I am coming back north to the Netherlands , a country visited a few times over the years.I like to update this old post on a a beautiful vibrant city of Amsterdam and its canals. Always memorable moments. The City has lots to offer but for me the canals of Amsterdam are it, just magical indeed. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
I always stayed in hotels by the Centrum or center area so walking was easy from there all over. The parking was done in the hotel Crown Plaza or by the canals. Crown Plaza centre; part of the Intercontinental Hotels Group, the hotel was very nice and very central to all. Right off walking from train station Centraal or center. Today, they are part of the IHG collection Kimpton DeWitt (see post). From there we went to eat the first night at Singel where we had a nice fish and vegetable dish with white wine, coffees, very nice, this is of course by the Singel canal, webpage: https://www.singel101.nl/
Next day I walk the nice quaint streets of central Amsterdam, and its nice architecture to get a feeling of it. Of course, I went by the red light district and its windows, very decadent I must add; I don’t pay for that, I earn it. At night for the second day , a group went to cafe in de waag, a historical castle like building with nice ambiance and a good European steak (small by American standards). Webpage: https://indewaag.nl/en
Finally upon leaving I try a nice bio place, Cafe Dwaze Zaken, with very friendly service,and good ambiance,the food was just right in a chorizo sandwich with a nice pint of gulpener beer. Just to get me going for the train trip back home. Webpage : https://dwazezaken.nl/en/
I just marvel at the hop on hop off bus,and the lovely Subway resto by the bay behind the Centraal train station for the memories. The Church of Saint Nicolas near centraal train station, (see posts on above) And did I said Canals !!!
The Amsterdam canals extend over a total of more than 100 km, with some 1 500 bridges crossing them, connecting about 90 islands. The four main channels are the Herengracht, Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and the Singel. Built in the 17C during the Dutch Golden Age, they form the so-called golden curvature. These develop into a succession of concentric half-circles around the historic center of the city, the Centrum district. The first four channels are spaced between them by strips of land from 80 to 150 meters in width on average, while the distance between the fourth and fifth can go up to about 550 meters by the northern boundary of the Jordaan district. These channels are also connected by others perpendicular to them, such as the Brouwersgracht, Leidsegracht, and the Reguliersgracht.
Some of the best known, me think are :
The Singel is the first canal closest to the city center and served as a moat to the medieval city until 1585, when Amsterdam began its urban expansion. It flows to the east in the Amstel at the Muntplein level and to the northwest in the IJ. I stayed closed to it.
The Herengracht is the canal starting from the city center which is the most indoors among the three main canals. It is extended to the east by the Nieuwe Herengracht and flows to the northwest in the Brouwersgracht. It is very famous for its golden curvature between the bridges of the Leidsestraat and the Vijzelstraat. The main sights of this canal are the Biblical museum; the cat’s office which is an art museum dedicated to the cats, the Hendrikje Bags Museum, the Willet-Holthuysen Museum and the Amsterdam Botanical Garden.
The Keizersgracht is the third channel of the four mains starting from the city center. It was in honor of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Maximilian I that he was named after. It is extended to the east by the Nieuwe Keizersgracht. It flows north-west into the Brouwersgracht. The main attractions of this canal are the Astoria, a house of Art nouveau style; Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk which is a Catholic Church; Huis Marseille, a museum of photography; The Geelvinck-Hinlopen museum; The museum Van Loon, and the FOAM, a museum of photography.
The Prinsengracht was named in honor of William I of Orange-Nassau. This is the longest of the four main channels because the most outside. It is extended to the north-west by the Korte Prinsengracht and to the east by the Nieuwe Prinsengracht. There is the Noorderkerk or northern Church, Noordermarkt or northern market, the Tulip Museum, Anne Frank’s house, the Westerkerk or west Church, the Amstelkerk, and De Duif or the Prince’s Church.
The Singelgracht runs along the outer side of the Houfmankade, Naussaukade, Stadhouderskade and the Mauritskade. On the inner side, it runs along the Houfmankade, Marnixkade, Leidsekade, Nicolaas Witsenkade, Sarphatikade, Spinozastraat and the Alexanderkade. The main sights are the Paradiso which is a concert hall, the Heineken Experience, building of the famous Dutch beer brand, and the Tropenmuseum nearby.
Jordaan Canals; these are the canals that are located in the Jordaan district, which is the western part of the city center of Amsterdam between the Singelgracht and the Prinsengracht. It is possible to cite from north to south the canals such as the Palmgracht, Goudsbloemgracht, Lindengracht, Anjeliersgracht, Egelantiersgracht, Bloemgracht, Rozengracht, Lauriergracht, Elandsgracht, Looiersgracht and the Passeerdersgracht.
The Amsterdam tourist office canals ticket info : https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/tickets/canal-cruise-ticket
The Amsterdam canal cruises private site on canals info rides : https://amsterdamcanalcruises.nl/canal-cruises/
The Amsterdam tourist office on its heritage : https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/see-and-do/top-20-things-to-do-in-amsterdam
The Netherland tourist office on Amsterdam : https://www.netherlands-tourism.com/things-amsterdam-ultimate-top-50/
There you go folks, a bit of description on each canal , and some things to see nearby that I like. The canals are a must for a ride or walk by them anytime. Again, hope you have enjoy the post on the Canals of Amsterdam as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 