• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Walk through the heart of Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter and uncover stories of resilience, remembrance, and cultural heritage. From the majestic Portuguese Synagogue to the haunting Hollandsche Schouwburg and Auschwitz Monument, this tour brings the city’s WWII history to life through powerful storytelling. Discover how Amsterdam’s past still echoes in its streets on this meaningful and moving experience.

Destination

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Deutsch, Nederlands, Hindi, Suomi

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 4 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 Café Waterlooplein 77 - 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. WWll in Amsterdam

   Your tour will focus on Jewish Quarter and WWll, very important cultural subjects 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 Portuguese Synagogue, Hollandsche Schouwburg, Auschwitz Monument, 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

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!

Gabi and Kasia🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marten)

6 September 2025

maria🇬🇷 Greece

(About local Marten)

6 September 2025

Perfect ride!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Katharina🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Marten)

28 July 2025

We had great time with Marten. He told us many background things about this city. Thank you for a wonderful start here in Amsterdam Great view of Amsterdam

Geraldine🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Sebastian)

26 July 2025

Sebastian was a great guide and took much time for us. We had 3 hours biking, showing me the hihlights, explaining Amsterdam's history, having a bubble tea, Sebastian showing where to go swimming tomorrow, where to have a great Suriname dinner. Really a great moment!Perfect afternoon!

Mike🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

26 July 2025

Sebastian has a genuine love of Amsterdam and for telling stories about his amazing city. Our walk - which exceeded the time we expected - flew by with stories about The Netherlands history, water and land usage, contemporary life, and useful recommendations for our time here. He took us to places we'd never go (or find) as well as listened to us about the things we wanted to try - as such, for instance, we had both Suriname cuisine and fresh herring. Highly recommend Sebastian, which was more like taking a walk with a very knowledgeable friend through Amsterdam than merely hiring a guideFantastic experience

Rebecca

(About local Marten)

24 July 2025

Marten was a fun and easygoing host - we really enjoyed his insights into Dutch culture and the delicious food.Fun afternoon

Dawn

(About local Marten)

24 July 2025

Our Amsterdam tour with Marten was fantastic! He was knowledgeable, engaging, and brought the city’s rich history to life with fascinating stories. The mix of historical landmarks and hidden gems gave us a well-rounded view of Amsterdam. Marten's passion for the city was clear, and his friendly, professional approach made the experience even better. The tour was well-paced and informative. Highly recommend this tour—and especially Marten—for anyone wanting to truly appreciate Amsterdam.A great way to see Amsterdam!!

Nick

(About local Arunabha)

16 July 2025

Arunabha was without a doubt the most intelligent, educated, well versed, knowledgeable, impressionable, kind young man I’ve ever had as a guide. Showed us the most important areas to see. Stepped out of the way of regular everyday tour guides in order to speak Directly to us about what we were looking at & gave a brilliant history of it. He has studied & knows what he’s talking about! Linda. 7-15-25. Amazing

Kerri🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Sebastian)

15 July 2025

Sebastian was fabulous. He was prompt, professional and very down to earth. We felt like true locals as it rained during our bike tour, but we continued on and just rode around anyway! It was a truly memorable experience. He pointed out all the things we were interested in and spent an extra half an hour with us. He was really engaged in the tour and we would recommend him to all!Best bike tour

Paige🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

14 July 2025

Sebastian was a really fantastic guide— the route he chose was perfect and it showed us parts of the city we never would have seen otherwise along with the city centre. he’s also a history expert who explains things in a very interesting way — we learned quite a bit and it was fascinating. He is very safe cyclist who never rushes the experience. Highly recommend taking his tour!! Perfect way to see Amsterdam

Rob🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

11 July 2025

Sabastion did a great job…. He showed us many details that we never would have found on our own…. Very well worth the time when you first arrive as then you know when and where to go to get the most out of your holiday.Sabastion was Great!

Rosie

(About local Tommi)

8 July 2025

We hebben een geweldige privé tour gedaan met ons kleine team door het centrum van Amsterdam. Helemaal op maat gemaakt, Tommi dacht ontzettend goed mee met onze behoeften en begeleide de tour in het Engels vanwege ons internationale team. Echt een aanrader, Tommi weet in detail alles te vertellen. Je kan echt zien dat hij van Amsterdam houdt! Ontzettens bedankt voor de tip ervaring. Op en top!!

Julia 🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Arunabha)

7 July 2025

Our group of 4 had a wonderful tour with Arunabha. We covered many steps and Arunabhas history of Amsterdam and Australia was amazing. He even taught us things about Australia that we didn't know! We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the little things that were in plain sight but which we would have totally missed if we hadn't had a guide. Do yourselves a favor and book a tour! 3 hour tour of Amsterdam

Kevin🇺🇸 United States

(About local Arunabha)

5 July 2025

We did 3 excursions with Arun and he was outstanding. Food tour, windmills, and Amsterdam City tour. His knowledge of each site and recommendations for further exploration and food were spot on. If you choose Arun, you won't be disappointed. Amsterdam Deep Dive

Janice🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Marten)

4 July 2025

Marten is very knowledgable, and has an easy way about him. We learned about the history and culture in a fun informative tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the time spent together. Meeting Marten

Tiffany

(About local Arunabha)

29 June 2025

Our guide did a wonderful job providing us with a unique visitor this beautiful city. He included historical information relevant to the wonderful food we were tasting and the areas we were walking through. Wonderful Experience!

Irene🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

28 June 2025

Sebastian was an amazing guide for our walking tour through Amsterdam. He had great knowledge and shared so much interesting and helpful information. And he was a very very nice guy....highly recommend. Thank you Sebastian!

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

Zofia🇵🇱 Poland

(About local Sebastian)

18 June 2025

Sebastian was a great guide! While on tour, we felt as though we were taking a walk with an old friend (and a very knowledgable one). He told us about the history of the city as well as the lives of Amsterdam's citizens now. He adapted his way of explaining stuff to our mixed level of English (used simpler terms — so don't worry about not understanding something) and he showed us the best local places (the snack was amazing!). We also really appreciated little fun facts about various subjects connected to the city and his tips on best gifts from Amsterdam. We feel fully prepared for getting around on our own in the next days of our trip and for understanding stuff in museums and places all around town better. Sebastian is a great choice no matter the group — we went as mother and daughter (50 and 19) and both had a wonderful time. Amazing experience, we highly recommend! A wonderful experience :))