Amsterdam · HISTORICAL TOURS
21 reviewed
This is the shortlist we’d send a friend: the 15 historical tours worth booking, each with its price, its traveller verdict, and the one thing to know before you commit.
Taste Dutch classics and learn Amsterdam’s monarchy and neighborhoods on a small 3.5-hour food tour with Roman.
“Forget other food tours, Roman’s is the only one you need to take! Roman is funny and totally authentic and he makes you feel like family right from the get go. The food was delicious, the company was fantastic and we learnt so much about Amsterdam. The best tour around. Thankyou Roman!”
Amsterdam’s historic canals in an hour: warm covered boat, toilet onboard, photo deck views, and narration in 7 languages from $16.
“The location to board for the tour is perfect! It is directly across from the Anne Frank House and very easy to find. Just look for the yellow boats! The boat was very clean and partially covered and partially open. Food and Drinks were available for purchase. The guide was knowledgeable and accommodating and shared historical facts and personal knowledge about the canal area with a bit of humor. We highly recommend this tour!”
2-hour Dam Square ghost walk through Spinhuis, Begijnhof and Blood Street, ending at Waag’s purgatory. English guide, $30.
“Duncan was so knowledgeable and we had a fantastic time. He took us to places that we hadn’t even clocked while doing our walks around the city. The stories were great and we were still talking about the quiet place and wafer hours after the tour as it blew our minds. The bonus added extra was having Rosie with us too… made it extra special. We would recommend this tour to anyone who is planning on going to the dam as it’s worth every penny to see the history you just don’t know about”
4-hour Amsterdam small-group tour for Dutch and Indonesian bites, farmhouse cheese and wine, plus bitterballen at West India Company.
“Bo was excellent as our guide. She gave us such good information and was incredibly fun to be with. Our group stayed together after the tour was over to talk and share stories. It was a great day!”
Visit Volendam’s working shipyard and cheese-and-clog workshop from Amsterdam, then enjoy 2.5 hours to wander the harbor lanes at your pace.
“The hop-on-hop-off is perfect for travelers who like only a small amount of structure. The transit time between stops is just long enough for a small rest, but not so long that you become drowsy. The towns chosen for this activity were perfect, and it was a day very well spent, even with a six year old.”
A 1-hour Amsterdam canal cruise near Anne Frank House, floating past historic churches and modern museums with audio in English and more.
“The boat itself was fun and comfortable, and the captain was polite, but a bit boring and compared to the other captain I had three years ago, he could have given some additional amusing/interesting facts that would’ve provided some smiles and laughter. Perhaps it was the location in the canal that just wasn’t that interesting. This Canal trip was out of the Anne Frank house. You may be better off, selecting a different location.”
A private 3-hour walk through Amsterdam’s Jewish history, synagogues, memorials, and the Anne Frank House, with apple pie and VR backup.
“We learned so much about the Jewish experience in Amsterdam prior to and during World War II. Our guide, Martina was wonderful attending to our needs and interests. We took the trolley and arrived at the Ann Frank House in time for our tour. Martina even arranged for us to have coffee and waffles in the cafe. Thank you so much and I can’t recommend this tour enough.”
Luxury canal cruise plus historic VR overlays 17th-century Amsterdam for a time-travel style ride, with English audio and a drink.
“Highly recommend. Super cool and unique to have the experience of cruising the canals and also be able to experience ancient Amsterdam at the same time. Super comfortable seating and friendly staff. 10/10 experience overall. Thanks!”
3-course lunch or dinner in Amsterdam Central Station’s restored 1885 first-class waiting rooms, with menu variety and Damrak views.
“I celebrated my 40th birthday here and the setting was absolutely beautiful. The staff and food were incredible, especially Elvis the parrot. I will never forget the beautiful experience.”
Amsterdam in two hours: a small-group history walk from canal-era beginnings to Dam Square, prisons, and the Dancing Houses.
“Really nice tour, I would recommend it a hundred times! I did it with my girlfriend and we enjoyed it a lot. Such a cool guide!”
Small-group 2-hour Amsterdam history walk with a local guide: Old Town, Dam Square, canals, Anne Frank area, and the Flower Market, $32.
“Andrea was a fantastic guide. She was able to tell us lots of stories about Amsterdam, past and present, to really bring the city to life. Thank you again!”
Small-group Anne Frank and Jewish history walk in Amsterdam with a local guide, WWII street stops, and a finish outside the Anne Frank House.
“Great walking tour guide brilliant and passionate really enjoyed this experience withy mates got to learn more about Anne Frank's family”
A 2-hour walking tour through Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter, linking WWII occupation stories to key sites like Anne Frank’s House and the Auschwitz Monument.
“The tour was excellent. Marsha, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and dealt with the topic sensitivity. It was nice being in a small group - plenty of time for questions and without being too loud. The tour started and finished on time.”
Walk Amsterdam’s LGBT trail with Henk, ending at Bet van Beeren. Small group, strong stories, and key monument stops.
“Henk was wonderful and particularly accommodating for us as we didn’t realize we were traveling during King’s Day when we booked. The tour is comprehensive and details various time periods throughout history. We were especially delighted to see one of the oldest lesbian owned bars in the city and to meet the new owner. Henk is a great guide. He didn’t shy away from particularly difficult points in history and sprinkled in humor throughout. This ended up being the first thing we did in the city and it really set our trip off to a good start.”
A 2-hour Amsterdam ghost walking tour through haunted alleys and canals, guided in English by licensed storytellers like Maria.
“Maria, our guide, was amazing! Super friendly, super knowledgeable and showed us some parts of Amsterdam we never even really knew existed since we never saw them mentioned in the usual guidebooks. Learned a ton and saw quite a bit of the city and special landmarks during the tour. Highly recommend if you want to explore lesser known parts of the city with a ‘dark edge’ the history behind them in a smaller tour group setting which you can ask questions and really enjoy the tour.”
