The historic centre at a glance
Amsterdam was born in the 13th century from a dam on the Amstel, on the site of today's Dam Square. The city first grew along both banks of the river: the east side, around the Oude Kerk, and the west side, around the Nieuwe Kerk. The Kalverstraat follows the line of the old western dyke of the Amstel, while the Rokin corresponds to the riverbed, largely filled in during the 1930s. To the south, the Singel, the former city moat, marks the edge of the medieval core.
You can cover the whole area on foot: it takes about ten minutes to walk from the Dam to the Spui, and as long again to reach the Muntplein. The pedestrian streets are packed on Saturday afternoons; come on a weekday morning instead if you want to enjoy the facades and the inner courtyards.
The eastern part of the centre, around the Oude Kerk and the red-light district, and the Nieuwmarkt are covered in other guides: this one focuses on the west bank of the old Amstel.
Dam Square
Dam Square is the natural starting point for a visit, a 10-minute walk from Centraal station along the Damrak. Three landmarks line the square:
- The Royal Palace: the 17th-century former town hall, designed by Jacob van Campen, which became a palace in 1808. It is open to visitors on days without royal receptions; the Citizens' Hall on the first floor alone makes the visit worthwhile.
- The Nieuwe Kerk: the Gothic church consecrated in 1409, where Dutch monarchs have been inaugurated since 1814. Today it is used as an exhibition venue, with a separate ticket for each exhibition.
- The National Monument: the 22-metre white column unveiled in 1956 in memory of the victims of the Second World War. Every 4 May, in the evening, the national remembrance ceremony takes place here.
On the south side of the square, at number 20, Madame Tussauds occupies the upper floors of the former Peek & Cloppenburg store. Take care when crossing: trams and bikes pass through the square constantly.
Kalverstraat, Nieuwendijk and Rokin
The Kalverstraat runs south from the Dam to the Muntplein. It takes its name from the calf market held here until the 17th century. Today it is a pedestrian street of international chains, extended north of the Dam by the more down-to-earth Nieuwendijk. Look up above the shop windows: many old facades survive above the modernised ground floors. For more original shops, cross the Singel to the Nine Streets, a 5-minute walk away.
At number 58, between two shops, a discreet door opens onto De Papegaai ("the Parrot"), the Catholic Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It was built on the site of a clandestine church, from the days when public Catholic worship was banned, and has kept the nickname. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10.30 am to 4 pm and on Sunday from 12 noon to 2.30 pm.
At number 92, the former municipal orphanage (Burgerweeshuis) houses the Amsterdam Museum, devoted to the city's history. The building is closed for renovation: in October 2026, the museum is showing its exhibitions at other venues, including the Willet-Holthuysen house on the Herengracht.
Running parallel to the Kalverstraat, the Rokin is a wide avenue served by trams 4 and 14 and, underground, by metro 52 (Rokin station). Its southern end, towards the Muntplein, still has the water of the Amstel.
The Spui, the book market and the Begijnhof
The Spui is an elongated square lined with bookshops, cafés and University of Amsterdam buildings. Every Friday from 10 am to 6 pm, all year round, around 25 booksellers set up the book market: antiquarian and second-hand books in Dutch and English, prints and postcards.
In the middle of the square, the small bronze statue Het Lieverdje ("the little darling"), by Carel Kneulman and unveiled in 1960, depicts an Amsterdam street urchin. Donated by a cigarette manufacturer, it became from 1964 the stage for Robert Jasper Grootveld's anti-smoking "happenings", which gave rise to the Provo protest movement.
On the square, Café Hoppe (Spui 18-20) has been serving beer since 1670 in a brown-café setting. On the corner of the Singel, the Oude Lutherse Kerk (Singel 411), opened in 1633, serves as the University of Amsterdam's ceremonial hall on weekdays.
Right next to the Spui, a discreet entrance leads to the Begijnhof, the Beguine courtyard first recorded in 1307. Around its lawn stand the English Church, the clandestine Catholic chapel and the wooden house at number 34, one of the oldest in the city. Entry is free from 10 am to 6 pm; people live in the courtyard, so keep your voice down and leave bikes and suitcases outside.
The Muntplein, the Munttoren and the Bloemenmarkt
At the end of the Kalverstraat and the Rokin, the Muntplein is a busy junction built over the water, where the Amstel meets the Singel. It is dominated by the Munttoren, the Mint Tower. Its base is a remnant of the Regulierspoort, a city gate built from 1480 to 1487 and destroyed by fire in 1618. Hendrick de Keyser added the spire you see today in 1619-1620. The tower takes its name from 1672, when Amsterdam minted coins here during the French invasion. The tower is not open to visitors, but its 38-bell Hemony carillon plays a short tune every quarter of an hour, and the city carillonneur gives a concert every Saturday from 2 pm to 3 pm.
