Urban Legends City Quest

Discover the Legends of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city of stories – some centuries old, others still very much alive. During our historical walking tours, you’ll uncover the hidden legends, myths, and mysterious events that together shape the city’s character. Our guides lead you through the heart of Amsterdam, where fact and fiction blend effortlessly.

On The Legends of Amsterdam tour, you’ll pass iconic sites such as the Skinny Bridge, the Begijnhof, and the Westerkerk, and hear how 750 years of history filled with wondrous, humorous, and moving tales come to life. Why does one façade show mysterious red stains? And why are flowers still laid on a centuries-old grave? Behind every legend lies a surprising truth often straight from the city’s archives.

For those drawn to the darker side of history, there’s Dark Tales, Legends & Ghost Stories of Old Amsterdam. In the narrow alleys and along the old canals, you’ll hear stories of love, guilt, superstition, and madness seven sins and seven virtues that have left their mark on the city to this day. From the Ghost Alley to the Schreierstoren, fact and fable once lived side by side.

In addition to these guided walks, you can also investigate a mystery on your own with our city quest The House with the Bloodstains. Beneath the floorboards of a canal house on the Amstel, a mysterious chest has been discovered believed to have been left behind by the 17th-century mayor Coenraad van Beuningen. You are invited to uncover what’s inside and why it was hidden there. A captivating quest filled with puzzles, archival clues, and surprising discoveries.

Whether you join a guided walking tour or take on the self-guided city quest, each experience reveals a different side of Amsterdam a city where behind every façade, alley, and bridge lies a story waiting to be discovered.