Situated in the heart of the old Jewish quarter, this house with its triangular pediment dated 1630 was Rembrandt's home from 1639 to 1659, and it was here that most of his masterpieces were created. The painter's studio was on the first floor. The m..

This large, well-maintained park was created in 1838 by the Natura Artis Magistra ("Nature, mistress of the arts") society, and takes its name from the organisation. The zoo is home to some 6000 animals (nearly 1200 species), including so..

Formerly the Admiralty's principal warehouse, this vast building, erected on 18,000 piles, has housed the Amsterdam Maritime Museum since 1973. The collections present a fairly exhaustive overview of the Netherlands' maritime history, whether trade, ..

As the name suggests ("dam" means dyke in Dutch), this square, which was created in the 13th Century, is on the location of the Amstel dyke - the geographical and historical foundation of Amsterdam. Once the central market place and today t..

Erected in 1648 as a City Hall, this building was turned into a royal palace by Louis Bonaparte in 1808, following a fire. William of Orange, King of the United Provinces in 1814, made it his residence. Nowadays the Queen only makes occasional appe..

This building, erected between 1897 and 1903, is the work of Berlage , the pioneer of Dutch modern architecture. The brick exterior is austere. Since 1987, this former trade exchange has been an arts centre, hosting a constant series of exhibitions,..

The name, House of Dolphins , pays homage to the first owner of this home, the Dutch grammarian Spieghel, author of a text on dolphins. The building is also known as the House of the Captain of the Night Watch , in honour of another of its occupier..

This splendid house was designed around 1622 by Hendrick de Keyser , the architect who built the Munttoren and the Westerkerk. The two doors had separate functions: the one at number 172 was for use during the day, the one at 170 by night. The façad..

To the east of Damrak-Rokin, the “old side” was delineated from the “new side” by 15C parish boundaries, and is also known as Walletjes (“little walls”), or indeed the Red Light District, since its narrow streets are renowned for prostitution. Its ap..

The carved heads of six Roman gods decorate the stone and brick façade of a 1622 house. Pieter de Keyser is thought to be the architect of this very fine residence, with its stepped gable. According to legend the six sculpted heads are those of s..

This Renaissance church was built in 1631 by Pieter de Keyser , who followed plans drawn up by his brother Hendrick . Restoration work carried out between 1985 and 90 has returned the stone and brickwork to their original colours. This is the most i..

René Descartes spent the summer of 1634 sheltering from censure in France in the house at number 6 on this square. A statue of Anne Frank (by M. Andriessen) stands to the right of the Westerkerk. Near the east end of the church stands the Homomonumen..

This commercial quarter to the south of the Westermarkt is laid out over nine criss-crossing streets named after animals, a vestige of its fur-trading past: Reestraat, Hartenstraat, Gasthuis Molenstraat, Berenstraat, Wolvenstraat, Oude Spiegelstraat,..

Acquiring its name with the construction of the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), the Oude Kerk is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. Spared by the fire of 1452, the church includes a baptistery, an ancient sacristy and some 17th and 18th Century houses at the eas..

Situated at the southern end of the Singel, this open-air market has existed since the 17th Century. Some of the stalls are aboard the barges that deliver the bulbs and cut flowers. The charm of this place cannot fail to please, and a visit is also a..

This secret chapel bears witness to the time when Catholicism was outlawed by the Reformed Church following the Union of Utrecht (1579). The faithful were forced to celebrate mass in private abodes, and places like these acquired the nickname “Our ..

Formerly the haunt of painters, dyers and paint-sellers, the quiet "flower canal" has achieved great recognition because of the high number of its houses that have been designated historic monuments. Particularly impressive is the trio of f..

This museum is in one of the houses of Cromhouthuizen. The ceilings painted by Jacob de Wit should not be missed. The museum itself is relatively disappointing, though it does contain a magnificent incunabulum dating from 1477.

Set out over two levels in a neo-classical building (the former Nederlandsche Bank), this museum is named after an eminent art historian, who was at the University of Amsterdam in the 19th Century. It contains very fine collections of antiquities fro..

An obvious area for development with the cutting of the four central canals, Jordaan sprang up in the 17C and was home to working people and immigrant groups. Regenerated in the second half of the 20C, it is today a delightful network of little stree..