Top Things to Do in Canal Ring (Grachtengordel)

THE 10 BEST Things to Do in Canal Ring (Grachtengordel), Amsterdam

Top Things to Do in Canal Ring (Grachtengordel)

Traveller rating
Neighbourhoods
Good for
355 places sorted by traveller favourites
  • Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
Showing results 1-30 of 355

What travellers are saying

  • James W
    44 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The museum is very busy so you have to use your imagination to picture what the building was like when the Frank family were in hiding there. We paid extra for the programme before going around the museum - this was a waste of time: we learned nothing new and it was focused on the few children who were there at the same time.
    Written 17 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amsterdam is often compared to Venice, although it is much more prosaic than the most romantic city in the world. The only place where it truly resembles Venice is on the Herengracht, the most luxurious of the Large Canals. At the same time, the most elegant mansions of Amsterdam are on the right side. The most prestigious part of the Herengracht is called the Golden Bend. Merchants who earned their capital trading with South America or the Dutch East Indies lived here. Most of the houses are already the result of the rebuilding of the XVIII century. The left side is similar to other Large Canals: narrow facades, warehouses, beams for lifting goods. The most luxurious house in the Golden Bend is the Bartolotti House (Bartolottihuis, No.170-172), built in 1617 by the famous Hendrik de Keyser. However, despite the name, there is no smell of Italy here. The customer, Willem van den Heuvel, was a brewer and arms dealer. As Emperor Vespasian said: non olet- money does not smell. According to the same principle, he took the Italian surname of his stepfather Bartolotti, so that it would be easier to inherit his stepfather's bank in Bologna. The second house nearby is called the "White House" (De Witte Huis, No. 168, built of unusually light sandstone. It is not the president who lives in the Amsterdam White House, but the Theater Museum. The lions of St. Mark on the pediment can also evoke allusions to Venice. He is reminded of the building's owner, Michael Paue, one of the founders of the West India Company and a knight of the Order of St. Mark. The house was built in 1638 by the famous architect Philips Vingboons, who owns a number of other houses on the canal. It was built in 1662 for the merchant Jacob Cromhout Cromhouthuizen, now there is the Bijbels Museum (No.364-370), Museum Het Grachtenhuis (1665) at Herengracht 386, Canal house (No. 412) built in 1667, Huis Deutz 1663 at Herengracht 450 and The Eagle (No. 466) in 1669. Despite some common style, they don`xt resemble each other.
    Written 31 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Nick F
    Greece124 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    It is well known that the River Amstel gave the name to the city. For us, Amsterdam is bridges and canals where ducks swim. The embankments in the city center are very narrow, fences are very rare, so you had to be careful not to swim in cold water😀
    Written 26 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • 🌈🌈🌈happyopenmindedtraveler🌈🌈🌈
    The Netherlands358,391 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    I like to come here sometimes for a concert. Enjoying a concert with a cup of coffee, what more can one wish for on a Sunday afternoon. If one is in Amsterdam it might be worth your while to take a look inside. Welcome to Amsterdam🌷🌷🌷
    Written 13 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Now we perceive Amsterdam as a city of canals. However, the city has not always been like this. The Singel (belt) was the first to be excavated at the beginning of the XV century. It was more of a defensive moat. After almost 2 centuries, the Amsterdam City Council adopted the project of the humble carpenter Hendrik Staets. The plan was simple and ingenious. In parallel, Singel Status suggested digging 3 more channels. The excavated soil was used to create embankments for the construction of houses. Each channel had a depth of 2 meters and a width of 25 meters, so that 4 barges could disperse in the channel. The width of the embankments was assumed to be 30 meters. The height of the houses excluded the darkening of each other. The project started in 1612 and lasted for almost half a century. Up to 4000 channels could be in the created garland at a time (!!!) ships. The production and houses of the proletarians were moved to the territory of the modern Jordan district beyond the Prinsengracht canal. that's why the houses facing this canal have the most modest facades. The same cannot be said