Best Tours in Amsterdam
Enjoy self-guided audio tours with included attraction tickets in one appTop sights in Amsterdam
All self-guided activities
No need for passports, suitcases, or tantrums in the terminal. Whatever the weather, grab your Aviodrome tickets, and get the family down to Lelystad for fun with planes – without flying anywhere! See a real Boeing 747 jumbo jet up close. Help the kids discover Morse code signals in the radio room, or watch them train to be a pilot or flight attendant. Learn about Dutch aviation and walk around a fascinating collection of over 100 aircraft. Take the family to Aviodrome for a fun, educational day among over 100 aircraft!
ARTIS-Park, the oldest zoo in the Netherlands, invites you to discover its wonders. Experience a fascinating variety of species living harmoniously in the Monkey and Bird House. Wander through the historic city park adorned with monuments and ancient trees. Learn about the secrets of Californian sea lions from an ARTIS zookeeper. Take on the challenge of a rocky path to marvel at the jaguars up close. Journey through space in the Planetarium and meet the lions in the newly opened Lion Enclosure. Enhance your visit with a trip to ARTIS-Micropia, the world's only microbe museum. Discover the invisible creatures that illustrate the interconnectedness of all things and offer surprising insights into our world.
Experience the grandeur of "Van Gogh & Rembrandt in Amsterdam", the first-ever large-scale son-et-lumière (sound and light) show housed within a national monument. Despite living 180 years apart, you'll discover that the works of the Baroque master and the Post-impressionist painter are more similar than you might imagine. Explore the connection between the two artists at the exhibition. You'll find out how Van Gogh was captivated by Rembrandt's work and drew inspiration from it. The story will be brought to life by English-language readings of Van Gogh's letters to his brother as you take in work from both painters. Dutch newspaper, Het Parool says of the show: "Spectacular. The entire church is immersed in sunflowers or blossom bushes. Everything moves, flows, whirls, and whizzes over walls and vaults."
Visit A'DAM Lookout, located atop the A'DAM Tower in Amsterdam-Noord, to see the city from above. Observe the city's historic center, busy harbor, and the Dutch polder landscape. Look at the UNESCO-listed canals. Enjoy the modern interactive exhibit and an audio tour of Amsterdam's history and culture. For a unique thrill, ride the 'Over the Edge' swing that extends over the tower’s edge. Experience the Amsterdam VR ride, a virtual reality roller coaster through the city. Finish your visit with a delicious lunch or dinner at Madam - Restaurant & Sky Bar. Your ticket includes a €20 deposit, which will be deducted from your final bill.
Explore ARTIS-Park, the Netherlands' oldest zoo, for an unforgettable family adventure! There, you can see a variety of animals in the Ape and Bird House, from giraffes to zebras. Walk through the beautiful historical park with its monuments and old trees. Join a zookeeper for a chat about California sea lions, and take a thrilling climb for a close view of jaguars. Experience a cosmic journey in the Planetarium and visit the newly opened lion den for a majestic encounter.
Dive into the world of colors with this ticket to the Van Gogh Museum! Home to the world’s most extensive collection of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam transports visitors on a fascinating journey through the artist's life. Get up close with over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and more than 750 letters from Van Gogh. Access a wide range of permanent and temporary exhibitions and see why artists still look up to Van Gogh nowadays. Get to know the person behind the museum's masterpieces and be inspired by the way he looked at the world around himself.
This self-guided audio walking tour explores Amsterdam's evolution from a medieval dam village to a tolerant trade powerhouse. The ticket to BODY WORLDS Amsterdam is included, letting you dive into real plastinated bodies revealing anatomy and health secrets in a Gothic church setting. (!) Please note that while your entrance ticket to BODY WORLDS is available within the app, the audio guide inside the exhibition is not provided. After you finish exploring it on your own, unpause the tour and continue along the route, which traces a lively path through central Amsterdam ending at De Waag in Nieuwmarkt square. You'll wander past Dam Square's Royal Palace, the Red Light District's coffeeshops and Condomerie, the 700-year-old Oude Kerk, secret Catholic chapels, leaning Dancing Houses, and multicultural Zeedijk Street amid canals and markets. Along the way, savor unforgettable sights like the National Monument's stark pillar, Warmoesstraat's leather bar legacy, and De Waag's crenellated towers overlooking herring stalls.