From the Muntplein to the Koningsplein, the flower market lines up its stalls standing on the Singel. It mainly sells tulip bulbs, seeds and souvenirs; the greenhouses are best seen from the opposite bank of the canal.
The Allard Pierson museum and De Krijtberg church
On the east bank of the Rokin, at Oude Turfmarkt 127-129, the Allard Pierson museum occupies the former headquarters of the Nederlandsche Bank. It displays the University of Amsterdam's archaeological and heritage collections, from ancient Egypt to Greece and Rome. An adult ticket costs €15.50, €3.50 for ages 5 to 18; admission is free for under-4s and with the Museumkaart.
On the other side of the area, on the Singel, De Krijtberg church, or Church of St Francis Xavier, raises its two spires above the canal houses. This neo-Gothic Jesuit church, built from 1881 to 1883 by Alfred Tepe, hides a richly coloured interior behind a narrow facade. It opens around the daily 12.30 pm mass; its other opening times are listed on its monthly calendar.
The area's sights at a glance
| Sight | Address | Opening hours | Adult price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Palace | Dam | Usually 10 am-5 pm, closed during royal receptions | €13.50 (free up to age 17) |
| Nieuwe Kerk | Dam | Daily 10 am-5 pm | €25 until 25 October, €20 from 26 October |
| Madame Tussauds | Dam 20 | Daily from 10 am | From €19 online, €27 at the ticket desk |
| Begijnhof | Gedempte Begijnensloot | Daily 10 am-6 pm | Free |
| De Papegaai | Kalverstraat 58 | Monday-Saturday 10.30 am-4 pm, Sunday 12 noon-2.30 pm | Free |
| Allard Pierson | Oude Turfmarkt 127-129 | Tuesday-Sunday 10 am-5 pm | €15.50 |
| De Krijtberg | Singel 448 | Around the 12.30 pm mass | Free |
Prices checked in October 2026. The Royal Palace publishes its opening days on its online calendar; the Nieuwe Kerk closes at 4 pm on Friday 9 October 2026. The Allard Pierson is closed on Mondays, on King's Day, at Christmas and on New Year's Day. The Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk and the Allard Pierson are free with the Museumkaart.
Where to take a break
The Spui is the best place to sit down: brown-café terraces, benches around the Lieverdje, bookshops to shelter from the rain. Close by, on the Voetboogstraat, the Vleminckx de Sausmeester stand (no. 33) sells Belgian-style fries with more than twenty sauces, daily from 11 am to 7 pm (until 8 pm on Thursdays). The queue moves quickly.
Avoid lunching on the Dam itself or in the first few hundred metres of the Kalverstraat: the options there are mostly chains. The small streets between the Spui and the Singel offer more choice.
A half-day walk through the historic centre
This route of about 2.5 kilometres takes 3 hours with one visit and a break. On Fridays it passes the book market; on Saturdays, finish at the Muntplein at 2 pm for the carillon concert.
- Start on Dam Square at 10 am: visit the Royal Palace or the Nieuwe Kerk, depending on the exhibitions.
- Walk south down the Kalverstraat and step into De Papegaai, at no. 58.
- Head to the Spui: the Lieverdje statue, the book market on Fridays, coffee at Café Hoppe.
- Enter the Begijnhof and walk around the courtyard in silence.
- Come out towards the Singel, cross the canal and follow the bank to De Krijtberg church, at no. 448 (open around midday).
- Head back via the Bloemenmarkt to the Muntplein and the Munttoren.
- Finish at the Allard Pierson, on the Oude Turfmarkt, or with the view over the Amstel from the Muntplein.
Getting to the historic centre
The Dam is a 10-minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal station, straight down the Damrak. Trams 2 and 24 stop at Dam and Koningsplein; trams 4 and 14 serve Dam and Rokin. Metro line 52 stops at Rokin station, which has an exit on the Dam side. A bike is handy for getting there, but not on the Kalverstraat, where you have to walk alongside it.
Further reading
Across the Damrak, the Nieuwmarkt area, with the Waag and the Zeedijk, continues the exploration of the medieval city: read our guide to the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood. To go window-shopping somewhere other than the Kalverstraat, our guide to shopping in Amsterdam presents the shopping streets of each neighbourhood.
