I booked this well in advance (6 - 8 weeks). You pay a nominal booking fee (maybe a Euro or two…read moreper person) to book, the tour is free, and you are expected to tip a decent amount at the end (at least 10 Euros). I figured it would be a good orientation and we'd have some flexibility if our plans changed late. We ended up sleeping later than planned on our first full day in Amsterdam (thanks, jet-lag). We did, however, manage to arrive at the rendezvous point (the monument in Dam Plaza) at least 5 minutes before tour time (10:30 a.m.). There were about 3 tour groups assembling at the same time. The company divided us up among appropriate guides and the tours began. Our guide was Paul Bierman. He was a lifelong resident of Amsterdam and had the associated level of knowledge about things. The tours are somewhat free form, and can focus on whatever the group likes - architecture, history, etc. Our group wasn't super decisive so we got a broad overview (which was fine). Paul walked us around the city center pointing out old churches, the first stock exchange, whimsical local canal lore, canal-side houseboats (one of which was a dedicated cat sanctuary), etc. It was a bit of a potpourri of local facts and trivia but everyone enjoyed it. We ended up back near the starting point close to 2 hours later. Overall, I thought this was a good introduction to the central city. It is a good option for a first-time visitor's first day in Amsterdam.

I've visited Amsterdam four times, but I just discovered the free tours by Free Walking Tours. On…read morethe day before my departure, I was thrilled to find one available in the afternoon. With a big group, It was split into two groups and I was assigned to Sebastiaan. His passion for history and sense of humor made the tour truly enjoyable. His familiarity with New York also helped me draw interesting connections between the two cities. This experience made my trip memorable, and I highly recommend him. I plan to return for more tours in the future. Thank you Free Walking Tours!

"Well, at least"…read more... A while ago, I saw this video about the difference between sympathy and empathy. Empathy, they explained, is the capacity to get down to an individual's level and meet the person where they're at. To really experience what what someone else's experiencing. And that, I think, is exactly what this place is about! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw Despite all that, however, I wasn't really feeling it. Somehow, the introductory story told by Sandra just didn't do it for me. She failed to move me! Personally, I felt like she was trying too hard to be something she wasn't, which is....funny.... It's okay not to be funny! Her talk came across as forced, forced to the point it even started to annoy me. I don't know, I think I just missed the authenticity! As for the tour... It could have been very effective... The decor was solid built. The recreation of different A'dam scenes I think they achieved quit well. But since I was somehow always the last 1 to enter each room, I ended up missing most of the instructions our guide was giving. Think our group might have been too big (we were with the 6 or 7 of us). I just kept on bumping into people, groping them as I tried to orientate myself by feeling the "environment". All this touching left me with the strong urge to wash my hands afterwards! Besides that, and someone trying to shove rusty things down my throat, I think I'd still recommend this experience. But not to go in with more than 3 or 4 people at the same time though. Finally if I may give 1 more word of advise, consider dropping a few nice warm piles of dog poo. Not to be funny, but seriously though. Make it like a true A'dam experience! I really wonder how the visually impaired manage to dodge this these (small) gifts left by our 4-legged friends when walking across this city's streets. It's already quite a challenge when you're visually able! Anyways, this experience whole left me with the realization that I do have germophobia :( But at least I'm thankful I can see...

CtheCity is an amazing experience where you have the opportunity to "see" Amsterdam through the…read moreeyes of someone who is blind. Did you ever wonder what it would be like to walk around the city with one of those white canes? It's a lot less scary than you would think. Upon entering CtheCity your are introduced to your blind tour guide that will lead you through a mock Amsterdam (the whole tour is indoors). The journey will take you about 1 hour and everything will be in total darkness. Get ready to use your ears, hands, nose and white cane to help guide you along. Don't be scared, your guide and small group will be with you at all times. You're all there to help each other out. The tour starts in a small debriefing room that is not totally dark. You will get some instruction about what the next room has in store and then you will walk into complete and total darkness. What's the first thing you notice? Traffic and lots of it. The task, find the cross walk button and cross the road. Don't worry, there are not real cars. Throughout the course of the tour, you will have to find your way through a maze of bikes, cross a bridge, order drinks and cheers your group in a café, find a bench and sit down at Vondelpark and finally have an infrared picture of your group taken in the dark! You will notice that things start to get a bit easier as you go along as you learn how to rely on your other senses and each other. Also during the tour you will have a chance to have a frank conversation with your guide about every day challenges that they face, but you will also begin to realize that being blind is not the end of the world. There is so much that can be done without help and it's quite interesting to hear about it.

Myself, my husband and his parents did a tour. It was very good and Jennifer made sure that my in…read morelaws (who can be slow to walk) were not left out. Would abslutely recommend.

