• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Discover Amsterdam through the lens of architecture and design on this inspiring city walk. From the medieval weight of De Waag to the quiet elegance of Begijnhof and the historic charm of Nieuwmarkt, you'll uncover the stories etched into the city’s buildings and streets. Led by a passionate local, this tour reveals how Amsterdam’s design legacy continues to shape its modern identity.

Destination

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Deutsch, Nederlands

Included

• Private guide
• 1 Local snack or drink
• All Withlocals tours are carbon neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to attractions

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at In front of Café De Zon - Amsterdam to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Culture of the City

   On this private tour, you’ll experience and discover Amsterdam through its culture. Whether it’s focused on a tradition, a special part of town with a story to tell, cultural beliefs, or around a cultural activity that shaped the city into what it is - this tour will be a cultural awakening you can’t miss!

4. Design & Architecture in Amsterdam

   Your tour will focus on design & architecture, a very important cultural subject in Amsterdam. Thanks to your local host, you’ll learn and see how made an impact in Amsterdam, making you experience the city from a different perspective.

5. Cultural Highlights

   As you deep dive into the subject of your tour, you’ll make stops to visit unique spots that will give you a full picture of the city. Visit Begijnhof, De Waag, Nieuwmarkt, and more and see how these cultural highlights are part of the local life but have so much history behind them!

6. Storytelling Journey

   As you discover the cultural side of Amsterdam, you’ll be able to embrace it thanks to the amazing stories and storytelling skills of your local host. Feel free to ask any questions and feel as if you are reliving history in the present time.

7. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Nic🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

27 June 2025

I’d highly recommend a walking tour with Marten. You can expect to not just learn about the city but to learn something about the Dutch mentality, the values, what the local customs are like. There is no better way to begin your trip to Amsterdam.Amsterdam walking tour

Marcy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

11 June 2025

Marten immediately made my granddaughter and I feel comfortable. He was warm and engaging to both of us . His knowledge, expertise and experience makes him a top notch tour guide. His skill at making history and art so interesting to not only me, but also my 16 year old granddaughter, was so appreciated. We were lucky enough to have booked two separate tours with him . The first one was the Jewish history tour, which was very moving, and so worthwhile before we went to the Anne Frank House . It gave us a better understanding of Jewish life in Amsterdam before and after the holocaust. The other tour we took with Marten was of the Van Gogh Museum and Van Gogh himself. His story telling skills made learning about Van Gogh so very intriguing. His ability to draw attention to relevant things that one could easily overlook was so appreciated. Walking and talking while interweaving philosophical viewpoints made it even more thought provoking. It was very special to learn from this wonderful guide. We actually bumped into Marten the day after our tour and we were all so excited to see each other. Amazing tour guide

Booker🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

10 June 2025

Marten K. is an exceptional storyteller. At the Van Gogh Museum, he wove an intricate and captivating story of Vincent Van Gogh’s life as a mentally unstable, yet brilliant artist, highlighting the numerous artistic innovations he pioneered. He connected Van Gogh’s artistic accomplishments through his early days in Holland, then in Paris and finally in other French locations, including his one-year stay at a mental asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He detailed Van Gogh’s many relationships with Gaugin and other Impressionists. Throughout his telling of Van Gogh’s life story, he highlighted Vincent’s relationship with his younger brother, Theo, who loved and supported him throughout his life. Marten gave my wife and me many fresh insights that I had not heard in my art studies in college or learned in visits to other museums and exhibits with Van Gogh paintings. Our Van Gogh tour with Marten was so enlightening and memorable that we’d, without hesitation, use him for other tours he offers.Marten K. is the best guide you’ll find!

