Amsterdam's canal ring – the Herengracht, the Golden Bend and the Grachtengordel

Amsterdam's canal ring, the Grachtengordel, is the 17th-century belt of canals that wraps around the old centre of the Dutch capital. Three main canals – the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht and the Prinsengracht – run in concentric arcs inside the Singel and the outer Singelgracht. Along them stand 1,550 monumental buildings, and the city as a whole has more than 100 kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges.

From medieval moat to Golden Age city plan

The Singel served as the moat around the medieval city from 1480 until 1585 and is now the innermost canal of the ring. As Amsterdam boomed in the Dutch Golden Age, the city planned a much larger extension. According to Wikipedia, work on the north-western sector began in 1613 and was finished around 1625, and the southern sector followed after 1664. The Singelgracht became the outer limit of the city in the 17th century.

Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht

The Herengracht, the Gentlemen's Canal, was the first of the main canals and the most prestigious address. The Keizersgracht, the Emperor's Canal, is the widest of the three. The Prinsengracht, the Prince's Canal, is the longest, and most of its canal houses date from the Golden Age; the Anne Frank House stands on it. Beyond the Prinsengracht lies the Jordaan, the more modest quarter that is also part of the listed area.

The Golden Bend – Amsterdam's grandest mansions

The most fashionable stretch of the Herengracht is the Golden Bend, the Gouden Bocht, known for its large mansions. It is the clearest sign of Golden Age money in the whole ring.

A World Heritage canal ring

In 2010 UNESCO inscribed the “Seventeenth-century canal ring area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht” as a World Heritage Site, covering 198.2 hectares. The canals remain working water: houseboats line many quays, and each year between 12,000 and 15,000 bicycles are fished out of them.

How to explore the canal ring

See the canals twice: once from the water on a boat tour, and once on foot along the quays, crossing the bridges between the three main canals. Walk the Golden Bend on the Herengracht, then head west to the Prinsengracht and the Jordaan. Read Metro Mode's Amsterdam guide (in Swedish), browse Metro Mode Travel, and find more city guides among metromode.co's destinations.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.