The Amsterdam Walking Tour by That Dam Guide, Mark Law was fabulous, more than meeting my expectations. During the over three hours of walking we were introduced to many highlights of the care of Amsterdam. What made the tour so informative was Mark’s knowledge of the history of Amsterdam and how he weaved that knowledge into what he shared with the group. I appreciated the hidden gems he introduced us to, such as the Dutch East India Trading Company building which is now used by the University of Amsterdam, the Bols tasting bar, the significance of the stumbling stones, the gates and architecture. Following the tour I received an email with further links which was a first for me in terms of follow-up to a tour and added to the make he provided the map of recommendations he provided. Mark is has a wealth of information and the tour was fabulous!
Quick Details
- Start point: At 10h00 on the sidewalk outside the Barbizon Palace Hotel
The first 2 tickets are sold as a pair, thereafter it is possible to buy individual tickets. The reason for this is that we don’t run the tours with just 1 person booked in.
Discover Amsterdam on a Walking Tour
In 2023 we will be running one small group tour a week. On other days, private tours are available for booking.
Join Mark, Rob or Lee on a fun and informative exploration of old Amsterdam as we guide you through alleys and squares and along beautiful canals. We stop often and point out landmarks, interesting detials and tell stories about the city’s rich history. There is an 8 person limit on our walking tours so discussion and an exchange of views and expereicences really is possible. We actively encourage discussion on our tours.
Topics that we cover include:
- The history of Amsterdam and how the city was shaped
- Famous Dutch liberalism, their tolerance and directness, why it arose and just how far it goes
- The Protestant Reformation and how it suited the pragmatic Dutch culture of the time
- How the Dutch East India Company influenced modern business
- The bicycle culture and canals and why so many bicycles are inside the canals
- The history about the houseboats and the city’s crazy crooked and tiny houses
- Where to eat good food and drink tasty beer
- Coffeeshops and how that whole thing works
- Flea markets/farmers markets/street markets – which are worth a visit on which days and which are best to avoid
- Which museums and attractions are great and which are tourist traps
- We talk about a whole lot more too, whatever crops up in conversation
If you want to tour Amsterdam and get a local’s perspective, That Dam Guide is here to help and we would love to welcome you on our Amsterdam walking tour. Reasonable walking fitness is necessary, the route varies but tends to be about 3km / 2 miles over the 3 hour tour. We do take a break during the tour!
-
Refund policy: If you cancel more than 48 hours before the start of the tour then you will receive a full refund less bank costs if any. If you cancel within the last 48 hours then you get a refund only if I can re-sell your places.
Group size is 8 people but if 7 have booked then it can be increased to 9 to allow another couple a place on the tour if this is requested.
With the no kids under 10 restriction, the reason is that is a tour with lots of info and history on this tour and sometimes younger kids get bored and need attention and this is not really fair to other people on the tour so I drew a line at 10 years. On private tours, it is easy to focus on the kids more and try to engage them and make it as fun as possible for them. I love kids actually.
The tours are given by Mark, Lee and Rob and Robbert. In the vast majority of cases the tour is given by the guide advertised but very occasionally one of us has to fill in for the other so you might get one of the others.
A few Reviews…
Great Tour (from Tripadvisor August 2022 by Graham L)
As a repeat customer, I can confirm that Mark is great. He gives you a mix of history of the city, local unknown spots, and current events and culture. He keeps it entertaining but informative. He also gave us a ton of great recommendations for restaurants and spots to visit. My girlfriend and I (both age 26) appreciated his great camera skills and knowledge of good photo spots. We did both the city walking tour and the Rijksmuseum tour.
The Amsterdam Walking Tour leaves one better informed – history, knowledge and unique points of interest (from Tripadvisor November 2019 by P7083VKsandrab)
Great Walking Tour with Lee (from Tripadvisor August 2019 by Arnold K
Walking Tour with Rob- Fantastic! (from Tripadvisor January 2019 by Stripes6)
My teenage son and I visited Amsterdam in September. Our first day we started with a 3 hour walking tour of Amsterdam with Rob of That Dam Guide…I am so happy we did! Rob was funny, pleasant, knowledgable and helpful. The walking tour gave us a general idea of the layout of central Amsterdam, some very interesting history and lots of humorous stories about the city. I highly recommend That Dam Guide! Rob is passionate about Amsterdam!