Amsterdam architecture tours

Type: architectural cruise by appointment, for groups of 2 to 70 people
Duration: 1.5 hours
Price: from €450 with a small boat
Departure: Central Station or in consultation

The redevelopment of the banks of the central and western IJ is nearing completion. Take your group on a varied boat trip across the vast IJ and through intimate inland waterways. The architecture cruise showcases a selection of IJ bank construction projects from the past 20 years. You will also see how they connect with the existing historic buildings. You will be brought up to date on future developments: the integration of the Amsterdam port with 40,000 new homes, strengthening of the IJ riverbank connections, redevelopment of the Hamerstraat quarter. In addition, there is plenty of opportunity to meet up, with something to eat or drink if desired.

What you will see:
- Station area: public transport hub with a new metro line and public space designed for cyclists
- Oosterdok: historic harbor with new iconic public buildings (Nemo, library) and apartment buildings
- Central IJ, Overhoeks, Silodam: public buildings and apartment buildings
- Buiksloterham: former industrial site becoming a circular residential and working district
- NDSM shipyard: former shipyard, new residential area, and breeding ground for artists
- Houthavens, Pontsteiger building: reopened peninsula structure with low and medium-rise blocks of waterfront homes
- Westelijke Eilanden: 17th-century harbor islands

Type: bike tour by appointment
Duration: 3 hours
Price: €35 per person excl. bike, for groups of 6 or more; for smaller groups, see hourly rate
Starting point: Central Station

On both central banks of the IJ, we see how former industrial areas have been transformed into residential and working areas, each with its own character. How the old buildings between the new buildings tell the story of the area’s past. The North-South metro line has improved connections between the banks of the IJ. The IJ has become a central and attractive water feature close to the old center of Amsterdam. Apartment buildings and iconic public buildings on the waterfront are interspersed with energy-neutral neighborhoods with new forms of community living.

What you will see:
- Overhoeks, Buiksloterham, NDSM shipyard, Houthavens, Silodam, IJdock, and Oosterdok
- Greenhouse homes, floating homes, rooftop swimming pool and sauna, waterfront homes, and a cultural breeding ground
- The bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly Central Station area, public transport hub, and shopping center that opens up to the old city and the IJ river

Type: walking tour by appointment
Duration: 2.5 hours
Price: €25 per person for groups of 6 or more; for smaller groups, see hourly rate
Starting point: Central Station or by arrangement

Between 2000 and 2025, the central and western banks of the IJ transformed from a port area into a mixed-use area with public buildings, apartment buildings and amenities. The new buildings form an interesting mix with old, listed buildings and are attractively located on the waterfront. The two halves of the city on either side of the IJ are better connected by the North-South metro line. The IJ has become a water feature in the middle of the city, with Amsterdam Central Station as its centrepiece. Extensive cycling facilities ensure a lively ground level. The city has restored its connection with the IJ.

What will you see?
-The underground bicycle parking garages and bicycle boulevard
-The publicly accessible buildings OBA (Amsterdam Public Library), Muziekgebouw aan het IJ and Eye Film Museum
-The repurposed former Shell canteen and Shell laboratory
-The Overhoeks neighbourhood bordering the IJ and the old garden city buildings of Amsterdam Noord

Two-hour walk or bike ride by appointment. Price p.p.: €17.50 Minimum number of persons 8 or as private tour, see Rates private tours

You will see how the Buiksloterham industrial area in Amsterdam North is being transformed into a circular live/work neighborhood. The model neighborhood with experimental and leading sustainable building projects is just a stone’s throw from the ferry and downtown. Attractively priced self-build plots and collective-private commissioning projects generated building activity during the economic crisis. An energy-neutral greenhouse house, wooden high-rise buildings, residential buildings that can be flexibly divided and easily dismantled, the largest sustainable floating village in Europe, Schoonschip…. This tour will bring you up to speed on many circular techniques and forms of housing.

Walking tour by appointment, duration 2 hrs, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour
Price for groups from € 17,50 p.p., for price private tour see Fees Private Tours

On the northern bank of the IJ is a still “pristine” industrial area. Architectural firms and other creatives are housed there in old buildings. The City of Amsterdam has made a plan for this conveniently located area on the IJ. A residential district will rise here with towers and some very high tower accents. Besides housing, manufacturing industry will be established/reinforced in the lower (existing) buildings. The future bridge connection across the IJ between Johan van Hasseltweg and Azartplein will ensure good accessibility.

