• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Step back into the 17th century and explore the rise of Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age on this captivating walking tour. From merchant canals to Rembrandt’s legacy, discover how trade, art, and innovation shaped the city’s golden era. Your local guide brings history to life through powerful stories at iconic sites like Beursplein, Begijnhof, and Rembrandtplein.

Destination

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Nederlands, Русский, Deutsch, Suomi, Hindi

Included

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

Excluded

• Entrance to attractions

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 7 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

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 Bistro Berlage - 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. Amsterdam's Golden Age

   Your tour will focus on the Golden Age, a very important cultural subject in Amsterdam. Thanks to your local host, you’ll learn and see how this 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 Beursplein, Begijnhof, Rembrandtplein, 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

Robert🇺🇸 United States

(About local Anna)

7 September 2025

Anna provided us with an entertaining, informative tour, complete with modified jazz hands to annoy the bees! Awesome Anna!

Theo🇺🇸 United States

(About local Olga)

16 August 2025

Very insightful and energetic tour. Olga was able to answer random questions and keep the tour focused for the full duration.Olga was great!

Melanie🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Arunabha)

12 August 2025

Good overview of the VOC Am informed guide Nice amount of detail for a history buff family!Great financial history

Shane🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

9 September 2025

Sebastian did a fantastic job! Very knowledgeable and let us go at whatever pace we wanted to. Very friendly guy and excellent tour guide!Great Tour!

Bumble

(About local Olga)

7 September 2025

We took an excellent 3 hour city tour with Olga. She happily met us at our hotel and quickly found out what we were looking to see and experience. She was very generous with recommendations for nearby cafés and restaurants and took us to parts of the city that gave us a good overview of Amsterdam. Olga is friendly and knowledgeable.An excellent overview of the City

Gabi and Kasia🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

6 September 2025

maria🇬🇷 Greece

(About local Marten)

6 September 2025

Perfect ride!

Rashed

(About local Anna)

6 September 2025

Anna was an excellent guide on our bike tour – professional, knowledgeable, and made the experience both smooth and enjoyable.Amazing bike tour!

Moritz🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Sebastian)

4 September 2025

This was our first withlocals tour, but we both think it's very great if the tour guide speaks your native tongue. Sebastian can speak Dutch, English and German. He welcomes you very warmly and is very interested in getting to know his guests and accomosates for their personal background. It was a real pleasure to have chats with him, learn from his past, walking his tour through seemingly the whole of Amsterdam – in retrospect we were impressed on how many places we've been. His approach was structured well, e.g. he introduced topics at the beginning and showed us them in reality in the course of the tour. We tasted some specialities, got recommendations and loved his future-oriented approach and that we could really talk about different topics and not just get oberwhelmed by information. Only at the beginning he told us three dates which could be repeated to really remember them ;)Very personal, open and generous

Kristine

(About local Marten)

3 September 2025

Marten was extremely knowledgeable answered all our questions . We would definitely book him again I highly recommend marten you can see that he loves sharing his knowledge yet friendly and even accommodating because of our limited time thank you Marten

Thomas🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Marten)

2 September 2025

Marten has been a great host, source of many wonderful stories and anecdotes on the history of Amsterdam and the Netherlands and could adapt perfectly to the diverse needs of our family, fluently switching between English and German. Thank you so much for an inspiring afternoon.Wonderful experience

Marc🇺🇸 United States

(About local Anna)

1 September 2025

We had an incredible experience in Amsterdam with our guide Anna. From the very beginning, she made us feel welcome and comfortable, and her knowledge of the city’s history and culture was outstanding. Anna has such a natural way of weaving together stories from the Jewish Quarter to the Holocaust memorials to the little hidden corners that most tourists would never find on their own. She knows her way around and is an expert guide! Anna balanced the day beautifully, mixing important historical stops with local experiences and tastings (including the best fries and apple pie we’ve ever had!). She also took us to some wonderful spots for local shopping and even helped us negotiate with merchants so we could get the right items at fair prices, something we really appreciated. Anna’s passion for Amsterdam shines through, and her warmth made it feel like we were exploring the city with a friend rather than just a guide. We left with unforgettable memories and a much deeper appreciation for the city thanks to her. Highly recommend booking a tour with Anna it will truly make your visit to Amsterdam special!Wonderful tour- must go back again!

