Free audio walk in Amsterdam
The Small History of Amsterdam
- 69 min
- 4 km
- 11 stops
- Free
Starts at Oude Kerk
About this walk
Amsterdam has seen more than 750 years of change, growth, and remarkable moments. This route takes you back to where it all began: around the Dam, the Old Church, and the early streets of the city. You’ll walk past traces of the VOC, hidden courtyards like the Begijnhof, and learn how a fishing village became a world city. It’s a short walk through centuries of stories. The route starts and ends at the Old Church.
The stops
Walk them in order; each story plays when you reach its pin.
- 1Stop 1
The Beginning
You're standing on a street so old that Amsterdam practically grew up around it.
- 2Stop 2
Oude Kerk (Old Church)
You're standing in front of the oldest building in the city, and believe it or not, there are thousands of people right beneath your feet.
Read the story - 3Stop 3
The Alteration of Amsterdam
One morning in 1578, Amsterdam woke up with a completely different city council — and nobody got hurt.
Read the story - 4Stop 4
Dam Square
The ground beneath your feet was once a muddy river dam — and that small act of engineering gave birth to one of Europe's most storied cities.
Read the story - 5Stop 5
Palace on Dam Square
The grand palace standing before you was nearly never built.
Read the story - 6
- 7Stop 7
Het Begijnhof
Hidden behind an ordinary door in the middle of a busy city lies a secret courtyard that has quietly defied history for over seven centuries.
Read the story - 8Stop 8
The Canals
Amsterdam has more canals than Venice, and the story of how they were built, used, and occasionally abused is one of the most fascinating chapters in urban history.
Read the story - 9Stop 9
The Munttoren
One of the busiest squares of the cities
- 10Stop 10
The VOC
You're standing in front of what was once the nerve centre of the most powerful trading company the world had ever seen.
Read the story - 11Stop 11
Back at the Beginning
The street you're standing on has been hiding one of the world's oldest secrets in plain sight for centuries.
Ready when you are
Walk The Small History of Amsterdam with ROODS.
11 stops through Amsterdam, about 69 minutes. Open ROODS in your browser, walk to the first pin and the story plays.
- Stories on a map, with narrated audio
- Walk at your own pace, stop where you like
- Runs in your browser. An app is optional.
