Seven bridges view (Reguliersgracht)

Seven arches in a line

The Reguliersgracht runs straight for a long stretch, and the bridges that cross it stand one behind another. From the right spot you see seven arches in a row, each one framed inside the one before. It is a view that looks drawn with a ruler.

It costs nothing, and you need only a few minutes. It is a spot to stop, count and take a photo, not a sight to tour. It is also a good reason to leave the busier streets around Rembrandtplein and walk along a quiet stretch of water.

How the canal came to be

The Reguliersgracht was dug in the 1660s, when Amsterdam was growing fast and extended its ring of canals. The city laid out the water and the streets first, then sold plots to merchants and craftsmen who built the narrow brick houses you see now. The name comes from the Regulieren, a religious order that had a monastery in this part of the city. Nearby, the Reguliersbreestraat, where the Tuschinski Theatre stands, carries the same name.

Amsterdam filled in several of its canals for traffic over the years, and the Reguliersgracht was on the list more than once. Each time it stayed. That is why you can stand on a bridge today and look down open water instead of a road.

Where to stand

The classic spot is the bridge where the Reguliersgracht meets the Herengracht, at the bottom of Thorbeckeplein. Stand at the edge of the bridge and look south, along the Reguliersgracht. If you count fewer than seven arches, take a step to one side: it often changes the count. Museum Van Loon is a short walk further along, on the Keizersgracht.

The seventh arch is the hardest one to see. It is small and far away, and sometimes a tall boat or a tree blocks it. Wait for a gap, and look low, at the reflection in the water, where the arches form a row of circles with the real bridges above them.

What to look for

Look at the water first. In still weather the arches double themselves in it, and the whole view turns into a chain of rings. Then look at the houses on both banks: tall, narrow, with stepped and bell-shaped gables, leaning slightly toward the canal. Houseboats line the edge, and some have small gardens on deck.

On the bridges themselves, look at the railings and the lamps. After dark the bridges are lit, and the seven arches glow one after another along the canal. Many people think this is the best time to see it. The best photographs usually come just after sunset, when the sky still has some colour and the lights have come on.

The canal is a residential one, so keep your voice down and don't block the pavement. Cyclists use these bridges constantly. Take your picture from the edge, not from the middle of the bike path.