Amsterdam: Walking Tour Highlights & Stroopwafel Tasting

4.82

(125 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Honestly, I nearly walked straight into a cyclist before the tour even started—guess that’s Amsterdam for you. Our guide, Saskia, was already laughing when she saw me dodge at the last second. She handed me a tiny map (which I barely used) and we set off from New Market Square, where the old ‘de Waag’ building sits right in the middle. The place smelled faintly of coffee and something fried—maybe herring?—and there were locals chatting in Dutch, their hands moving almost as much as their voices.

I didn’t expect to end up in the Red Light District so early on, but Saskia explained how De Wallen is actually one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam. The canals here are narrow and the houses lean at weird angles—she called them “dancing houses.” We passed Zeedijk street, full of red lanterns and tiny restaurants with steamed-up windows. At one point, she pointed out a spot where Rembrandt used to paint. That kind of threw me; I always pictured him somewhere grander. The city’s history is just layered everywhere you look.

The air changed near the Mint Tower—it got sweeter somehow, probably because we were close to Melly’s Stroopwafels. I’d never tasted a real stroopwafel before (the supermarket ones don’t count). They handed us warm ones straight off the iron—sticky caramel inside, crispy edges—and I swear I could smell cinnamon and butter on my fingers for an hour after. Li from our group tried to say “stroopwafel” in Dutch; Saskia laughed so hard she nearly dropped her own.

We wandered through Begijnhof next—a quiet courtyard hidden behind a heavy wooden door. It felt like stepping out of time for a minute; all you could hear was birds and someone sweeping leaves nearby. By then my feet were tired but I didn’t really care. We ended near Dam Square where people stood around watching street performers and pigeons fighting over crumbs. I still think about that view back towards the canals—gray sky reflected in water, bikes everywhere—and how Saskia said you can read Amsterdam by its windows if you look close enough.