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Lesser-known places in Amsterdam

Amsterdam past the queues: a church hidden in an attic, a canal house still lived in, a cat sanctuary on a boat and a shipyard across the water.

All cities · Full Amsterdam guide · Unusual near me

7 of 7 places

  1. Our Lord in the Attic

    • Temple, church or shrine
    • Daytime

    A Catholic church built into the top floors of a canal house in the 1660s, when Catholics could not worship openly.

    Getting there
    Oudezijds Voorburgwal 38, near Centraal.
    Best time
    Weekday mornings.
    Cost
    About €17check
    Visit with respect
    Steep stairs; it is still consecrated.
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    Approximate position 52.3750, 4.8995 · Netherlands

  2. Begijnhof

    • History
    • Daytime

    A courtyard of houses around a green, built for a Catholic sisterhood, with one of the city's two surviving wooden houses.

    Getting there
    Gate on the Spui.
    Best time
    Weekday mornings.
    Cost
    Free
    Visit with respect
    Residents live here: no groups, no photos of homes and keep voices low; open hours are postedcheck.
    Full place page
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    Approximate position 52.3690, 4.8900 · Netherlands

  3. Museum Van Loon

    • Museum
    • Daytime

    A canal house still owned by the family whose ancestor co-founded the Dutch East India Company, with a garden and coach house behind.

    Getting there
    Keizersgracht 672.
    Best time
    Morning.
    Cost
    About €12–15check
    Visit with respect
    Family portraits are private possessions: no flash.
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    Approximate position 52.3630, 4.8920 · Netherlands

  4. NDSM wharf

    • Art
    • Daytime
    • Evening

    A former shipyard across the IJ with graffiti halls, a crane turned hotel, flea markets and studios.

    Getting there
    Free ferry from behind Centraal station, about 15 minutes.
    Best time
    Afternoon; market weekendscheck.
    Cost
    Free
    Visit with respect
    Studios are workplaces.
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    Approximate position 52.4010, 4.8920 · Netherlands

  5. De Poezenboot

    • Odd one
    • Daytime
    • Not for everyone

    A houseboat on the Singel run as a cat shelter since the 1960s.

    Getting there
    Singel, opposite number 38.
    Best time
    Short opening hours on set dayscheck.
    Cost
    Donation
    Visit with respect
    Wash hands; do not pick up cats.
    Not for everyone
    Cat allergies.
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    Approximate position 52.3790, 4.8930 · Netherlands

  6. Zorgvlied cemetery

    • Park or garden
    • Daytime

    A park cemetery on the Amstel with sculptural modern graves and a quiet riverside path.

    Getting there
    Amsteldijk; tram to Amstelveenseweg or a walk along the river.
    Best time
    Morning.
    Cost
    Free
    Visit with respect
    Funerals take place; step aside and keep quiet.
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    Approximate position 52.3450, 4.9000 · Netherlands

  7. Electric Ladyland

    • Odd one
    • Daytime

    A basement museum of fluorescent minerals and art, where visitors step inside a glowing installation.

    Getting there
    Tweede Leliedwarsstraat 5, Jordaan.
    Best time
    Afternoons; days varycheck.
    Cost
    About €10–15check
    Visit with respect
    It is small; follow the owner's tour.
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    Directions
    From where I am

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    Approximate position 52.3770, 4.8830 · Netherlands

How places get on this list
  • Fewer visitors than the city's top sights: no place on the usual first-day list.
  • Open to the public: a street, park, market, museum or place of worship anyone can walk into, or a tour anyone can book.
  • Legal and safe to visit as described. We leave out private property, closed or fenced sites, abandoned buildings, active rail lines, rooftops and rock pools known for drownings.
  • Where access is limited (Hanoi's Train Street, Berlin's Spreepark, Barcelona's bunkers), we say what the rules are and how to see it without breaking them.
  • Prices, hours and access rules change: anything marked check was right when written but should be confirmed on the day.

Checked 2026-09. Coordinates are approximate; use the map links to find the entrance.