Portuguese Synagogue
Portuguese Synagogue
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Admission tickets
from
$22.36
Full view
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Centrum
Amsterdam’s buzzing hub, with its sprawling network of tram rails and a seemingly constant flow of tourists and commuters, yields convenient access to some of the best sightseeing, shopping, and street life in Europe. Closest at hand are the Royal Palace, the quaint shops of Haalremmerdijk, the pedestrianized zones Kalverstraat and Dam Square with popular neighborhoods such as the Red Light District, and the Canal Ring hardly more than a moment’s stroll away. With the well-connected Centraal Station as Centrum’s base, it's easy to travel farther afield via one of the city’s iconic trams.
How to get there
- Waterlooplein • 3 min walk
- Nieuwmarkt • 7 min walk
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Restaurants
5,213 within 3 miles
Attractions
1,242 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,501 reviews
Excellent
920
Very good
430
Average
119
Poor
23
Terrible
10
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Sightseer20501832204
1 contribution
Dec 2023 • Couples
I would like to start by saying that this synagogue and the museum are both excellent and I highly recommend a visit if you would like to know more about the lives of Jews in Amsterdam. However, when we arrived to the synagogue to buy tickets I was pulling a small bag (KLM hand luggage size) having just got off a plane two hours before. I was told by the person behind the counter that the bag would not be allowed and that I need to do a ten minute walk to a storage place and pay 5 euros to store it. We were discussing the dilemma of whether we were going to do this or not bother going in the museum when another member of staff walk around to the entrance gate, looked at the bag and said that this bag should be okay in a locker across the street in the museum. This immediately made me suspicious that the man behind the counter was on a scam for the tourists. I took the bag over to the museum where it fitted into the locker with ease (and not even the biggest locker!!) and these were free. I wished to raise this issue with a manager and asked in both the museum and the synagogue if I could speak to a manager and was told there wasn't any. So I am writing this review to make people aware that there is bag storage in the museum and you don't need to walk ten minutes and pay 5 euro for this. I wouldn't want anyone to get caught on this scam.
Written December 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lucia P
Valsamoggia, Italy1,430 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Beautiful and large synagogue a few steps from the Jewish museum. Currently undergoing internal renovation, you can enter but not all of the space is accessible.
In the same courtyard you can also visit the treasure room, the library, the winter synagogue.
Free entry with I Amsterdam Card.
In the same courtyard you can also visit the treasure room, the library, the winter synagogue.
Free entry with I Amsterdam Card.
Written June 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Noraatc
Sudbury, MA39,675 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
After my lunch at the wonderful Jewish Museum cafe, I crossed the street to the Portuguese Synagogue, which is a Sephardi one. Absolutely magnificent inside and luckily untouched during the WWII because the city officials had negotiated a deal with the Nazis claiming that historical treasures should not be destroyed. How they managed to convince the occupiers… I have no clue. Visiting this gorgeous synagogue was a spiritual experience even for a non-believer like me.
Written December 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MagsATL
Atlanta, GA155 contributions
Jan 2020
Nice historical place and museum. The history is fascinating. The story of the people of the Synagogue is a sad one. We did not visit the Holocaust Museum on the same sight - ran out of time. The Museum is quite in depth and takes a while to go through. I definitely recommend if you have interest in the Jewish history in Amsterdam. The Synagogue is somewhat plain, but also gorgeous.
Written February 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TimWasHere
Tilburg, The Netherlands54 contributions
Aug 2020
Certainly interesting enough to look around and educational. The audio tour went on a bit too long at each point in my opinion. There is a "Press A for further information" choice on the audio handset at the end of each bit, so some of the information could have been there rather than in the basic explanation.
It is a very large synagogue with a significant history so worth the visit, but the connected buildings (office for example) really not all that interesting.
It is a very large synagogue with a significant history so worth the visit, but the connected buildings (office for example) really not all that interesting.
Written August 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
beth b
13 contributions
May 2022
Very thought provoking experience. The audio tour was beyond excellent and the whole compound is worth exploring. I went there on Friday afternoon which put me in a pensive mood for Shabbat. History matters.
