The Canal Belt, or “Grachtengordel“ in Dutch, is the most beautiful part of Amsterdam and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s also my favourite place to wander whenever I’m in the mood for it — there is always something beautiful to admire, always something to grab my attention, always something for me to discover.
The canal belt includes the famous canals Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, built during the 17th century; it is fourteen kilometres (8.7 miles) long in total and crossed by 80 bridges. Each canal has its own character: Herengracht was historically the most prestigious address, home to Amsterdam’s wealthiest merchants, while Prinsengracht has a slightly more laid-back feel and is where you’ll find both the Anne Frank House and the Westerkerk.
This incredible area is home to 8,000 monuments. It used to be the main financial and entrepreneurial area of the city and now it is the part that no one wants to miss during a visit, attracting masses of tourists and locals. It’s definitely the best place to go for a canal cruise, for a walk or for a drink with friends, and even for shopping or in order to find good photo opportunities. I also find it very romantic! The light here changes beautifully throughout the day — golden in the morning, soft and silvery in the late afternoon — and in the evening, when the bridge lights reflect on the water, the whole area feels almost dreamlike.
This is a walk in the area in early December:
For anyone willing to find out more about the history of the Canal Belt, a museum has been opened right in it’s heart at Herengracht 386, in an old beautiful house which used to be (a long time ago) the house of a famous banker: Het Grachtenhuis / The Museum of Amsterdam Canals. If after walking, discovering and admiring all the architecture in the area (or maybe even before that), you want to learn everything about how and why the houses and canals were built, you can pay a visit to this museum. The Canal Belt has a way of revealing something new every time I walk through it: a detail I hadn’t noticed, a reflection I hadn’t seen before, and that is exactly what keeps me coming back.
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