Essential Introductory Walk

Essential Introductory Walk is one of five walking tours compared on this site, it runs 2 hours 30 minutes, and the live listing opens at $5.81 a person. It carries 4.9 from 4,166 reviews, reproduced here exactly as the operator publishes it.

Overview

This two hour and thirty minute walk from FreeDam Tours begins on Beursplein, in front of the stock exchange, and works its way through the centre in a loop that finishes back where it started. The guides bring pictures, paintings and maps to illustrate the stories, and the route covers the Royal Palace from outside, the Red Light District, Chinatown, the Waag, the Amstel and the UNESCO-listed centre. Along the way the tour touches on how Amsterdam began and the moments that shaped it.

Groups are capped at 15 travellers, and several reviewers describe the guides as funny and knowledgeable. Guide names come up again and again in the reviews, with humour and local knowledge the recurring themes.

The walk suits anyone wanting a grounding in the main sights and the city's history. Multiple stops are viewed from the street only, including the Royal Palace, Our Lord in the Attic and the Waag, so anyone wanting to go inside those should budget separately.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at BeurspleinGuides wait in front of the stock exchange at Beursplein 5, holding a yellow umbrella, from 15 minutes before the start. The meeting point is not on the nearby Dam square.
2. Beurs van BerlageThe tour opens at the Beurs van Berlage for 20 minutes, with free admission to the stop.
3. Damrak and Our Lord in the AtticThe route continues along Damrak for 15 minutes, then stops for 15 minutes at Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder. Entry to the museum is not included in the tour price.
4. Chinatown and the WaagFifteen minutes in Chinatown is followed by 10 minutes at the Waag. Admission to the Waag is not included.
5. Oostindisch HuisA 15 minute stop at the Oostindisch Huis, free to view.
6. Waterlooplein Market and the AmstelFifteen minutes at the market, then 15 minutes along the Amstel river, both free.
7. OudemanhuispoortA 10 minute stop at the Oudemanhuispoort, free admission.
8. Royal PalaceThe final stop is 15 minutes at the Royal Palace. Palace entry is not included.
9. Return to BeurspleinThe tour ends back at the same meeting point.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points will help you get the most out of this walk.

• Wear good shoes. The tour is on foot for its full two hours and thirty minutes across the centre, so comfortable shoes help. The route links ten stops between the meeting point and back again.
• Check the weather. The walk runs in open air and the listing states the experience requires good weather. If a departure is cancelled for poor weather, you are offered a different date or a full refund.
• Guide varies. Reviews name several different guides, most of them praised for humour and knowledge. One reviewer described a guide born and raised in Amsterdam, another a guide who compares customs across countries.
• Restaurant tips. One group followed an Indonesian restaurant suggestion and enjoyed it.
• Bring children fine. The listing states the tour is pushchair accessible and that infants must sit on laps. Wheelchair users are also accommodated, with accessible surfaces and transport noted.
• Ask questions. Reviewers describe guides who engage the audience and keep the presentation entertaining.

Common issues. Some stops, including the Royal Palace, Our Lord in the Attic and the Waag, are seen from outside only, since entry tickets are not included. The listing states a minimum number of travellers is required, and if that minimum is not met you are offered a different date, a different experience, or a full refund. Poor weather can also cancel a departure, with the same options of a new date or a refund.

Questions People Ask