Museum Willet-Holthuysen

Top choice


This exquisite canal house was built in 1687 for Amsterdam mayor Jacob Hop, then remodelled in 1739. It's named after Louisa Willet-Holthuysen, who inherited the house from her coal-and-glass-merchant father and lived a lavish, bohemian life here with her husband. She bequeathed the property to the city in 1895. With displays including part of the family’s 275-piece Meissen table service, and an immaculate French-style garden, the museum is a fascinating window into the 19th-century world of the super-rich.

Special exhibits illuminating the life of the servants below stairs are displayed on the lower floor.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Gijsbert Dommer Huis

0.07 MILES

This handsome greystone house is known dramatically as the 'House with the Blood Stains'. Six-time mayor and diplomat Coenraad van Beuningen lost his…

2. Blauwbrug

0.1 MILES

Built in 1884, this highly decorated stone bridge replaced an old, blue (hence the name) wooden crossing that had connected these shores of the Amstel…

3. Rembrandtplein

0.1 MILES

First called Reguliersplein, then Botermarkt for the butter markets held here until the mid-19th century, this somewhat brash square now takes its name…

4. Tassenmuseum Hendrikje

0.1 MILES

This grand 17th-century canal-house museum has a covetable collection of arm candy. More than 5000 bags can be found here, including a medieval pouch,…

5. Reguliersgracht

0.13 MILES

Crossing Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht canals, this waterway was dug in 1658 to link the Herengracht with the canals further south. The…

6. H'Art Museum

0.15 MILES

Formerly a branch of St Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum, H'Art Museum cut ties with Russia and now operates as an independent museum.

7. Stopera

0.16 MILES

This curved waterside building is called Stopera because it houses both the stadhuis (city hall) and the opera and ballet hall, aka Muziektheater. It…

8. NAP Visitors Centre

0.16 MILES

This fascinating display was closed for repairs at the time of research, but shows the ins and outs of Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP; Normal Amsterdam…