Amsterdam Tours By Locals

Planning a trip to Amsterdam and looking for fun things to do? Check out this top 10 Amsterdam city tours list.

Red Light District Tour Ban

Since a short while it’s forbidden for tour guides and companies to host tours through Amsterdam Red Light District. The City of Amsterdam does not want this anymore. A new local law has been implemented. This so called APV law does not allow tours through the Red Light District.

Instead, download the Amsterdam Audio Tours app and discover the RLD with this GPS-guided tour. It contains stories from 22 experts and has a virtual guide too.

Amsterdam History Walking Tour

Amsterdam City Tours History Tour
The Royal Palace on Dam Square.

This tour is a great, no too long, primer on Amsterdam’s rich history and culture. You’ll do this Amsterdam city tours together with a local licensed guide and walk past the city’s most iconic attractions, its beautiful streets and bridges. tour the UNESCO world heritage canal ring and hear how it was constructed and paid for. The tour has a neat chronological order, starting off in the 13th century and ending in the 21th century. This tour gives a great context of the city for the rest of your stay.

Price per person: 17,50 euro

BOOK HERE >

Those Damn Boat Guys | Small Group Boat Tour

tours in amsterdam on the canal
Those Damn Boat Guys on the canals.

What better way to see Amsterdam than from the water? This Amsterdam city tours option is great for those who like a more intimate experience. Those Dam Boat Guys main focus is on making your canal boat tour a casual, relaxing and fun experience.

Because of the seating arrangements in the boat and the relatively small group size there’s great opportunity for interaction with your fellow travellers and captain. During the tour you’ll be able to ask any question to your captain. This isn’t possible on the larger tour boats where you’ll have to do with an audio tour for your information.

Price per person: 25,- euro

BOOK HERE >

Amsterdam Red Light District Daytime Tour

red light district tour amsterdam
The main street in the Red Light District.

See Amsterdam’s most famous area together with an experienced local guide, whilst you still can! See those hidden spots that you’d normally miss out on and hear some amazing stories. During this unique and exciting tour you’ll learn how and why the sex trade has been an integral part of Amsterdam ever since its founding. You’ll also learn how the Dutch are currently tackling the issue of prostitution and hear about the business from the sex worker point of view. This is a tour you cannot miss out on during you trip to Amsterdam.

Price per person: 17,50 euro

BOOK HERE >

Amsterdam Bicycle Tour With A Small Group

amsterdam bicycle tours
A bike tour on Amsterdam’s Skinny Bridge.

There’s a reason why everybody in Amsterdam rides a bicycle, it’s simply the easiest mode of transportation to get around the city. Now you too can explore Amsterdam like the Dutch. This two or three hour bicycle tour will let you see parts of the city that you’d miss whilst just exploring on foot. At a leisure pace you’ll bike along the famous canal ring, visit green parks and pass by the top attractions of the city. This small-group tour has a maximum cap of just 12 persons, guaranteeing personalised attention from your passionate and informative guide.

Price per person: 20,- euro

BOOK HERE >

Amsterdam Drugs Tour

blank
A street sign warning tourists about illegal street dealers selling dangerous fake drugs.

When people think of Amsterdam a lot immediately think of drugs. But what do they really know about the subject? During this Amsterdam Drugs Tour an experienced guide tells you about the historical relationship that Amsterdam has with drugs, both legal and illegal. Hear about the policy of toleration when it comes to so called “soft drugs” like cannabis and how the Dutch educate their youngster about illegal drugs. Learn why XTC has become the drug of choice for the young and why heroin lost that position after a massive heroin epidemic. This is a tour you only get to do in Amsterdam!

Price per person: 19,50 euro

BOOK HERE >

Amsterdam City Tours: Brothel Tour

blank
Get an informative tour from a prostitute.

Get a peak behind the curtains of Amsterdam’s hippest strip club and brothel. During this guided tour, a sex worker will show you around Amsterdam’s most exclusive club and tell you about all the going-ons there and about the sex industry as a whole. Hear about the life of a sex worker, the safety precautions they take, what prices they charge and get a chance to ask about anything else you might be interested in! You can also climb one of the strip polls and take some pictures.

Price per person: 20,- euro

BOOK HERE >

Amsterdam Countryside Bicycle Tour

amsterdam countryside bike tour
See the Dutch countryside by bike!

Get away from the city bustle and take a bicycle trip down the quieter paths through Amsterdams surroundings. Don’t just limit yourself to just Amsterdam’s historic city centre, there’s a whole, uuuh, countryside out there to explore! Cycle at a leisurely pace past scenic small villages, the Amstel river and green fields filled with black and white cows. You’ll also visit a historical windmill, farmhouse and cheese factory. Buy your cheese directly from the factory, which is much cheaper than in Amsterdam’s centre. This a great relaxing daytime tour activity which has the added bonus of being good for your health!

Price per person: 32,- euro

BOOK HERE >

Private Amsterdam Bicycle Tour

amsterdam private bike tour
All locals use a bicycle to get around.

The advantage of doing a private bicycle tour is pretty clear: you don’t have to wait on other (slower) people and you get to see those specific highlights and attractions that you’d like to see during your visit. We can recommend anybody who has the extra money to take this option. Together with your bicycle guide you’ll set off along the safest and most easiest bike paths that crisscross Amsterdam’s most charming and historic neighbourhoods. Get the most out of your guided experience by having all the time to ask questions or discuss the topics that you’re interested in.

Price per person: 37,- euro

BOOK HERE >

Amsterdam Red Light District Tour Night

amsterdam red light district tour night
The main street of the Red Light District at night.

New city laws have made it impossible to tour the Red Light District after 7 pm in a large tour group. Touring around yourself by using an app called Amsterdam Audio Stories is still possible though. See Amsterdam’s Red Light District the way it should be seen: in the dark. Besides walking in a completely different atmosphere compared to the day time, there will also be more sex workers at work during the evening hours.

Price: 5 euro

BOOK HERE >

Amsterdam Canal Tour

amsterdam boat tour
A canal cruise on Amsterdam’s Amstel river.

See the hidden treasures of Amsterdam’s magnificent world heritage canal ring. Step aboard a comfortable solar-powered clean air vessel that takes you on a one hour cruise across the canals. Included in this Amsterdam city tours is a GPS audio guide in 19 differentiations languages. Hear interesting facts and stories to go along with all that architectural eye-candy. Highlights of this tour include the so called Golden Bend, the most beautiful part of the Amsterdam canal ring, the Westerkerk and the Anne Frank House.

Price per person: 16,- euro

BOOK HERE >

Looking for more fun things to do in Amsterdam? Check out our blog with other great stuff in this beautiful city:

MORE AMSTERDAM TIPS >

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. All fields are required.