Ralf🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Marten)

31 August 2025

Marten ist ein großartiger Guide. Sehr flexibel, sehr informativ, voller Humor, einfach toll. Immer wieder!Grossartig!

Christoph🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Sebastian)

31 August 2025

Sebastian was a great fun guide and showed us how Amsterdam still recuperates land, as it did since its beginnings. We had great stops in most modern quarters, Westerpark, Jordaan, Dam and Redlight district and learnt about architecture and how the city evolved. Sebastian was generous with time and a great storyteller. Very recommendable.From today’s challenges to A’dam beginning

Janette

(About local Arunabha)

30 August 2025

Arun was great in taking time to understand what we needed. He was patient and took us round explaining the Dutch history and architecture, the canals and the history between each, he took time to take us to picturesque places where we got amazing shots. It is worth paying a guide so as to get a local's version of Amsterdam, and recommendations of other things to do and places to eat. His recommendations were great. I highly recommend him!Fantastic!

Jamie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Anna)

30 August 2025

Anna was wonderful! Friendly and knowledgeable. A real treat!Great experience

Cindy

(About local Anna)

29 August 2025

My husband and I enjoyed our 3 hour walking tour in Amsterdam with Anna. We scheduled it the first morning in Amsterdam and was able to cover so much in the 3 hours. We weren’t sure if we would be able to complete our list since my husband was using a motorized scooter to get around but Anna made sure we got to all the spots we wanted to see and finished our walk at a gluten free restaurant so we could enjoy lunch before our next visit to Anne Frank Museum. We enjoyed all the history of Amsterdam that Anna shared with us and highly recommend her for everyone. A great walking tour in Amsterdam

Marcia 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

28 August 2025

Marten did an excellent job ! He helped us navigate our hotel’s neighborhood after a wonderful tour! Thank you MartenKnowledgeable Marten

Lauren🇺🇸 United States

(About local Olga)

27 August 2025

We had a great experience on our 3 hour tour with Olga! She is very passionate about her work, has wonderful energy and enthusiasm, and I appreciated the variety of subject matter and thoroughness of information she shared. We heard about history, current events, little unique bits of information, food recommendations, and we felt comfortable asking any other questions that arose. She was very well prepared and we felt like we got an extremely thorough introduction to the city! Fantastic Tour Guide!

Marcia 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Anna)

26 August 2025

We had the best time with tour guide Anna today…my husband had twisted his knee but Anna came up with a way to have folding stools in front of paintings at The Rijks Museum..called a tea party…she was so knowledgeable and professional, thanks Anna!In praise of Anna

Michelle 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

22 August 2025

Marten gave us a great walk around with priority on what we wanted to see! We learned a lot and would recommend him to others as wellgreat walking tour

Asok

(About local Anna)

22 August 2025

Anna was on time, very flexible and accomodating and also amazingly knowledgeable about Amsterdam and the Netherlands. She is very well read and speaks English fluently. She guided me through Amsterdam showing and talking me though the history as well as all the cultural aspect of the city and people. I would highly recommend Anna if you are looking for someone to show you around the city. Amazing host and super knowledgeable guide

Julia

(About local Marten)

21 August 2025

We learned a lot about Van Gogh during our two hour at the museum. He has an interesting perspective and a deep knowledge of the artist and history. Very informative afternoon with Marten

Tara🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

20 August 2025

We had a great day with Marten. He really made Amsterdam come alive for us. He is so knowledgeable and fun we had a great time and would definitely recommend him! Fun and informative

Ian🇮🇪 Ireland

(About local Anna)

18 August 2025

We had a great walk around Amsterdam with Anna, some of the reasons I would recommend her would be: - Very good communication before the meeting, - keen to know in advance what we wanted from the tour, very personalised - very knowledgeable - very professional Thank you Anna!A great experience with Anna

Christi🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Marten)

18 August 2025

Due to an unavoidable last-minute change in our plans, we asked Marten to do a much faster tour of the museum than originally planned, but he was totally up to the task! We got through the highlights and learned a lot in a short amount of time. Quick but effective

Constance🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

17 August 2025

Marten took 5 of us on a private walking tour of Amsterdam... he was great! Knowledgable, witty, professional, & gave us a great explanation of historical events and results as we viewed some historical sites. Highly recommend and would defiantly hire him in the future... Thank You Marten, you exceeded all expectations. Exceeded all expectations!

