Begijnhof

The Begijnhof is one of Amsterdam's oldest surviving courtyard complexes, inhabited from the 14th century by beguines — devout laywomen who lived in religious community without taking formal monastic vows. When Amsterdam turned Protestant in 1578, the beguines lost their main chapel and quietly converted a neighbouring house into a clandestine Catholic chapel, one of the city's rare schuilkerken or hidden churches, which functioned discreetly for over two centuries. One of the timber-framed houses in the courtyard dates to the 15th century, making it among the last of its kind in the city. Passing through the unassuming street door today, visitors enter a walled green enclave of clipped lawns and brick gables where the urban noise of the Spui disappears almost entirely. The courtyard is publicly accessible, but signs request quiet and restrained photography — a handful of residents still live here.

Silent 14th-century courtyard, Amsterdam's oldest wooden house (no. 34) and the English Reformed Church — free entry.