Top 5 Photography Ideas For Amsterdam
In this blog Historical Amsterdam Tours has curated some of the most iconic spots, as well as several snappy ideas to capture this vibrant old city.
We start at the main entrance of the Concert Gebouw at the Museum square.
End is at the Dam square
2.5 hours | -/+ 3 km (1.4 ml)
- 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
See Booking page
We start at the main entrance of the Concert Gebouw at the side of the Museum square.
End is at the Dam square
2.5 hours | -/+ 3 km (1.4 ml)
- 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
See Booking page
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tijs was amazing. His knowledge is outstanding and the tour was fun, interesting and informative. We would definitely recommend him to anyone needing a tour guide in Amsterdam. He tailor... read more made the itinerary to our interests and it was an even more enjoyable than I could have imagined. All in all an unforgettable day.
This walking tour gave an insight about Amsterdam during the dark period of 1940 and 1945. The 2 hour tour started at the Anne Frank House and ended at... read more the Jewish cultural quarter in the Plantage. Tijs spoke about the harrowing times that led up to the second world war, the daily struggels of the jewish citizens of Amsterdam, their persecution and their massacre in various death camps in Poland. We also learnt about how ordinary Amsterdammers tried to resist the nazi occupation of the city and how they tried to save lives. The tour itself leads through the most beautiful parts of Amsterdam and I highly recommend it to everyone who has not much time to spend in Amsterdam. You will not only visit stunning parts of the city but you will also learn more about the important topic of the Holocaust. At times, I felt emotional during this tour but it was one of those tours that I will remember for a long time. I absolutely recommend.
Exploring the canals of Amsterdam on foot with Tijs as the tour guide was one of the highlights of my first visit to the city. Tijs not only has thorough... read more knowledge of the city's history and architecture (spanning both ancient and modern times, e.g. "The...More
I really enjoyed my morning walking tour of the canal district with Historical Tours Amsterdam. Tijs’ knowledge of the city is amazing and he explains fascinating historical details clearly... read more and with enthusiasm. I learned about the reasons why the Amsterdam skyline is as we see it now, why the canal fortifications are necessary to maintain the city and why there is a swan on top of a Protestant domed church. I now understand more about how Amsterdam expanded rapidly from medieval times onwards as trade developed and where the remnants of the old city walls can still be seen. I heard about the story behind the Multatuli statue on the oldest bridge in Amsterdam with a prison below it and the origins of fair trade coffee. Likewise the stories behind the different widths and gable-ends of the houses was so interesting; now I’ll
look at this familiar city through fresh eyes. I highly recommend Tijs as a guide who can add a fun personal touch to a tour of Amsterdam and bring history to life.
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!!
In this blog Historical Amsterdam Tours has curated some of the most iconic spots, as well as several snappy ideas to capture this vibrant old city.