The Dutch Invented That: An Audio Tour of Amsterdam

one hour – 1 h 30 min Free cancellation Private tour

The Dutch Invented That: An Audio Tour of Amsterdam, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

This isn’t your typical history lesson. It’s a tasting platter of Amsterdam’s quirks, from its obsession with bikes and water management, to the surprising Dutch origins of modern capitalism. On this self-guided audio tour, you’ll discover the city through the eyes of Greg Shapiro, an American comedian who’s become a dual Dutch-American citizen. You’ll find out why Amsterdam is a city of contradictions where historic canals, modern engineering marvels, and centuries-old traditions unapologetically exist alongside one another. The tour starts at Amsterdam Central Station, where you’ll learn why there’s a wind dial on the tower. You’ll discover how Dutch merchants created the world’s first publicly traded company at the harbour. The tour ends at Wynand Fockink, one of Amsterdam’s oldest Dutch gin bars tucked down an alley with a hilariously unfortunate name.

Private and Luxury Private Sightseeing Tours Audio Guides Cultural Tours Historical Tours Walking Tours Short term availability Weather Dependent - Low

At a glance

Duration: one hour – 1 h 30 min
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Audio guide: English
Written guide: English
Operated by: VoiceMap Audio Tours

Ages: Adults (6–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Lifetime access to this tour in English before your booking date and after it
Included: Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
Included: Flexibility to explore at your own pace with a self-guided GPS tour
Included: App for Android and iOS
Included: Directions to the starting point so that when you’re in the right place, the tour will start

Not included

Not included: Smartphone and headphones
Not included: Transportation
Not included: Food and drink
Not included: Personal expenses for admission fees not included during the tour

Itinerary

Amsterdam Centraal

Passing by

Begin at Amsterdam Centraal and look up at the wind dial on the tower, a working instrument that once helped harbour masters manage the flow of ships into one of the busiest ports in the world. Stand on the steps of this Victorian Gothic masterpiece and consider that everything you are about to see - the canals, the commerce, the contradictions - flows outward from this single point on the waterfront.
Stop 2

Passing by

Look across the IJ waterway to the A'DAM Tower and take in the former Royal Dutch Shell headquarters that now houses a rooftop swing dangling its riders over the edge of Amsterdam's skyline. Marvel at how this city has always found a way to repurpose the relics of its industrial past into something unexpected, irreverent, and entirely on brand.
Stop 3

Passing by

Admire the Eye Filmmuseum from the waterfront, its angular white form jutting out over the IJ like a piece of film equipment frozen mid-motion. Enjoy how this striking building captures Amsterdam's instinct for bold contemporary architecture, sitting comfortably across the water from a nineteenth-century train station without either one apologising for existing.
Stop 4

Passing by

Walk through the IJpassage pedestrian tunnel beneath Amsterdam Centraal and slow down long enough to take in all 50,000 hand-painted Delft-blue tiles lining the walls, each one depicting a scene from Amsterdam's historic herring fleet. Enjoy this hidden gallery beneath a working station, a reminder that in Amsterdam, even the route to the bicycle parking tends to be worth looking at.
Stop 5

Passing by

Stroll along the canals and discover how this intricate network of waterways was not a natural feature of the landscape but an extraordinary feat of deliberate engineering, dug by hand to drain, defend, and connect a city built on boggy ground below sea level. Marvel at the houseboats, the leaning facades, and the relentless bicycle traffic crossing every bridge, and appreciate that water management here is not just infrastructure — it is a way of life.
Tony's Chocolonely Superstore

Passing by

Stop at the Tony's Chocolonely Superstore and discover how a Dutch television journalist's investigation into child labour in the cocoa industry turned into one of the world's most recognisable ethical chocolate brands. Step inside and enjoy the deliberately unequal chocolate bar — its irregular segments designed to represent the imbalance of the global cocoa trade — before moving on through the historic harbour district.
Beurs van Berlage

Passing by

Stand at the Beurs van Berlage and find yourself at the birthplace of modern capitalism, the site where Dutch merchants created the world's first publicly traded company and invented the stock exchange in the early seventeenth century. Explore how this monumental 1903 exchange building later became a gathering point for Occupy protesters, its grand facade bearing witness to both the creation of the financial system and the movements that rose up against it.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

This tour starts at Amsterdam Central Station Stationsplein. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.

End point

Tour ends at Dutch Gin Bar

Using your ticket

VOICEMAP CODE

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Please check your email at the address you provided when you made this booking. You've been sent an eight character code you'll need to redeem your tour.

This code can be used by every member of your party. If you've booked for three people, for example, three people can download this tour using the same code.

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS

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Once you've received your code, please follow these steps:

Install the VoiceMap Audio Tours mobile app

Create an account

Select Tour Codes from the menu, then select Enter Codes

Enter your code then select Download Now

PLEASE NOTE

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You can download the tour at any time, before or after your booking date. It’s best to download the tour before you set off for the starting point.

This tour follows a set route and includes turn-by-turn directions. It works best if you start it in the right place and follow the directions from one location to the next.

When the download completes, you’ll see a screen with a photo of the starting point and directions to it. The red start button will become active when you are at the starting point.

Remember to bring your own headphones, unless you have booked a driving tour.

SUPPORT

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For technical support and other queries, please email [email protected]