Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Opened as a town hall in 1655, this resplendent building became a palace in the 19th century. The interiors gleam, especially the marble work – at its…
Must-see attractions in Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
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…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Entrepreneurship, free thinking, citizenship and creativity are the four cornerstones of the multimedia DNA exhibit at this riveting museum, which splits…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This 15th-century late-Gothic basilica is only ‘new’ in relation to the Oude Kerk – the city's Old Church, dating from 1306. A few monumental items…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Dating from 1306, the Oude Kerk is Amsterdam's oldest surviving building. It's also an intriguing moral contradiction: a church surrounded by active Red…
Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Within what looks like an ordinary canal house is an entire Catholic church. Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Dear Lord in the Attic) was built in the mid…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
During the construction of Amsterdam's 2018-opened Noord/Zuidlijn (North–South metro line), more than 134,000 archaeological finds were unearthed from…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This square is the very spot where Amsterdam was founded around 1270. Today pigeons, tourists, buskers and the occasional funfair (complete with Ferris…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Beyond being a transport hub, Centraal Station is a sight in itself. The turreted marvel dates from 1889. One of the architects, PJ Cuypers, also designed…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Simple exhibits here cover dope botany and the relationship between cannabis and religion. Highlights include an impressive pipe collection, an…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Europe's largest Chinese Imperial–style Buddhist temple, built in 2000, is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Enter through the side…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The world’s first sustainable fashion museum delves into the history of fashion, the latest industry technology and innovation, and the stories behind day…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
In plain view from Centraal Station, the magnificent cupola and neo-Renaissance towers belong to the city's main Catholic church, the first to be built …
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Run by the University of Amsterdam and named for its first professor of archaeology, Allard Pierson (1831–96), this museum contains a rich archaeological…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Part of the Amsterdam Museum – consider it the free ‘teaser' – this gallery fills a laneway next to the museum’s entrance. It displays 15 grand posed…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Brouwerij De Prael offers engaging behind-the-scenes tours of its brewery. Tours depart on the hour and last 40 minutes, followed by a sample (or four)…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
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…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Contained within the Begijnhof and dating from 1671, this is a 'clandestine' chapel where the Beguines were forced to worship after the Calvinists took…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This nonprofit centre offers visitors tips and tricks for having a positive smoking experience and provides the low-down on local cannabis laws. There are…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Inside a former brothel in a 17th-century canal house, this museum fills a gap by showing curious visitors what a Red Light room looks like and answering…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Guides lead intriguing tours up into the 67m-high tower of the Oude Kerk. Tours last 30 minutes and depart every half hour. Prepare for lots of narrow…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
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…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Amsterdam's earliest canals grew out from the IJ River like the roots of a tree, and Warmoesstraat was one of the first streets to follow. Its historical…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
An intriguing place to view the Red Light action is Trompettersteeg, a teeny alley where the women in the windows charge some of the highest prices…