Andrea

(About local Marten)

9 June 2025

Martin expertly guided us through the Van Gogh and Rijks Museums. He has a deep knowledge of the artists and the art including artistic influences, time periods, and life circumstances. Martin also gave us background on the buildings including origins and newer editions and modifications. We especially appreciated his guidance through the Rijks Museum which is massive and crowded. Highly Recommend

Andrea🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

7 June 2025

We enjoyed walking through the old part of Amsterdam with focus on the pre-war Jewish neighborhoods. Martin has a strong command of history both local and global. He was able to contextualize a lot of what we were learning. We asked to end the tour at a particular time at or near the Anne Frank House. Martin accommodated us nicely with this.Informative

Christian

(About local Marten)

7 June 2025

Unsere Tour mit Marten war sowohl informativ als auch unterhaltsam. Er hat uns mit viel Engagement und Fachwissen begleitet und spannende Hintergrundinformationen vermittelt, die den Rundgang besonders interessant gemacht haben. Absolut empfehlenswert!Dank Marten wurde die Tour zum Highlight

Robert🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

7 June 2025

I enjoyed our time together. The story telling and local knowledge are interesting and fun. We walked and talked of the houses, the occupants, the changing norms and all manner of subjects. History, art, culture, architecture…

Peter🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Marten)

6 June 2025

We have been fortunate to participate in many, many tours. There is a huge difference between a generic tour guide and a host. In addition to possessing a passion for history, a deep sense of Dutch pride and an easy manner, Marten is an enthusiastic and personable host. We challenged him by asking to alter the tour plan at the last minute to accommodate avoiding things that we had already seen. He graciously and seamlessly adapted to our request and we spent an easy three hours walking and talking. We would recommend Marten highly to anyone seeking insight into the fascinating history and contemporary life of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is Awesome

Kevin🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

6 June 2025

Marteen was on time, very knowledgeable about the area as well as the history. My husband and I had a great time and we enjoyed the food, especially the stroopwafels!!!Great in a history lesson of the area

mcooperman

(About local Marten)

5 June 2025

Marten is great! He walked us through many different city areas and highlights. His enthusiasm for Amsterdam as a historian was clear through the storytelling he wove throughout our tour. This made the tour informative and engaging. Highly recommendedAmsterdam Storytelling

Michele🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

4 June 2025

We had a great time with Marten on the food tour! He was very informative and also a lot of fun. He shared great stories about living in Amsterdam and the history as we tried several different foods along the way. My mom is elderly and he was very accommodating to our slower pace. Great time with Marten

Alex🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

3 June 2025

Marten was a wonderful host with a lot of really interesting stories! We loved hearing about some history of Amsterdam and specifically about the area we were walking through. We had a great time walking around the Albert Cuyp Market sampling different food. My favorite was the warm, fresh stroopwafel, but everything we tried was delicious! In hindsight, my family would have appreciated at least one stop where we could have sat down for a bit to eat (we were with my in-laws), but that didn’t detract from the great experience we had. Thank you Marten!! A wonderful experience in Amsterdam!

Silke

(About local Marten)

1 June 2025

Wir hatten eine Foodtour in Amsterdam gebucht und einen ganz tollen unterhaltsamen Nachmittag mit Marten. Wir haben nicht nur ein wunderschönes Viertel von Amsterdam und einen beeindruckenden Foodmarket kennengelernt, sondern durch Martens sehr unterhaltsame und lustige Art auch Hintergrundinformationen zur Geschichte von Amsterdam, Land und Leuten bekommen. Wir hatten sehr viel Spaß und können Marten nur weiterempfehlen! Jederzeit sehr gerne wieder😃Tolle Entertainment Foodtour

Ward

(About local Marten)

26 May 2025

Marten is een uitstekende gids met uitgebreide kennis van historiek en maatschappelijke achtergrond. Hij voelt heel goed het niveau van de groep aan en past zich aan. Hoog niveau van kennis en sociale vaardigheid. een plezier om hem (en zijn mede-gids en partner Pillou) heel de dag te mogen meemaken. Voor herhaling vatbaar! Ik kan hem aan iedereen aanbevelen! Zeer leuke ervaring, Proficiat! Ward Uitstekende gids. Absolute aanrader!

