About the Royal Palace Amsterdam
The Royal Palace on Dam Square (Koninklijk Paleis) is one of the finest 17th-century buildings in the Netherlands and arguably the most important secular building in Amsterdam. Designed by Jacob van Campen and completed in 1655, it was originally the Amsterdam City Hall — the grandest in the world at the time, built to project the power and wealth of the Dutch Republic during its Golden Age.
Today it serves as one of the working palaces of the Dutch Royal Family, used for state receptions and ceremonial occasions, and is open to the public when not in official use (approximately 200 days per year). Despite its central location on Dam Square, it remains surprisingly uncrowded compared to Amsterdam's major museums.
What to See Inside
The Burgerzaal (Citizens' Hall)
The enormous central hall is the highlight of any visit. It represents the centre of the world (as 17th-century Amsterdamers understood it): the floor is inlaid with marble maps of the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and the hall's monumental proportions were designed to awe visitors into understanding Amsterdam's global reach. The Atlas figure bearing the celestial globe in the centre is one of Amsterdam's great sculptural works.
The Tribunals
When the building served as Amsterdam's city hall, these rooms functioned as courtrooms. The Vierschaar (judgment room), where death sentences were pronounced, retains its original sculptural programme illustrating justice and punishment — deliberately severe imagery designed to intimidate the condemned.
The State Rooms
Furnished with Empire-style furniture from the Napoleonic period (when Louis Napoleon used the building as his royal palace 1808–1810), the state rooms display superb Dutch decorative arts and a fine collection of Delftware.
Ferdinand Bol Paintings
A student of Rembrandt and one of Amsterdam's leading Golden Age painters, Bol produced eight large-scale paintings for the building. His work throughout the palace is of exceptional quality and deserves close attention.
Practical Information
- Address: Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 147, 1012 RJ Amsterdam (Dam Square)
- Opening hours: Typically daily 10:00–17:00 (check for closure days)
- Tickets: Adults €12.50 | Under-18 free | Museumkaart accepted
- Duration: 1–2 hours
Tips for Your Visit
- Audio guides are free with your ticket and significantly enhance the experience — particularly for understanding the iconographic programme of the Burgerzaal.
- Dam Square itself is worth time before or after — it is Amsterdam's central public square and the geographical heart of the city (the name “Amsterdam” derives from the dam built on the Amstel river here in the 13th century).
- The palace is one of the best-value major attractions in Amsterdam — cheaper than most museums, far less crowded, and genuinely world-class architecture.
- Combine with a visit to the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) immediately adjacent on the square — it hosts excellent temporary exhibitions and is also open to visitors.
Nearby
Dam Square is Amsterdam's most central point. The Anne Frank House is a 15-minute walk west; the Rijksmuseum is 25 minutes south. The pedestrianised Kalverstraat shopping street runs south from the square.