Amsterdam has been a film location for more than fifty years, and the reason is simple: a city of concentric canals, iron bridges and narrow gabled houses looks like nowhere else on earth, and you can shoot a boat chase through the middle of it.
Contents
We live here, so this is the guide we wish existed: every major film and series shot in Amsterdam, the exact addresses, a 48-hour itinerary that strings the best of them together, and an honest section on the famous “Amsterdam” scenes that were never filmed here at all.
Films and Series Shot in Amsterdam
Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
The big one. Danny Ocean’s crew regroups in Amsterdam and the city gets a proper starring role: the canals, the Red Light District, the coffee shop, and Brad Pitt wandering the Jordaan. It is the film people most often come here to retrace.
👉 Read our full Ocean’s Twelve Amsterdam location guide
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
Hazel and Augustus’s Amsterdam trip put a handful of ordinary canal-side spots on the map for an entire generation of readers. The bench on Leidsegracht is now a genuine pilgrimage site.
👉 Read our full Fault in Our Stars Amsterdam guide
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Sean Connery’s last official Bond brings 007 to Amsterdam to meet Tiffany Case, whose canal house is a real address on the Reguliersgracht. The oldest film on this list and still one of the most photogenic.
👉 Read our full Diamonds Are Forever Amsterdam guide
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017)
The most extensive Amsterdam shoot of any recent Hollywood film: a full canal boat chase, a shoot-out by the Rijksmuseum, and a tram stunt in the Plantage. If you want spectacle, this is the one.
👉 Read our full Hitman’s Bodyguard Amsterdam guide
Sense8 (2015 to 2018)
The Wachowskis’ gloriously queer global series brought its second season to Amsterdam for Riley’s rave sequence, shot in a former church that is now one of Europe’s great music venues.
👉 Read our full Sense8 Amsterdam guide
Anne+ (2018 to 2021)
The best Amsterdam film almost nobody outside the Netherlands has seen. A Dutch queer series that became a Netflix film, made largely by queer women, and shot on real Amsterdam streets rather than the postcard ones.
👉 Read our full Anne+ Amsterdam guide
The Dutch Classics
- Amsterdamned (1988): a diver murdering people from the canals, and a legendary speedboat chase through the city centre. The most Amsterdam film ever made.
- Black Book (2006): Paul Verhoeven’s wartime thriller, shot across the Netherlands including Amsterdam.
- Soldier of Orange (1977): the earlier Verhoeven resistance epic that made Rutger Hauer a star.
- Turkish Delight (1973): still the most-watched Dutch film ever made, and a portrait of a rougher, pre-gentrification Amsterdam.
The 48-Hour Amsterdam Film Itinerary
Two days, all of it walkable or bikeable, covering the best locations from four films.
Day 1: The Western Canals and the Jordaan
Start at Centraal Station around 9am. Everything below is within walking distance.
- Anne Frank House, Prinsengracht 263-267. The Fault in Our Stars. Book the earliest slot you can get, weeks ahead. They sell out.
- Westerkerk, Prinsengracht 281. Next door to the Anne Frank House, and you can climb the tower.
- The Pancake Bakery, Prinsengracht 191. A canal-house pancake house and a decent lunch stop in the middle of the walk.
- The bench on Leidsegracht, at Leidsegracht 2. The Fault in Our Stars. The “okay? okay” scene. It is an ordinary canal-side bench and that is exactly why people love it.
- The American Hotel, Leidsekade 97. The Fault in Our Stars. It stands in for Hotel De Filosoof, the real Amsterdam hotel from the novel, which now trades as Pillows Anna van den Vondel, and the art deco Café Américain inside is worth a drink regardless.
- Vondelstraat 162. The Fault in Our Stars. Peter Van Houten’s house, right by the Vondelpark.
Day 2: The Centre, the Canals and the East
- Reguliersgracht 36. Diamonds Are Forever. Tiffany Case’s canal house. Walk south to the Herengracht junction for the Seven Bridges view, one of the best sightlines in the city.
- The Keizersgracht and Reguliersgracht bridge. Bond drives over it in 1971 and the Hitman’s Bodyguard canal chase ends at it in 2017. Same bridge, 46 years apart.
- Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1. The Hitman’s Bodyguard. The clocktower and the passage through the middle of the building.
- Oudezijds Achterburgwal and the Red Light District. Ocean’s Twelve and The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Go early in the morning when it is quiet and you can actually see the architecture.
- Plantage Kerklaan at Plantage Muidergracht. The Hitman’s Bodyguard. The tram stunt junction.
- Paradiso, Weteringschans 6-8. Sense8. A converted church and one of the best venues in Europe. Check what is on and end the day here.
Getting Around
- Rent a bike. It is how the city works and it roughly halves the walking time between these stops.
- Rent a boat for an hour if you want the canal-chase perspective. Small electric boats can be hired without a licence and you see the city the way all these films shot it.
- Book the Anne Frank House first and build the rest of the weekend around whatever slot you get. It is the only genuinely constrained ticket on the list.
What Was Not Actually Filmed in Amsterdam
Film tourism is full of confident misinformation, and Amsterdam gets more than its share. A few corrections, including one we had wrong ourselves in an earlier version of this guide.
- A Clockwork Orange was not filmed in Amsterdam. You will find guides claiming the dystopian exteriors were shot in Amsterdam Noord. They were not. Stanley Kubrick was famously reluctant to travel and shot the film almost entirely around London and the Home Counties, with Thamesmead standing in for the future.
- The Oranjee restaurant from The Fault in Our Stars does not exist. It was created for the film. The exterior steps are at Keizersgracht 498, which is not a restaurant, so do not turn up expecting dinner.
- Tiffany Case’s interiors are not on the Reguliersgracht. Only the exterior of number 36 was shot there. The apartment and the lift fight were filmed elsewhere.
- Sense8’s Amsterdam ice-skating scene is Chicago. It is set here but was filmed in Sherman Park.
Amsterdam Filming Locations: Your Questions Answered
What films were shot in Amsterdam?
The best known are Ocean’s Twelve, The Fault in Our Stars, Diamonds Are Forever and The Hitman’s Bodyguard, plus the series Sense8 and Anne+. Dutch cinema adds Amsterdamned, Black Book, Soldier of Orange and Turkish Delight.
Can you see the Amsterdam film locations in one weekend?
Yes, comfortably. The city centre is small and almost every location above sits within a couple of miles. Two days on a bike covers all of it without rushing.
Where is the bench from The Fault in Our Stars?
Leidsegracht 2. It is an ordinary public bench on the canal side and free to sit on.
Which Amsterdam film location is most worth visiting?
For spectacle, the Reguliersgracht at the Herengracht junction, which gives you the Bond house and the Seven Bridges view in one spot. For atmosphere, Paradiso on a night when something is on.
Are there Amsterdam film location tours?
A few operators run them, and canal cruises often mention the Bond and Ocean’s Twelve locations in passing. The centre is compact enough that a bike and this page will do the job.
Where to Stay
The Jordaan and the western canals put you inside Day 1 of the itinerary. The Grachtengordel around the Reguliersgracht and Keizersgracht puts you inside Day 2 and is walking distance from Paradiso and the Rijksmuseum. Both are central, both are expensive, and both are worth it for a two-day walking trip like this one.
James Bond in Amsterdam
Chasing films elsewhere? We have done the same for Ferris Bueller in Chicago and Home Alone in Winnetka.
🏳️🌈 About Cramberts
From our home base in Amsterdam, we frequently explore some of Europe’s most vibrant cities, and we’ve compiled detailed guides to share our insider knowledge. Whether you’re seeking the canals and culture of Amsterdam itself, the sunny beaches of Gran Canaria, the historic charm of Lisbon and Porto, the bustling energy of Barcelona and Madrid, the refined elegance of Paris and Munich, the unique character of Sitges, or the diverse landscapes of the Randstad region, you’ll find comprehensive information and recommendations in the links below.
🔗 See Also
Amsterdam | Barcelona | Chicago | Cologne | Gran Canaria | Iceland | India | Lisbon | London | Madrid | Munich | Palm Springs | Paris | Porto | Randstad | Sitges | Sydney | Washington DC
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