Marion🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Marten)

20 May 2025

Vorweg möchte ich erwähnen, dass Marten ein netter, sympathischer Tourguide ist und viel Wissen weiter vermittelt. Die Foodtour führte kurz durch ein Stadtviertel und fand vorwegs auf einem Markt statt. Die Auswahl an Verkostungen war jedoch recht mager - von Fisch zu Süßem und dann wieder Fisch, Süßes und zum Abschluss Käse - und wenig abwechslungsreich. Was auf jeden Fall fehlte waren Getränke während dieser 2stüngigen Tour! Mussten wir uns selbst besorgen. Als Resumee: für diesen Preis hätte ich mir mehr Auswahl und Getränke erwartet. Toller Guide!

Julian🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Marten)

19 May 2025

Marten war nicht nur unglaublich freundlich und witzig, sondern hatte auch ein tiefes Wissen über die Geschichte, Kultur und versteckten Ecken Amsterdams. Unvergessliche Stadtführung in Amsterdam!

Sylvia🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

16 May 2025

We spent a lovely couple of hours eating our way through a local food market filled with delicious local cuisine with Marten. We also walked around the neighborhood learning about Dutch customs and history. Marten was knowledgeable, great fun, and a perfect guide. We highly recommend him. Food Market Fun!

Josh🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

16 May 2025

Marten was a very knowledgeable tour guide who gave us a very good tour of the Rijksmuseum. The tour was perhaps slightly heavier on history than on art, but was nonetheless very enjoyable. Recommended.Very Good Tour

Unknown

(About local Marten)

14 May 2025

Marten provided my parents and I with a wonderful tour of the Van Gogh museum. He was patient while we put our items in lockers and used the restroom, and then took us on an insightful tour of Van Gogh's work through the years, and how the evolution of his painting reflected what was happening in his personal life and his view of the world. Marten provided a lot of excellent historical and artistic information. I would absolutley tour with him again the next time we're back in Amsterdam. Van Gogh Tour

Ailsa

(About local Marten)

12 May 2025

Marten was a brilliant guide for the Highlights and Hidden Gems tour. 3 hours of a fascinating, engaging and informative insights into Amsterdam’s history and its people. Highly recommended. We will definitely seek out Marten for another of his tours on our next visit to the city.Highlights and Hidden Gems of Amsterdam

Unknown

(About local Marten)

5 May 2025

Excellent guide, féru d'histoire et d'anecdotes, sympathique et cordial. Il connait très bien la ville et l'histoire du pays. Il est intéressé et intéressant eu égard aux religions, à la sociologie et à la politique. Il sait s'adapter rapidement aux besoins de ses clients. Belle visite.Excellent guide !

Lisa

(About local Marten)

5 May 2025

Marten met us on time and was gracious with one of us having a physical issue that slowed things down a bit(me). Asking what he enjoyed teaching about the art in this wonderful museum, Marten explained the Netherlands history through art and the people’s evolution as a freedom loving people. This helped me to understand more about this beautiful and interesting country.Learning about the Netherlands Golden Age

Lynn🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

4 May 2025

Marten was the perfect companion for our historical tour of Amsterdam. We saw and heard a wealth of fascinating information—so much so that I would have continued the tour for several hours! We asked for an “insider’s” tour and Marten did not disappoint with his many stories and historical insight. He was flexible in terms of starting and ending points, which was a bonus, considering I have some mobility issues. We highly recommend Marten!Engaging and knowledgable tour guide

Judson

(About local Marten)

2 May 2025

Marten was very knowledgeable, and flexible. We booked a tour well beyond what we needed. We booked a 5-hour walking tour with Marten. He realizing this created a tour that he met our needs. He is obviously passionate about Amsterdam and its people. He was very accommodating and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this tour, because there are many things that you see that you don't know what it is. Marten explains things that otherwise you would know nothing about. My recommendation is 3 hours would be more than sufficient. Martin Will taylor the tour to your wantsFlexible, knowledgeable, passionate

Laura🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

1 May 2025

We had a wonderful tour with Marten on our tour. We were a group of 4 and we all enjoyed it. Marten is super knowledgeable and is an excellent communicator. This made for a great tour. Marten was willing to customize our tour a bit and was very accommodating! Thanks Marten!!Anne Frank & Jewish Culture Tour

Arvin🇵🇭 Philippines

(About local Marten)

