Of all the Hollywood films shot in Amsterdam, The Hitman’s Bodyguard used the most of it. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson tear through the Red Light District, a shoot-out erupts beside the Rijksmuseum, a tram gets involved in the Plantage, and the whole thing culminates in a boat chase down the canals that was filmed for real, without drones or helicopters.
Contents
We live here, and watching it is faintly ridiculous because the geography is nonsense: characters exit one canal and appear instantly on another two kilometres away. That is also what makes it fun to retrace. Here is every location, in an order that actually works on a bike.
Before You Go
- Time needed: half a day. All of it sits inside the canal ring and the Plantage, which is a short ride east.
- How: by bike, without question. This is a chase film and the locations are strung out the way a chase is.
- Best time: early morning for the Red Light District stretch, when it is empty and you can see the buildings rather than the crowds.
The Locations
1. The Rijksmuseum
- Address: Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam.
- The scenes: Kincaid laying flowers at the clocktower, and the pursuit through the passage that runs straight through the centre of the building.
- Today: the passage is the detail worth knowing. The Rijksmuseum is one of very few major museums in the world with a public right of way cut through its middle, and cyclists ride through it for free, day and night, without a ticket. It is a genuinely lovely piece of civic architecture and it is the best free thing in this guide.
2. Jan Luijkenstraat
- Address: Jan Luijkenstraat, 1071 Amsterdam, immediately behind the Rijksmuseum.
- The scene: the outdoor bar where the major shoot-out kicks off.
- Today: a quiet, handsome Museum Quarter street, thirty seconds from the Rijksmuseum and a world away from the action of the film.
3. Weteringschans
- Address: Weteringschans, 1017 Amsterdam.
- The scene: the Interpol remand centre where Sonia Kincaid is held.
- Today: a good piece of movie trickery. The “prison” is two entirely separate buildings digitally stitched together, the head office of a canal boat tour company and a university building. Neither is a prison and neither looks like one in person.
- Worth knowing: Paradiso, the converted church where Sense8 shot its Amsterdam rave, is on the same street at number 6-8. Two film locations, one road.
4. The Red Light District
- Addresses: Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Barndesteeg and Nieuwmarkt, 1012 Amsterdam.
- The scenes: the foot chase through the alleys, and the start of the run down to the water.
- Today: go at 8am. The district in early morning light is a beautiful piece of medieval city, and it is the same streets Ocean’s Twelve used. In the evening it is a crush of stag parties and you will see nothing.
- Please note: photographing the windows or the workers is prohibited and enforced. Point the camera at the architecture.
5. Plantage Kerklaan and Plantage Muidergracht
- Address: the junction of Plantage Kerklaan and Plantage Muidergracht, 1018 Amsterdam.
- The scene: the tram stunt that covers Kincaid’s escape.
- Today: a working tram junction in front of the business school, and the trams still come through at exactly the speed the stunt suggests. The Plantage is a leafy, underrated corner of the city with Artis zoo and the Hortus Botanicus a couple of minutes away.
6. The Canal Chase Finale
- Address: the chase runs the canal ring and concludes at the bridge where the Reguliersgracht meets the Keizersgracht, 1017 Amsterdam.
- The scene: boats, a grenade launcher, and a great deal of collateral damage to canal-side café furniture.
- Today: the best stop on the list, and a genuine double. Stand on that bridge and you are also at the Diamonds Are Forever location, because Bond drives over the same crossing in 1971 to reach Tiffany Case’s house at Reguliersgracht 36. Look south from the bridge for the Seven Bridges view, the most photographed sightline in Amsterdam.
- Our tip: hire a small electric boat for an hour and run the route yourself. No licence is needed for the little ones, and seeing the canals from water level is how all these films framed the city.
7. Amsterdam Passenger Terminal
- Address: Piet Heinkade 27, 1019 BR Amsterdam.
- The scene: the ferry departure and arrival sequences.
- Today: the cruise terminal, right by the Muziekgebouw concert hall and a ten-minute walk east of Centraal Station along the IJ waterfront. Worth pairing with the free ferry across to Amsterdam Noord.
The Geography Is a Lie
Worth saying plainly, because it is half the fun. The chase as cut together is geographically impossible. Characters leave the Red Light District and surface in the Museum Quarter, cross canals that do not connect, and cover distances in seconds that take fifteen minutes on a bike.
This is completely normal in action cinema and Amsterdam suffers it more than most, because the canal ring looks self-similar enough that editors can cut anywhere to anywhere. Do not try to walk the chase in sequence. Take the locations as a loop instead, which is how we have ordered them above.
Your Questions Answered
Was The Hitman’s Bodyguard really filmed in Amsterdam?
Yes, extensively and on location. The canal chase, the Red Light District pursuit, the Rijksmuseum sequence and the tram stunt were all shot in the city. Other parts of the film were made in Bulgaria and the UK.
Where was the boat chase filmed?
Through the central canal ring, finishing at the bridge where the Reguliersgracht crosses the Keizersgracht. It was shot from boats rather than with drones or helicopters, which is why it feels so low and fast.
Can you go inside the Rijksmuseum passage for free?
Yes. The passage through the middle of the building is a public right of way, open to pedestrians and cyclists without a ticket. Entering the museum galleries needs paid admission.
How long does the location trail take?
Half a day on a bike at a relaxed pace. Add an hour if you rent a boat for the canal section, which we would.
Where to Stay
The Grachtengordel around the Keizersgracht and Reguliersgracht puts you at the chase finale and within walking distance of the Rijksmuseum and Paradiso. The Plantage and Oost side is quieter and better value, and the tram junction is on your doorstep.
More Amsterdam on film in our complete Amsterdam filming locations guide, or go straight to Ocean’s Twelve and Diamonds Are Forever.
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