Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam in Amsterdam

Amazing!! so beautiful and interesting

Such a disappointment to be charged €17 to see this shul. They didn’t offer a tour guide and most places are restricted to go to. The audio is all about Jewish religious. I wanted to hear about the history of the shul. Who gave them a right to charge so much. Very disappointed!!!

1000 candles to be lit for services.... quite a thing. Very beautiful and well maintained.

Beautiful Synagogue, so much history and love the 1000 candles, would like to return to see them all litup. A service there sounds so beautiful

It felt like being physically present in the past. Personally, the mourning room was the biggest highlight for me, having gone through some loss in this life.

Really interesting window into the Sephardic Jewish religious traditions. Take the audioguide and dont miss the Treasury.

Highly recommended, especially after the Jewish historical museums visit.

great for learning about the community. and cool that the history is still alive there.

Informative, interesting, appropriate, worthwhile.

Give yourself time to visit and sit awhile. Expect to shed a few tears too. Beautiful spot.

The building is indeed amazing. The history that is holds even more so..

Beautiful synagogue. Amazing location.

If this is what the splendor of the Jewish synagogues back then. Imagine how well to do Portugal would have been if they wouldn’t have kicked out the Jews. They say originally King Fernando of Spain didn’t dislike the Jews as much as his wife Isabelle, but years of nagging made there mark. His own prime minister was Jewish the great Don Abarnel.( the great rumor of Christopher Columbus was the he was a secret Mariano and he was looking for a land that the Jews can finally be free)After the Spanish Inquisition, the prime minister had to run to Portugal. And a couple of years later the king of Portugal kicked out the Jews due to the pressure of his cousin the queen of Spain, Isabelle. Listen it was the Portuguese loss. Portugal is a nothing country now. USA is the best because nicest to the Jews. Whoever is nice to the Jews the country flourishes. Nowadays Portugal is offering citizenship the all the people that can prove that 500 years ago there ancestor’s lived there. You just have to think to ym yourself why would you go back to a country that burnt you’re ancestors at stake I wouldn’t want to go back!

Interesting if you are into Jewish history.

Such a beautiful & stunning Synagogue 🕍.Its so majestic and spiritual.I had 30 min just for my self to admire this amazing building. If you re visit Amsterdam make sure you go there. ( easy to get there with tram from Central Station or just walk)

Magestic synagogue, Esnoga, built in the 17th Century. Selfguided tour. Priceless pieces in display, pieces that are still used today in the synagogue. You learn about the jewish community in the Netherlands throughout history and their near extinction after the Holocaust. Very informative tour, beautiful synagogue, cant recommend enough.

This is a work of art and so much to see. Its literally like walking into an antique. Great place.

Interesting place with interesting history, we enjoyed our visit.

As part of the Jewish history of the Netherlands a place you must visit. A great collection tells all about Jewish faith as well as about the Portugese Jews who settled in Amsterdam. Impressive how the volunteers welcome you and take care of everything. Dont forget to show respect when entering.

The self guided tour was very informative. Great place to learn about Jewish history in Amsterdam.

An amazing place in its beauty, and inspiring. There are prayers on holidays and SHABAT. Need to be updated before arriving about the time of Tefila. You have to make sure they hear the knocks on the door from the street, otherwise they will not open.Worth the effort and reach.

One ticket will gain you access to the Portuguese Synagogue, the Jewish Historical center and both Holocaust Memorials. This beautiful temple is worth the effort. An audio guide is included and gives you the history of this late 17th century building. There is no electricity in the synagogue, so the building is not heated and its lit only by the candles in the chandeliers. Near the entry point, theres a treasures building with a video presentation and audio guide points showing artifacts used in the synagogue.

Amazing. Breathtaking. Full of mystery. Lovely. Awe inspiring. Still lit by thousands of candles...woodwork...priceless treasures...dripping with history...MUST SEE!

Oh so grand and yet oh so simple. Over the years 1616 - 1670 it had to be built in an understated way in order not to upset the Protestant City magistrates. And on top of that, Dutch Protestant churches at the time were all about humbleness as well. Theres only one Esnoga and this is it. It has a few biblical temple details like the lions feet - most people dont know to look for. (all the way on the backside of the building). The Aron Ha-Kodesh (holy arkbuilt from Brazilian Jacaranda wood where the Torah scrolls are kept, is overpowering. The atmosphere is wonderful and if the winter shul (smaller synagogue for cold winter daysis open for visiting, its gorgeous in its simplicity as well. You have to book an appointment to see the library, which has a world-class priceless collection of Judaica (Etz Haim). Absolute treasures from a literary point of view. Its worth it to request (book aheada private guide if you have the time. Itll help with security as well. Expect a good amount of security. Bring your passport for obvious reasons.

