Tourist attractions Naarden

Traditionally the aristocratic district, this southern part of the canal belt, between the Leidsegracht and the Amstel, is more refined than the northern part but also more commercial and animated. Culture and nightlife are centred on two squares, ..

The road is flanked by canals crossed by small bridges one of which leads to a house surrounded by a smart garden. Embedded between green isthmuses and flooded by gentle light, the lakes of Loosdrecht, which are in old peat bogs, stretch over around ..

Formerly the Admiralty's principal warehouse, this vast building, erected on 18,000 piles, has housed the Amsterdam Maritime Museum since 1973. The collections present a fairly exhaustive overview of the Netherlands' maritime history, whether trade, ..

This large, well-maintained park was created in 1838 by the Natura Artis Magistra ("Nature, mistress of the arts") society, and takes its name from the organisation. The zoo is home to some 6000 animals (nearly 1200 species), including so..

The five bunkers one of which has six bastions (Turfpoort) have been converted into a museum. Canons, weapons, uniforms, engravings and an audiovisual presentation illustrate the lively history of the town. The high points of the visit are the listen..

This attractive Renaissance town hall has stepped gables and dates from 1601. The interior is furnished in the old style and is decorated with 17C paintings. It contains a model of the fortifications as they were in the 17C.

Completed in 1931, this work by Duko (1884-1974) is a series of terraced, mostly cubic shapes, the volumes of which, all different and are superimposed on one another or harmoniously juxtaposed. The whole thing, which plays tricks on the eye with h..

This old and massive brick fortress (13C) stands beside the IJmeer and the mouth of the Vecht. It has heavy angle towers and is surrounded by ditches. From 1621, the castle was the location for an intellectual and literary circle formed around P.C. ..

Just before reaching the town of Durgerdam, stop and enjoy the pretty view of its houses, painted in all the colours of the rainbow, some of them with wooden gables, and one funny square building with a pyramid-shaped roof topped by a bellturret; all..

Built in 1923 by J-J. and A.M. van Nieukerken, this museum seeks to evoke the tropical and sub-tropical cultures of Africa, Asia, the Middle-East, Australasia and Latin America, using works of art, everyday objects, displays and reconstructions of li..

Film clips, sound recordings, images and objects commemorating the Second World War. Daily wartime existence is brought to life by means of street and house reconstructions, highlighting the issues faced by the Dutch population: raids, Nazi propagand..

These 350 labourer's houses were built between 1919 and 1922 by Michel de Klerk and Piet L. Kramer , famous architects of the School of Amsterdam . The development of this quarter, designated a historic monument since 1970, was driven by a real e..

A fragile wooden construction, the Thin Bridge is aptly named. A relic of the 17th century this double lifting-bridge across the Amstel canal has been re-built many times. It is still manually operated and contributes to a particularly romantic pictu..

This museum occupies four synagogues from the 17th and 18th Centuries: the Great Synagogue (1671), the Obbene (1685), the Dritt (1700) and the New Synagogue (1752). It seeks to convey different elements of Jewish history and identity: religion, Israe..

This sort of enormous green hull, turned towards the IJ river, is the work of Renzo Piano , architect of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Completed in 1997, the building houses Amsterdam's science and technology museum. Children will be thrilled to par..

Opened in 2004 and occupying a 17C former hospital which has been completely renovated, this satellite of St Petersburg’s Hermitage hosts fantastic temporary exhibitions, drawn from the collections of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine I.

This canal was dug in 1510, replacing St Anthony's dyke, which was destroyed in an attack by troops from Gelderland. The simple beauty of its buildings, the constant minor flow of river traffic, the barges and house-boats at their moorings, all contr..

The streets of the old Jewish quarter, which once stretched from Waterlooplein to the Nieumarkt, were destroyed during and after the Second World War. Although most of its heritage has disappeared, some vestiges remain: Rembrandt’s House , the Muse..

This picturesque, multicultural market, which takes its name from a 17C landscape painter, has since 1904 been held along the length of Albert Cuypstraat. It has the double distinction of being the town’s largest, and Europe’s longest. Absorb the atm..

This house was built just before 1700. The furniture and artefacts inside give an impression of the life led by merchants in the Dutch "Golden Age". The garden retains the original lay-out created by the French architect Daniel Marot, who..