30 April 2025

Marten was very accomodating from the very beginning. He introduced himself at first glance and was very prompt. He made the tour very light. We didn't even feel that we were having a tour at all. Thanks again Marten!BEST TOUR GUIDE IN AMSTERDAM

Melinda

(About local Marten)

20 April 2025

We did two tours with Marten while in Amsterdam. The first was a city tour where he gave us a lot of background on the history of Amsterdam. He showed us a lovely neighborhood not far from the city center but much less busy and chaotic which we returned to after the tour because we liked it so much. We also did a tour at the Rijksmuseum with Marten which was really enjoyable. The museum is very large and may feel overwhelming so I really appreciated Marten's approach to showing the history of Amsterdam and the Netherlands through art. Overall, would highly recommend Marten. He was fun person to chat with and super knowledgeable. Thank you Marten!! Great time in Amsterdam with Marten!

Michael🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

19 April 2025

Four of us spent three hours with Marrten learning about what WWII was like here in the city. Super informative and very sobering. But we also had lots of laughs. Highly recommend A great and informaaive day in Mastersam

Allison🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Marten)

13 April 2025

Martin brought Van Gogh’s life alive during our tour of the museum. His many stories/history were the best part. We like how he pointed out the most important paintings along the way. We had plenty time to go back and look at all the paintings once our tour was complete. We absolutely enjoyed Martin and the Van Gogh Museum.Amazing Tour

Lina🇩🇰 Denmark

(About local Marten)

12 April 2025

Marten was an outstanding guide for our sweet food tour in Amsterdam. As a group from Canada and Denmark, we truly appreciated how he made the experience both personal and engaging. He shared fascinating insights about the city and Dutch history, was easy to talk to, and created a warm and welcoming atmosphere. We felt a great connection with him throughout the tour, and he tailored the experience to our interests. It was a memorable and delicious journey – highly recommended!What a sweet food tour it was

Carolyn

(About local Marten)

6 April 2025

Marten was full of stories, interesting facts and funny anecdotes as we walked around parts of Amsterdam that I doubt we would have gotten to on our own. Marten was prompt, and our time with him seemed to fly past - an indication of how absorbed we were, as we reimagined an Amsterdam of old or projected into the future of where the city is going. A totally enjoyable afternoon spent in his company. We would recommend both Marten and this tour for a fuller understanding of both Amsterdam and the Dutch people.Funny and educational

Christa🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Marten)

4 April 2025

Marten hat uns Amsterdam sehr nahe gebracht. Er hat es wunderbar getroffen, was wir uns von dieser Führung erwartet haben. Toll! Absolut sehr empfehlenswert.Sehr gut

Trish🇮🇪 Ireland

(About local Marten)

3 April 2025

"Our two-hour tour of the Van Gogh Museum with Marten was exceptional. His deep knowledge of Van Gogh's life and art history, combined with his engaging communication style, transformed our visit. We gained invaluable insights that we simply wouldn't have discovered on our own. Marten's passion truly brought Van Gogh's story to life." - Thank you MartenVan Gogh Brought to Life by Marten

Stephanie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

3 April 2025

Meeting up with Marten to tour the local food market and learning about Amsterdam felt like we were meeting up with a friend. My husband and I learned all about Dutch culture and traditional foods, but we also enjoyed chatting with Marten. He was extremely knowledgeable, relatable, and caring throughout the tour. We enjoyed new dishes we would’ve never thought to try on our own and they were all surprisingly delicious. We walked the neighborhood and learned about Dutch culture and their mentality which sparked great conversation. Highly recommend scheduling a tour with Marten and don’t schedule another tour that same day so you aren’t rushed. It’s worth the time to spend with Marten. Learning from a Local Friend

John

(About local Marten)

2 April 2025

With only two days in Amsterdam, we wanted to see a lot and learn about the city in just a few hours. Marten was friendly and extremely knowledgeable and gave us what we needed. We are both happy to have toured with him and would recommend him to anyone. Time well spent

Chris🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Marten)

2 April 2025

Brilliant insight thank youGreat

Clarissa 🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Marten)

30 March 2025

Marten ist ein sehr guter Stadtführer, wir haben in drei Stunden viel gesehen und gelernt. Jederzeit wieder gerne! Viel spannende Geschichte gelernt!