Walking tour or bicycle tour by appointment, duration 2 hrs, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour
Price for groups € 17,50 p.p. excl. bicycle, price for private tour see Fees Private Tours

Dairy supplier for Amsterdam, location for shippingindustrie and garden villages, dump for antisocial families: the by the IJ-water isolated Amserdam Noord was for a long time not the place to be. Roles are changed. Former industrial sites turned into breedingplaces, garden villages became heritage, in between appear attractive new neighbourhoods. Further on we find the experimental neighbourhoods from the sixties: Plan Van Gool en Molenwijk. Where are the authentic people from Amsterdam Noord? Read more about Noord

Walking tour by appointment, duration 2 hrs, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour
Price for groups from € 17,50 p.p., for price private tour see Fees Private Tours

The Haarlemmerdijk was the main western access road to Amsterdam. Inns and other dike buildings appeared on the dike outside the city wall. From 1613, this area was part of Amsterdam within the new canal plan. Between the luxurious residential area along the canals and the new working islands in the IJ, a mixed, lively neighborhood with different building types formed. In the 19th century, the Haarlemmerbuurt lost direct contact with the IJ due to the construction of the train track. The Catholic complex around the Posthoornkerk appeared. After WWII, revolutionary construction gave way on the old wood yards for a highway. On the remaining open part, the architect Herzberger built houses in the 1980s. The highway route will be redesigned in favor of cyclists.

Type: walk by appointment
Duration: 2.5 hours
Price: €25 per person for groups of 6 or more; for smaller groups, see hourly rate
Departure: in front of the Maritime Museum

Brand new apartment blocks have recently been built in Oostenburg, nestled between sustainably renovated old machine sheds. On the nearby Marine site, 800 homes will be built next to the former naval buildings. The Eastern Islands of Kattenburg, Wittenburg and Oostenburg were constructed in the 17th century as shipbuilding islands: they formed the largest industrial and shipbuilding area in Europe. Located just outside the centre of Amsterdam, they are now being incorporated into the modern era. Traces of the past inspire the adaptation of new buildings and the reuse of existing ones. The fact that this was not always self-evident in the past can be seen in the eastern part of Kattenburg, which has been completely cleared. Experience the layers of centuries and changing urban planning concepts on each island.

What will you see?
-The Marineterrein and the buildings of cultural and historical value that are to be preserved
-The modernist buildings from the 1970s on Kattenburg by architect Apon and the layout of Wittenburg from the 1980s with the 17th-century Oosterkerk
-The dense development of Oostenburg with its restored warehouses and the new blocks of homes, restaurants and commercial spaces surrounding them

Boat ride/ walking tour/ bike tour by appointment, duration boat ride: 1,5 hours, price from €450
Walking tour or bike tour duration 2 hrs, price € 17.50 (excl. bike) for groups from 8 persons, or as a private tour

Architectural cruise along the transformed (peninsula) islands of the Eastern Docklands: Java, KNSM, Borneo, Sporenburg and Cruquius. See and hear how this late 19th-century port area was transformed into a mixed living, working and entertainment area. As many old buildings as possible were preserved. Each subarea was given its own type of building. On Borneo and Sporenburg, for example, many ground-level houses and a self-build street appeared. These are interspersed with several large residential buildings. The recently completed Cruquius is an exciting experiment of the municipality of Amsterdam. Because unlike normal, the builders here were given only a few guidelines.

Type: walking or cycling tour by appointment
Duration: 2 or 3 hours
Price: from €25 per person, excluding bicycle hire, for groups of 6 or more; for smaller groups, see hourly rate
Departure: in consultation

IJburg is an Amsterdam district located in the outer IJ, which has been under construction since 2000. The archipelago of seven islands is located some distance from the centre of Amsterdam. The idea at the time was that residential areas should be located outside the existing agglomerations but close enough to benefit from city amenities. The artificial islands of various sizes, with a total capacity of 40,000 people, each have their own character. The last three are currently under construction. The abundance of greenery, the islands surrounded by water and the wide horizon make IJburg a special place to live. In addition to various segments of rental properties, owner-occupied and luxury homes, the aim was to achieve a greater diversity of housing types than was usual at the time. The level of amenities is also higher. These include shopping centres, schools, a library and a harbour with restaurants and cafés on Haveneiland. IJburg is moving with the times by making room on Centrumeiland for timber construction and housing cooperatives: groups of like-minded people who build residential buildings on a non-profit basis. They are assisted in this by a non-commercial ground rent rate from the municipality.

