Museum Van Loon

Those interested in seeing what life was like in 19th-century Amsterdam should head to this double-sized canal house, formerly a private home, dating to 1672. An opulent marble staircase with a copper balustrade connects the handsomely restored period rooms, which contain a trove of antiques and display elegant craftsmanship in such details as ceiling paintings, stucco and marble and wood paneling. The Van Loons, a prominent Dutch family whose patriarch, Willem van Loon, was one of the founders of the Dutch East India Company, lived here from the late 1800s until 1945. Don’t miss the beautiful cellar kitchen or the perfectly kept gardens, which come complete with a Greek-inspired carriage house and are lovely during the warmer months.