Entrance to here is 17€, but includes entrance to Jewish Cultural museum and Holocaust museum (but its free with the Museumkaart). Beautiful synagogue, with a free audio tour which is very explanatory. The rooms in the annexes are mostly open and you can explore. The entrance to the upper area (the Ladies platformis on the back to the right.

Interesting historical building. Its cold inside so bring a light sweater, even in summer. You can walk thru without a guided tour, and its nice to take ones time and read the various placques.

I have visited a few synagogues in different part of the world, but this one is really impressive and interesting. Apart from the size and architecture, it offers a rare opportunity to go upstairs and take a look from the balcony.

The synagogue is well preserved and visit inside the building is a remarkable experience!

Great experience, packed full with history. The audio guide is a must with lots of information. The building itself is absolutely stunning. I highly reccomend visiting this sight, and the ticket cost €17, but do not be scared off by this high price, as it also gets you into the Jewish Historic Museum, the National Holocaust Museum and the Holland Theatre. This means the ticket is excellent value for money as it gets you into 4 places total. This historical sight takes you through the horrific devastation the Jewish population suffered at the hands of the Nazis. It is extremely sad to learn about, but it is worth the visit for the insight into this.

I was there for the candle lit concert. It was beautiful inside! But don’t expect nice acoustics.

Authentic place with 300 years furniture! Everywhere else it was lost with the fire but here it stays. But seriously, it is tremendous to dive in such history and understand how big was contribution from these people and how big was lost in the middle of 20th century.

Amazing place to visit. The sinagouge is beautiful. Theres no electricity in the main building and the light is coming through the windows or they using the light of candles to light up the place.

A chance to visit a Synagogue that is still used each week, built in 1675, and amazingly almost untouched by the Nazis in World War 2.The visit is considerably enhanced by the audio guide, which is very educational.To show respect all Male visitors are given a Kippah to wear .

Great historic place, but one star for the way we visiting Jews were treated at services. When asked about services, they should give the time AND the place. I expected services to be in the main synagogue but they were in the winter chapel. They had several prayer books so asked which one to use and I was given one. It obviously wasnt the one they were using so it was hard to follow the service. It was during the Omer and I questioned why the sign said 48 when that night was 49. They gave me a hard time, then finally said it was because it wasnt really sundown yet. Fine, but dont tell me "its not sundown yet" as a reason and then chant ma-ariv before sundown.

I highly recommend any walking tour in the city of Amsterdam.

Beautiful building and interesting to see the various areas. Audio guide very insightful as well.

This is a great building to have a look around. Very interesting museum inside and somewhere that I had been a couple of times before.The interactive displays are both informative and entertaining. The photography exhibition in the basement area is also very interesting.

Interesting museum, worth a stop. The Synagogue is packed full of history. Comes with an audio guide. You can combine it with 3 other museums in one ticket. All worth seeing.

This is a true historic site, we loved all preserved details like the candle room and the shofar, it seemed that this was a very vibrant wealthy community in the past

An Important landmark in the history of Amsterdam, very impressive. They did a very good job with the free self audio guide. A bit expensive to go in but its for a good cause!

A great insight into Jewish culture and history, very interesting. Reminder of 17th century. It was Europes largest synagogue that they used it as a munitions dump, which is the main reason that it were not destroyed during the wars.

From entrance and behaviour of personel i can say that was nice. Really nice. But from the visiting...Actually here is not a gorgeous place. It was really normal. Normal building with different part of buildings.At the end there is a souvenir shops to buy something(like a juish hat)Remember you can visit 3 more places when you buy ticket of here

Really impressive! The interior of the synagogue is original 17th century.

Very interesting and informative audio guide. Cant miss if you want to understand Jewish history in western Europe.

The oldest synagogue in Europe: one feels the lack of technology (heat or electricityas soon as walking in. Simple in design but the wooden work and brass candelabra, the sumptuous existence and preservation care worth visiting. The audio tour has high benefits especially in the area still used by the Jewish community. Sterling silver vintage artifacts are active tools in the daily rituals of Judaism. Bring your own siddur (prayer book).The 15€ ticket includes a visit to the Jewish Museum across the street and the Holocaust Museum which I had to cut from the list due to lack of time. So, 3 museums for the price of one if you start with the synagogue. Public toilets are available on the premises.

A place where you can learn more about the Jewish culture.

Bought Ticket for the museum and it included a visit here. Me and my girlfriend were very warmly welcomed and had a nice chat with the staff. The Synagogue is very beautiful and really old! With the ticket you buy you have access to the museum, the synagogue and the Holocaust museum :its definitely worth a visit!

A beautiful synagogue with self guided tours and lots of information (in sevral languages). Very enlightening and nice to see.

The story of the synagogue and the Jewish religious customs.The synagogue inside is very genuine and antique but looks poor to the eye of a tourist

A very impressive and historical synagogue. The second oldest in Europe and heritage site of a community that suffered persecution in many different places.They are a very welcoming community, you are free to open most doors in the nearby structure and the audio guide has a lot of good information.