Private Jordaan Canals and History Tour in Amsterdam

The Western Tower is a landmark in the Jordaan district.

Beside the Westerkerk, near the Anne Frank House, stand three pink granite triangles forming one larger triangle: the Homomonument. Unveiled in 1987 and designed by Karin Daan, it was the first monument in the world to honour gay men and lesbians persecuted for their sexuality. The pink triangle recalls the badge homosexuals were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps — here reclaimed as a symbol of pride. Today it is a place of both remembrance and celebration, especially during Amsterdam Pride.

Anslo's Hofje on the Egelantiersstraat is one of the oldest almshouse courtyards in the Jordaan. It was founded by the Mennonite cloth merchant Claes Claesz. Anslo, who from 1616 offered free housing to poor elderly people in a few small houses in his garden; his will of 1626 turned this into a permanent charitable foundation. Unlike the grand nineteenth-century hofjes, it has a simple little gateway leading through a passage to the inner courtyard. Left empty from 1945 and slowly falling into disrepair, the hofje was saved in the 1960s and merged with neighbouring buildings to form today's Claes Claesz. Hofje. It is now a peaceful, atmospheric spot with a fountain, hidden away behind the façades of the bustling Jordaan.

The Noordermarkt is a lively triangular square in the heart of the Jordaan, dominated by the Noorderkerk, the fortress-like Protestant church built by Hendrick de Keyser between 1620 and 1623 for ordinary working people. The square has hosted markets for some 400 years, starting as a pottery and rag-and-textile market where women famously came to "turn patches" on Mondays. Today it comes alive twice a week: a much-loved organic farmers' market (the Boerenmarkt) on Saturdays and a flea and antiques market on Mondays, both surrounded by cosy cafés and terraces. The square also carries a poignant history — in 1941 the organisers of the February Strike, protesting the Nazi deportation of Amsterdam's Jews, held their first meetings here, remembered by a plaque on the church. With its treasures, food stalls and easy charm, the Noordermarkt is a wonderful place to soak up the authentic atmosphere of the Jordaan.