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Amsterdam Private tours

Our most recommended Amsterdam Private tours

Amsterdam: Canal Booze Cruise

1. Amsterdam: Canal Booze Cruise

You can drink in a bar in any city in the world, but for a true Amsterdam experience, you can’t do better than a boozy canal cruise along the world-famous waterways, taking in the sights with a cold beer in hand. Choose from a private or shared cruise. Depart from the city center and cruise through some of the city's main canals. Make your way onto the Amstel River, under the 7 bridges, and discover hidden gems that only a local skipper and host will know how to find. Your cruise will eventually return to the same spot in which you started, right in the city center, exactly where you will want to be after a cruise with an open bar.

Amsterdam: Life of Anne Frank and World War II Walking Tour

2. Amsterdam: Life of Anne Frank and World War II Walking Tour

Find out more about Anne Frank on a small-group or private guided walking tour of Amsterdam, led by an expert guide. Discover the city’s centuries-old Jewish Quarter in a small group setting while your guide weaves in anecdotes about Anne Frank's life and World War II. You will hear all about Anne Frank’s family dynamics, their move from Germany, their time in hiding, and her father’s life after the war. Start the tour outside the Portuguese Synagogue, a 17th-century Sephardic construction that still functions as a synagogue today. Find out about the background of the original Jewish neighborhood and how it developed over the centuries. Your guide will share stories of Anne Frank’s love of writing, the conditions she lived through in 1930s and 1940s Amsterdam, and how her diary became so famous. You will also hear about the Dutch Resistance during the Second World War and see where secret hiding places were located. Over the course of the tour, you will walk by the Jewish Historical Museum, stop at the Auschwitz Monument and see the outside of the Anne Frank House façade. Finish the tour with a small surprise at a local Dutch cafe.

Amsterdam: Anne Frank Walking Tour in German

3. Amsterdam: Anne Frank Walking Tour in German

Get to know one of the most important facets of the city and immerse yourself in the history, current affairs and culture of the Jews of Amsterdam with an experienced German-speaking guide. The Jews, expelled by the Spanish Inquisition, transformed Amsterdam into one of the wealthiest commercial cities in Europe and thereby influenced the cityscape significantly. This is how the Jodenbuurt was founded with its most well-known part the Jewish Triangle.  The tour will take you through this area with interesting stories and illustrate why it was especially this piece of land that the Jews wanted to inhabit. Not only Jews settled here. Non-Jews like the famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn also had their domicile in the middle of the Jewish quarter.  But even in Amsterdam, Jewish history is not just about success and good life. The strong discrimination experienced by the Jews by the Nazi Germans also ended in Amsterdam with the Holocaust.  Learn about the young and courageous Anne Frank, who was one of the Jews hiding not to get deported. While hiding she wrote her famous diary. Her diary will accompany the tour and exemplify the grief the Jewish community had to undergo.Thousands of people were deported and hardly anyone came back. But not all Amsterdammers wanted to accept this. Learn about the February Strike in 1941, but above all: learn of the courageous resistance by Jews and non-Jews, who saved many lives while endangering their own.  Pass by the Portuguese synagogue on the tour and see important testimonies such as Stolpersteine, the gate of the old plague cemetery and monuments commemorating the courageous resistance of the Third Reich.  Also, discover how the Jewish community lives today in multicultural Amsterdam. Join this tour to explore the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam and enjoy an unforgettable experience.

Marken, Volendam, and Edam Full-Day Tour from Amsterdam

4. Marken, Volendam, and Edam Full-Day Tour from Amsterdam

Enjoy a scenic full-day coach tour of North Holland, and discover a charming landscape of windmills, canals, picturesque villages, and locals in traditional costume. Choose the all-in option to add a few extras to your tour, including a clog-making demonstration and a boat trip. Depart from Amsterdam station for the small fishing town of Marken, renowned for its preservation of traditional Dutch culture. Take a walking tour through streets full of colorful houses. If you've chosen the all-in option, stop at a shoemaker’s studio to watch how wooden clogs are made. Next, head to Volendam by coach if you've chosen the standard option or board the Marken Express if you've chosen the all-in option for a boat trip across the beautiful IJssel Lake. On arrival in Volendam, enjoy free time to explore the shops or try on a traditional costume for a souvenir photo.  Then, enjoy a tasting at a traditional Holland cheese factory and learn how cheese is made before continuing into the heart of North Holland to Edam. Discover the history of the former shipyard and see Grote Kerk, the largest church in the Netherlands, as you stroll the cobbled streets. Next, take in the last stop on your tour, the open-air museum of Zaanse Schans. Admire its magnificent collection of historic windmills. If you opt for the all-in ticket, you can go inside one of the operating windmills to learn more about this Dutch icon of industrial architecture. Finally, marvel at the picturesque homes, wooden barns, and scenic meadows of North Holland as you travel back to Amsterdam by coach. If you prefer a smaller group, like to take your time and explore all the best of this tour, then opt for the Charm of Holland guided tour. Available on Fridays. The tourguide takes a small group to all the inclusions in the all-in tour. The Charm of Holland also includes lunch at a traditional Dutch fish taverne.

