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Amsterdam

Amsterdam's Jewish history is in the old centre — the Portuguese Synagogue, the Jewish Museum, the Anne Frank House — and its Jewish life today is in Buitenveldert and Amstelveen, to the south. Those are different parts of town, and where you sleep should follow where you need to be on Shabbos.

Ideal length

2–4 days

Best for

Short break · Jewish history · Museums

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Overview

Why visit

  • The Esnoga, still lit by candles, and the Jewish Museum beside it.
  • The Rijksmuseum, and a centre small enough to walk.
  • It is an easy short flight from most of Europe, which makes three days worth doing.

Best time

Spring for the light and the flowers, early autumn for the quiet. Winter is short-dayed and grey.

Who it suits

Suits a short break, and anybody for whom the Jewish history is part of the reason for going.

Give it

2–4 days

Seasons this works in: spring, summer, autumn.

This part is our opinion, not a checked fact — which is why it carries no verification label. The practical sections below do, and each of them comes from a listing with a source behind it.

Where to stay

Which part of town matters more than which hotel — that is the decision that makes Shabbos walkable or not.

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Things to do

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Kosher food

Kosher restaurants, bakeries and groceries in Amsterdam — kosher, not kosher-style. Confirm current supervision before you eat.

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Shabbos

Minyanim and mikvaos

Getting there and around

Schiphol is fifteen minutes from the centre by train. The city is walked, or cycled by those who dare.

Before you book

  • The historic Jewish quarter and the modern Jewish neighbourhoods are not the same place. Book accordingly.
  • The Anne Frank House is timed-entry, released in advance, and sells out immediately.
Confirm before travel. This was right when it was written and it is the kind of thing that changes without notice. Ring ahead, or check the source link, close to your dates.

Candle-lighting times, whether a shul still has a regular minyan, and whether a seasonal kosher kitchen is running are all things that move. Confirm them for your dates. What the labels on this page mean

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