Grachtengordel

Area

Forming a horseshoe around the Old Centre, the Canal Ring is made up of Herengracht, Kiezersgracht and Prinsengracht. It begins west of Central Station along Brouwersgracht and loops around in parallel to the city’s original moat, the Singel, until it meets the Amstel river.

In a way, the Canal Ring forms a crossover from the more bustling Old Centre to the gentler outer neighbourhoods of De Jordaan, Museum District and De Pijp.

History

Amsterdam was pleased with itself at the height of its Golden Age in the 17th century. In fact the city embarked on one of the more ambitious urban renewal schemes in history which quadrupled the city in size. Herengracht was named after the ‘gentlemen’ who invested in the project. Keizersgracht was named after the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I who had given the Amsterdam his ‘XXX’ coat of arms which evolved into the city’s trademark for quality. And Prinsengracht was named after William, Prince of Orange who had helped establish the Dutch Republic.

Highlights

Without a doubt the most coveted place to live in Amsterdam, the Canal Ring pretty much has everything ‘just around the corner’. While higher priced homes, businesses, banks and hotels take up the gabled canal-side properties, it’s the intersecting streets where real life plays out among the specialty shopping, cafes and restaurants.

History bleeds from such markers as Westerkerk (West Church), and its iconic tower, the Anne Frank House and the new City Archive.

Your neighbourhood

The Canal Ring treads a balancing rope between being a tourist attraction that requires drinking and eating facilities and a major residential area that needs quiet.

And there’s no doubt that residents also take full advantage of the terraces or the scenic Amstelveld square. And if your home doesn’t enjoy the views over the canals and its houseboats, it likely overlooks the green inner courtyards.

Eating, drinking, etc

The Canal Ring includes the city’s two main nightlife and culture squares. Leidseplein features such legendary concert halls as Paradiso and Melkweg along with the more highbrow city theatre Stadsschouwburg and multimedia center De Balie.

Rembrandtplein has several bars which cater to tourists (both international and from the rest of Holland), two large nightclubs (Escape and Air), and ‘old world’ evocative treasures such as De Kroon and Café Schiller. But meanwhile the whole area is dotted with neighborhood-bound ‘brown cafes’.