Amsterdam - Don't Miss
Get off the main drag and explore Amsterdam’s hidden alleys and courtyards.
An easily missed path off busy Spui leads to the Begijnhof, a garden oasis with a small chapel in the heart of the city. The little streets that connect the major canals have hidden treasures too, especially the Negen Straatjes (Nine Little Streets), with their independent boutiques. Pause awhile at the moving Homomonument, next to the Westerkerk, which commemorates wartime persecution of gays and lesbians.
Phallic poles with XXX marked on them litter the streets. But they’re quite innocent - the poles are called “Amsterdammetjes” (little Amsterdammers) and they started sprouting in the 1960s to prevent illegal parking. The XXX comes from Amsterdam’s coat of arms.
