The city is undergoing a revival equal to its Golden Age glory days, making it far more difficult to navigate than simply keeping an eye out for the onslaught of motorcycles. This includes significant museum renovations, cutting-edge architectural innovation, and a chameleonic cuisine scene. Here are the top 10 tours you should take in Amsterdam.
1. Eating Amsterdam, Jordaan Food Tour
The Ace Tour Company’s Amsterdam branch Dining across Europe—in six cities and counting—is not a haphazard endeavor, and the package includes professionally made local cuisine maps (but make sure to reserve ahead). With four-hour guided walking tours of the Jordaan district’s lesser-known spots, twelve stops for Dutch specialties, and several meet-and-greets with artisanal food superstars, the emphasis is very much on insider knowledge.
Two historians, two chefs, an architect, a local who has lived in Jordaan for generations, and an Indonesian/Dutch guide will be with you to explain the former colony’s valuable contribution to the culinary world. The atmosphere is lively and participatory, and the main dish includes a tasty bit of history on the side.
2. Black Heritage Tour Amsterdam
Jennifer Tosch, the founder of Black History Tours, is on a one-woman mission to raise awareness of the African diaspora’s presence and little-known history in the Netherlands (she has since added excursions in NYC and, upon request, Brussels). The main attraction is rigorous, engaging three-hour boat tours, which draw two to 90 people thanks to luminaries like activist and novelist Angela Davis (average group size is 10-20 guests).
The key phrase here is eye-opening. You will begin to notice evidence of the city’s wicked colonial legacy all around once you become aware of the hidden history of Amsterdam’s gorgeous Golden Period museums and canal mansions.
It will never be the same again to visit the Royal Palace or the Rijksmuseum (both generally included). Book far in advance, especially outside of the summer when travel is less common.
3. MokumBoot
A million tourists are available for the million Amsterdam canal cruises. It’s kind of a no-brainer to avoid that and practice your navigational abilities for two hours (or longer, if you wish). This is the king of skipper-yourself boat rentals with a 50-strong fleet of stylish monochrome electric motor boats, and six hire stations spread throughout the city, but with the carefree demeanor of a playboy prince.
They aren’t disorganized, mind you; Mokum (an old name for Amsterdam) takes care of the cushions (or ponchos and blankets, depending), suggested sailing itineraries, and operating instructions for the boats.
The friendly dock staff will go above and above to give you a very clear brief on how to run the boat, but if you want to avoid traffic or visit a certain location, they will be happy to modify your schedule. Make reservations at least two days in advance for sunny weekends to secure the best early-afternoon times.
4. Architour Half Day Tours: IJburg & Golden Age Walk
The market leader in Holland for architectural excursions, the expertly planned Architour, can accommodate groups of two to 240, whether they are made up of town planning offices, Rotary Clubs, or architecture students. Both standard, two-hour small group tours, which can hold a maximum of ten people, and private trips, which can hold up to 20 people, require reservations.
Although they also offer bike and canal tours, the two tours featured here are both on foot. A dozen regional architects will accompany the directors as guides, Paul Vlok and Anneke Bokern (an architect and an architecture journalist, respectively).
No inquiry is too precise because everyone is fluent in Dutch and English (and some are also proficient in German, French, and Japanese) and has firsthand knowledge of how the Dutch architectural culture compares to other nations.
5. WeBike Amsterdam City Tour
Despite the fact that cycling is ingrained in the Dutch culture and there are over 880,000 bikes in Amsterdam alone, the maximum number of cyclists on this superb independent group’s three-hour excursions is typically seven. It’s best to secure your spot in advance, given the positive online evaluations and the small seating areas.
Regulars Thijs and Jasper, who grew up riding bikes like many Dutch children do, are masters at fusing fun with insightful historical and architectural trivia. While you travel from one amazing location to the next, you are conversing regularly in addition to simply following the leader.
They have a (well-maintained, comfy) bike for carrying infants or young children. The kind of individuals you’ll be riding with is basically up to you, but it’s safe to say that they won’t be the same ones that come to Amsterdam for the weed and the red lights, so beginners really shouldn’t start here.
