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World War II History Tour

World War II tour

The story of an occupied city

World War II History Tour

Book tour
Book tour

World War II tour

World War II History Tour

  • Startingpoint
    Startingpoint

    We start at the main entrance of the Concert Gebouw at the Museum square.
    End is at the Dam square

  • Duration | Distance
    Duration | Distance

    2.5 hours | -/+ 3 km (1.4 ml)

  • Highlights
    Highlights

    - Nazi headquarters on Museum square
    - The Nazi Robbery bank
    - Jewish art collections
    - The Mayor's residence
    - The Halifax aircraft crash
    - Royal Palace and royal family during WWII

  • Price
    Price

    See Booking page

Schedule your
private World War II tour

More Information
Tour Reviews
  • Startingpoint
    Startingpoint

    We start at the main entrance of the Concert Gebouw at the side of the Museum square.
    End is at the Dam square

  • Duration | Distance
    Duration | Distance

    2.5 hours | -/+ 3 km (1.4 ml)

  • Highlights
    Highlights

    - Nazi headquarters on Museum square
    - The Nazi Robbery bank
    - Jewish art collections
    - The Mayor's residence
    - The Halifax aircraft crash
    - Royal Palace and royal family during WWII

  • Price
    Price

    See Booking page

Book your
private World War II tour

More Information
Tour Reviews

World War II in Amsterdam

This three hours WWII tour will be all about the five years of Nazi occupation and the holocaust in Amsterdam. How did ordinary Amsterdammers deal with the Germans?

Get a deeper insight into how this tragic world history effected the city and how the scars are still visible today. Random family stories, courageous individuals and the loss of about 10% of the population, paint the picture of WWII in Amsterdam.

The other diary

We start at the entrance of the Concertgebouw (Concert hall) at the Museum square. Nearby is the home of Etty Hillesum, a Jewish resistance member who wrote a an intruiguing diary testifying daily life under Nazi occupation. Her almost neighbour was Tony van Renthergem a leading Dutch war hero, later involved in high-level espionage. These are just two of the people we like to highlight in this tour.

Historical corruption

Walking along the Amsterdam canals we will deal with some misconceptions about Amsterdam during World War II: Amsterdam was not bombed by the Germans, there was hardly any resistance, people didn’t know what happened with their rounded up neighbors… Over the years the history of WWII has been used and abused on many levels. We diligently researched the sources and the raw data for our version of the story.

WWII and royalty

At the Royal Palace on the Dam you learn more about the role of the Royal Family during WWII. How effective was queen Wilhelmina while hiding in London? Get the heroic story of the concierge of the Royal Palace, who single handedly kept the palace out of the hands of the Nazi’s. Which tragic event occurred on Dam Square on May 7th 1945, three days after the Germans surrendered? And how is WWII remembered in the Netherlands today?

This is where our tour ends.

Tour reviews

  • star rating  All communication before the tour was prompt and friendly. Tijs was waiting exactly where he was supposed to be, and we did a walking tour which covered the Golden... read more Age, Financial information and World War II. Tijs was engaging, interesting and humorous and I would...More

    tripadvisor logo
    avatar thumb Lovetotravel7559
    July 25, 2018
  • star rating  This was an amazing walking tour of Rembrandt’s steps, where he lived, about his work, the good and bad, etc. It was extremely informative and our guide was Tijs who... read more did an outstanding job. He was funny, and professional, and it was obvious he is passionate about history. Definitely worth doing!

    tripadvisor logo
    vivkadlecek
    August 18, 2020
  • star rating  Operator: Amsterdam Red Light District Tours Our tour guide Martin was engaging from the very beginning. Very well informed and interesting. Questions were responsed to. Highly recommend this tour.... read more Totally enjoyable!!

    tripadvisor logo
    A Tripadvisor Member
    March 1, 2020
  • star rating  Tijs is one of the people that makes us wish the day to have more than 24 hours! :) Not only a guide who makes the fascinating Amsterdam even more... read more fascinating! His vision for the city reveals the past, the present, and create great perspectives for the future. With all the secrets of each street, you learn not only about Nederlands but also its World's Influence. Knowledge, culture, amazing angles for photos and a real lesson of lively history in just one day, I can imagine how wonderful it would be if we had the privilege to spend a week with our new Dutch Friend! Absolutely recommended, I have no doubt he will be an essential part of my tours!

    tripadvisor logo
    RafaTraveller
    December 22, 2020
  • star rating  Tijs is one of the people that makes us wish the day to have more than 24 hours! :) Not only a guide who makes the fascinating Amsterdam even more... read more fascinating! His vision for the city reveals the past, the present, and create great perspectives for the future. With all the secrets of each street, you learn not only about Nederlands but also its World's Influence. Knowledge, culture, amazing angles for photos and a real lesson of lively history in just one day, I can imagine how wonderful it would be if we had the privilege to spend a week with our new Dutch Friend! Absolutely recommended, I have no doubt he will be an essential part of my tours! …

    tripadvisor logo
    A Tripadvisor Member
    December 1, 2020
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