Amsterdam › Places and landmarks
Spui
A small square of bookshops and cafés, with a book market on Fridays.
The Spui was once a canal, filled in during the 19th century. Today it is a small square of bookshops and old brown cafés, where students and writers meet.
On Fridays it hosts a book market. The little bronze statue of a boy, Het Lieverdje, was a meeting point for the Provo protests of the 1960s.
More in Amsterdam
DamThe square on the dam built across the Amstel in the 13th century, which gave the city its name.
Royal PalaceBuilt as the city hall of the Golden Age, made a palace by Louis Napoleon in 1808.
Nieuwe KerkThe church on the Dam where Dutch kings and queens are sworn in.
BegijnhofA hidden courtyard of old houses round a garden, behind a door off the Spui.
Flower marketThe floating flower market on the Singel, selling bulbs and flowers since 1862.
WesterkerkThe church on the Prinsengracht with the tallest tower in Amsterdam, crowned by an imperial crown.
Anne Frank HouseThe canal house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis and she wrote her diary.
Canal ringThe half-moon of 17th-century canals round the old town, on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
BikesAmsterdam has more bikes than people, and they rule the streets.
TramsThe blue and white trams of the GVB, ringing their way across the Dam and down the Rokin.
Canal boatsThe long glass-roofed boats that take visitors round the canals and under the low bridges.
StroopwafelTwo thin waffles with a layer of warm caramel syrup between them.