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Amsterdam · History

Amsterdam, from Dam to Golden Age

This route follows the city's story from its very beginning, a dam across the River Amstel, to the 17th century, when Amsterdam stood at the centre of world trade. You will pass the town hall that astonished Europe, the oldest church, the harbour where the ships set sail, the headquarters of the East India Company, Rembrandt's house and the great Portuguese Synagogue.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.6 km
  • 2 h
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Dome of Amsterdam’s Royal Palace with its golden ship weathervane

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Dam Square and the Royal PalaceThe dam that gave the city its name, and the town hall hailed as the eighth wonder of the world.
  2. 2 Oude KerkAmsterdam's oldest building, with a floor made of graves and the Red Light District on its doorstep.
  3. 3 SchreierstorenThe city-wall tower from which Henry Hudson set sail towards what would become New York.
  4. 4 East India HouseHeadquarters of the VOC, the first great multinational in history, now part of a university.
  5. 5 Rembrandt HouseThe house Rembrandt bought at the height of his fame and lost in ruin.
  6. 6 Portuguese SynagogueThe temple of the Sephardic Jews who found in Amsterdam the freedom Iberia had denied them.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Amsterdam, from Dam to Golden Age

Seven centuries in two hours

From the medieval dam of around 1270 to the splendour of the Golden Age, on a compact and completely flat walk.

Trade, faith and tolerance

Merchants, Calvinists and Sephardic Jews built the most prosperous city of the 17th century together.

History with its shadows

The wealth of the VOC came at a price, and we tell that side of the story too.

Keep exploring

More routes in Amsterdam

Back to Amsterdam
Mysteries & legendsSevered heads, hidden churches and weeping women EssentialsEssential Amsterdam: from Anne Frank to The Night Watch