Begijnhof
Begijnhof features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Amsterdam. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Amsterdam Amsterdam guide
About Begijnhof
A hidden medieval courtyard of preserved beguine houses, including Amsterdam's oldest wooden house (1477), accessible through an unmarked door off the Spui.
The Begijnhof is one of Amsterdam's most enchanting and surprising hidden spaces, a tranquil medieval courtyard of preserved historic houses just steps from the busy Spui square, accessible through an unmarked wooden door that most passers-by never notice. Founded in the fourteenth century as a community for beguines, devout Catholic laywomen who lived a semi-religious life without taking permanent vows, the Begijnhof remained home to a lay religious community of women until the last beguine died in 1971. The courtyard contains 47 small houses arranged around a central garden; most date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but number 34 is Amsterdam's oldest surviving wooden house, built around 1477. The courtyard also contains two churches: the English Reformed Church, established in 1607 for Amsterdam's English community and the oldest functioning English-language church in the Netherlands; and the Begijnhof Chapel, a clandestine Catholic church hidden behind a row of houses.
Did you know? The Begijnhof's hidden Catholic chapel was built during the period when Catholicism was officially banned in Amsterdam, the authorities knew about it but looked the other way.
How long is a visit to Begijnhof?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Begijnhof. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Begijnhof worth your time?
Begijnhof is among the 42 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Amsterdam, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Amsterdam
Hear the story of Begijnhof
Preview the Amsterdam tour free in the Gingerguide app.