Until the end of the 16th century, the Kloveniersburgwal was the outer city canal of old Amsterdam. The canal gets its name from the city militia that practiced here using rifles that were called Klovers. On the corner of the Kloveniersburgwal and the Amstel was the tavern that the Kloveniers visited after practicing. Large portraits of them hung on the walls in the tavern. The most famous group portrait of a militia group is Rembrandt's 'De Nachtwacht' (The Night Watch). The tavern is still used and is now hotel NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen.

The striking building at Kloveniersburgwal 29 is called the Trippenhuis. Built in 1662, this was the home of the Trip family. This family had become rich through trade in war material, including artillery, ammunition and even complete warships. The chimneys of the house are shaped like cannons. The Trippenhuis is one of the widest residential houses in Amsterdam at over 22 meters. Today, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is located here.

Opposite the Trippenhuis, at Kloveniersburgwal 26, is a very narrow house. The width is only 2.44 meters at the front (about 5 meters at the rear). The story goes that the facade is as wide as the front door of the Trippenhuis. An employee of the Trip family said during the construction of the Trippenhuis: "I would like to have a house as wide as the front door of the Trippenhuis." With the remains of the building material, this house would have been built for him. However, this interesting story is not true, because when the house was built in 1696, Hendrick Trip had already died.

The center of the Nieuwmarkt is the imposing weigh house. Built in 1488 as the Sint Antoniespoort: an important city gate that also served as a defensive stronghold. Due to an urban expansion in the late 16th century, the building was no longer situated on the outside of the city and lost its function as a city gate. In 1614, the part of the Kloveniersburgwal around the gate was filled in to create a new market square (hence the name Nieuwmarkt). A part of the gate disappeared underground. However, you can still sail underneath it by boat. The square was also known due to corporal punishment and executions. Nowadays there is a market with organic products every Saturday.

When the city gate was no longer a city gate, it was converted into a weigh house: roofs were made above the doors, under which scales were placed. This was not only for weigh goods for daily use, but also anchors and artillery from the nearby shipyards were weighted.

Some guilds were housed on the top floor of the weigh house. Until 1869, the Surgeons' Guild used the top floor, the Theatrum Anatomicum, as a lecture hall. Here, corpses of criminals were dissected during anatomy classes in winter. In 1632 Rembrandt painted here ‘De anatomische les van dr. Nicolaes Tulp’ (The anatomy lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp). Nowadays Restaurant-Café In de Waag is located in this historic building on the Nieuwmarkt. The beautiful terrace and historic interior make it a perfect place for a drink, lunch or dinner.

The Saint Olof's Chapel is located diagonally opposite the Wooden House on the Zeedijk. This chapel was built in the mid-15th century and expanded a number of times. The small church was intended for Norwegian sea and merchants who lived in Amsterdam. After the Reformation, the building had been used as a merchant exchange and a Reformed church. The current shape of the building is the result of an extension in a more or less gothic style in 1644. The entrances with decorations are in renaissance style. The building is now used by the hotel NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace as a conference room. This special location is also perfect for weddings, parties and dinners. A corridor under the Zeedijk connects the hotel to the chapel.

At the Oude Hoogstraat 24 you can find the gateway to the Oost-Indisch Huis (East Indies House): an impressive piece of legacy from the VOC period. The East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) was founded in 1602 and was actually the first public international company with shareholders. This company focused on trade between Europe and Asia as well as on inter-Asian trade. The VOC was housed in the Oost-Indisch Huis until its dissolution in 1798. Today the building is owned by the University of Amsterdam. The original boardroom is certainly worth a visit.

The history of the Oude Kerk (Old Church) goes back to 1250, when Amsterdam was only a small colony on the Amstel. The church is the first church in Amsterdam and was an important meeting place for traders. Plays were also performed. Every time the city went through a period of economic prosperity, the church was rebuilt and embellished. Since 1724, little has changed in the church except for restorations. The last restoration lasted from 1955 to 1979, probably the longest ever. The tower (built in the 16th century) has 39 bells and the carillon is one of the most beautiful in the country. For almost 800 years there has been preached, married, buried, walked, acted and music has been played. 10.000 Amsterdam inhabitants rest here, and besides the gravestone of Saskia van Rijn, Rembrandt's first wife, you can admire the tombs of famous sea admirals, a beautiful organ and a pulpit from 1640.

