The standard tour is 90 minutes and we will show you the best part of the museum. This will be the Gallery of Honour, with masterpieces by the great Dutch artists of the seventeenth century, like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen and Frans Hals.

If you prefer more than the standard tour, we can offer you a more extensive visit with your own  professional art-historian guide

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Dutch food

You will enjoy Dutch food in locally-owned small restaurants. The guide and the local owners will give you a detailed explanation of what you are eating and the origin of each meal. This foodtour exists of six stops and all the food and drinks that are offered are included.

Jordaan area and De Pijp

If you really want to connect with the local food, the history and the locals, then these are the areas where you will have to go to. The foodtour in de Jordaan contains the traditional Dutch food, like cheese, stamppot and poffertjes.
De Pijp is more multicultural so in this neighbourhood, the Dutch food is more influenced by the Dutch maritime history of the 17th century. So in this foodtour, besides the herring, you will taste food from the Surinam cuisine, Indonesian and North African.

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Private canal cruise Amsterdam

The best way to enjoy a canal cruise in Amsterdam is a private canal cruise. You do this at your own pace and you can be picked up in front of your hotel. We drop you where you want. You can ask all the questions that you want, no audioguide. No other people onboard besides your guide, the captain and the person who serves your drinks. We can include just the drinks, or even complete dinners onboard. We can do the cruise on the time of day that you want. All our tours are customizable, also the private cruise. 

Salonboats Amsterdam

We have private salonboats for 2 persons up to 25 and private ships for bigger groups. The small boats can go through certain canals, like the red light district area, where the bigger boats can not go. All boats have a covered section and an outdoor sitting area so we are not dependent on the weather. If we rent the boat for a half or a full day, we can even cruise down the Amstel river for a while and see the beautiful area south of Amsterdam.

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War Museum Amsterdam

The Nazis followed a three step plan: registration, concentration and deportation. In this tour I will show you what happened in Amsterdam. There is no place that tells the story about WW2 in Amsterdam so succinctly as the Museum of the Dutch Resistance does. Besides showing you the different steps the Nazi took in the preparation of the deportations, much attention is paid to the organization of the resistance. The Nazis used the coastal area to execute members of the resistance. An impressive Honory Cemetery can be visited in the tour Kennemerdunes.

Deportation place

Located in the heart of the old Jewish quarter, is the former theatre. During the war the Nazis made Jews assemble in this building. This was their last stop in Amsterdam and the first step in the deportation process that ended in Auswitsch or Sobibor for most of the Dutch Jews.

Also we will see the new Holocaust monument and (if open) we can visit the Portuguese synagogue, where nothing changed since 1675. The Nazis wanted to use this place as the assembly point but they preferred the theatre. Now this is part of the new Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, opened in March 2024.

New Holocaust Museum

In March 2024, the Holocaust museum in Amsterdam opened its doors. It is the only Holocaust museum in the world on a site where the deportation of Jews took place.

The museum is located in a former schoolbuilding in the district where many Jewish Amsterdammers lived before the Holocaust. The school was the neighbouring building of the Jewish Nursery School, which was transformed by the Nazis  into an assembly point for Jewish children awaiting transportation.  The director of the school was a member of the Dutch resistance and through the school they managed to prevent the deportation of more than 600 Jewish children. One of these children became mayor of Amsterdam in 1983. Accross the street is the former Jewish theatre, where the Nazis locked up the adults. Now these two buildings together form the Holocaust museum.

The museum tells the visitor all about the Nazi persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands. Amsterdam needed this museum.  The Netherlands suffered the largest number as a result of the persecution of the Jews, of the countries in Western Europe occupied by the Nazis, both in terms of percentages and in absolute numbers.

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Amsterdam walk

In the morning we make a 2,5 hr private walk in the old city centre of Amsterdam. Among the highlights are the National monument, the Royal Palace on Dam square and the oldest streets of the city. In the mornings there is not too much activity in the red light district yet. That is why the morning is the perfect time to visit that area.

Countryside of Holland

After our walk, we drive to the north. Away from the big tourbus groups, we can have lunch in one of the most authentic fishing villages in the northern part of Holland. In this area many people still live in wooden houses from the 18^th century. Here you can actually see the true authentic Holland, that you only know from old postcards. Wooden houses painted in green, black and white. Sometimes even with thatched roofs. I will tell you all about it.

‘God created the world, but the Dutch made the Netherlands’. You will agree on that, after you have seen the Beemster Polder, an exceptional example of reclaimed land. They drained this huge lake already in 1609, just by windmills.