Volker

(About local Sebastian)

17 August 2025

Ganz ganz tolle Kommunikation. Also kein eintöniger monolog mit Fahne und Mikro, sondern einfach genial. Unbedingt Sebastian buchen! Nicht von der Stange.

Claudia🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Marten)

16 August 2025

We had the most amazing experience on the local food tour in Amsterdam! Marten was the perfect guide – super fun, warm, and full of energy. His incredible knowledge about Amsterdam’s history, culture, and all the hidden gems he showed us made the tour truly special. Every stop had its own story, the atmosphere was wonderful, and the food was absolutely delicious. Marten guided our tour in German, which made it even more personal and enjoyable for us. He explained everything with so much passion and detail, and managed to create a very welcoming and lively atmosphere – it honestly felt like exploring the city with a good friend. This tour was both authentic and unforgettable, and we left with happy memories (and full stomachs!). We can wholeheartedly recommend Marten – thank you so much for such a memorable day in Amsterdam!A perfect mix of history and amazing food

Peter🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Marten)

16 August 2025

Enjoyed Marten’s humour, care and historical perspective.Fun experience

Bill🇺🇸 United States

(About local Anna)

13 August 2025

Anna provided us with a comprehensive look at the Rijksmuseum and its collection through the history, culture and politics of Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Based on her selection of paintings and objects to discuss, we came away with a much more complete understanding than we would have had exploring the museum on our own.The Complete Picture

David

(About local Sebastian)

13 August 2025

Sebastian was wonderful. He was very welcoming and knowledgeable. He took us around the city and explained the rich history of everything we were seeing including the changing geography and expansion of Amsterdam over time. He also gave us great insight into a lot of Dutch culture and gave us great tips for local restaurants and other attractions to see while we were here. We took a canal tour later and it was great to be able to connect the different sights, locations and architectures we saw from the canals to the information Sebastian had shown us earlier. We highly recommend the tour AND Sebastian!Fantastic tour of the city

Hannelore🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Marten)

12 August 2025

Wir haben sehr interessante Stunden im Museum verbracht. Absolut empfehlenswert, da sehr kompetent und gute Auswahl der Exponate!Tolle Führung

Jeff and Cheri🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

11 August 2025

If you want someone enthusiast and knowledgeable about Amsterdam, you cannot do better than Sebastian. He was very generous with his time, answered all of our questions and shared with us about the history, economics and culture of Amsterdam. Sebastian’s love of this city bubbles out of him. I would definitely recommend hiring Sebastian for a private tour. You won’t be disappointed! Private Tour with Sebastian

Zane🇱🇻 Latvia

(About local Anna)

11 August 2025

Thanks, Anna! We really enjoyed the tour and got a great historical review of Amsterdam, also you have an amazing humor! Amazing tour

Janice🇹🇼 Taiwan, Province of China

(About local Marten)

7 August 2025

Marten is undoubtedly the most passionate and enthusiastic tour guide we have ever met, brimming with love for Amsterdam. Walking through the streets of Amsterdam with Marten and listening to his detailed accounts of the city's history and culture has given us a deeper understanding and appreciation of Amsterdam's past and present. We are deeply grateful to Marten for the wonderful and unforgettable three hours he spent with me and my family in Amsterdam. We hope to return soon for another visit.Wonderful tour in the city of Amsterdam

xxxxxx

(About local Anna)

7 August 2025

We had difficulty locating Anna, which was quite stressful. There was no designated meeting point in the museum and she had no distinctive feature to identify her. eg: yellow umbrella! Eventually, through the chat on your website we found each other but it was not easy. Anna was very informative, she obviously knew the subject matter well and gave us a comprehensive tour, which we very much enjoyed and learnt from.

Candice

(About local Arunabha)

7 August 2025

Arun did a great job of pointing out the highlights and hidden details in his Amsterdam tour! He really helped us understand the history of the city and the architectural details of the various churches and other buildings he described as we walked around the old city. He also shared information about the history of the Red Light District. Well done!Highlights & Hidden Gems tour was great!

