museum
Museum Willet-Holthuysen
An opulent 17th-century canal house on the Herengracht, frozen in its Golden Age glory.
Photo: Huis Willet-Holthuysen / Google
On the Herengracht in the heart of the canal belt, Museum Willet-Holthuysen lets you step inside a grand double canal mansion and see how Amsterdam's wealthy elite lived. It's the only fully furnished canal house in the city open to the public every day.
The house dates from around 1685 and is named after the couple who lived here in the 19th century — art collector Abraham Willet and his wife Louisa Holthuysen, who bequeathed the house, its furnishings and art collection to the city in 1895.
What you'll see
Inside are richly decorated period rooms — a Louis XVI-style ballroom, dining room, separate drawing rooms for the lord and lady, and a conservatory — alongside the family's collection of furniture, silver, ceramics and paintings. Down in the basement, the kitchen and scullery reveal the very different daily life of the household staff. Behind the house lies a beautiful symmetrical garden in 18th-century French style.
Good to know
It's compact — around an hour — and run by the Amsterdam Museum, which also stages a contemporary-art exhibition here every six months. It's near Rembrandtplein and an easy pairing with Museum Van Loon.
Tips from locals
Don't skip the basement — the kitchen and scullery show how the staff lived, a contrast to the grand rooms upstairs.
The formal French garden at the back is a peaceful spot worth lingering in.
It's small, about an hour, and pairs well with the nearby Museum Van Loon for a two-canal-house day.
Look out for the rotating contemporary-art exhibition, refreshed roughly every six months.
It's a short walk from Rembrandtplein, easy to slot into a canal-belt wander.
Did you know?
It's the only fully furnished Amsterdam canal house open to the public every day.
The house was built around 1685 for Jacob Hop, a mayor of Amsterdam.
Louisa Willet-Holthuysen left the house and its art collection to the city in 1895, on condition it become a museum.
The ballroom is decorated in elegant Louis XVI style.
It's run by the Amsterdam Museum, whose main building is currently being renovated.
FAQ
- What is Museum Willet-Holthuysen?
- A fully furnished 17th-century canal mansion on the Herengracht, showing wealthy 19th-century Amsterdam life.
- Where is it?
- At Herengracht 605, near Rembrandtplein in the canal belt.
- What's special about it?
- It's the only fully furnished Amsterdam canal house open to the public daily, with a formal French garden.
- How long does a visit take?
- About an hour.
- Who runs it?
- The Amsterdam Museum, which also stages contemporary-art exhibitions here.
Museum Willet-Holthuysen, Amsterdam
Herengracht 605, 1017 CE, Amsterdam