Kalverstraat

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 where shoppers work themselves up to fever pitch over the latest sales at its high-street chain stores. The Dutch Monopoly game has Kalverstraat as its most expensive street.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Medieval Centre & Red Light District attractions

1. Papegaai

0.02 MILES

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…

2. Rokin

0.04 MILES

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…

3. Below the Surface

0.04 MILES

During the construction of Amsterdam's 2018-opened Noord/Zuidlijn (North–South metro line), more than 134,000 archaeological finds were unearthed from…

4. Civic Guard Gallery

0.08 MILES

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…

5. Madame Tussauds Amsterdam

0.08 MILES

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…

6. Nes

0.09 MILES

Beyond the glare of the Red Light District runs this dark, narrow lane, home to theatres for more than 150 years. In 1614 Amsterdam's first bank opened in…

7. Amsterdam Museum

0.11 MILES

Entrepreneurship, free thinking, citizenship and creativity are the four cornerstones of the multimedia DNA exhibit at this riveting museum, which splits…

8. Dam

0.11 MILES

This square is the very spot where Amsterdam was founded around 1270. Today pigeons, tourists, buskers and the occasional funfair (complete with Ferris…