From the Sint Antoniessluis you have a beautiful view over the Oude Schans with the Montelbaanstoren. The sloping house on the sluice was built in 1695 as a lockkeeper house and is a protected national monument. The house is currently used as a cafe. The locks still regulate the outflow of the river water from the Amstel via the canals to the IJ. In this way, the water in the canals is regularly refreshed. De Oude Schans is located opposite The Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam.

This old defense tower was built in 1516 and was intended to look out over the Zuiderzee. The Hertog van Alva (Duke of Alva) wanted to build a castle near the tower. He even had a name: Monte Albano, which was later corrupted to Montelbaanstoren. The nickname of the tower is Malle Jaap (Crazy Jaap), because the bells started to play spontaneously at the strangest times.

The Royal Palace is located on the oldest square in Amsterdam: Dam square. The name Amsterdam is derived from the dam in the river Amstel. The square that was built around the dam was and still is the historic heart of the city. Originally the square was called Plaetse, but after the 16th century the square itself was also called 'De Dam'. The square used to be much smaller than it is now. The small town hall on the square soon became too small and was replaced by the large classicist building, now known as the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace). It was built by master builder Jacob van Campen, who was commissioned in 1648 to build an imposing town hall, fitting for the most important trading city in the world. The palace is built on no less than 13.659 piles.

The Royal Palace is one of the three palaces used for official receptions. When the Royals does not use the palace, the building is open to the public. It really is worth a visit. See the immense Civic Hall, admire the enormous chandeliers and marble floor with globes and wander through the corridors and rooms.

This beautiful Roman Catholic church is located opposite Central Station on the Prins Hendrikkade. The imposing building extends all the way to the water of the Oudezijds Kolk. The church was built in the period 1884-1887 to a design by architect Adrianus Bleijs (1842-1912). The Sint Nicolaaskerk is the second church with this name in the city. The first, the current Oude Kerk, was destroyed during the Alteration in 1578. The statue of Saint Nicholas adorns the facade of the church. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors and prostitutes. The church is, very appropriate, exactly between the IJ and the Red Light District.

After a period of neglect, a costly interior and exterior restoration was completed in 1999. Now it is an active congregation with a liturgy mainly focused on contemplation and austerity. In addition to the Catholic masses in Dutch and Spanish, an Anglican sung vesper was performed every Saturday by one of the choirs in the church. The beautifully restored 19th century Sauer organ is also regularly featured in special organ concerts, where organists from all over the world come to perform.

The center of the Nieuwmarkt was built in 1488 and functioned as the city gate of Medieval Amsterdam. The weigh house was then called the Sint Antoniespoort. Over time, Amsterdam had grown in size and the weigh house was no longer the outside of the city. When the weighing house on Dam square had become too small, the Sint Antoniespoort was given a new function from 1617: the city gate was converted into a weighing house. Above the doors, roofs were made under which scales were placed, on which besides goods for daily use also anchors and artillery of the nearby shipyards were weighed.

Some guilds were housed on the top floor of the weigh house. Until 1869, the Surgeons' Guild used the top floor, the Theatrum Anatomicum, as a lecture hall. Here, corpses of criminals were dissected during anatomy classes in winter. In 1632 Rembrandt painted here ‘De anatomische les van dr. Nicolaes Tulp’ (The anatomy lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp). Nowadays Restaurant-Café In de Waag is located in this historic building on the Nieuwmarkt. The beautiful terrace and historic interior make it a perfect place for a drink, lunch or dinner.

Every year Amsterdam is visited by about 4,5 million people from all over the world. In addition, almost 16 million day tourist come to Amsterdam every year. The main tourist attractions are not the big museums, shops and restaurants, but the Red Light district. The coffee shops and window prostitution are very attractive and are always the subject of discussion in the media. The Red Light District is located in the old town area of Amsterdam, mostly on Oudezijds Achterburgwal and surrounding streets and canals.

In the heart of the Red Light District you will find unique venues that cannot be missed. Bananenbar and Hospital Bar are famous strip clubs. Erotic theatre Casa Rosso offers professional live shows on stage since 1958. There is also a true peepshow, the only one in the Netherlands, where you can see a show from a private cabin for 2 euro per 2 minutes. Need to go to toilet? Sexy Loo offers clean toilets plus a true Red Light Experience.

Since 2014, entrepreneurs in the Red Light District organize a popular jazz festival, with free performances by known and unknown jazz artists. Unexpected musical encounters and a look behind the scenes in the most hospitable neighbourhood in the Netherlands. With the Red Light Jazz Festival, the organization aims to breathe new life into the jazz history of the Red Light district and at the same time improve the image of the area. More information and the program can be found on the website of Red Light Jazz.