6. Context Travel’s Rijksmuseum Tour: Crash Course
You simply need to share the thrill with five other equally affluent travelers because this is a formidable enterprise set up and run by tour professionals. All of the Rijksmuseum docents are art historians, from Vermeer specialists to well-known TV celebrities, so you could be admiring a Rembrandt while conversing with a renowned authority on the subject.
Despite this, they don’t speak down to the tour participants, and many of them are both amusing and clever (sigh). If you’re set on hiring a Rembrandt expert, it’s worth doing your research because itineraries vary depending on the docent (and the group), but in any case, the master’s works will be standard fare, not least his masterpiece The Night Watch, which occupies a prominent position in the center of the museum.
A tour guide can help you find the more difficult rooms, which can make you fall in love with 17th-century furniture, ceramics, or model ships forever.
7. PIC’s Wallen Tour
There are many companies offering walking tours of Amsterdam’s Red Light District, but none of them offer accounts of the notorious area from the viewpoint of sex workers. Walks organized by the Prostitution Information Center (PIC), a valued non-profit, seek to promote an open dialogue about the misunderstood sector and foster greater respect for sex workers (the term preferred by prostitutes).
A few minutes before the tour, arrive in PIC’s community center, café, and exhibition space—or arrive early to browse the sex library over coffee and cake. Ex-sex workers who are willing to share their own experiences serve as guides, while experts who study the industry may address virtually any question, from how much money can be made in a shift to the industry’s historical roots.
Given PIC’s goal to influence people’s hearts and minds, this presentation is everything but formulaic; the guides are genuinely passionate about it, and you could even start crying.
8. Amsterdam Photo Safari
The one-on-one attention is excellent for advancing quickly, and if you choose a longer tour (they last between three and six hours, with four being the recommended minimum), you’ll truly be able to stray from the usual path. This is really best for individuals with a vested interest.
Your safari party may include professionals with expensive DSLRs searching for the inside scoop on the greatest locations to photograph in the city, as well as complete beginners learning the fundamentals of composition. You can pay about 90% less than the standard tour price to bring a companion who has an iPhone or other portable photography device, making it feel more like a private tour (those are available too, and are strongly recommended for people with mobility issues).
Even amateur photographers will soon be catching boat light trails with advice on the optimum long exposure settings as the lights start to come on over the city’s bridges, producing fairytale reflections over the canals. Night safaris start a few hours before sunset and are impossibly lovely.
9. Rederij De Jordaan
Smooth, smooth, smooth. As far as VIP canal cruises go, captain Reinhard Spronk’s antique saloon boat trips (on the larger Farahilde from 1908 or the 1932 teak beauty Welmoed) are the real deal. He runs the business with his partner Miloe and leads private groups on customized excursions of Amsterdam’s fabled canals.
Your hotel on the water or the nearby Café Van Puffelen will pick you up. The combination of a stunning vintage boat, the most elite company in town, plus (for an additional fee) red flowers, fine finger foods, and bottomless champagne will make this the highlight of your European journey.
10. Brouwerij ‘t IJ
The Netherlands isn’t exactly recognized as a beer powerhouse compared to neighboring Belgium, but the big news is that the capital now has artisan brewers to brag about. So instead of waiting in line at the lengthy, more well-known Heineken Experience, visit the iconic local craft brewery ‘t IJ, which set the standard for specialty brews long before the phrase “small batch” became a hipster rite of passage.
As the largest wooden windmill in the Netherlands is right next door, finding the venue, which was established in 1985 in an old bathhouse, is a breeze. A quick 20-minute crash course in the magic of malt, hops, and yeast is provided during tours of the Funenkade HQ on Friday through Sunday afternoons.
Only 20 spaces are available, and there is no pre-booking, so arrive early to get tickets (a free beer is included with the entry fee). But don’t bother bringing your bachelor party; they are now prohibited due to a number of unpleasant incidents in the past.
