Yelp Review 2023 #94:…read more Located in the Red Light District is Amsterdam's oldest building with a long history that has nothing to do with prostitution whatsoever. Starting in the 1200's when this church was built for Catholics. It became a Protestant church in the 1500's when the Dutch were no longer fans of the Catholic Church and switched teams. It became as an archive center. Under the floors of this building is a graveyard. And now, it's an art center. The tickets are about €14 for adults and cheaper for children depending on their age, and students. It's open from 10am-6pm on Mondays to Saturdays, and 1pm-5pm on Sundays. Check their website for most current information. Outside the building you'll see bronze sculptures: a breastplate sculpture, and Belle the Sex Worker. Keep your eyes on the ground and around so you don't miss them.

Huge old cathedral in Amsterdam in the red light distract. It's mostly empty but a beautiful…read morebuilding and worth a quick look at for any visitors.

Coming from our hotel we had seen this marvelous cathedral, and I knew we had to stop by on our…read morereturn. Fortunately it was open, as we saw some others going in. The cathedral is gorgeous, awe inspiring. The quiet and reverence here offers a complete escape from the outside world. After soaking up the timeless architecture we were lucky stumble on the choir practicing for their Saturday 5 PM performance - amazing, beautiful voices and music. We only wish we had more time and could have stayed for the complete performance.

This is a stunning church, the Basilica of St. Nicholas, sits across from the Centraal train…read morestation in Amsterdam. One of my favorite things to do while traveling especially Europe is, to randomly walk into an intriguing church-- must be part of my Catholic upbringing, ha! Named after the patron saint of Amsterdam, the basilica was designed by architect Adrianus Bleijs (1842-1912). It's stark somber looking on the outside, stark stunning looking inside. I appreciate the church's use of technology. It's the only church I've seen with electronic confessionals. The church also has a very well designed and branded website. There are 5 churches in this conglomerate and St. Nicholas is the most ornate. The dome of the church is visually awesome, intricately constructed. I had to take photos. St Nicholas is a beautiful work of art and I like it more inside than outside. I very well understand the decades sometimes centuries of toil and pain artisans went through to create Art to please the church's exacting standards. The Sistine Chapel is probably the epitome of that dedication. For these historical reasons, I've come to appreciate pre 1900 churches all over the world. Another really supahcalifragilisticoolthing I discovered was the church holds mass in Gregorian Chant. Wowzah! Now that was amaaaazzzzzzing mass to experience after a long night of debauchery and partying in Amsterdam. Geniusly Sick! Website: http://www.nicolaas-parochie.nl/ Visits: 2

It's not everyday that you see a historic church used as a museum space for modern art, fashion,…read morecelebrities, or culture and history of religious groups other than Christianity. Not to mention also host royal weddings and music recitals. With De Nieuwe Kerk (The New Church), you find all these in one spot. Construction began in 1408 during medieval times and the church was finished and consecrated a year later, dedicated to Saint Catherine. The current impressive wooden-beamed roof was result of a devastating fire in 1645 after which several key components of today's building were added: the organ, pulpit, brass choir screen, and elaborate funerary monuments such as the one to Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. 1959 to 1980 was the most recent major restoration with a national foundation created and stepping in once the Protestant church that originally owned the building became unable to maintain upkeep. As a modern event space, they host a variety of happenings--most commonly museum exhibitions, as was the case when I visited. "Mokum - the Biography of Jewish Amsterdam" took visitors thru the history of the Jewish community--from immigration, shared cultural customs and traditions and gradual advancements in society, to the subversive Nazi movement and ultimately occupation of Amsterdam during WWII, the strained persistence to survive and the rebuilding that happened afterwards. There were a lot of didactic placards with info on what was being displayed, in both Dutch and English throughout the exhibit. Tickets are €22.50 for adults, discounted tickets available for children (Youth 12-17 years €15.00, under 12 free), students €15, certain groups and pass holders are free. Tickets include a free audio tour. I used the "i amsterdam" pass which involved a quick scan of the QR code at the ticket counter. Recommend about 45 minutes to go thru the tour, maybe an extra 20-30 minutes to check out the church building itself. For more info: https://www.nieuwekerk.nl/en/

This is a stunning church right in the city center right next to the palace. It was built in the…read more1500's. It is not an active church and is used for events. Beautiful inside and out.

We caught mass here while on holiday. Thanks God they have English mass at 1800 on Sunday. They…read morealso have masses at 1900 on Saturday and Sunday morning on 1115 and 1300. Before the English mass they have confession. It just occurred to me that I should have gone to confession because there is .01% chance I'd ever see that priest again. Even though the whole mass was in English we still fell asleep. Not because it was boring but we were still jet lagged. The community was very welcoming! We missed the potluck social dinner by one week. Darn! Before or after mass, round the corner to go to the stroopwafel museum!!! The museum is lame but they have the most delicious freshly made stroopwafels!!!! We picked up a bogo coupon from a nearby liquor store. It was awesome. Oh yeah the church is awesome too (refer to picture). It's crazy how the church is just sandwiched in between houses on the block...but you can't miss it when you walk by! Unless you're high tailing it to the stroopwafels...

