caesar

Can anyone help me describe to friends heading to Amsterdam how to find the lovely little cloister off the main shopping street? I remember a very specific instruction in an old Fodor's Guide I no longer have that had us look for signage over an archway and once inside the old cloister it was a piece of tranquility in the bustle of the city of Amsterdam. I still remember how lovely the space was and it is my recollection that retired ladies are still resident there.
Can anyone help me describe how to find this place?

adrienne

Your description sounds like a beguinage so I googled beguinage in Amsterdam. This appears to be what you're looking for since it's near a shopping street.

http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/781-beg...yard-amsterdam

caesar

Yes, that is exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you so very much!

adrienne

Glad I could help. I remember the beguinage I visited in Brugge and how serene it was.

Set

if you are interested in what the Dutch call "hofjes", like begijnenhof that you asked for, you might want to check out this site. It's in Dutch only, but it has a collection of all the hofjes in Amsterdam with photos and addresses. Almost all are open to visitors, provided that keep quite and don't disturb the people that live there still.

http://www.amsterdamsehofjes.nl/hofj...e_volgorde.htm