Amsterdam: Red Light District Tour

5. Amsterdam: Red Light District Tour

Start your 2-hour tour in front of the central station in Amsterdam, where you will meet your guide. Continue with a short walk to the Red Light District area. Learn about the history of the Red Light District as you wander through the historical Old Town of Amsterdam. See the oldest building in Amsterdam, the canals, and beautiful old houses. Once you arrive in the Red Light District, your guide will walk you through the many alleys. Wander along the narrowest street in Amsterdam and see the first coffee shop. Your tour will end at Dam Square.

Amsterdam Red Light District & Coffee Shop Tour

6. Amsterdam Red Light District & Coffee Shop Tour

Discover how and why Amsterdam developed its reputation for liberal attitudes towards sex and drugs on a tour of the Red Light District. Learn about the district from a local perspective, and discover the locations of several coffee shops, including the first coffee shop in Amsterdam. Following pickup from your hotel or meeting point near Central Station, stroll into the atmospheric streets of the Red Light District, and see everything that the area has to offer. Explore the small shops and restaurants of Chinatown, and walk down some of the city’s narrowest streets. Hear explanations about the coffee shop culture, prostitution, political issues, and history. Then, enter a coffee shop to enjoy a relaxing break and smoke a joint (only if you want to).

Amsterdam: Red Light District Tour in German

7. Amsterdam: Red Light District Tour in German

Discover Amsterdam's infamous Red Light District on a humorous tour with a German guide. Learn how much on average a prostitute earns per night, how many customers they have per shift, and which sexual acts pay the largest sums. Choose the small-group tour with no more than 4 people that goes right into the center of the Red Light District and visits a peepshow, or opt for a tour that tells the story of the Red Light District, visits some of its highlights, and explores other famous hotspots in Chinatown and the harbor.  You can also choose to have a private guide on the small-group tour. Small-Group Red Light District Tour and Peepshow Enter the heart of the Red Light District with a maximum group of 4 people plus your guide. The tour highlights all the positive as well as negative aspects of the Amsterdam Red Light District. From the National Monument on Dam Square go to Warmoestraat, one of the most famous gay streets in Amsterdam. Pass the Condomerie, a condom store that specializes in all kinds of rubbers. Then, go further into the heart of the district to the Prostitution Information Center (PIC) where former prostitutes are dedicated to educational work and are trying to dispel prejudices about prostitution. Directly opposite lies the Old Church (Oude Kerk), the oldest church in Amsterdam and probably the only church in the world which is surrounded by prostitution. The special situation of the Old Church helped enforce its great wealth, because sinners of the night felt obliged to wash their contaminated souls clean through a generous donation or "sin tax". Around the square the church is surrounded by a row of windows flooded by red lights revealing attractive, scantily-clad women. Discover more about the process of negotiations between customers and prostitutes, about their income and expenses, prices, room rental and taxes, but also about the women's security. Past Amsterdam's first commercial coffee shop, the city tour leads to a peepshow from the 70s. The visit to the peepshow is a small highlight of the tour. The peepshow was once the most popular establishment of the entire district, today it is a nostalgic gem in a street of absurd sex shows. Red Light District Highlights, Harbor, and Chinatown Tour Visit selected highlights of the Red Light District and beyond in a group of maximum 15 people. Discover the district’s rich history with your guide and get full insight into the prostitution industry.  Learn details about how customers and sex workers negotiate, how much they earn, how room rental and taxes work, and the women’s security.  See the most popular spots, including De Dam, the Condomerie, and Warmoestraat. You will also be able to see the famous red-lit windows from a distance before exploring the vibrant LGBTQ+ scene on the nearby Zeedijk street in Chinatown.  Dive into the Red Light District’s origins and visit the harbor, the reason the red light district came about. Catch a photo opportunity in front of the “dancing houses,” one of the most-photographed spots in Amsterdam. Pass by a typical coffee shop and continue to Nieuwmarkt, a lively square with lots of inviting bars. Get a glimpse into the street full of sex theaters.  Equip yourself with recommendations from your guide on how to keep exploring the Red Light District at your own pace. Get tips on visiting a 70s peepshow, which you can experience on your own after the tour.

