Updated 19 September 2026
The canal ring and the Jordaan were laid out in the same period, the first half of the seventeenth century. The canals with their broad merchants' houses were meant for the wealthy, the Jordaan for craftsmen, labourers and small industry. Four centuries later the difference can still be seen in the scale of the houses and the width of the streets.
The canal ring
The semicircle of Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, with the cross canals and radial streets between them, is one of the best-known urban extensions in Europe. Since 1 August 2010 the canal ring has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The houses are narrow and deep, with step gables, neck gables, bell gables and later broad cornices. Near the top of the facade there is often still a hoisting beam, because furniture and goods went in through the windows rather than up the steep stairs.
Some canal houses can be visited as museums. For photography, Foam and Huis Marseille on Keizersgracht are the best known, described in the section on photography and film. Between the canals lie the Nine Streets, the cross streets between Singel and Prinsengracht, with small shops and cafés.
The Jordaan
West of Prinsengracht lies the Jordaan. The area came within the city fortifications during the Third Expansion in the seventeenth century but was laid out differently: canals and streets follow the direction of old ditches and paths, with narrower plots and much smaller houses. For centuries this was a densely populated working-class district with workshops, breweries and small businesses. The hofjes date from that time too: courtyards with homes founded by wealthy citizens for single women and the elderly. Several can be visited during the day, provided the residents' peace is respected.
The Jordaan changed greatly in the second half of the twentieth century. Urban renewal and later rising house prices made it one of the most sought-after residential areas in the city. The brown cafés, the Jordaan songs and the small galleries remain; the craft workshops have largely gone.
Markets
The Jordaan has several regular markets. Noordermarkt has a Monday morning market with fabrics and second-hand goods among other things, and a farmers' market on Saturday. On Saturday there is also the market on Lindengracht, and on Monday morning the fabric market on Westerstraat. For weekend visitors, the combination of Noordermarkt and Lindengracht on Saturday morning is the busiest and liveliest.
Galleries
The Jordaan and the western canals have a high concentration of art galleries, from small spaces for young artists to established galleries for contemporary art and photography. Opening hours vary by gallery. Admission is free, and visiting without buying anything is entirely normal.
Walking around
A walk can start at the Westerkerk on Prinsengracht, head into the northern Jordaan along Egelantiersgracht and Bloemgracht, and return via Noordermarkt to Brouwersgracht, one of the best-known canals in the city. From there it is a short bike ride to the Spaarndammerbuurt and the architecture of the Amsterdam School.
The canal ring is busy on sunny days and at weekends, both on the streets and on the water. Early in the morning or on a weekday evening the same canals are much quieter.