The ticket to Rembrandt House Museum is included in this self-guided audio walking tour of historic Amsterdam. Please note that this bundle includes a ticket and a self-guided audio city walk only. An audio tour inside Rembrandt House Museum is available at the museum as a separate app. After you finish exploring the museum, unpause this tour and continue through the old Jewish quarter to the grand Portuguese Synagogue, then along the Amstel to H'ART Museum, the National Opera & Ballet, Willet-Holthuysen House, the Dancing Houses, and De Kleine Komedie. The second half turns back into the medieval core, passing the Amsterdam University Library, Oudemanhuispoort, the Agnietenkapel, the Walloon Church, the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum, Chinatown, and the Oost-Indisch Huis, before ending at Zuiderkerk. Along the way, you’ll experience canal houses leaning over the water, hidden courtyards, one of continental Europe’s oldest Chinatowns, and monuments tied to trade, faith, and learning. Expect memorable contrasts between quiet historic passages and lively streets, plus some of the most atmospheric views in the center.
The ticket to the Fabrique des Lumières Dutch Masters exhibition "From Vermeer to Van Gogh" is included in this self-guided walking audio tour through Amsterdam’s changing cityscape. The route starts at Fabrique des Lumières in the Westergas area, where red-brick gasworks buildings now house immersive digital art. Please note that while your ticket to the exhibition of Dutch Masters "From Vermeer to Van Gogh" is included and available within the app, the inside audio tour is not provided. After you finish exploring it on your own, unpause this tour and continue your walk through the streets of Amsterdam. You will walk through Westerpark, pass the stately Haarlemmerpoort, and continue along Haarlemmerstraat to Posthoornkerk. The tour then leads into the Jordaan, with stops at the canal-side corner of Papeneiland and the neighborhood square of Noorderkerk, before reaching the civic center at the Royal Palace and Dam Square. From the busy streets near Central Station, the walk ends at Oude Kerk in Amsterdam’s oldest neighborhood. Along the way, you will see industrial halls turned cultural spaces, a surviving city gate, church facades that reflect changing faith, quiet canals edged by leaning houses, and the broad stone stage of Dam Square.
A ticket to Madame Tussauds Amsterdam is included in this self-guided audio walking tour of Amsterdam’s historic center. Please note that an audio tour inside Madame Tussauds Amsterdam is not provided within this bundle. After you finish exploring Madame Tussauds, unpause the tour and move to the Royal Palace, then, into narrow lanes near Heisteeg and Warmoesstraat. From there, you continue past the leaning Dancing Houses on Damrak to Amsterdam Centraal Station, then follow the old harbor edge along Zeedijk. You will explore how a small settlement on the Amstel became a major trading city shaped by water, commerce, and constant reinvention. The walk leads on to the hidden church of Our Lord in the Attic, the medieval Oude Kerk, the canals around the Red Light District, and finally to De Waag on Nieuwmarkt, where the tour ends. Along the way, travelers will experience grand civic architecture, crooked canal houses on soft ground, traces of old sea defenses, a secret church hidden inside a house, and the striking contrast between sacred spaces and Amsterdam’s famous nightlife streets. Expect memorable moments in Dam Square, by the tilted façades of Damrak, inside the story of hidden worship, and at the fortress-like Waag in the market square.
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About Amsterdam
The best walking tours to do in Amsterdam are:
The best tours in Amsterdam are:
The best indoor tours in Amsterdam for rainy days are:
The must-see attractions in Amsterdam for a first visit are:
Insider tips for visiting Amsterdam
Rolf Laimbock is a local guide who has been publishing tours since 2020 for your discovery of hidden gems and local specialities of Amsterdam on their personal guide page (view profile). Explore their expert tips planning trip to Amsterdam.
