Amsterdam · Jordaan

Westerkerk

The tallest church in Amsterdam, with a tower you can climb for EUR9 and one of the best views of the canal ring from the top.

About Westerkerk

The tallest church in Amsterdam, with a tower you can climb for EUR9 and one of the best views of the canal ring from the top. Rembrandt is buried here (somewhere; the exact spot was lost), and Anne Frank could hear the Westertoren bells from the annex. The climb is 85 meters up narrow stairs with a guide, in small groups. The church interior is free to enter and impressively plain in the Protestant Dutch tradition: whitewashed walls, clear glass windows, and wooden pews.

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The place

Getting there

Address

Prinsengracht 279, 1016 DL Amsterdam, Netherlands

Neighborhood

Jordaan →

Nearest Metro

Tram 13/17 to Westermarkt15-minute walk from Centraal Station

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Good to know

Tips, answered

Tower climb is EUR9 and runs April through October, guided only, in small groups. Go early in the morning for shorter waits. The church itself is free and worth entering for the contrast with Catholic churches. Listen for the carillon playing on the quarter hour.

Plan for about 1 hour. Morning visits are typically less crowded.

Westerkerk is in the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam. The address is Prinsengracht 279, 1016 DL Amsterdam, Netherlands. The area is well-served by metro.

Morning visits, especially early, mean fewer crowds and better light for photos. Weekdays are significantly quieter than weekends.

Comfortable shoes are recommended. Parts are outdoors, so bring a light layer.

Closed on Sunday, Saturday. Check the official website for holiday closures and special hours.

Around the corner

Nearby in Jordaan

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Museum

Anne Frank House

The actual house where Anne Frank and her family hid for over two years during the Nazi occupation. The annex behind the canal house at Prinsengracht 263 is preserved as it was: the bookcase that concealed the entrance, the rooms where eight people lived in silence during working hours, the pencil marks on the wall tracking the children's growth. The diary quotes on the walls hit differently when you're standing where she wrote them. This is not entertainment. It is witness. Tickets are the hardest reservation in Amsterdam. They release online exactly two months before the visit date at 10 AM CET on Tuesdays, and popular dates sell out within minutes. This is not an exaggeration. Set a phone alarm for 09:58 CET on the Tuesday they release for your dates, have the website loaded, and be ready to click. There is no walk-up entry, no standby line, no way to talk yourself in. If you miss the tickets, you miss the house. It costs €16 for adults, free for under-10s, and every slot is timed to keep the space from becoming overcrowded. The visit takes about an hour. You move through the front house, through the bookcase entrance, and into the annex rooms in the order the family experienced them. The audio guide is included and worth using. It layers diary entries over the rooms you're standing in. The museum section at the end covers what happened after the arrest and the diary's journey to publication. Most people are quiet throughout. Some are crying. The gift shop at the exit sells the diary in dozens of languages for €12. If you haven't read it, buy it here. It matters more after you've stood in her room.

1-1.5 hoursExplore

Tour

Those Dam Boat Guys

Small-group open boat tours run by a crew of locals who actually know the city and its canals. This isn't the big tourist operation with 40 people on a glass-topped barge and a pre-recorded audio guide. These are open boats holding 12-20 people, with a live skipper who grew up here and tells you stories you won't find in any guidebook. The boats are open-topped, so you're sitting in the fresh air with an unobstructed view of the canal houses, bridges, and houseboats. The standard tour covers the main canal ring (Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht) and the harbor, with commentary that mixes history, architecture, and personal anecdotes. They explain why the canal houses are narrow (property tax was based on frontage), why they lean forward (it's deliberate, to help hoist furniture through the upper windows), and where the good stuff is on each canal. You can bring your own drinks and snacks on board, which is both unusual and excellent. Tours run about 75 minutes and depart from near Central Station. Book online in advance, especially in summer. The boats run rain or shine (they have blankets and rain ponchos), and honestly a rainy canal tour has its own charm. Pricing is around €27-32 depending on the tour. If you only do one canal activity in Amsterdam, skip the big boats and book this instead. The difference between a personal tour and an industrial operation is night and day.

1.5 hoursExplore

Market

Noordermarkt

A dual-personality market at the Noorderkerk in Jordaan: Saturday mornings feature organic farmers and artisan food producers (Boerenmarkt), while Monday mornings bring vintage clothing, antiques, and flea market finds. The Saturday market has become a foodie destination with local chefs shopping for ingredients.

1-2 hoursExplore

Museum

Amsterdam Cheese Museum

Interactive cheese-making workshop in the heart of the Jordaan where you learn to craft your own Gouda wheel under guidance from a Dutch cheesemaker. The 90-minute class includes tasting six regional cheeses paired with wine, and you take home your creation to age.

1.5 hoursExplore

Tour

Eating Amsterdam Food Tours

Four-hour Jordaan food tour stopping at family-run businesses including a herring stand, cheese shop, Dutch apple pie bakery, and jenever distillery. Limited to 12 participants, the tour explores narrow streets while discussing Dutch Golden Age trade history and modern food culture.

4 hoursExplore

Tour

Amsterdam Food Tour: Jordaan

A guided walking food tour through the Jordaan, stopping at brown cafes, cheese shops, stroopwafel makers, and a traditional Dutch herring stall. Most tours last 3-4 hours, cover 6-8 tasting stops, and include enough food to replace a full lunch. The Jordaan's tight streets and canal-side cafes make it the best neighborhood for this kind of walk. Several operators run variations; the ones that include a brown cafe stop and a market visit are the best value.

3-4 hoursExplore

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