Owen🇺🇸 United States

(About local Tommi)

6 August 2025

Our family had an amazing walking tour of Amsterdam with Tommi. His knowledge and detail about the sites in the center of Amsterdam, as well as in the surrounding areas, were simply incredible. Tommi accommodated our special requests into his tour and we ventured out via metro, team and bus to cover some of the lesser known areas. He was gracious with his time and had no issues as we exceeded the allotted tour time. All in all, a great experience and value.A Great Tour and Then Some

Lucas

(About local Anna)

6 August 2025

Anna was an incredibly knowledgeable and engaging guide — her storytelling brought the history and architecture of the city to life in such a vivid and memorable way. From the charming canals to the hidden gems, every stop was filled with insight and passion. A lovely surprise during the tour was a delicious chocolate treat, which added a sweet touch to an already wonderful day. Highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to truly connect with the heart of Amsterdam!A fantastic experience in Amsterdam!

Jennifer🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

5 August 2025

I cannot say enough good things about our time with Sebastian! His enthusiasm, knowledge and love of his city and country was truly a pleasure to experience! My 16 year old son and I had a great time learning about the history of Amsterdam, while walking the streets of the city. Doing so through the lens of a local gave what we learned so much more value. Sebastian was a wealth of information, kept my teenager engaged, has a love of his city and country that was palpable and set a pace we could all enjoy. It was obvious to us that he does this because he truly enjoys sharing his city and knowledge with others. I highly recommend hiring him if you’re looking for an experience steeped in history and present day knowledge with someone who is so engaging. My son and I both felt like we were visiting a dear old friend! Thanks for making us feel right at home Sebastian! Jennifer and TateFabulous Morning with Sebastian

Drew

(About local Marten)

4 August 2025

Marten was one of the very best tour guides my wife and I have ever had. He was patient, curious, and accommodating to our special interests. We had a blast learning from this great history teacher and would highly commend others to do the same. A wonderful tour guide and history teacher

Katharina🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Marten)

4 August 2025

Interesting tour from new to old Amsterdam with a lot of stories on the way.Insights from a local

Katie

(About local Tommi)

3 August 2025

I am a well seasoned traveler and Tommi was hands down the best city guide I’ve ever had. Tommi is so knowledgeable about the city and you can tell he really loves what he does. He was able to tell us about architecture, history, culture, food, and gave us really great tips for our time in Amsterdam. We were able to see some of the popular sites, hidden gems that we would have not otherwise noticed, and also experienced less touristy neighborhoods where locals live. His tour really enhanced my understanding of the city and gave amazing context for the rest of my stay. At first I was skeptical of the cost because it is more than I usually spend on a tour. But I found that this was absolutely well worth the price and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you, Tommi, for such an amazing day!! Best guide ever

Franz🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Marten)

3 August 2025

Merten hat uns von der Geschichte Hollands, das Gebäude und den vielen Kunstwerken darin erzählt und uns an Hand der Kunstwerke die Besonderheiten der Kultur, des Erfolgs von Holland gezeigt! So bleibt die Führung nicht nur wegen ein paar Gemälde für uns positiv in Erinnerung! Empfehlenswert auch für Familien mit Jugendlichen! Herzlichen Dank MertenTolle Führung durch das Reichsmuseum

Otmar🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Marten)

2 August 2025

Norm🇮🇲 Isle of Man

(About local Olga)

1 August 2025

We had a lovely day out around Amsterdam with Olga. She had planned out a logical tour using our hotel as the starting point and altered her pace to suit us. Olga was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer all questions we threw at her. We are a family of five and in particular our 4 year old can be quite a challenge for tourist guides and activities. Olga dealt with him brilliantly and we couldn’t have asked for more. Highly recommended. Brilliant day around Amsterdam with Olga

Jeanette🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Olga)

31 July 2025

We couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Olga. Her in depth knowledge of Amsterdam was amazing & gave us a real insight into this wonderful city. She was a caring & respectful guide. I would always recommend her.Olga is the BEST!

Katharina🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Arunabha)

31 July 2025

We had a wonderful time with Arun. Great experience

Margaret🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

30 July 2025

Sebastian was an amazing tour guide, and his bike tour was a highlight of our vacation. His first priority was our safety, and my family and I felt comfortable following his lead through the city. He was knowledgeable about the history of the Netherlands and Amsterdam, and we stopped at several notable locations along our route. I highly recommend Sebastian for any of the tours that are offered.Amazing Amsterdam Bike Tour