Written May 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mkunnen63
Heemskerk, The Netherlands3,391 contributions
Aug 2023
Here after we entered the Jewish Historical Museum and watched and listened to everything through the audio box. Very impressive, that started with the question whether I wanted to wear a yarmulke. This was appreciated when the visitors did so. The hall is beautiful in all its antiquity with the stories. Without gas and electricity. Also walked around it and visited the doors you were allowed to enter. More than worth it. It's wonderful that all of this has been preserved and is still being used.
Written August 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KingsMountaineer
Woodside, CA104 contributions
Jun 2022
The Portuguese synagogue, in my mind, is a must see in Amsterdam. It provides a tangible sense of a once-rich culture/community in Amsterdam that was largely destroyed or displaced. Make sure to take the audio guide--it is quite well done.
Written June 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I visited this place🇺🇸🇫🇷🇨🇭🇬🇷🇬🇧
Israel35,244 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
PROS
* Ancient historical structure still intact- inside and out
* Original building, original floors, original seats, original Cabinet of the Scroll of the Law, original reader's elevated platform
* Sit and relax on vintage benches from 1675
* Still illuminated only by hundreds of candles
* Once the largest synagogue in the world
* Experience and learn about Jewish life and religious rituals from then, in 1675, and also today, in 2023
* There is an audio guide available
* Possibility to explore freely
CONS
* The price, although it also covers other stuff, such as the Joods Museum
* Not much informational plaques etc, although there is a brochure
* It was under ongoing restoration work
"I VISITED THIS PLACE"...
... because it is an important historical landmark in Amsterdam, and an essential part of visiting the Jewish sites and locations. I wandered around and looked in every corner that I could. I tried doors to go up to the balcony or to the basement (where other posters reported a Holocaust museum)- the doors were locked. I sat on several of the 1675 benches and rested and enjoyed the view and looked up at the many many many candelabras and imagined Amsterdam Jewish life in 1675.
WAS IT WORTH THE COST?
I have to say yes for me, because there was no way that I wasn't going to visit.
WOULD I VISIT THIS PLACE AGAIN?
Not for that cost- unless there would be access to other floors and other stuff and maybe to the Cabinet of the Scroll of the Law (which was closed off with scaffolding due to construction work).
ADVICES
* Go to see an essential historical and Jewish place
* Take a brochure
* Consider a guide person
* Ancient historical structure still intact- inside and out
* Original building, original floors, original seats, original Cabinet of the Scroll of the Law, original reader's elevated platform
* Sit and relax on vintage benches from 1675
* Still illuminated only by hundreds of candles
* Once the largest synagogue in the world
* Experience and learn about Jewish life and religious rituals from then, in 1675, and also today, in 2023
* There is an audio guide available
* Possibility to explore freely
CONS
* The price, although it also covers other stuff, such as the Joods Museum
* Not much informational plaques etc, although there is a brochure
* It was under ongoing restoration work
"I VISITED THIS PLACE"...
... because it is an important historical landmark in Amsterdam, and an essential part of visiting the Jewish sites and locations. I wandered around and looked in every corner that I could. I tried doors to go up to the balcony or to the basement (where other posters reported a Holocaust museum)- the doors were locked. I sat on several of the 1675 benches and rested and enjoyed the view and looked up at the many many many candelabras and imagined Amsterdam Jewish life in 1675.
WAS IT WORTH THE COST?
I have to say yes for me, because there was no way that I wasn't going to visit.
WOULD I VISIT THIS PLACE AGAIN?
Not for that cost- unless there would be access to other floors and other stuff and maybe to the Cabinet of the Scroll of the Law (which was closed off with scaffolding due to construction work).
ADVICES
* Go to see an essential historical and Jewish place
* Take a brochure
* Consider a guide person
Written October 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MiouMiou
West Long Branch, NJ1,073 contributions
This text (in Hebrew, of course) has been above the entrance to the Portuguese Synagogue since 1672 (yes, 1672, that is not a typo). The building itself is beautiful, and an oddity in that most all of the other Synagogues in The Netherlands were destroyed by the Nazis, this one was not, and it is a mystery as to why until this day.
