A low canal-house roofline interrupted by one ornate church spire.
Amsterdam is a low skyline of narrow canal houses, stepped gables, and one or two church spires. Westerkerk's tall tower is a useful anchor: it has a layered crown rather than a simple needle. Modern Amsterdam Noord may add a blocky tower with a wide observation cap, but the historic roofline stays dominant and close to the water. The outline should feel horizontal, repetitive, and slightly irregular, with many thin peaks instead of a forest of glass. If the city looks like a canal-side row of miniature houses interrupted by a church tower, it is Amsterdam. Paris is wider and more monumental; Rome is rounder with domes.