The nearby Schermerlake, was drained in 1632 and here we can visit one of the original windmills. You can climb to the top of the windmill, and see how the miller rotates the cap. After I helped you to pronounce ‘Schermer’, you will understand why the Dutch resistance always used passwords with ‘sch’ in it during the war.

Video of the countryside

Click here to watch a video of the Dutch countryside that we shot in April.

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Windmills and reclaimed land

The morning we will spend in the northern part of the province Holland. ‘God created the world, but the Dutch made the Netherlands’. You will agree on that, after you have seen the Beemster Polder, an exceptional example of reclaimed land. They drained this huge lake already in 1609, just by windmills.

The nearby Schermerlake, was drained in 1632 and here we can visit one of the original windmills. See the windmill in a video here. You can climb to the top of the windmill, and see how the miller rotates the cap. After I helped you to pronounce ‘Schermer’, you will understand why the Dutch resistance always used passwords with ‘sch’ in it during the war. 

Coastal area Holland

Next destination is the coastal area, the Kennemerdunes. We can have lunch in Bloemendaal at the beach and If you want we can make quick walk at the beach or through the National Park Kennemerduinen. The Nazis used this area during the war as a location to execute members of the resistance. We can visit the war cemetery, beautifully located in the dunes, with the graves of 347 Dutch resistance fighters. All men, just one lady; Hannie Schaft, the girl with the red hair.

Haarlem visit

A short drive brings us to the city of Haarlem where we can make a walk through the oldest part of the city centre.

If you want we can visit the Bavo church where Mozart played the organ. Or maybe you prefer to sit down in a local pub and taste one of the local beers Haarlem is famous for? You will agree with me that Haarlem is as beautiful as Amsterdam is, but without all the traffic, the tourists and the million cyclists.

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Keukenhof flower park

For our visit to the Keukenhof, we start early, trying to avoid the crowds and tourbusses. I will pick you up from your hotel for a drive to the Keukenhof Gardens Park to see some flowers! This is one of the world’s largest flower gardens, opened only from mid March to mid May. Every year, more than 7 million flower bulbs are planted in this park. This is where we make a walk, usually about 1, 5hrs but if you want to stay longer, then that’s no problem.

Countryside

Before lunchtime, we drive to the area north of Amsterdam, the countryside that Holland is so famous for. In the Keukenhof you will not be the only visitor, but we will avoid the touristy places in the countryside. You will see 400 year old windmills, polders below sealevel, cows, dikes and dams. We will make a walk through an authentic small village with green wooden houses where time stopped in the 18th century. And you will see a former lake, drained by windmills already in the early 1600’s. 

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See Vincent with Vincent

We will guide you through the museum in a chronological order and will show you not only the highlights like the Sunflowers and the Bedroom, but also the lesser known paintings with an interesting story.

What was his last painting ? Why did he cut his ear off ? Which paintings had been stolen ? Why did he paint so many flowers ? Why he signed only a few of his paintings? What’s the happy green hour ?

Van Gogh was right-handed, so why on all his portraits he holds his brush in his left hand ?

You do not like Van Gogh ? Walk through the museum with me and I am sure you will walk out of there as one of his biggest fans.

This tour starts and ends in the museum. You can go to the museum on your own. If you want me to arrange private transfers from the hotel, or pick you up from the hotel just let me know.

For a sneak preview, watch some of our videos about Vincent van Gogh paintings here.

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Flowerfields

This is going to be a colourfull day in the countryside north of Amsterdam.  I will pick you up from your hotel for a (1hr) drive to the northern part of the Holland Province. This is the area where you can expect enormous coloured fields of flowers every year in April, for the export of flowerbulbs. These are mainly tulips but you will see fields with hyacinths and Narcissus.
Depending on temperatures during the winter before, the flowers can be in bloom from early April until mid May. Normally you can always see these fields last two weeks of April and the first week of May. For a sneak preview, check our video here.

Countryside

Besides the flowerfields, I will show you the countryside that Holland is so famous for, but we will avoid the touristy places. You will see 400 year old windmills, polders below sealevel, cows, dikes and dams. We will make a walk through an authentic small village with green wooden houses where time stopped in the 18th century. And you will see a former lake, drained by windmills more than 400 years ago!

