Van Kerkwijk

Medieval Centre & Red Light District


Low-key Van Kerkwijk is easy to miss, but locals sure know it's here: the small wooden tables are typically packed. It doesn't take reservations and there's no menu; waitstaff tell you what's available that day (look out for the house-speciality steak with goat's cheese and strawberry sauce). Candles burning even during the day give it a cosy atmosphere.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Medieval Centre & Red Light District attractions

1. Below the Surface

0.05 MILES

During the construction of Amsterdam's 2018-opened Noord/Zuidlijn (North–South metro line), more than 134,000 archaeological finds were unearthed from…

2. Rokin

0.06 MILES

South of the Dam, this street is part of the route most visitors take from Centraal Station into town, the name being a corruption of rak-in (inward reach…

3. Nes

0.07 MILES

Beyond the glare of the Red Light District runs this dark, narrow lane, home to theatres for more than 150 years. In 1614 Amsterdam's first bank opened in…

4. Nationaal Monument

0.08 MILES

The obelisk on the Dam's eastern side was built in 1956 to commemorate WWII's fallen. Fronted by two lions, its pedestal has a number of symbolic statues:…

5. Kalverstraat

0.08 MILES

You're sure to end up on this crowded street at some point. Named after the livestock markets held here in the 17th century, Kalverstraat is now a place…

6. Madame Tussauds Amsterdam

0.09 MILES

Sure, Madame Tussauds wax museum is overpriced and cheesy, but its focus on local culture makes it fun: 'meet' the Dutch royals, politicians, painters and…

7. Papegaai

0.09 MILES

An unexpected oasis in the sea of consumerism on Kalverstraat, the curious Petrus en Pauluskerk, aka Papegaai, is a Catholic church from the 17th century…

8. Dam

0.12 MILES

This square is the very spot where Amsterdam was founded around 1270. Today pigeons, tourists, buskers and the occasional funfair (complete with Ferris…