Major restoration is going on at this time. You can still see (at least from the outside) a row of buildings that houses the winter Synagogue, the office and archives, the Rabbinate, mortuary and a library. For those of you familiar with the layout of a (Ashkenazi) synagogue, you will find the inside of the Shul different, as it is Sephardic custom to place the Ark (where the Torah would go) at one end and the Bimah (the pulpit) at the other end. The floor is covered with sand, as is the Dutch custom, to muffle noise, as well as absorb dust, moisture and dirt. Take note of the beautiful brass chandelier. They hold more than 1,000 candles and provide the only lighting in the Synagogue.
You should see this in conjunction with your visit to the Jewish Historical Museum, which is about 10 meters away. You have to be buzzed in for the sake of security, understandably so. The gift shop is wonderful. A lovely unique gift that I have not seen anywhere else are some beautiful "delft style" tiles with the Hebrew House blessing on it. The docents inside are more than happy to answer your questions.
Major restoration is going on at this time. You can still see (at least from the outside) a row of buildings that houses the winter Synagogue, the office and archives, the Rabbinate, mortuary and a library. For those of you familiar with the layout of a (Ashkenazi) synagogue, you will find the inside of the Shul different, as it is Sephardic custom to place the Ark (where the Torah would go) at one end and the Bimah (the pulpit) at the other end. The floor is covered with sand, as is the Dutch custom, to muffle noise, as well as absorb dust, moisture and dirt. Take note of the beautiful brass chandelier. They hold more than 1,000 candles and provide the only lighting in the Synagogue.
You should see this in conjunction with your visit to the Jewish Historical Museum, which is about 10 meters away. You have to be buzzed in for the sake of security, understandably so. The gift shop is wonderful. A lovely unique gift that I have not seen anywhere else are some beautiful "delft style" tiles with the Hebrew House blessing on it. The docents inside are more than happy to answer your questions.
Written November 8, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello. We are visiting Amsterdam from 9/23-9/26. This is during the Jewish High Holidays. If we wanted to go to Yom Kippur services can we attend the Portuguese Synagogue? If not, is there somewhere else you recommend in the city? Best, Vicky
Written September 15, 2023
Hello, the Sinagogue its open this week?
Wich is the schedule?
I am today and tomorrow in Amsterdam , and I am leaving on August 1,
I will love to visit
Written July 30, 2019
Are there lines ot get in? Do you need advance tickets?
Written July 27, 2019
There were no lines the day we went.
Written October 15, 2019
The website says "Ticket is valid for one month." Does this mean I can visit the different sites on different days?
Written July 7, 2019
I went to the Synagogue late in the day, and they were kind to point out that the ticket was valid for the other sights on other days (although I remember validity for a week not a month)
Written July 8, 2019
cuanto tiempo se necesita para recorrerla? una hora? dos horas? muchas gracias
Written September 16, 2018
JCKamsterdam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hi Silvia, with a ticket for the Jewish Cultural Quarter you can visit all four locations. All in less than a square kilometer. you can decide for yourself how much time you spend per location. most people spend at least one hour in the Portuguese synagogue.
Written September 18, 2018
I will appreciate suggestions of a good nearby place for lunch offering pancakes or Indonesian cuisine. Thanks
Written August 25, 2018
The Jewish Museum just across the way has a cafeteria that offers a good lunch menu. Why not give it a try?
Written September 1, 2018
I would like to visit the Portuguese Synagogue only. Is there a way to buy a ticket to 1 venue? If yes, how?
Written August 22, 2018
You can by one ticket for all of the buildings
Written August 27, 2018
JCKamsterdam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Correct, in the Jewish Historical Museum we have a museum cafe which serves kosher products.
Written September 5, 2018
Can tickets be purchased when visit or should they be purchased in advance for a visit between April 23 and 25?.
Written January 15, 2018
No need to buy in advance, head to the holocaust museum and you can buy 4 attractions for 15 euro. Good value, holocaust museum a bit of a disappointment, but the synagogue makes up for it. Check out the Tropenmuseum, close to the jewish quarter and a real hidden gem of Amsterdam!!
Written January 16, 2018
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