2. Prinsengracht: maybe not the most beautiful, but definitely the most famous canal in Amsterdam
If we were to make a list of the most famous canals in Amsterdam, without any doubt Prinsengracht would rank number 1. I guess that 99% of all Amsterdam visitors get to see Prinsengracht, one way or the other. And so should you!
With its impressive length of more than 3 kilometers this famous canal cuts right through the city center, starting in the northwest at Brouwersgracht and ending in the Amstel river. One could argue that the extensions Korte (meaning ‘short’) Prinsengracht to the north and Nieuwe (meaning ‘new’) Prinsengracht to the east are also part of Prinsengracht, making it even more omnipresent.
The construction of Prinsengracht started in1612 and took almost 50 years to complete. In that period Amsterdam became the third largest city in the world, after London and Paris. Can you imagine?
After all this time Prinsengracht is still bustling with life, mainly due to a perfect blend of different functions. Prinsengracht is a thriving village in itself: there are residential apartments, hotels, offices, shops, galleries, cafes, restaurants, churches, coffee shops, museums and so on. Among these are two Amsterdam icons: the Westerkerk (church) and Anne Frank’s House.
The magnificent Westerkerk is a 17th century protestant church in renaissance style. Its 87 meter tower is a true Amsterdam landmark and contains a lot of ‘bling bling’, with a golden clock that produces beautiful reflections just before sun set and majestic crown on top. A pretty well kept secret is a guided climb of the tower, only by reservation at fixed times, for a breath-taking view of the Jordaan area and the rest of the city.
Right next to the Westerkerk is Anne Frank’s House. Here you can visit the place where Jewish teenage girl Anne Frank hid from the Germans and wrote her diary before she was betrayed and transported to Germany to die in Bergen-Belsen shortly before the end of WW II. This sad and impressive memorial of the Holocaust is one of Amsterdam most frequently visited sites. Make sure to buy your ticket online if you want to visit it.
In the actual canal of Prinsengracht you will get to see many house boats, ranging from very luxurious and modern to some rather original but run down ones. You might be able to get a glimpse of the interiors while passing them on your boat tour. But if you want to have a proper look in a real houseboat, either rent a houseboat during for your stay or -a lot more economic- visit the houseboat museum on Prinsengracht.
A boat trip on Prinsengracht used to be rather chaotic on peak days. Recently, with the introduction of one way traffic this has changed. Although still popular and very busy at times, boat traffic on Prinsengracht has become rather orderly and easy. You just go with the flow. Please make sure to go the right way, from the north towards the Amstel river. Ghost riding could be painful in many ways, including a fine of euro 340,-.
Three times a year chaos returns on Prinsengracht. It is the most popular and most congested canal during King’s Day (27 April), with parties everywhere, both on the shore and on boats. Prinsengracht is also the longest part of the annual canal parade during Gay Pride (first Saturday of August), attracting an enormous crowd to see the 80 large decorated party boats full of people dancing, singing and celebrating diversity, freedom and respect. And it is home to the annual Prinsengrachtconcert, when after sun set part of the Prinsengracht is turned into a large open air venue for a free classical concert in a magical atmosphere.
Scroll down for the most beautiful canals, numbers 3 to 7.
