Essential
Museums & culture· Dam Square
Royal Palace Amsterdam
Built in the 17th century as the city hall, it dominates Dam Square. Inside, the Citizens' Hall has maps of the world set into its marble floor.
Collection · Amsterdam
Canals and old town
9 placesFreeUpdated November 5, 2026
The Oude Kerk and Westerkerk, the Royal Palace, the Begijnhof, De Waag, the Magere Brug, the Nine Streets, the flower market and De Gooyer windmill.
Loading map…
Places in this collection
9 places
Save these 9 places to Google Maps
Google Maps opens with the list: tap “Select all” and save it to your profile (you need to be signed in to Google).
Museums & culture· De Wallen
Oude Kerk
Amsterdam's oldest building, a Gothic church with a wooden vault and a floor of gravestones, now surrounded by the streets of the Red Light District.
Museums & culture· Jordaan
Westerkerk
A 17th-century Protestant church on the Prinsengracht with the tallest tower in the centre. Rembrandt is buried here, and Anne Frank wrote about its bells.
- Essential
Special place· Spui
Begijnhof
A hidden courtyard behind a door off Spui, ringed by houses once home to the Beguines. It keeps Het Houten Huys, one of the two wooden houses left in the centre.
Restaurant· Nieuwmarkt
In de Waag
A restaurant inside De Waag, a city gate from 1488 later used as a weigh house, lit by candles and with a terrace on the Nieuwmarkt.
Special place· Amstel
Magere Brug
The white wooden drawbridge over the Amstel, which still lifts to let boats through. At night it's outlined by hundreds of light bulbs.
- Essential
Shopping· Canal Ring
The Nine Streets
Nine little streets crossing the main canals, packed with small shops, vintage clothing, galleries and cafés. It's the most pleasant stretch for wandering between canals.
Shopping· Singel
Flower Market
Flower and tulip-bulb stalls set on barges along the Singel canal, a tradition dating from when flowers arrived in the city by boat.
Special place· Oost
Brouwerij 't IJ
A craft brewery at the foot of De Gooyer, the city's tallest windmill, with a terrace for trying its beers beneath the sails.
Loading map…
Before you go
How to see the canals and old town
From Dam to the Jordaan on foot
Start at the Royal Palace, cross the Singel into the Nine Streets and follow the Prinsengracht up to the Westerkerk. It's a flat walk of under an hour.
Keep it quiet in the Begijnhof
People still live in the Begijnhof: enter through the gate off Spui, keep your voice down and don't photograph into the windows.
The Oude Kerk and De Wallen
The church sits right in the Red Light District. Photographing the windows is banned; for a calmer visit, go in the morning.
The Magere Brug after dark
Come back to the bridge at dusk, when its bulbs light up and reflect in the Amstel.
Checked on November 4, 2026. Opening hours and tickets can change, so check each place’s website before you go.
