Built in 1884, this highly decorated stone bridge replaced an old, blue (hence the name) wooden crossing that had connected these shores of the Amstel since the 17th century. The current version was modelled on the Alexander III bridge in Paris, and features tall, ornate street lamps topped by the imperial crown of Amsterdam, fish sculptures and foundations shaped like the prow of a medieval ship.

Transportation

  • tram: 14 Waterlooplein
  • metro: Waterlooplein

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Gijsbert Dommer Huis

0.07 MILES

This handsome greystone house is known dramatically as the 'House with the Blood Stains'. Six-time mayor and diplomat Coenraad van Beuningen lost his…

2. Stopera

0.09 MILES

This curved waterside building is called Stopera because it houses both the stadhuis (city hall) and the opera and ballet hall, aka Muziektheater. It…

3. Museum Willet-Holthuysen

0.1 MILES

This exquisite canal house was built in 1687 for Amsterdam mayor Jacob Hop, then remodelled in 1739. It's named after Louisa Willet-Holthuysen, who…

4. NAP Visitors Centre

0.1 MILES

This fascinating display was closed for repairs at the time of research, but shows the ins and outs of Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP; Normal Amsterdam…

5. H'Art Museum

0.1 MILES

Formerly a branch of St Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum, H'Art Museum cut ties with Russia and now operates as an independent museum.

6. Joods Historisch Museum

0.14 MILES

In this beautifully restored complex of four Ashkenazic synagogues from the 17th and 18th centuries, displays show the history of Jews in the Netherlands,…

7. Dockworker Statue

0.17 MILES

Mari Andriessen's Dockworker statue (1952), a monumental, aghast-looking figure, was commissioned to commemorate the general strike that began among…

8. Rembrandtplein

0.18 MILES

First called Reguliersplein, then Botermarkt for the butter markets held here until the mid-19th century, this somewhat brash square now takes its name…

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