From the owner: Visit the beautiful medieval city of Alkmaar and its traditional Cheese Market with a top-rated…read moresmall group tour. The tours are fun, informative and give an insightful look into the Dutch culture and way of life. Discover Alkmaar's most important attractions and wander off the beaten track and experience the 'real' Alkmaar. Tour sizes are kept small ensuring a personalised experience for everyone! Alkmaar Tours offers Cheese Market Tours, City Walking Tours as well as Private Tours.

Maybe it was all tour guide, but at the end of trip, our group (8 of us) didn't feel it was a good…read moreuse of our time and kind of wish we had just gone exploring on our own. I guess it really depend on the guide, as I've been on these type of "free" tours where we learned a lot about the city and greatly enhanced the rest of our stay with local tips about restaurants etc. For this tour, it started out fine, the guide talked to us about the unique architecture of the houses and how they can become tilted. Unfortunately afterwards it was mostly just a lot of walking, and as it was a big group (the company had split the participants into several groups already, but it was still a good-sized group that formed a long line on the narrow streets), the few closer to the tour guide may have gotten a lot more out of the experience as they chat with the guide along the way, but the rest of us felt excluded. The little info we got was mostly history with a dry presentation. Early in the trip, I have asked the guide about something, and she said she'd explained more about that later. Towards the end of the trip, I mentioned to another traveler that I never did find out more about that something, and the lady said, oh, the guide did talk about it. I was a bit bummed to have missed it, and also felt that a more attentive guide would have sought to include me in that part of the talk. As said I've enjoyed many of this type of tours, so when we visited Amsterdam we did a bit of research and signed up for this one due to its good rating. Unfortunately the experience didn't live up to our expectation.

Gotta give it up to Shanna for an awesome tour! The weather was cold, grey and drizzly but she…read morestill brought positive energy and a good attitude. There were also moments where random interlopers interrupted her or the group got separated by traffic and she handled it all professionally. What I enjoyed the most was her depth of knowledge about the different social groups living in the city. Our group got into some detailed discussion around the history of the slave trade and sex industry in the city and at all points she gave a balanced perspective. I liked the combination of fun history with socially aware commentary on what it means today. I would totally recommend the tour, and Shanna to anyone visiting Amsterdam.

When I travel, I sometimes go on a tour of the city I am visiting as I like to learn about the…read morehistory of the area. I prefer to go on tours at the beginning of my trip as it helps with figuring out how to get around the city as well as discover attractions and sites I may not have been aware of. When I went to Europe in 2015, my friend recommended Sandeman's New Europe tours. The tour is free, but you're expected to tip the guide at the end of the tour, which is a win-win for everyone -- you don't need to pay more than you can afford, and the guide ends up making a decent amount. And because their wage depends on what people will pay them, the tour guides make an effort at being knowledgeable, entertaining, and personable. Sandeman's also offers paid tours to certain attractions. I've previously been on free Sandeman's tours in Berlin and Prague (as well as some paid tours), and the tour guides have been excellent, so I signed up for a free tour on our first full day in Amsterdam. Unfortunately it was raining at the beginning of the tour, but despite the weather, I had a good time and learned a lot about Amsterdam's history. The tour was two hours and started in Dam Square. The name of our tour guide was Pau, and she was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. If you like learning about the history of the cities you visit and don't want to spend an arm and a leg, I highly recommend Sandeman's New Europe tours. [Yelp collections: Europe 2024; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Cheap Thrills]

Took the 10:30 tour today with Danny the tour guide…read more Thanks for all the stories, a few opportunities to sit down, and answering all our questions

A DAMN GOOD TIME WITH A DAMN GOOD GUIDE!! That Damn Guide,…read moreMark, is an independent tour guide in Amsterdam and provided our family with an excellent, private walking tour experience. He's very knowledgeable, very funny, and offers a unique perspective on Amsterdam with interesting insights into the rich culture and history of this city. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and he comes highly recommended!

We took this tour in early March 2020. We've taken a lot of walking tours in many European cities…read moreand this one with Mark is by far the absolute best. The small size is so much more intimate and comfortable. He spent a little time at the start getting to know us better and finding out what our interests are so he could tailor the tour for us. Then he showed us a map pointing out where we were going and sites he wanted to show us. His walking tours are usually between 2 to 8 people which is what initially attracted us to this tour. We thoroughly enjoyed it because Mark opened up Amsterdam to us in a way we never could have done on our own. That's the gift that Mark has, to be able to show us this multi-faceted city through his eyes, and his experiences, and with a balanced view. You would think that 3 hours is a long time to walk around a city but the time just flew by! Mark touched on the social, economic and political faces of Amsterdam. He sprinkled it with history and humor too. And it's all so much more interesting the way he presents it than just walking around reading from a guide book. Amsterdam is a beautiful city with a complex history and Mark shares it all during the walk. He's easy to listen to and his narrative is insightful and informative. Mark set a comfortable walking pace for us and he was ever mindful that my husband wore hearing aids. We really appreciated that. We loved the cafe that he took us to for a short break. It was open and airy and had a good vibe. The gallery and shop downstairs showcasing Dutch design was fascinating. I'd love to return. Mark also introduced us to a couple of smaller museums that we plan to see again. You can support this Amsterdam local business by booking directly on the That Dam Guide website instead of any 3rd party booking site, all of which charges him commissions. It's truly the best way to get to know Amsterdam.