about Herengracht and Kaisersgracht. During the construction process, the city nobility began to buy up plots and decorate the gables of houses in every possible way. During the construction process, a curved pediment in the shape of a bottleneck appeared, invented by Philip Wingbons. These bell-shaped gables have become a signature feature of Amsterdam. Below the gable ridge there was a lifting beam with a lifting mechanism that allowed lifting loads directly from boats and barges to the upper floors. They are used even now, because it is impossible to move bulky furniture up steep stairs. Almost all houses have a narrow facade. This is explained by a large tax on the width of the facade, introduced by the city council. The ingenious Amsterdammers built houses, they built narrow but elongated houses, on the back of which servants lived without windows. It was in such a remote room on the Prinsengracht that Anne Frank's family hid for almost 2 years from 1942 to 1944. Like Venice, a typical tourist attraction is a canal tour. Since I did this 20 years ago, this time I just walked along the canals. It is worth doing both in the afternoon and in the evening, because the impressions differ...
    Written 27 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • YAS
    London, UK25 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    9 streets next to each other with all the shopping experience you’d hope for. You can find local brands, boutiques, and department stores.
    Written 23 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    On the Keizersgracht, the second most important of the Large Canals, the houses are more modest and lower than on the Herengracht. Initially, they were going to make a boulevard here, but the residents resisted: many had warehouses, and it was much more convenient and, importantly, cheaper to bring goods by boat. Therefore, although the Keizersgracht is the second of the channels, it was dug later than the third - the Prinsengracht. The fact that merchants were the dominant class on the canal is also indicated by lifting beams with mechanisms protruding from the pediments. The Keizersgracht differs from its counterparts in width. Unlike the norm of 25 meters set by Hendrik Staets, this channel is 3 meters wider. Houses N40-44 have memorable facades with ledges on the right side. The so-called Greenland warehouses of the Northern Company, which had a monopoly on the extraction of whale oil at the beginning of the XVII century, used to be located here. To the south, on the opposite side of the canal in house N123, there is the so-called "House with heads" (Huis met de Hoofden). This is the most famous building in Amsterdam in the Renaissance style of 1622. The heads that gave the name to the house belong to the Greek gods Apollo, Mars, Athena, Dionysus, Demeter and Artemis. They remind of an old Amsterdam legend, according to which the maid of the first owner of the house, Nicholas Sohir, cut off the heads of thieves (or, according to another version, her own alcoholic lovers) who coveted the wine cellar. As a warning, she hung their heads over the doors.The building of the First Dutch Life Insurance Bank (174-176) at the intersection of Keizersgracht and Leliegracht was built by Van Arkel in 1905 in the spirit of Nieuwe Kunst, the Dutch version of Art Nouveau. A number of houses from N242 to N252, built between 1620 and 1730, have the common name Groot Keyser. 40 years ago, the buildings were occupied by the famous Groote Keyser squat, whose residents waged a fierce struggle with the mayor's office for the rights of squatters. In the late 70s and early 80s, a very popular alternative radio station "Free Keizer" worked here, broadcasting to 10 thousand Amsterdam squatters. And under No. 317 there is the Brants house. Its first owner, merchant Christoffel Brants, who became rich on Russian furs, was a personal friend of Tsar Peter I. In this building, decorated with figures of sea nymphs, Peter visited Brants during his second official visit to Holland in 1716-1717 (the first time Peter traveled incognito). In the memory of the people of Amsterdam, the Russian emperor remained a drunkard and a brawler. Peter was wasted, swore with Dutch port curses mastered on his first trip, slept on the floor and during a drunken orgy destroyed the house of the Russian envoy on the neighboring Herengracht. Almost opposite the Brants house is the Empire building of the Felix Meritis Society (N324), built in 1788 by Jacob Husley. Felix Meritis (the name means "Happy by merit") was in the 1800s the center of cultural and scientific life in Amsterdam. Felix Meritis was sure to bring all the famous visitors of Amsterdam. House No. 345A is the narrowest on the canal, its width is one window. Accordingly, the owners had to pay the least for it, because the tax on houses in the city was the width of the facade. The next noteworthy house is "Marseille" (Huis Marseille, 401). The house was built in 1665 by order of the French merchant Isaac Fauquier, who became rich on a single trading operation with goods from Marseille. On the facade of the house, Fauquier stamped the name and a detailed map of his native Marseille. Now there is a Photography Foundation with interesting photo exhibitions.