When I visit Amsterdam for shopping, I usually skip the obvious chains and head for De 9 Straatjes first. Between the canals, I browse independent fashion, vintage, and design stores tucked into old merchant houses. For sharper local style, I recommend the Haarlemmerstraat and Haarlemmerdijk area in Amsterdam; locals know it for small concept shops, excellent delis, and bookstores. If you visit Amsterdam and like contemporary labels with a more polished feel, Oud-Zuid around Beethovenstraat is a smart choice. In my travel guide Amsterdam, these are the areas I mention most because they combine browsing with some of the best things to do in Amsterdam: walking, people-watching, and café stops.
When I’m in Amsterdam on my own, I always start with a slow walk through the Jordaan early in the morning, before the cafés fill and the canals turn busy. For solo visitors, it’s one of the most rewarding things to do in Amsterdam because you can move at your own pace, browse small galleries, and sit unnoticed with coffee on the Noordermarkt. I often continue to the Begijnhof or the canal belt, which belong high on any list of what to see in Amsterdam. Unlike many tours in Amsterdam, this feels personal. These quieter corners are also among the most memorable attractions in Amsterdam for people traveling alone.
In my travel guide Amsterdam, I usually recommend three full days in Amsterdam as the sweet spot. That gives you time to settle into the rhythm of the city: an unhurried canal walk at dusk, a museum morning, and a neighborhood like De Pijp or the Jordaan where Amsterdam feels lived-in rather than staged. When I visit Amsterdam myself, I find two days can work if you stay central and choose carefully, but four lets you add ferries to Noord or a slow afternoon in the Plantage. For me, the best things to do in Amsterdam reveal themselves when you leave space between plans.
When I want a break from the center of Amsterdam, I head just beyond it to places that still feel connected to the city’s history. The ferry to NDSM is one of my favorite short escapes; in Amsterdam, it gives you a rawer, creative side with street art and old shipyard buildings. I also recommend taking the train to Haarlem for an afternoon, especially for quiet hofjes and excellent small museums. If you’re comparing attractions in Amsterdam with what to see in Amsterdam nearby, these are the places I mention first. Unlike many tours in Amsterdam, they let you feel how the city opens outward into very different neighborhoods and towns.
If you plan to visit Amsterdam around a major event, I’d time it for King’s Day in April or the Grachtenfestival in summer. King’s Day shows Amsterdam at its most exuberant, but I prefer the smaller pockets: families selling old treasures on the streets of the Jordaan and canal-side music drifting through quieter blocks. In my travel guide Amsterdam, I also highlight Open Monumentendag in September, when historic buildings in Amsterdam open doors usually closed to the public. For me, these are among the most memorable things to do in Amsterdam because they reveal the city’s character, not just its postcard image.
When families ask me where to go in Amsterdam, I often suggest the maritime area around Het Scheepvaartmuseum. For me, it’s one of the smartest things to do in Amsterdam with children because the old harbor setting already feels like an adventure, and the full-scale VOC ship draws them in immediately. From there, I like walking toward the Oosterdok, where Amsterdam opens up with wide views and room to move, which parents appreciate. Among the classic attractions in Amsterdam, this area feels less cramped than the canal core. It also works well if you’re deciding what to see in Amsterdam without relying on standard tours in Amsterdam.
In my travel guide Amsterdam, I always say the city makes most sense on foot, with trams for longer stretches. When I visit Amsterdam, I walk the canal belt and Jordaan because distances are shorter than they look, and you notice the details that make Amsterdam special: crooked gables, hidden courtyards, flower boxes leaning over bridges. For neighborhoods like Amsterdam Noord or the eastern docks, I use the free ferry or tram rather than a bike; locals know cycling here can feel hectic if you do not know the rhythm. For me, combining walking with public transport is one of the most practical things to do in Amsterdam.