You will discover an entirely different side to Amsterdam on the other side of the canal. There, just beyond the canal ring, is the ‘Jordaan’ district, a working-class area that is, in some ways, the complete opposite of the canal ring.

The ‘grachtengordel’ or canal ring was built as a luxury district for traders in the Golden Age, while the ‘Jordaan’ is a true blue-collar district. The first popular uprisings began in the ‘Jordaan’ and it is where true Amsterdam balladeers are born. In the ‘Jordaan’, the houses are generally smaller and the streets narrower. As you can see, the magnificence of the stately canals makes way for the homely, intimate ambiance of the ‘Jordaan’, partly because this district’s street plan differs from that of the canal ring: the ‘Jordaan’ has plenty of tiny alleys, enhancing its snug and friendly atmosphere.