Amsterdam: Guided Bike Tour of Central Amsterdam

8. Amsterdam: Guided Bike Tour of Central Amsterdam

Discover the sights of central Amsterdam with an expert guide riding by your side. You’ll learn about the city’s culture, see important historical sites, and famous hotspots as well as lesser-known local favorites.  Start your journey near the central station, pass the impressive A’DAM Tower, and ride over to the Western Islands, which are filled with charming drawbridges, old warehouses, and chic artists' studios.  Continue along the Brouwersgracht Canal and visit the trendy Jordaan and 9 Street districts flanked by indie boutiques, cozy cafes, and hip eateries. As you ride deeper into the city center, you will enter the Grachtengordel neighborhood and zoom past the Westerkerk (Western Church) and the historic Anne Frank House.  Feel the buzz of music and street performers around Leidseplein Square, a busy theater district with a buzzing nightlife.  After so much excitement, enjoy a pleasant break in the Vondelpark, the largest park in Amsterdam and the most famous park in the Netherlands. Feeling recharged, circle the Museum Quarter and ride through the narrow streets of the Bohemian-influenced De Pijp neighborhood.  Cross the iconic Magere Brug (skinny bridge), a wooden drawbridge over the River Amstel, and arrive at the famed Artis Zoo leading into the Maritime Quarter.  Admire the impressive replica of a 17th-century Dutch East Indian Company ship at the Salt Harbour, before returning to back where your bike journey began.

Amsterdam: Anne Frank Walking Tour

9. Amsterdam: Anne Frank Walking Tour

Join this 2-hour walking tour through Amsterdam and learn about Anne Frank during the Second World War. Meet your guide at Waterlooplein and discover the most important sights related to Anne Frank and other Jews in Amsterdam during World War 2 including the Jewish Quarter, the Portuguese Synagogue and the Jewish Council headquarters. Discover historical monuments and buildings that are still marked by traces of war. Learn about life during the Second World War and the struggles people endured like the February strike and the hunger winter. Hear about life in the Netherlands during Nazi occupation in the early 1940s. Hear the story of Anne Frank, her family and what they had to endure during this dark period of time. Learn about her diary, how it was published by her father after the war and how it became one of the best selling books of all time.

Amsterdam: Culture & History Walking Tour in German

10. Amsterdam: Culture & History Walking Tour in German

Visit famous sites of Amsterdam downtown and get an overview of the city on this walking tour dedicated to culture and history. Profit from tips every adventurous traveler needs to know and make the best of your trip. Find out which food you should taste and which districts can be discovered independently by bike. Listen to your guide telling you which architectural designs were popular in the past and get an idea of the people of Amsterdam. Hear stories about how merchants, salesmen, and the poor used to live in the Middle Ages, why the world of art blossomed in the Golden Era, how World War II has changed the people of the city and what it feels like to live in the tolerant, multicultural city today. Start your tour in the heart of the city at Dam Square, where Amsterdam was founded. The tour leads you past the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, the New Church Nieuwe Kerk, and past the former main post office, to Torensluis Bridge. See one of the tiniest houses of the city and learn more about the colonial times at the statue of Multatuli on Torensluis Bridge.  Stroll past romantic canal-side houses and cross Spui Square to get to the pearl of Amsterdam – Begijnhof. With its entrance hidden in a narrow side street, this very special hofje is waiting for you to be discovered. On the way back to Dam Square you will see the river that the city owes its name to: the Amstel. The city tour ends at the national monument that was originally built to remember the victims of World War II but is now a memorial to all victims who lost their lives in any war worldwide.

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Frequently asked questions about Amsterdam

What top attractions are a must-see in Amsterdam?

What are the best day trips and excursions from Amsterdam?

The best day trips and excursions from Amsterdam are:

Keukenhof

Other Sightseeing Options in Amsterdam

Want to discover all there is to do in Amsterdam? Click here for a full list.

What people are saying about Amsterdam

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 147 reviews

Great tour! We had just landed from a long international flight and it was just what we needed to stretch our legs and see all the sights in Amsterdam! Everyone rides bikes everywhere and it was fun to have a great guide to take us to all the top places to see! A big thank you yo Sebastian-he was a wonderful guide!

Really enjoyed this tour! Our guide Aaron was super friendly, could barely believe it when the two hours were over. Great experience if you like history especially that related to WW2.

Passionate and engaging guide (Cecilia). She brought Van Gogh and his paintings to life for us. Never a dull moment.

This was so much fun, probably my favourite of the activities I done in Amsterdam, highly recommend

The best thing to do in Amsterdam, the guides were amazing. Highly recommend.