Jeannine🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

25 March 2025

Thank you Marten for an amazing tour! While the food was delicious, we all really enjoyed the conversation we had together. We appreciated how you were able to tailor the tour to our interests.

Per

(About local Marten)

11 March 2025

Martin is a great guide, during our tour at the Van Gogh museum we learnt a lot and had a great time!Van Gogh museum

Lena

(About local Marten)

9 March 2025

Wir waren eine deutsch-niederländische Gruppe im Alter von 12 bis 60 Jahren und alle hatten viel Spaß. Marten hat es geschafft, anhand der Ausstellungsstücke die Geschichte und Kunstgeschichte der Niederlande und Europas sehr schön zu veranschaulichen, mit interessanten Analogien zur Gegenwart. Vielen Dank!!Sehr interessant!

Alice Anne🇮🇪 Ireland

(About local Marten)

21 February 2025

We booked the highlights & hidden gems tour with Marten. We would recommend. Marten was very friendly & very knowledgeable. We enjoyed our time with him very much. He knew a lot about the history of Amsterdam too. Superb walking tour

Jennifer

(About local Marten)

19 February 2025

I really appreciate the time and effort of the tour. An excellent way to discover all that Amsterdam has to offer. Great Tour, excellent guide!

Maxine

(About local Marten)

18 February 2025

Steve🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

15 February 2025

Marten not only loves his city, Amsterdam, he also loves his country, and the culture. His enthusiasm drives his tour but he also made it interactive, picking up on the subjects we were most interested in. We learned a lot about Amsterdam and the role of the Dutch in world. We wish we had more time!Loves His City

Mary

(About local Marten)

27 January 2025

From the start of our four hour tour, Marten exceeded our expectations in every way, and our expectations were high to begin with. He is not just a guide; he is a true historian with an infectious enthusiasm for his city. Marten didn't just recite facts; he brought history to life with captivating storytelling. In addition to being incredibly knowledgeable, he is witty, engaging, insightful and clearly passionate about sharing his love of Amsterdam with others. My husband and I learned so very much and had tons of fun while doing so! We'll always be grateful to have had Marten as our guide! He clearly loves what he does and what is better than that?!! An unforgettable tour!!!

Deborah🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

26 January 2025

We had the pleasure of experiencing the Rijksmuseum with Marten as our guide. Marten shared not only the wonderful art with us he gave us the history of the art styles and how they evolved through time. It was information that we would not have thought about if we were on our own at the museum. I recommend having Marten as your guide if you are interested not only in the art but also in history. I’m so happy that we chose Marten to be our guide.Rijksmuseum With Marten

Francois🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Marten)

23 January 2025

Marten is an excellent, humorous guide who perfectly engaged with our group of international managers. His tour was interesting, entertaining and filled with funny anecdotes. Excellent guide for an international group

Luiz Guilherme

(About local Marten)

12 January 2025

Marten was very engaging ever since the beginning of the tour and told us the history, facts and lifestyle of Amsterdam. Our experience wouldn’t have been the same with any other guide. We loved the experience and our staying in Amsterdam wouldn’t have been so complete without Marten!Wonderful Tour of Amsterdam

Jeannette🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Marten)

9 January 2025

Ich war über Silvester mit meinem 21-jährigen Sohn das erste Mal in Amsterdam. Wir hatten eine 3-stündige Tour durch Amsterdam auf deutsch mit Marten gebucht. Ich muss diese Tour wirklich empfehlen, es ging nicht nur um das geschichtliche Amsterdam. Wir konnten Marten alles Fragen, ob gesellschaftliche Entwicklungen, Architektur. Genauso hatte ich mir das erste Kennenlernen mit Amsterdam vorgestellt. Ich komme definitiv wieder!Diese Tour sollte man unbedingt buchen!

Lauren🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

30 December 2024

We were so impressed with our tour with Marten. He was very knowledgeable about the Jewish district and history. He gave us a lot to think about. He also managed to work in lighter moments and share personal stories. He was very engaging. We give him 10 stars! Couldn’t find a better guide!