There are so many walking tours in Amsterdam so it's always a highlight when you get the chance to…read moreattend a different one. Last Wednesday it was time again. Together with a group I joined the Amsterdam Underground City Walks, organized by stichting De Regenboog, an organization that takes care of Amsterdam's unprivileged like people with social problems or drug addicts and homeless. The tour start is in front of Dwaze Zaken. The concept is that every group gets a guide who used to live in the streets of Amsterdam and tells his/her individual story and shows the according sites. Our guide Glenn, originally from Suriname, used to work as a drug dealer for 33 years. Nowadays he's employed at one of the 8 homes of De Regenboog where he cooks for 30 to 40 people 5 days per week. Taking the tour with Glenn was fun, he's a bouncy, streetwise guy who ends every sentence with "you know?". You can tell he's proud that he could get along for 33 years, has even been rich, always knowing where to make business without robbing people. This however doesn't include tricking customers by selling heroine mixed with stones. But he needed the money at that point because he was ill. After a while Glenn suddenly stopped and asked whether all participants were still there. They were. "Because last time I lost a guy, you know? Haha. But he went to one of the cabines in the red light, you know?". Sure. During the tour we learned a lot of interesting facts. About chinese house owners in Zeedijk who rented out spots to drug dealers in the 70ies to hide their drugs, for 500 gulden per day. That blue lights in the red light district signal that the respective woman was born as a boy. How homeless get into private houses to sleep for some hours in the staircases and escape before the residents would wake up. About the former police station in Warmoesstraat where the drug dealers placed a chain of watchdog to warn each other in times before mobile phones existed. Taking this tour you'll get to know Amsterdam from a very different aspect and moreover you support a good cause. The tour is €10 (I guess that goes to the organizators) and in the end you can tip the guide if you like.

I used an app called Headout to book this Anne Frank Story and World War II small group walking…read moretour with 36O tours. The communication about where to meet at the Jewish History Museum was helpful. We arrived 20 minutes early today, and there was a big enough group that two guides came out to split us in two. We were so happy to have Clare J as our tour guide. She did a superb job of pacing our stops, telling us where to stand for the best view, and projecting her voice so we could all hear. She was knowledgeable, kind, and skillful at narrating the story of the Nazi occupation in Amsterdam and the response of the people here. I learned so much about the ways the people in Amsterdam protested or resisted both directly and indirectly. I was awed to see all the names of people memorialized at the Holocaust monument, and in the plaques on city sidewalks in various places. I appreciated hearing Clare read the excerpt from Anne's diary. All typhoid in her guidebook also helped us visualize what was happening back then. The walking tour makes me anticipate tomorrow's visit to the Anne Frank house even more. Highly recommend!

I had booked a VanGogh tour with this company through Viator tours. My tour was confirmed and paid…read morefor in full only to be notified after more than 60 days that the tour should not have been booked because it wasn't being offered. By not letting me know for that long, it made it difficult to rebook with another tour company as we were close to our travel dates, and I had to pay more than double what I previously paid to do so. I get things happen but I should have been informed within a couple days of my original booking so I would have had more available rebooking choices, not 60 plus days later.

A golden experience of the Dutch Golden Age…read more.. My husband and I had the good luck to find Murk's tours. Definitely recommended for hardcore history fans who appreciate a personal touch. We chose the Golden Age focus for our tour. But it seems folks who care about any given topic will find their curiosity satisfied here. Before we met - Murk replied promptly to emails. He pro-actively clarified our details. On the tour - Murk's mix of stories, his artwork binder, and of course the details of the city itself created a vivid image of the 17th century. I could have sworn that if I strained my eyes a little more, I would have spotted the deep-hulled trading Ships on the horizon, and heard the bustle of goods coming into port. Murk had spirited answers to our questions... When, Why, What's it mean? And how do you pronounce that in Dutch again? On the path, Murk gently dispelled some of the more romantic notions we held about the Golden Age. Yet in the same stories, he also pointed out the grandeur of items we'd assumed were ho-hum. As great teachers do. We must add that the tour price felt like quite a deal. One gets the sense that Murk does this for fun as much as for money; and wouldn't you like to tour with someone who really enjoys what they do?