Medieval Centre & Red Light District
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…
Must-see attractions in Amsterdam
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The Damrak is the original mouth of the Amstel river – rak being a reach (straight stretch of water). The river flowed from a lock in the Dam into the IJ…
Amsterdam
Northwest of the Vondelpark, surrounded by residential buildings, the bucolic Rembrandtpark spreads over 45 leafy (and watery) hectares and is criss…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Master architect and ardent socialist HP Berlage (1856–1934) built Amsterdam's financial exchange in 1903. He filled the temple of capitalism with…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Built between 1668 and 1671, this domed church has the curious distinction of being the only round Protestant church in the country. Falling attendance…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The Heiligeweg (Holy Way) was once part of a route that pilgrims took to the spot where the 1345 Miracle of Amsterdam occurred. Halfway along, and…
Amsterdam
Built for the 1928 Olympic Games, this elegant stadium was designed by Jan Wils, a protégé of famous architect HP Berlage, and is functionalist in style…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
South of the Dam, this street is part of the route most visitors take from Centraal Station into town, the name being a corruption of rak-in (inward reach…
Amsterdam
If you're interested in diamonds, join a 40-minute free guided tour to see diamond cutters and polishers in action at this workshop. It will prime you on…
Amsterdam
The mighty Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie; VOC), founded in 1602, was one of the earliest multinational companies, trading…
Jordaan & the West
Once a defensive gateway to the city, the Haarlemmerpoort marked the start of the journey to Haarlem, which was a major trading route. The neoclassical…
Southern Canal Ring
This handsome greystone house is known dramatically as the 'House with the Blood Stains'. Six-time mayor and diplomat Coenraad van Beuningen lost his…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Built around 1480 as part of the city’s defences, this tower is where Henry Hudson set sail for the New World in 1609; a plaque outside marks the spot. It…
Southern Canal Ring
These impressive sluices on the Amstel river, near Koninklijk Theater Carré, date from 1674 and are still in use to today. They allow the canals to be…
Western Canal Ring
Cat-lovers may want to check out this quirky boat on the Singel. It was founded in 1966 by a local woman who became legendary for looking after several…
Amsterdam
Cheesy but fun: here you undertake an hour's self-guided tour through this jenever (Dutch gin) museum. In the 'Hall of Taste' you'll try to differentiate…
Western Canal Ring
Occupying three glorious 17th-century canal houses – which once sheltered the Vrijburg, the largest clandestine church in the Netherlands – this cultural…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
On Oudezijds Achterburgwal a distinctive gateway with spectacles over the pedestal rises up and marks the entrance to the Oudemanhuispoort, a 17th-century…
Amsterdam
The creamy confection of the Kleine Trippenhuis, just 2.44m wide, looks as if the builders made the most of the infill between two normal-sized canal…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The Sexmuseum is good for a giggle. You’ll find replicas of pornographic Pompeian plates, erotic 14th-century Viennese bronzes, some of the world’s…
Amsterdam
A dome tops this neoclassical arch, which was built in 1770 as a gateway to the city. On the south side you'll see the Amsterdam emblem of three St…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Sure, Madame Tussauds wax museum is overpriced and cheesy, but its focus on local culture makes it fun: 'meet' the Dutch royals, politicians, painters and…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The obelisk on the Dam's eastern side was built in 1956 to commemorate WWII's fallen. Fronted by two lions, its pedestal has a number of symbolic statues:…
Western Canal Ring
Behind the Westerkerk, this 1987-installed cluster of three 10m by 10m by 10m granite triangles recalls persecution by the Nazis, who forced gay men to…
Western Canal Ring
The distinctive red-shuttered Greenland Warehouses were built in 1620. Whale oil was a sought-after ingredient for soap, lamp oil and paint, and wells…
Jordaan & the West
The world's first museum of fluorescent art features owner Nick Padalino's psychedelic sculpture work on one side and cases of naturally luminescent rocks…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This is one of Amsterdam's oldest streets. Initially a shipping district, it was a respectable place to be until the 17th century. Then the rich folk…
Western Canal Ring
Stretching across the Singel is the Torensluis, one of the oldest and widest bridges in the city. The big moustached bust is of Multatuli, aka 19th…
Jordaan & the West
In the 17th century the 'Herengracht of the Jordaan', as the Bloemgracht was called, was home to paint and sugar factories, and a large number of fine…
De Pijp
Following the key Housing Act of 1901, which forced the city to rethink neighbourhood planning and condemn slums, De Dageraad housing estate was developed…
Western Canal Ring
This charming hofje (courtyard) was named in the late 18th century for Jan van Brienen, who bought the Star Brewery located here, one of 13 breweries in…
Jordaan & the West
One of the most striking houses on the 17th-century Bloemgracht, De Drie Hendricken was built in a sober Renaissance style. The gable stones above the…
Amsterdam
Built from the lucrative profits of arms dealing, this elaborate grey stone mansion was designed by young Dutch architect Justus Vingboons in 1660 for the…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Inviting cafés (pubs) and high-brow bookshops ring the Spui, a favoured haunt of academics, students and journalists. On Friday (weather permitting) a…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
An unexpected oasis in the sea of consumerism on Kalverstraat, the curious Petrus en Pauluskerk, aka Papegaai, is a Catholic church from the 17th century…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
You're sure to end up on this crowded street at some point. Named after the livestock markets held here in the 17th century, Kalverstraat is now a place…
Amsterdam
Property in Amsterdam used to be taxed on frontage. So the narrower your facade, the less you paid. The slender house at Oude Hoogstraat 22 must have…
Jordaan & the West
It's a tourist ploy, but a good-humoured one. The main floor is a cheese shop with abundant free samples. The basement floor contains a small 'museum'…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This cool gallery fosters experimental art and sculptural work that fits in with its Red Light District surroundings. It's also a performance space for…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Directly opposite Voetboogstraat on Heiligeweg is the Rasphuis Gate, which led to a correctional institute in medieval times. The pedestal bears the…