This is the biggest church in Holland and right next to the hotel we were staying at. After walking…read moreby it multiple times, we decided to stop by and am glad we did. It was built in the early 1600's and is stunning both inside and out. Sadly the observation deck was closed when we were there. And cool factoid for you...Rembrandt was buried here.

Beautiful exterior. Mediocre interior. Intended to stay for free concert but one of the attendants…read morehassled us regarding donations for the coffee and tea. He hovered and swooped in twice to ask if we paid. My buddy inadvertently paid extra but the guy was still insistent on ensuring we paid. Not a welcoming approach

While I hadn't initially known about Het Begijnhof before stumbling upon it on a weekend afternoon,…read moreI'm glad to have visited. It was an insightful glimpse into the hundreds of years of history and thousands of lives impacted by this community, for women seeking religious and economic sanctuary. While it doesn't balance out the inequity of treatment across classes, race, religion and gender back then, it's still quite a progressive undertaking for those times. Since many other reviews have gone into detail about the religious backgrounds, I'll just add a few observations: - walking up to the entrance gate, a security guard is posted at all times, he reminds visitors to respectful of the environment and inhabitants of the neighborhood. The streets around are pretty busy and loud so I'm glad that they're there to maintain a calmer environment. - no walking or stepping on the lawn areas, there are signs with this request posted around the outdoor spaces. - the chapel designed in 1671 within the two townhouses for catholic worship was considered a "hidden" church, since Catholicism wasn't openly sanctioned after the late 16th century. The church building on the courtyard is a Protestant church; both are working church structures. Though the English Reformed Church building isn't always open for visitor access. - there's no tourism photography allowed in the chapel so take note for those who like selfies. Begijnhof is free to visit, hours are 10am-6pm daily. For more info: begijnhofkapelamsterdam.nl

This magnificiently manicured compound is a free attraction in Amsterdam with an interesting…read morehistory. Strictly a female residential commune. Women are on a long list to reside here with certain restrictions: They are over thirty five years old, widowed, no children and poverty stricken. The grassy courtyard is full of beautiful colored trees and two active Protestant churches. Monies are derived from donations and a gift shop.

The English Reformed Church is a Rijksmonument located in the center of Amsterdam near the Rokin…read moretrain station off the busy walking shopping street after you pass Zara. It is located inside the peaceful and quiet Het Begijnhof which is private property and is open from 9:30-18:00 (February-October) and 9:30-17:00 (November-January.) The homes in this area date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The black home is said to be one of the oldest homes in Amsterdam. The Begijens where single Catholic women who performed good deeds but did not to live in a convent and take vows. This was a Roman Catholic enclave in the predominantly Protestant Amsterdam for more than 200 years. There are still women (Begijnen or Beguines) living here. Major restoration was done in this area in 1987. Located across from the Beginhof Kapel (chapel), (the official hidden church because Roman Catholics were not allowed to openly practice their religion from 1578-1795), is the English Reformed Church. This is a Presbyterian congregation with ties to the Church of Scotland and the Protestant Church of the Netherlands. Worship is at 10:30 on Sundays. There is no scheduled opening hours for visitors. The original church was built in 1419 and was a place of worship for the Begijnen community but burned down in a fire in 1421. The current chapel was built towards the end of the 15th century and has been used for English-language worship since 1607. There is a plague on the exterior wall for the Pilgrim Fathers who first settled in Amsterdam before living in Leiden and prior to taking the journey to North America on The Mayflower. I also wanted to see in the back of the chancel the only stained glass window in the church which was gifted in 1920 by Mr. Edward Bok of the United States on the 300th anniversary of the departure of the Pilgrim Fathers from Leiden to the New World. This window signifies the presence of the Pilgrim Fathers who had previously lived in Amsterdam. I believe I will have to attend a service to see the window. www.erc.amsterdam

This place surprised my because I didn't actually expect there to be an English speaking church in…read moreAmsterdam that dated back to the 17th Century, but it turned out that this one did. The thing is that most of the English churches that exist on the continent I was under the impression were plants either from England or the United States and simply served expats, and also were established sometime in the late twentieth century. However, it turned out that this was not the case as this church has been operational, as an English speaking church, for centuries. There is actually quite a lot of history to this place, and they are more than happy to share it with you. In fact the Catholic church that this building used to house ended up moving across the road, and it is in existence to this day. I also found that the congregation were also really friendly, and the church is also open for tourist to wander around inside, though not when there is a service in progress (though they are more than happen for you to join in).

Beautiful Catholic Church with High Mass in Dutch. But, they also offer Sunday Mass in English,…read morewhich is great for visitors! Highly recommend this church if you are visiting Amsterdam and a Catholic (or, simply looking for Jesus).

According to a local - this location is never open - so it was exciting to see the gates open…read more We popped in to see what beauty there was. It has an amazing vestibule, the stained glass windows were pretty interesting - many different parables seems to be shown. Gorgeous ceiling, a nice place to enjoy a quiet prayer, or enjoy the architecture and beauty.

From the owner: De 'Krijtberg' heet officieel Rooms-Katholieke Kerk van Sint Franciscus Xaverius. Sinds 1654 wordt…read moreer aan het Singel in Amsterdam gebeden en gepreekt in een huis met de naam Crijtberg. Met de bouw van de huidige kerk werd in 1881 begonnen. De neogotische kerk werd ontworpen door Alfred Tepe en gewijd in 1883.