About Us
That Dam Guide was started by me, Mark, in 2013. Before that, I spent two years as a guide with one of the big ‘free tour’ companies. It was interesting work, and it gave me a solid foundation in guiding. After two years of showing huge groups of 30+ people around town I broke away and created my own company, initially offering Small Group Tours. After Covid, I switched to Private Tours, which is my focus today. Private Tours are a great format because they are much more personal and can be tailored in countless ways to suit your individual interests.Â
Lee and I have worked together from our early ‘free tour’ days. When I am booked she does history tours for me on a freelance basis. We both have an extensive knowledge of Amsterdam and love people, and our strength lies in instinctively knowing, as we show you around, what to highlight and what to leave out. Our goal is always to enhance your stay and experience of our inspiring city. If you want to read a longer version of the above, here is a blog post I wrote recently about the story of That Dam Guide!
I’m originally from South Africa, and am now proud to call myself a Dutch citizen. I visited Amsterdam for three months in 1991 and ended up staying four years. I fell in love with its off-beat charm, the anything-goes attitude of those years and its tight-knit communities. This really was the scene of my misspent youth.
After over a decade in England, where I studied law and worked in property development, I found myself drawn back to Amsterdam in 2009, this time for love. My partner and I got married here and we’ve been happily together ever since. In Amsterdam they have a word for people like me: lovepats, a playful twist on expats, which perfectly describes my journey back.
As a more mature version of myself, Amsterdam’s history, architecture and art became my obsession. I fell into guiding and loved it immediately. I’ve spent years ferreting out the stories behind the buildings and the masterpieces in our world-class museums. I love learning and I’m naturally curious, so guiding in a city this richly and thoroughly documented means I can discover something new every single day.
I’ve been guiding since 2011 and what still keeps it interesting is that every group is different. Some people want deep history and architecture, others want to understand the social fabric of the place. I follow people’s curiosity rather than a script, which is why private tours suit me so well. I never get tired of showing people why Amsterdam is one of the most fascinating cities in the world.
I’m of Dutch heritage but grew up in Toronto, and until my early twenties my life was almost entirely about ballet. Dancing, teaching, breathing it. When I finally stepped outside that world I discovered I’d missed rather a lot, and spent several years travelling and exploring new directions before finding my way to Amsterdam, which immediately felt like home.
I’ve been guiding here since 2009. What I enjoy most is the moment when a city that seemed overwhelming or confusing starts to make sense to someone, when the history clicks into place and they begin to see what they’re actually looking at. I bring materials to help bring Amsterdam’s stories to life and I’m always happy to go beyond the tour itself with recommendations for restaurants, day trips and the kind of places that don’t make it into most itineraries. The Cat Museum, for instance, which I mention partly because it genuinely merits a visit and partly because the look on people’s faces when I suggest it is always worth it.
Contact Us
Fill out the form below or email mark@thatdamguide.com