Old Amsterdam: A Walking Tour through the East Side and Jewish District

(143 reviews)

Amsterdam audio tour: Old Amsterdam: A Walking Tour through the East Side and Jewish District

This is a 2.8mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Amsterdam

The Netherlands

$9.99

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About the Tour

The east side of old Amsterdam was once a centre of international trade and exploration, with parts of the city drawing a large Jewish community from the 1600s onwards. On this walking tour, I’ll tell you about this maritime history, and guide you through the old Jewish district, Jodenbuurt.

As you roam the docklands, alleys and canals of the old east side, I’ll share the stories floating through its streets. You'll hear about the Dutch fleet, once the most powerful in the world, the eternal Anglo-Dutch wars, and how the old Navy Warehouse – now the National Maritime Museum – contributed to one of the worst defeats in the history of the British Navy. Speaking of museums, we’ll pass several that you may like to include in your Amsterdam explorations, including:

NEMO Science Museum, the green building shaped like a ship and built in what once was the arm of the sea that linked Amsterdam to the ocean
H’ART Museum (former Hermitage Amsterdam), which houses a lot of Dutch artwork collected by the Russian Tsars
Rembrandt House Museum, modelled to look as it did in the 1600s
Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam (the Museum of WWII Resistance) where you can learn what life was like for locals during the war

On this Amsterdam tour, you’ll also have the chance to:

Discover the rich traditions of Sephardic Jews while visiting the Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam, the largest synagogue in the world for centuries
Learn how WWII and the Holocaust almost fully wiped out Amsterdam’s Jewish population
Take in the many memorials around the Jewish District including the National Holocaust Names Monument and the Memorial to Auschwitz Victims
Stroll along Waterlooplein Market, one of the largest and oldest flea markets in the city
See Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam and ARTIS zoo, one of the oldest botanical gardens and zoos in the world
Hear about barges and traditional Dutch sailing ships including the magnificently refurbished East Indiaman

Join me on this two-hour walk as we hop over a dozen artificial islands and past more than a dozen museums.

Tour Producer

Edmond Van Putte

6 tours

After graduation at Amsterdam Filmacademy active as producer for film, TV and theatre.
Always combined work with a great interest for history & culture. This field becoming gradually the principal activity.
Currently mainly history research for film & TV, publications, other media. Focus on daily life and practical issues : how did people do it, what did it look like.
Also presentations, educational projects and guided tours on history & heritage of the Netherlands.

Preview Location

Location 7

Lock - view Montelbaan Tower

Stop here by the railing to take in the view.

Overlooking the wide canal, on the left quay, there's a tower. Way over there in the distance, there's a green ship-like building. That’s the NEMO science museum, built in what once was the arm of the sea that linked Amsterdam ... Stop here by the railing to take in the view.

Overlooking the wide canal, on the left quay, there's a tower. Way over there in the distance, there's a green ship-like building. That’s the NEMO science museum, built in what once was the arm of the sea that linked Amsterdam to the ocean. We’ll walk along there later.

That old tower on the left quay is the Montelbaanstower. The lower part a late medieval gun tower, originally with canons pointing in all directions. As said, there was a simple earthen defence here, no real city wall. This one single tower was much cheaper. And a stone wall would only have been an obstacle in an industrial area devoted to ship building.
The white higher part of the tower was added in the 17th century to house the bells of a carillon. Carillons playing music were important, because in an era where there were no watches yet, the clockwork tunes in the many towers throughout the city regulated daily life.

There's a picture on your screen now, of the canal and the Montelbaanstower in 1688.

With sailors boarding a barge that will ferry them to the big sea-going ships. The quay at the tower was the usual place for departing crews to the East Indies. In its almost 200 years of existence, about 1 million men sailed out with the Dutch East India Company, the VOC. Only one third ever made it back.
In fact, the VOC was a man-eating company. It didn't take long before most of the common sailors were not Dutch anymore, but poor immigrants from surrounding countries, from Scandinavia, from all over Europe really. Because the word had spread that in Amsterdam everybody could earn a living. Which was true in the 17th century. But for most it turned out to be a miserable living.

In late medieval times, this wide canal was the city limit. With on the left, the industrial area. And all the land on the right-hand side low swampy countryside.
Then, Amsterdam started booming. At high speed more and more land was reclaimed.
Perhaps it's good to realize that once outside the medieval centre the rest of this walk will be fully on the streets of those 17th century man-made islands.

Wide canals like this one were part of the port of Amsterdam. The big ships however had to stay offshore, the water here far too shallow for them.
Still, these wide canals were open to the sea, no locks over there, so the water was tidal to this point. Barges could sail in and out freely, as all bridges could be opened.

2 sec pause

When you turn around, looking away from the wide canal, you can see that we are standing next to a lock.

Please proceed along the lock, and up the steps. You will then be on the Medieval dike that protects the center of old Amsterdam against the sea. That's why the lock, and that’s why the street is still higher up there: it's a dike. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Jodenbuurt
Rembrandt House Museum
H'ART Museum (Hermitage Amsterdam)
Stopera Pier
Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam
Hortus Botanicus Leiden
Memorial to Auschwitz Victims
Holocaust Memorial & Dutch Theater (Jewish Cultural Quarter)
Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam | Dutch Resistance Museum
NEMO Science Museum

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Nieuwmarkt 4, 1012 CR Amsterdam, Netherlands
Total distance

4km
Final location
Oosterdokskade, 1011 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Distance back to start location

540.58m

Directions to Starting Point

Start: Nieuwmarkt (New Market), 1012 CR Amsterdam

The tour begins at the only remaining fully intact medieval city gate of Amsterdam. Nieuwmarkt is about 10 minutes walking from Amsterdam Central Station (with the metro 3 minutes), or about 7 minutes walking from Dam Square.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

There are many places of interest and museums on this route. If you would stop and visit all, even one full day will not be enough. Doing this route in parts on different days is of course an option. There are many very special places, but what to visit depends on your interests, naturally. The Portuguese Synagogue is absolutely unique in the world, but so is the Rembrandt House. And the Maritime Museum, with that great fully furnished East Indiaman. In any case, there are plenty of possibilities for a drink or a bite during the walk.

Best time of day

From dawn to dusk, and if you want to visit places, go during opening times of museums (generally 9 AM - 5 PM). Check websites of museums!
Most of this itinerary is not crowded at all. But it can happen when there are events or partying. In that case be aware of pickpockets.

Precautions

The area is safe but always be street smart and take care when crossing busy intersections. Unusual for most visitors is the large number of cyclists in Amsterdam. And the fact that they don’t always keep to the bicycle path ... So be on your guard when crossing, and keep an ear open for bicycle bells.

A warning: also because of the sloppy subsoil there’s always road maintenance somewhere in the old center. If a street is temporary blocked, please check the VoiceMap itinerary and map on your phone. Generally, walking around the block will get you on the right track again.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”