Explore the streets of Amsterdam on these 5 walking tours

By mid-1940, Amsterdam was under Nazi occupation and the city’s large Jewish population was directly in their crosshairs. As Hitler ramped up the community’s persecution, 13-year old Anne Frank and her family went into hiding, living for two years concealed in the secret annex of a Dutch canal house. The diary she kept in captivity, which was published after Frank’s death in a concentration camp in 1945, is one of the most enduring records of the Jewish experience in World War II. An expert guide brings it to life on this two-hour walking tour, winding through the Jewish Cultural Quarter in which the Franks lived, visiting sites like the Portuguese Synagogue and the Jewish Historical Museum, and telling stories about the neighborhood’s history before, during and after World War II. It’s a sobering journey that still resonates today, more than 75 years later.

With its narrow streets and network of canals, exploring all of Amsterdam’s many highlights can be a challenge—but not on this walking tour of the inner city. During the two-hour experience, a local guide does the navigating for you, taking you to some of Amsterdam’s most famous sights and telling stories about this progressive, multicultural city, from the merchants of the Middle Ages to the ravages of World War II. With the Royal Palace, the Anne Frank Monument, Westerkerk and Begijnhof among the tour’s dozen stops, it’s a good opportunity to get oriented and go deeper into Amsterdam’s history and culture than you would by going it alone.

Dutch food has a flavor all its own, one based on the unique geography and agricultural traditions of Northern Europe. From bitterballen (fried meatballs) to soused herring, the buzzing Jordaan District is the place to taste it all. This 3.5-hour tour will introduce six traditional delicacies at authentic restaurants and cafes that are more local haunt than tourist favorite. Between bites, the group strolls through the vibrant streets of this trendy, formerly working-class neighborhood to get a closer look at its booming contemporary food scene.

Famously tolerant Amsterdam is a pioneer of legalized cannabis and prostitution, and the Red Light District is where both industries have their highest concentration. This tour explores the neighborhood on foot, from its red-lit picture windows and smoke-friendly coffee shops, to its historic features, which include the centuries-old church-turned-art-gallery Oude Kerk and Europe’s narrowest house. The bustling streets of Amsterdam’s Chinatown are also on the two-hour itinerary, through which your expert guide will unravel the city’s liberal attitudes towards sex and drugs, and shine light on its culture and politics.

You don’t have to identify as LGBTQ+ to join this queer city tour; the community’s heritage in Amsterdam is every bit as important to its culture today as was World War II or its unconventional drug and sex policies. This two-hour experience is more personal than many of those available in Amsterdam, led by a member of the queer community who won’t just tell their own stories, but will encourage group members to share their own. At its end, you’ll walk away with a new understanding of the often-hidden queer history behind the city’s architecture and monuments—and a heap of recommendations for LGBTQ-friendly nightlife, cafes and boutiques.