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 hundred stray cats at a time. The boat has since been taken over by a foundation and can hold some 50 kitties in proper pens. Some are permanent residents, and the rest are ready to be adopted (after being neutered and implanted with an identifying computer chip, in line with Dutch law).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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1. Ronde Lutherse Kerk

0.02 MILES

Built between 1668 and 1671, this domed church has the curious distinction of being the only round Protestant church in the country. Falling attendance…

2. Narrow House

0.03 MILES

It's often said that this house – which at 1.1m appears to be no wider than its door – has the narrowest facade in the city. But don't be deceived: the…

3. Multatuli Museum

0.1 MILES

Better known by the pen name Multatuli (Latin for 'I have suffered greatly'), writer Eduard Douwes Dekker is most recognised for Max Havelaar (1860), his…

4. West-Indisch Huis

0.14 MILES

Built in 1617 as a meat market and militia barracks, this historical building was rented by the Dutch West India Company (Geoctroyeerde West-Indische…

5. Greenland Warehouses

0.19 MILES

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…

6. Sexmuseum Amsterdam

0.22 MILES

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…

7. Damrak

0.23 MILES

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…

8. Beurs van Berlage

0.24 MILES

Master architect and ardent socialist HP Berlage (1856–1934) built Amsterdam's financial exchange in 1903. He filled the temple of capitalism with…