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Private walking tour Amsterdam

We will show you the highlights the city centre has to offer. Of course you will see Dam square, where Amsterdam started. People were already living on dikes along the Amstel river, but around 1250 these two dikes were connected by a dam. We will show you these two dikes and tell you all about the Dam cities in Holland.
The medieval church at Dam square has no tower. We will tell you why. Also I will explain why the street in between the church and the Palace had a different name during WW2. You will see the borders of the city, from 1350, 1375 and 1450. We will show you why most spout gables can be found at the Prinsencanal and the biggest canal houses on the eastern side on the UNESCO canal district. After this walk you can tell everybody at home why for centuries, visitors called Amsterdam the beautiful virgin with the stinking breath

Red light district Amsterdam

The red light district is the old harbour of Amsterdam. The sailors needed bars, churches and prostitutes. The sailors are gone, but the rest is still there. Let us know if you want to see the area or not. The morning is the best time of day to see the area because there is not much activity yet, but you will get a good idea of what is going on here. The area is normally just a small part of the tour and we mainly focus on the beautiful gables of the canalhouses, the architecture and the two oldest canals in Amsterdam.

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Active tour

At just 13 miles from Amsterdam, is one of the most beautiful National Parks of the Netherlands. Just behind the sanddunes protecting us against the Northsea, you can enjoy the landscape of the National Park South Kennemerland: 3800 acres of dunes with rare flora and fauna. We can cycle or walk through ancient forests and hope to see large herbivores such as Scottish Highland cattle and Konik horses.

During WWII this area was forbidden to enter. The Nazis used the sanddunes for their Atlantik-defense wall, and to execute members of the resistance. Today we can still see Nazi bunkers, monuments at execution places and an impressive Honory Cemetary with the grave of The Girl with the Red Hair, Hannie Schaft. You can learn more about the Resistance if you visit the Museum of the Resistance, as in my tour World War 2 in Amsterdam.

Walking or a cycling tour

We can go through the area by bike or we can go walking if you prefer. We can do distances of just 2 miles, up to 25 miles. We can use normal bikes, or electric bikes. We can have coffee breaks in between. . . . It’s not a race, it must be fun for everybody. The area is hilly but the highest mountain in the Netherlands is 1000 feet and the Dutch call that a mountain so please do not be afraid. The cycling will be done on paved bike paths. The walks are done on both paved and unpaved footpaths.

Video of the tour

Click here to watch a video that gives a good impression of this tour.

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Visit Delft

Delft is one of the oldest cities in Holland and it is famous for its Blue pottery. We will visit the traditional factory where you can see how the pottery is made and still painted by hand. Of course we will make a walk through the oldest parts of the city. I will show you the Old church with the grave of Johannes Vermeer, and the New Church. In 1584, William the Silent was entombed in in a mausoleum in The New Church. Since then members of Royal family have been entombed in the royal crypt. The latest are Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard in 2004.
At the beautiful marketsquare we will have some time for lunch. Afterwards we drive to The Hague.

The girl with the pearl

The Hague is the political capital of the Netherlands with its many embassies. Among the highlights are a visit to the governmental centre of the Netherlands and The Mauritshouse museum, one of my favorite museums in this country. Here you can see some beautiful famous paintings by Vermeer (view on Delft), Rembrandt (Anatomic lesson), Jan Steen, Paulus Potter (the bull) and Rubens. Highlight of the collection is the girl with the pearl earring by Johannes Vermeer. At the end of the excursion we will drive back to your hotel in Amsterdam.

Madurodam or Rotterdam

If you are very interested in blue pottery, we could visit the Blue Pottery museum as well, or you can even join a workshop. If you have children travelling with you, maybe you would be more interested in Madurodam, a park in The Hague that resembles Holland in miniature size. Buildings, markets, canals, windmills, Schiphol Airport, the Port of Rotterdam, Dam Square, the Delta works and much more is perfectly replicated to the smallest detail. Queen Beatrix was the first mayor in Madurodam.

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Haarlem walking tour

The trains from Amsterdam station arrive at Haarlem station, at just a 10-minute walk from the market square. We can start the tour at the train station in Haarlem, or the train station in Amsterdam or even at your hotel in Amsterdam. This tour includes a walk through the old city centre and a visit to the Corrie the Boom house or the Frans Hals museum. During the walk we will visit some inner courtyards with almshouses, the Bavo church and other spots in the old city centre related to Frans Hals, the famous Dutch master who spent almost his entire life in Haarlem.

Corrie ten Boom house

The Corrie ten Boom House is an original Hiding place during WW2. Many visitors ask me what the reaction of the non-Jewish Dutch population was on the Nazis. Most people did not do anything. It was too dangerous. You would risk your own life and that of you family. A few people though, were very brave, and joined the resistance, or helped Jews with a hiding place. Corrie ten Boom hid Jews in her own house, behind a double wall. She was betrayed by a Nazi sympathizer and was sent to the concentration camp Ravensbruck. Come to my city Haarlem to hear her amazing story, her motivation and see the original hiding place.

Frans Hals museum is closed on Monday. The Corrie ten Boom is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Video

Click here to get an impression of our walking tour through Haarlem.

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