Amsterdam · self-guided walk

Dam to the Jordaan

The most rewarding 90 minutes in Amsterdam: from the national monument and the Royal Palace on the Dam, west along the Golden Age canals to the Westerkerk and the Anne Frank House, and north into the Jordaan.

10 stops · 2.2 km · about 70 min

Distance and time are our curators' estimates for the whole walk, stops included.

The stops

The short version of each stop. In aiGuide, open Amsterdam, choose “Dam to the Jordaan” and tap Begin walking tour; then lock your phone, and each story starts as you reach the stop.

1. 1Nationaal Monument op de Dam

   Post-war, 1947-1956

   

   You are standing before the pillar where the Netherlands falls silent every 4 May at eight in the evening. On its front, chained men stand for the suffering of war, and a mother and child above them for new life. Behind it, a curved wall holds urns of soil from execution grounds and war cemeteries.

   • Unveiled by Queen Juliana on 4 May 1956.
   • Designed by architect J.J.P. Oud; sculpture by John and Jan Willem Rädecker.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

2. 2Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam

   Dutch Golden Age, 17th century

   

   You are facing what contemporaries called the eighth wonder of the world: the town hall of a merchant republic at its peak. Notice the missing grand entrance. Instead, seven modest arches open onto the Dam, and a weathervane shaped like a medieval cog ship turns on the dome high above.

   • Built as Amsterdam's city hall from 1648 to 1665; inaugurated 29 July 1655.
   • Architect Jacob van Campen; sculpture by Artus Quellinus and Rombout Verhulst.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

3. 3Nieuwe Kerk

   Late Middle Ages, rebuilt in the Dutch Golden Age

   

   You are looking at a Gothic church that never got its tower, and the gap tells a story. A giant tower meant to outdo Utrecht's Dom was begun here in 1646, but the city stopped work in 1653 to pay for the new town hall next door. A slender spire on the roof is all you see.

   • Consecrated in 1409; land and funds given by merchant Willem Eggert.
   • Gutted by fire on 11 January 1645 and rebuilt in Gothic style.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

4. 4Huis Bartolotti

   Dutch Golden Age, early 17th century

   

   Stand on the opposite quay and watch the facade turn: the outer bays are set at an angle so the house follows the bend in the Herengracht. Two painted cartouches state the owner's recipe for wealth in Latin, by ingenuity and hard work, and by religion and honesty.

   • Built around 1617 for Willem van den Heuvel, called Bartolotti.
   • Design attributed to Hendrick de Keyser, executed by his son Pieter.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

5. 5Homomonument

   Late 20th century, 1987

   

   Look down at the paving between the church and the canal: three pink granite triangles, each ten metres a side, together form one large triangle. One steps down to the water of the Keizersgracht, one rises as a low platform, and one lies flush with the square.

   • Unveiled on 5 September 1987; designed by the artist Karin Daan.
   • Three pink granite triangles with 10-metre sides form a 36-metre triangle.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

6. 6Westerkerk

   Dutch Golden Age, 1620-1631

   

   Look up at the Westertoren, at about 87 metres the tallest church tower in the city. At the very top sits a blue and gold imperial crown, the emblem Emperor Maximilian I granted to Amsterdam in 1489. Anne Frank listened to these bells from her hiding place a few doors along the canal.

   • Built 1620-1631 to a design by Hendrick de Keyser.
   • The Westertoren is about 87 metres, Amsterdam's tallest church tower.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

7. 7Anne Frank Huis

   German occupation and the Holocaust, 1940-1945

   

   You are standing outside the house where eight Jewish people hid for more than two years in the rooms behind a spice and pectin business. The brick front of number 263 gives nothing away: the Secret Annex lies out of sight at the back, reached through a doorway concealed behind a hinged bookcase.

   • Eight people hid here from 6 July 1942 to 4 August 1944.
   • Johan Voskuijl built the bookcase that concealed the annex entrance.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

8. 8Huis met de Hoofden

   Dutch Golden Age, 1622

   

   Count the heads along the front: six stone busts sit between the windows. They are Apollo, Ceres, Mercury, Minerva, Bacchus and Diana, yet a city legend insists they are burglars beheaded by a fearless maid. Look for Mercury's winged helmet beside the main door.

   • Built in 1622 for the merchant Nicolaas Sohier.
   • Six busts depict Apollo, Ceres, Mercury, Minerva, Bacchus and Diana.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

9. 9Noorderkerk

   Dutch Golden Age, 1620-1623

   

   Walk around the outside and you will see why the church looks so compact: four equal arms form a Greek cross, with small triangular houses tucked into the corners between them. On the south wall, bronze plaques recall the February Strike of 1941, called at banned meetings on this square.

   • Built 1620-1623 to a design by Hendrick de Keyser.
   • First service held on 16 April 1623.

   Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

10. 10Brouwersgracht

    Late 16th and 17th centuries

    

    From this bridge over the mouth of the Keizersgracht you can look both ways along the Brouwersgracht, the brewers' canal. Notice the old warehouses with their tall wooden shutters and hoisting beams under the gables, and the houseboats moored nose to tail along both quays.

    • Named in 1594 after the breweries along its banks.
    • Digging of the canal ring began southward from here in 1612.

    Open in OpenStreetMapWikidata record

More walks in Amsterdam

All of Amsterdam: must-see places and FAQOther cities