Amid central Amsterdam's cacophony is the pin-drop-quiet hidden hof (courtyard) of Begijnhof, with tiny houses and postage-stamp gardens in an enclosed former convent dating from the early 14th century.
Within the courtyard is the charming 1671 Begijnhof Kapel (begijnhofkapelamsterdam.nl) and the Engelse Kerk (erc.amsterdam), built around 1392. The Houten Huis, the Netherlands' oldest preserved wooden house, dates from about 1465.
Home to the Catholic order of Beguines – unmarried or widowed women who lived religiously without monastic vows – before the last died in 1971, today 105 women still reside here, so visitors must be respectful (no food, drink, smoking, photography of the houses, or excessive noise).
Enter via Gedempte Begijnensloot. (The door on the north side of Spui is reserved for Begijnhof residents and church services.)