A hidden medieval courtyard in the heart of Amsterdam, reached through an unmarked door off the Spui. Step through and the city noise disappears — you are in a tranquil garden surrounded by 17th- and 18th-century houses, a chapel, and one of the oldest wooden houses in the Netherlands (dating from around 1420).
The Begijnhof was founded in the 14th century as a residence for the Beguines, a Catholic sisterhood of lay women. After the Reformation, when Catholic worship was banned, the community built a clandestine church inside one of the houses — it still exists and can be visited, its modest exterior hiding an ornate Baroque interior. The last Beguine died in 1971, but the courtyard remains a residence for single women. Visitors are welcome but asked to keep quiet — this is someone's home, not a museum.