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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 Westermarkt, next to the Anne Frank Monument at the Westerchurch tower.
    End is at the National Holocaust Museum (Plantage Middenlaan)

  • Duration | Distance
    Duration | Distance

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

  • Highlights
    Highlights

    Anne Frank house
    Resistance movements on the canals
    Royal Palace and royal family during WWII
    Jewish Cultural Quarter
    Portuguese Synagogue
    National Holocaust Memorial

  • Price
    Price

    1 person: €120,- | 2 persons: €140,- | 3 persons: €160,- | 4 persons: €180- | 5 persons: €200,- | 6 persons: €220,-

Schedule your
private World War II tour

More Information
Tour Reviews
  • Startingpoint
    Startingpoint

    We start at Westermarkt, next to the Anne Frank Monument at the Westerchurch tower.
    We end at the National Holocaust Museum (Plantage Middenlaan)

  • Duration | Distance
    Duration | Distance

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

  • Highlights
    Highlights

    Anne Frank house
    Resistance movements on the canals
    Royal Palace and the royal family during WWII
    Jewish Cultural Quarter
    Portuguese Synagogue
    National Holocaust Memorial

  • Price
    Price

    Available from €43,75 p.p.​

Book your
private World War II tour

More Information
Tour Reviews

World War II in Amsterdam

This two 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.

Anne Frank

We start at the monument of Anne Frank at the Westermarkt, right around the corner of the Anne Frank House museum. Who was she and what exactly happened in the annex behind Prinsengracht 263? We shine a light on how – more than anything else – this young girl became the symbol of the holocaust in the Netherlands. 

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?

Holocaust in Amsterdam

Walking towards the former Jewish district the tour zooms in on the Holocaust in Amsterdam. Learn how horribly efficiently the Nazi’s carried out the Holocaust in Amsterdam. How some people tried to control the damage while others saw opportunities to gain from this tragedy. What was the impact of the Jewish community on Amsterdam before WWII and what is left of it after the war?   

Protest and resistance

Learn more about the largest public anti-Nazi protest in occupied Europe, the February Strike in 1941. What was the cause and what were the consequences, and how come the initiators of this protest were not welcome to the annual memorial of this event, in the first years after the war? We share several stories of the Amsterdam underground. The resistance movements that tried to throw sand into the Nazi machine. 

Reflection on WWII

The former Theater of Holland, the Hollandsche Schouwburg, served as a deportation center for Jews awaiting transport to the camps. Today the remains of this theater serve as the National Holocaust Memorial. A sad, but essential place for reflection and introspection. This is where our tour ends.

Note: the National Holocaust Memorial and National Holocaust Museum are currently under construction and expect to reopen in 2023.

Tour reviews

  • star rating  WW2 history isn’t new to me - I’m of the age that I have had the privilege to have met veterans, victims and witnesses of this horrible era in world... read more events. However, I am relatively new to life here in the Netherlands and wanted to learn of their time in this period and must say this tour by Tijs was excellent in every way.
    His attitude to the events that took place in Amsterdam was respectful, clear, concise and truthful - the latter part painfully so. I wont spoil his details but we ended the tour in a very solemn place which totally tied all of his previous comments and explanations to the grim reality. So glad to have taken this tour.

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    A9225NYdaved
    March 8, 2020
  • star rating  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...More

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    Merle K
    August 30, 2019
  • star rating  This was a fascinating and informative tour. The shocking reality of the Second World War is so close to the surface in Amsterdam; important historical events happened on almost every... read more corner. Tijs was an excellent and knowledgable guide about this difficult subject; he told us stories of bravery and loss, acts of rebellion and resistance, of the Hunger Winter, of families in hiding and people being shot by a sniper just days after Liberation Day. I am familiar with this period of history and this city and yet I still learned many new things, so I can't recommend this tour highly enough.

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    Traveler188590
    March 9, 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!!

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    marcusbI4516IY
    March 12, 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

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