What will you see?
-The Sluishuis: an iconic, energy-neutral residential and commercial building with a harbour and public walking route
-Steigereiland: neighbourhoods, each with its own character, such as a neighbourhood with self-build homes and a neighbourhood with floating homes
-Haveneiland: a grid of rectangular building blocks with straight streets and waterways, offering great architectural diversity
- Jonas: residential building with an imposing wooden structure inside to which residential galleries are attached
- Timber construction projects Juf Nienke and De Warren

Walking tour by appointment, duration 2 hrs, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour
Price for groups €17,50 p.p., for price private tour see Fees Private Tours

In twenty years, the Zuidas (South axis)has developed into a high-end office and residential location. More residential buildings will be added in the coming years. The district on the most expensive piece of land in the Netherlands is characterized by luxurious, tall buildings. The international architecture is sometimes leading or high-profile, such as Valley or De Jurk. Located at Zuid WTC station, Zuidas is very easily accessible from Schiphol Airport. The nearby Free University (VU) and VU Hospital provide cooperation between knowledge/innovation and business. The City of Amsterdam is not only trying to increase livability but also to attract the general public to the Zuidas with the establishment of a cultural institution of repute.

Walking tour by appointment, duration 2 hours, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour. Price for groups from € 17,50 p.p., price for private tour see Fees Private Tours

See the former southern city gate,the Anthoniespoort, nowadays restaurant De Waag, around 1585. Within the wall medieval Amsterdam, outside an informal suburb: provisional accomodations, small shipyards and swamp. Cheap ground were also immigrants, Jews, Armenians and later Chinese settled. Deportation of the Jews led to pauperization of the neighbourhood. For the city government a reason to launch its metro and highway plans according the dominant ideology of city making. Inhabitants battled these plans against the armed police in the 1975 Nieuwmarkt riots. What came out? As a local resident I investigated the old structures and the realized renewal plans. The Nieuwmarkt city renewal is to become an area of 1980’s culturel heritge.

Walking tour or bicycle tour by appointment, duration 2 hrs, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour
Price for groups €17,50 p.p. excl. bicycle, price private tour see Fees Private Tours

The polder Watergraafsmeer was a seventeenth century landinvestment project by some rich Amsterdam private persons. It was used as farmer land and as cottage house location of the well to do. Only house Frankendael witnesses this former function. After the annexation by Amsterdam in 1921 Watergraafsmeer slowly got builded. Like the beautiful Linnaeushof and Betondorp: the first a brick court for catholics, the second an experimental concrete garden village with a socialistic population. Betondorp was birth ground of soccer player Johan Cruijff. The numerous play grounds, and the monumental cemetery Nieuwe Oosterbegraafplaats contribute to the special world of the Watergraafsmeer: still rural and in meantime very modern with the recent Science Centre with modern architecture in the east.

Walking or bicycle tour by appointment, duration 2 hrs, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour
Price for groups from € 12,50 p.p. excl. bicycle, for private tour see Fees Private Tours

Buitenveldert has got extraordinary Amsterdam boulevards with the airs of Berlin or Paris. The designer of the Amsterdam extension plan of 1934 and the Buitenveldert plan, the internationally famous Van Eesteren, lived here himself. See the tight stamped buildings, the early high-rise next to a luxurous bungalow neighbourhood and espacially the fantastic, connected and big scale greenery in and by the quarter.

Walking tour by appointment, duration 2 hrs, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour
Price for groups from € 17,50 p.p., for price private tour see Fees Private Tours

Functionalism in its most advanced form and most largest scale in Holland, realised in the 1970-80’s: flats in honeycomb structures surrounded by lots of green, raised roads and a metro viaduct. Inhabitants facilities as a photography pavilion and a coffee bar in the flat reflect the ideals from the sixties and seventies. This supernatural landscape is in the 1990’s demolished for the half and replaced by low raise. We’ll have a look at the old and the new and see if things are improved. Startingpoint metrostation Ganzenhoef, end at station Bijmer Arena

Walking tour by appointment, duration 2 hours, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour. Price for groups from € 22,50 p.p., price for private tour see Fees Private Tours

Eperience the unique architecture of downtown Rotterdam: a mix of modernist reconstruction architecture, New Dowdyness by Piet Blom and his cube houses, supermodernism by OMA and contemporary work by MVRDV and others. During the walk, the few remaining historic buildings and old harbors tell the story of Rotterdam and its wartime past.

Walking tour by appointment, duration 2 hours, for groups from 8 persons or as a private tour. Price for groups from € 22,50 p.p., price for private tour see Fees Private Tours

The centuries-old city of The Hague is the center of Dutch political power, of royalty and of (international) diplomacy. On higher sand deposited by the sea lies the 13th-century Binnenhof, scene of intrigue and power. The Binnenhof is surrounded by gardens, a hunting forest and by city palaces on a grand square filled with rows of thick lime trees. A stone’s throw away, on low peat soil, is the village of the serving people: narrow alleys around an old city hall and a church. The multifaceted walk also passes nearby modernizations and extensions such as the 19th century Passage, Richard Meyer’s City Hall, Rem Koolhaas’ underground streetcar passage, Krier’s The Residence and the cultural building Amare by Jo Coenen and others.