Museum of the Canals in Amsterdam

Het Grachtenmuseum (Museums of the Canals) is a multimedia museum which highlights the development and importance of Amsterdam’s canals and charts some 400 years of history. Book Museum of the Canals tickets here

The museum is located in a grand double-fronted merchant house on the Herengracht canal in the centre of the city.

The house was built between 1663 and 1665 for Dutch merchant Karel Gerards. It was designed by the renowned architect Philips Vingboons (1607-1678) in a symmetrical Dutch baroque style.

Over the years it was home to a series of other Dutch merchants including Jan Willink who helped finance both the development of New York and the American government during the War of Independence.

Today this listed building is run by a foundation having been restored and opened as a museum in 2012.

A visit to the museum comprises of a lively audio-visual presentation (which lasts about 45 minutes) through 5 darkened exhibition rooms on the upper first floor.

These run on a timed loop every 10 minutes so you may have to wait a few minutes to start.

The first two rooms on the tour give an insight into the initial development of the canals and city walls.

You will learn how the canals were subsequently expanded into the horseshoe shape as the city grew and how the garden areas between houses on adjacent canals were kept free from industrialisation.

Room 2 is themed as a city planning meeting room and there is a fascinating collection of old Amsterdam maps on view.

Stepping into Room 3 you will find the floor made of sand – which is what much of Amsterdam is built on. The model displays show how wooden piles are used in the construction of the city’s buildings.

Room 4 has a large scale model of the canal house itself – peer through the windows for some video effects inside. The room is also surrounded by a backlit illustration of notable houses located on the 3 main canals of the city – Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht.

Room 5 has a large model of how the Amsterdam canal belt looks today. An accompanying video screen shows some notable canal moments – such as the Beatles visit, the Euro 88 football celebrations and various cars being pulled out of the canals.

You then continue your visit by heading downstairs to the period rooms which host temporary exhibitions – usually with an Amsterdam-related theme.

The beautiful Andriessen Room has murals made by noted Dutch artist Jurriaan Andriessen (1742-1819). These were painted in 1776 although they were not originally made for this room.

The ceiling mural (2022) is the work of French artist Pascal Amblard.

You can get some nice views of the garden which was re-landscaped as a silent garden in 2022. Unfortunately the garden is not open to visitors except during the annual Open Garden Days event in June.

The hand-held audio tour is currently available in 9 different languages – Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese Mandarin, Japanese and Russian.

• The Grachtenmuseum is wheelchair accessible
• There are no cafe facilities
• A large cabinet in the entrance sells various books and souvenir items
• No private tours are possible

With Amsterdam’s canal belt having UNESCO World Heritage status, the Canal House museum presents history in its own unique way. It combines a grand 17th century setting with a modern multimedia exhibit.

Also nearby on the Herengracht canal is the Art Zoo Museum

Museum of the Canals Essential Info

Last updated 13 November 2025. This article was first published in 2012 and has been regularly updated.

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