Canals, merchants and secrets hidden behind narrow façades.
Amsterdam grew from a dam on the River Amstel into the richest port in the world in the 17th century, a refuge for dissenters and the city of Rembrandt. Its canals hide secret churches, legends carved in stone and the memory of Anne Frank. Three free routes to discover it on foot, at your own pace.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the essentials.
How a fishing village on a dam across the Amstel became the richest port in the world.
Legends, miracles and secrets hidden behind Amsterdam's most peaceful façades.
The places nobody should miss, from Anne Frank's hiding place to Rembrandt's museum.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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A day in the city
Link the three routes and you will see the best of the city on foot, for free: the essentials in the morning, history in the afternoon and legends as the sun goes down.
Morning
Afternoon
Early evening
Where to eat. Try Raw herring (haring) at Stubbe's Haring.
What to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
The most Dutch bite of all: herring lightly cured in brine, served with chopped onion and pickles. In Amsterdam it comes cut into pieces with a cocktail stick, or in a soft bun, eaten standing by the stall. The first catch of the season, the ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’, arrives in late spring.
Where to try it
Balls and croquettes of thick meat ragout, breadcrumbed and fried until crisp, then dipped in mustard. Bitterballen are the classic snack of the bruin café, the dark-panelled brown bar; a kroket in a bread roll is the time-honoured quick lunch.
Where to try it
Tall and packed with apple and cinnamon under a pastry lattice, it is served warm with a generous dollop of whipped cream. The classic afternoon treat in the cafés along the canals.
Where to try it
The Dutch ancestor of gin, distilled with juniper and malt. In the old ‘proeflokalen’, or tasting rooms, the tulip glass is filled to the brim and the first sip is taken by bending over the bar, hands off the glass.
Where to try it
Two thin, crisp waffles sandwiched with a layer of caramel syrup. Freshly made at a market stall, the caramel still stretches as you bite.
Where to try it
