Prinsengracht is the outermost of Amsterdam’s three main canal arcs. Its scale and long sightlines reveal the city’s seventeenth-century expansion, while the name recalls the princely title of the House of Orange.
Guide preview
Prinsengracht creates a long, open corridor through tightly packed streets. It was dug during Amsterdam’s 1612 expansion, first running from Brouwersgracht to Leidsegracht, then extended beyond the Amstel as the city grew. The municipal street record links its name to the princely title of the House of Orange.
Continue exploring
Discover the full story
Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.
UpgradeQuick facts
- Prinsengracht was dug as part of the 1612 city expansion.
- Its name refers to the princely title of the House of Orange.
- It was extended beyond the Amstel during a later expansion.
More places in Amsterdam
A'DAM Lookout Tower
A’DAM Lookout crowns the former Shell tower across the IJ, giving Amsterdam Noord a vertical landmark and visitors a broad view back toward the historic center. From here, the city reads as water, rooftops, bridges, and new development in one panorama.
Albert Cuyp Market
Albert Cuyp Market runs along the busy commercial spine of De Pijp, a neighborhood built during Amsterdam’s nineteenth-century expansion. Its stalls bring food, household goods, and local conversation into the street.
Amsterdam Centraal Station
Amsterdam Centraal stands on an artificial island in the IJ, its ornate brick façade by Pierre Cuypers marking the city’s nineteenth-century connection to a national rail network. Watch ferries and trains meet here, where Amsterdam’s historic center faces the water.
Amsterdam Dungeon
The Amsterdam Dungeon is a theatrical attraction that uses actors and staged scenes to interpret episodes from the city’s past. Its deliberate blend of performance and history makes this a useful place to notice how a story changes when visitors become part of the set.
Amsterdam Museum
The Amsterdam Museum tells the city through objects and many voices, linking historic artifacts with stories from residents today. Its collection spans paintings, clothing, photographs, documents, and everyday things, a reminder that a city’s identity keeps changing.
Amsterdamse Bos
Amsterdamse Bos is a hand-planted urban forest created during the economic crisis of the 1930s. Its broad scale, woods, water, and meadows make it feel unlike the compact parks inside Amsterdam’s ring.