iOude KerkDe Wallen
Visit the Oudekerkstoren
Climb Amsterdam's oldest church tower, 67 metres up, for a panoramic view over the city and a look at centuries of the tower's history.
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On the fifth level of the tower hang the big bells, the heaviest weighing 3,700 kilos, and bell ringers still play them. One floor up, a mechanical music box drives the chimes that sound the time.
You climb with a guide: 155 steps over seven levels, up narrow spiral stairs and steep ladders, past the wooden and metal beams that brace the old structure. The tower was raised in the 16th century partly because the church had been built up around it and muffled its own bells, and it took its current shape in the 1730s. The viewing platform sits just over halfway up and you move around it in single file, with Centraal Station, the Beurs van Berlage and the Zuiderkerk tower in view.
There is no lift, the minimum height is 1.20 metres and the church asks for sturdy shoes. Tours run Wednesday to Sunday afternoons until 31 October, and the ticket is only sold with Oude Kerk admission, online or at the door.
Look for
The 3,700-kilo bell
On the fifth level, the largest of the tower's big bells still hangs where bell ringers play it.
The chime music box
On the sixth level, a mechanical music box works the chimes that mark the time over the old centre.
The Hemony carillon
The tower holds 47 carillon bells, and the 14 heaviest were cast by François Hemony in 1658.
The single-file platform
Just over halfway up, a narrow platform gives a 360-degree view taking in Centraal Station, the Beurs van Berlage and the Zuiderkerk tower.
Good for
- First-Timers
- Out-Of-Town Guests
Skip if
You have mobility issues or dislike tight spaces: it's 155 steep, narrow steps and ladders, with no lift.
With kids
Children must be at least 1.20 metres tall to climb. There is no lift, and the stairs and ladders are steep and narrow.
Also at Oude Kerk
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Nearby
Image credits
9
- Visit the OudekerkstorenCourtesy of Oude Kerk
- The Poor Man's Rembrandt ProjectCourtesy of Rembrandt House Museum
- Experimental UrgeCourtesy of Rembrandt House Museum
- Glass, Made in AntiquityCourtesy of Allard Pierson
- Oude KerkAndreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0
- Royal Palace AmsterdamC messier, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rembrandt House Museum14:43, 17 October 2006 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Allard PiersonAndy Li (Onthewings), Wikimedia Commons, CC0
- Joods Museum (Jewish Museum, Jewish Cultural Quarter)S Sepp / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0