Must-see attractions in Medieval Centre & Red Light District

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    Royal Palace

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Opened as a town hall in 1655, this resplendent building became a palace in the 19th century. The interiors gleam, especially the marble work – at its…

  • Netherlands, Noord Holland, Amsterdam, the Begijnhof Courtyard. (Photo by: Eye Ubiquitous/UIG via Getty Images)

    Begijnhof

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Dating from the early 14th century, this enclosed former convent is a peaceful haven, with tiny houses and postage-stamp gardens around a well-kept…

  • Amsterdam Museum

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

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

  • Nieuwe Kerk

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    This 15th-century late-Gothic basilica is only ‘new’ in relation to the Oude Kerk – the city's Old Church, dating from 1306. A few monumental items…

  • Oude Kerk

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Dating from 1306, the Oude Kerk is Amsterdam's oldest surviving building. It's also an intriguing moral contradiction: a church surrounded by active Red…

  • Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Within what looks like an ordinary canal house is an entire Catholic church. Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Dear Lord in the Attic) was built in the mid…

  • Below the Surface

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

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

  • Dam

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

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

  • Centraal Station

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Beyond being a transport hub, Centraal Station is a sight in itself. The turreted marvel dates from 1889. One of the architects, PJ Cuypers, also designed…

  • Hash, Marijuana & Hemp Museum

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Simple exhibits here cover dope botany and the relationship between cannabis and religion. Highlights include an impressive pipe collection, an…

  • Kuan Yin Shrine

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Europe's largest Chinese Imperial–style Buddhist temple, built in 2000, is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Enter through the side…

  • Fashion for Good

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    The world’s first sustainable fashion museum delves into the history of fashion, the latest industry technology and innovation, and the stories behind day…

  • St Nicolaaskerk

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    In plain view from Centraal Station, the magnificent cupola and neo-Renaissance towers belong to the city's main Catholic church, the first to be built …

  • Allard Pierson Museum

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Run by the University of Amsterdam and named for its first professor of archaeology, Allard Pierson (1831–96), this museum contains a rich archaeological…

  • Civic Guard Gallery

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    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…

  • Brouwerij De Prael

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Brouwerij De Prael offers engaging behind-the-scenes tours of its brewery. Tours depart on the hour and last 40 minutes, followed by a sample (or four)…

  • Engelse Kerk

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    One of two churches located in the Begijnhof, the Engelse Kerk was built around 1392. It was eventually rented out to the local community of English and…

  • Begijnhof Kapel

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Contained within the Begijnhof and dating from 1671, this is a 'clandestine' chapel where the Beguines were forced to worship after the Calvinists took…

  • Cannabis College

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    This nonprofit centre offers visitors tips and tricks for having a positive smoking experience and provides the low-down on local cannabis laws. There are…

  • Red Light Secrets

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Inside a former brothel in a 17th-century canal house, this museum fills a gap by showing curious visitors what a Red Light room looks like and answering…

  • Oude Kerk Tower

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Guides lead intriguing tours up into the 67m-high tower of the Oude Kerk. Tours last 30 minutes and depart every half hour. Prepare for lots of narrow…

  • University Library

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Today's library is a concrete hulk, not nearly the beautiful building you'd expect at such a historical site, but its background is fascinating. Citizen…

  • Damrak

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    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…

  • Beurs van Berlage

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

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

  • Ronde Lutherse Kerk

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

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

  • Heiligeweg

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    The Heiligeweg (Holy Way) was once part of a route that pilgrims took to the spot where the 1345 Miracle of Amsterdam occurred. Halfway along, and…

  • Rokin

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    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…

  • Schreierstoren

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Built around 1480 as part of the city’s defences, this tower is where Henry Hudson set sail for the New World in 1609; a plaque outside marks the spot. It…

  • Oudemanhuispoort

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    On Oudezijds Achterburgwal a distinctive gateway with spectacles over the pedestal rises up and marks the entrance to the Oudemanhuispoort, a 17th-century…

  • Sexmuseum Amsterdam

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    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…

  • Madame Tussauds Amsterdam

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    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…

  • Nationaal Monument

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    The obelisk on the Dam's eastern side was built in 1956 to commemorate WWII's fallen. Fronted by two lions, its pedestal has a number of symbolic statues:…

  • Zeedijk

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    This is one of Amsterdam's oldest streets. Initially a shipping district, it was a respectable place to be until the 17th century. Then the rich folk…

  • Spui

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Inviting cafés (pubs) and high-brow bookshops ring the Spui, a favoured haunt of academics, students and journalists. On Friday (weather permitting) a…

  • Papegaai

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    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…

  • 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…

  • MILK

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    This cool gallery fosters experimental art and sculptural work that fits in with its Red Light District surroundings. It's also a performance space for…

  • Rasphuis Gate

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Directly opposite Voetboogstraat on Heiligeweg is the Rasphuis Gate, which led to a correctional institute in medieval times. The pedestal bears the…

  • Warmoesstraat

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    Amsterdam's earliest canals grew out from the IJ River like the roots of a tree, and Warmoesstraat was one of the first streets to follow. Its historical…

  • Trompettersteeg

    Medieval Centre & Red Light District

    An intriguing place to view the Red Light action is Trompettersteeg, a teeny alley where the women in the windows charge some of the highest prices…

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