Anne Frank and Jewish history Walking Tour (90 minutes)
Upon searching for tourist attractions within Amsterdam, the name Anne Frank and her family hiding place on Prinsengracht often appears as one of the big 3 sights of the city. In fact, many are drawn to it just for this reason - "it's just something that we are meant to see" is a line many of my guests begin with me by saying. The house entry itself is almost constantly sold out, with tens of thousands of tourists flooding through its quarters yearly, but in turn this also somewhat miscommunicates the reality present in Amsterdam during Nazi occupation, taking Anne's life slightly out of context .There's no one really to blame for this. It's not their fault that what surrounds the house today are haggling street artists, surging canal boats and flocks of gawking joyous tourists, and its no wonder too that this environment comes to effect the overall digestion of her tragic story. And what a tragic story it is. I remember, being once a tourist of Amsterdam myself, sitting with my girlfriend in front of the entrance of the Anne Frank Huis, reading on my phone about the SS officers raiding their hiding place and shipping them off to concentration camps, at which only Anne's father, Otto, would survive the months of bitter cold, labor and starvation, to look up and watch a line of people grinning with their jutted selfie sticks in front of the forest green door frame. Again, its not the tourists faults for acting this way, our behavior results from the knowledge of our environment. This is why I do not start my walking tours here, the house instead remains as one of my final stops, and by the time we arrive there, now looking at the same green doors, my groups are not smiling whilst standing in that same door frame. By this point a somber silence hangs in the air, a somber silence that has now placed the house not only in its immediate environment, but instead seeing it as a reflection, a collective representation of what the entire city once endured.
The tour starts right in the heart of modern Amsterdam, just a stone's throw from the train station on Beurseplein 5. It's here I usually like to set the scene of the tour, making the group comfortable by starting with some general knowledge on the city of Amsterdam. I make use of my many maps and figures on hand to illuminate my ideas, helping my guests understand how such a city built itself out of the marshes and became one of the most prosperous cities in Europe. I also merge this with a greater commentary on European Jewish history, a history where Amsterdam came to be a safe haven for so many until the 20th century. My tour then attempts to tell the story of Nazi occupation, while weaving through Amsterdam's canal lined streets, following a chronological order.
To do so I leave no stone unturned, making use of monuments and the city scape to bring alive the stories of not only the twelve thousand other Jewish people in Amsterdam forced into hiding, but also those who sheltered them, those who helped them, and ultimately those who died for them. With all these other names and stories in mind, then I bring in Anne Frank, then I bring in her diary, then I begin to dissect why her work is so important. I finish my tour by discussing her legacy as a writer, the title that she was no longer alive to see placed upon her name and, finally, how her story continues to hold power towards positive change in our world today.
Reviews
This tour has received over 100 reviews across various tourism platforms, below hold just a few of them.
"It was outstanding! Tristan was an above average guide that made the tour one of the best we have ever taken. His background in history will be an asset in any career he embarks on. His ability to interact with our group was very impressive. His communication skills, public speaking and natural interaction made our tour great! Thank you Tristan." - Michael, GetYourGuide traveler
"This walking history tour to the Anne Frank house was amazing. Tristan, a history major at one of the Amsterdam Universities, was very personable, passionate about the topic, extremely knowledgeable and very organized in his presentation. He didn’t just present the facts but expanded upon them into a comprehensive story. Highly recommend his company and him in particular." - Debbie, GetYourGuide traveler
"Tristan was an amazing tour guide. He was very informative provided great details and paced our walk perfectly. He was a student of the university of Amsterdam majoring in history, and his command of the information was incredible ! He did this all while it was pouring down rain on top of it all." - Prabha, Viator traveler
"Tristan was our guide for this emotionally charged tour. It’s really not easy to provide an engaging tour when the subject matter is so challenging. But Tristan pulled it off brilliantly. His approach was completely appropriate, respectful and very informative. He knew his stuff and I came away enlightened about this dark period of Amsterdam’s history. His introduction was very good giving us a brief rundown of Amsterdam’s history and setting everything in context. I would highly recommend this tour and if you get Tristan, you’ll be set up for a highly professional and satisfying tour." - Sarah, Trip Advisor traveler
FAQ
Q: Is this tour strictly 90 minutes long?
A: No, it's actually quite likely that I will run over this barrier and take as long as 2 hours, but really this depends on the group. If, for example, rain is bucketing down and wind is blowing, I might cut things short, but the enthusiasm and engagement of the group also plays a big role in how long my tours last. I have even had groups stay with me for as much as 3 hours, eager with questions and conversation.
Q: Does this tour include entry into the Anne Frank House?
A: That depends on what package you buy on the third party websites. I run the exact same tour however, no matter the package, so the price difference is only allotted to the entry tickets into the house. Nevertheless be careful of what package you buy! I've had numerous groups disappointed when my base tour package does not include tickets to the house, so make sure you look carefully before booking to what package suits your expectations. Below you can find a list of times I run both kinds of tours.
Q: Is this tour meant for kids ?
A: The only real critique I have received is that the tour holds content unsuitable for children. However I have also had parents who were very happy that their children were able to come along and learn about this history. I guess the answer is that if a parent is thinking of taking their child on their tour they should be aware of what content I cannot avoid discussing. Of course there are some topics I'll steer clear from younger ears (Nazi meth use for example), but to avoid topics of death and horror faced by an innocent population would take away from the history I'm trying to preserve and would affect the overall experience of the tour. In the end much of the content of the tour is difficult for me to sugar coat.
Q: How much am I meant to know about Anne or her diary before coming?
A: I have designed my tour so anyone, no matter their pre-existing knowledge, will be able to access and follow along with my content - from people who only know Anne by name, to History professors to English teachers who have taught her diary for decades, even holocaust survivors themselves have walked these streets with me. All groups have come and felt satisfied with the content they heard and experienced.
Q: Do we visit the Jewish quarter itself?
A: No, and some people are surprised to hear this. While some other guides choose to run their tours through this area, I've decided that it's better too avoid venturing there purely for the reason that so little of the original quarter remains. It was mostly leveled after the Jewish roundups in 1942, and has since been refurbished to include mostly blocks of social housing which would ultimately reduce me to pointing and using metaphors to try and describe the true locality to the groups. Instead I've tried to focus on sites outside of the Jewish quarter that still uphold their original foundations, with a further focus specifically on those that were forced into hiding, like Anne, throughout the city.
Q: What happens if I'm late to the start point?
A: Not a problem, so long as you call me and tell me your situation I'm almost always able to figure out a solution. I would recommend for my guests to also have WhatsApp ready for use as I tend to use live location for the groups who want to catch up with me part way through my tour.
Q: What if none of the timeslots work for me?
A: If this is the case then you're welcome to also send me an email, I do run private tours at a discount rate as they do not go through the booking websites, so we may be able to hammer something out that suits your needs!
Does this tour sounds like something for you?
If so, then great! I would be more than happy to welcome you in the cobbled streets of Amsterdam. Below you can find my availability throughout the week along with links to the booking websites:
Monday - 13:00 (House tickets included)
Friday - 13:00 (House tickets included)
Saturday -13:00 (House tickets included), 15:30 (Base package)
Sunday - 13:00 (Base package), 15:30 (Base package)
Booking Websites -
GetYourGuide: Amsterdam: Anne Frank Guided Walking Tour | GetYourGuide
Tripadvisor: 2024 (Amsterdam) Anne Frank and Amsterdam Jewish History Walking Tour (tripadvisor.com)
If there's any further questions do not hesitate to reach out to me via email: timmstours@gmail.com
Thank you for your interest!
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