The most beautiful canal gardens with a museum

Explore Amsterdam’s enchanting museums, each with its own unique canal gardens. From lush green oases to artistic outdoor spaces, these gardens offer a peaceful escape amidst the bustling city. Let the stunning art collections in the museums inspire you, and enjoy the serene beauty of the canal gardens.

Grachtenmuseum

The vibrant garden of the Grachtenmuseum, laid out in 2022, incorporates elements from four centuries of Amsterdam canal gardens, each representing a different period in garden design. The four antique statues in the garden symbolise the four seasons. The two-hundred-year-old statues and fountain come from France and are made of Italian limestone.

Herengracht 386
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grachten.museum.nl
open/ prices: See website

Museum van Loon

Museum Van Loon is located at the heart of Amsterdam’s ring of canals. It’s a beautiful residence designed by architect Adriaen Dortsman in 1672. Its first occupant was painter Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt.

The museum’s interior still exudes the atmosphere of the city’s prosperity at that time. There is a special garden behind the house, landscaped in a 17th-century style and enclosed by the beautiful gable wall of the coach house. Museum Van Loon’s garden is open to visitors all year round.

Keizersgracht 672
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vanloon.nl
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Museum Willet-Holthuysen

The double mansion on Herengracht is named after the couple who lived here at the end of the 19th century: Abraham Willet and Louisa Holthuysen. The couple collected a lot of art and objects, and the interior is still decorated in their style. Furthermore, the house has many period rooms and living rooms in a Neo-Lodewijk XVI style.

The garden has a symmetrical French style, with a classical French layout, beautiful statues and flowers. Even the way the hedges are planned and the gravel sprinkled constitutes a work of art.

Herengracht 605
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amsterdammuseum.nl
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Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, founded in 1638 as the ‘Hortus Medicus’, is one of the world’s oldest botanical gardens. As many as 4,000 plant species from all corners of the world grow here, both in the gardens and greenhouses. With its rich history, the Hortus is an oasis of calm amidst a bustling city.

Plantage Middenlaan 2a
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dehortus.nl
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H’ART Museum

If you would like to get some fresh air and do so in the largest indoor garden in the centre of Amsterdam, then the H’ART Museum is the place you are looking for. Here, you will find yourself in an oasis of calm under one of the old chestnuts, lying on the grass or sitting on the stone edges.

Amstel 51
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hartmuseum.nl
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Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum not only houses countless paintings by 17th-century Dutch masters and an extensive library but also has a beautiful garden.

An oasis of calm amid the hustle and bustle of the museum, with various flowers and plants, a fountain and a changing exhibition of sculptures. In addition, the Fragment building and the former director’s villa can be found here.

Museumstraat 1
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Rijksmuseum.nl
open/ prices: See website

Muiderslot Amsterdam

Just outside Amsterdam is ‘Het Muiderslot’, also known as Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot, one of the Netherlands’ most famous castles. The square castle, with its distinctive round corner towers and moat, was founded by Floris V shortly after 1285 and restored between 1895 and 1910.

The surrounding castle gardens are beautiful to stroll through and relax. First laid out in the 17th century, Muiderslot’s gardens are a delight to enjoy.