Amsterdam: Private Pedicab Historical Sightseeing Tour

Highlights

• Drive through the beautiful 17th-century canal district of Amsterdam
• Enjoy the magnificent views of Amstel River, 7 bridges and Museum Square
• Learn about the history of the city by an Amsterdam local

Description

You'll start the tour at Dam square, birthplace of the city, the main square and heart of the old centre of Amsterdam. It's the place from where Amsterdam started to evolve and where we find the royal palace, the new church and the national monument.

Next stop is Zeedijk, nowadays a street but in the old days one of the dikes protecting the old city. Here you'll see the oldest cafe still standing today with it's original interior and a bit futher down the street get a glimpse of the nearby Chinatown.

New Market square, with it's most important building, the 15th century city gate, standing right in the middle of it. This place is full of history and you'll learn all about it.

Minutes later there will be a stop at the Montelbaanstoren, an old watch and defense tower, part of the Amsterdam expanded defense line early 16th century. From here there is also a good lookout over the 'oude Waal' where there are a lot of houseboats lined up with 17th century canal houses as background decor.

Next will be the Jewish quarter where you'll see the very first synagogue that Jewish people were allowed to build in Western Europe over 350 years ago, the 'big synagogue'. On the other side of the street you'll see the Portuguese synagogue. Nearby there is the Holocaust name monument with 102 thousand bricks giving the names of the Dutch Jewish victims of the Second World War. Just opposite the monument is a row of beautiful old 17th century canal houses that were inhabited by Jewish Sephardic immigrants who were successful in the diamond business.

Then you'll see the Hermitage, a huge old 17th century widowhouse that nowadays houses the hermitage museum.

The skinny bridge is one of the most iconic bridges of Amsterdam that beautifully lights up at night when hundreds of light bulbs accentuate it's skinny but stylefull design. From here you have a panoramic over the canalised river the Amstel, which is the main and widest canal in Amsterdam. It's a good place to take pictures!

The ride continues thrugh the canal district which is the 17th century neighberhoud surrounding the old centre of Amsterdam. On any city map it can be clearly seen as half circles that go around the centre. Here you find the majority of the typical Amsterdam canal houses that were once the homes of successful merchants. Unlike modern times, all canal houses are slightly different, although we will see there are some typical similarities among them that unveil their building era.

The final stop before driving back to your hotel is at Museumsquare, a 1arge and beautiful 19th century green open square and home to the country's most important museums: the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum. We will drive through the tunnel of Rijksmuseum and make a stop in the middle of the square.

You can set a desired location to finish the tour before hand.