-the-top neo gothic style -- the spindly and overdecorated towers with balls on top in particular. Critics described it as "post office gothic" and the locals came to term the building "Perenburg" (pear city).