    Written 30 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Swedishtomcat
    Diss, UK3,566 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    We found this was a good place to start on day 1. We learned about the history of the Amsterdam, the building of the canals along with the construction and expansion of the city. 400 years in 40 minutes.
    Written 28 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • 🌈🌈🌈happyopenmindedtraveler🌈🌈🌈
    The Netherlands358,391 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    I like to come here sometimes. The apparently world-famous Tuschinski Theatre (Cinema) is located around here. There are plenty of hotels, cafes, restaurants and fast-food outlets as well as Wok and French Fries takeaways in this area, actually something for every age and budget. Quite fun actually to just sit here and watch the world going by, for just a little while✌✌✌
    Written 13 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Singel channel is perceived as one of the big channels, but in fact it has nothing to do with the Hendrik Stats project, since it appeared almost 2 centuries before it. Singel was dug around 1428, not as a canal, but as a defensive moat and served as the western border of Amsterdam until 1585, until the influx of Protestant emigrants from Antwerp, defeated by the Spaniards, demanded the expansion of the city. The most elegant house on the Dolphin Canal (Dolphin Huis, No. 140-142), This house with a double red brick pediment by architect Hendrik de Keyser was built in 1600. Incredibly, we can see even one of its inhabitants almost live. At the Rijksmuseum. This is Frans Banning Kok, the main character of Rembrandt's painting "Night Watch". The longest house on Singel (or maybe in Amsterdam?) The modern "House of Hooft" (Hoofthuis) occupies an entire block. It is occupied by one of the faculties of the University of Amsterdam. On the canal there is probably the widest bridge in Amsterdam - Torensluis - the Tower lock of 1648. Its width is as much as 42 meters. The architect was Jan Legvater, whose main occupation was land drainage. The Round Lutheran Church of 1671 looks unusual. It is out of harmony with the surrounding houses and would be more suitable for Venice. The secret is simple: architect Adrian Dortsman was a big fan of Italian architecture.
    Written 27 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Noraatc
    Sudbury, MA35,558 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    After the Stromma cruise I felt rested enough to walk very fast to the Huis Willet Holthuysen from the Rijksmuseum and see the beautiful mansion in 45 minutes before closing. It was so worth it! The interior and the garden are truly spectacular, but to say that the ANONHI exhibit “She who saw beautiful things” impressed me would be a lie: this is not my type of art.
    Written 14 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Loredana S
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This is a beautifully curated private museum, hosted in a historic building from the Golden Age period. A wonderful escape from the crowded streets in the city center, and an enriching cultural experience about a very particular kind of craft from times old gone.
    Written 24 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jane B
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not as many cats as we expected but the barge is immaculate, the staff obviously care deeply for their feline friends and look after them very well. Close to Centraal Station too.
    Written 26 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • david n
    Manchester, UK4,758 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lots of tourists taking pics of themselves in front of this famous market, of the (very similar) stalls and tourist bric-a-brac. On one side of a canal with, of all things, a Xmas shop about halfway along on the opposite of the narrow lane.
    Written 18 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • tezpil
    Portsmouth, UK4,651 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Bright, airy and peaceful. An oasis of light in a busy city. Just walk in and pause for a while. Notice the light as the church has clear glass rather than coloured.
    Written 16 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.