Amsterdam in World War Two Cycle Tour

Amsterdam’s wartime story is often told through Anne Frank’s House and the city center. This bike tour takes you farther south, where ordinary streets, school buildings, squares, and apartment blocks reveal the machinery of occupation and resistance. Rudy’s personal ties to the area give the route a human scale, while old photographs help you match past events to the buildings around you.

I especially like the maximum of six riders, which makes it easier to ask questions and stay close to the guide. I also like the use of wartime photos at the exact places you visit. The main drawback is practical: the route covers serious and sometimes painful material, and you need to bring a bike, so it may not suit anyone hoping for a light sightseeing ride.

Key points to know before you book

• The tour focuses on Amsterdam South, not the usual canal belt and central attractions.
• Rudy and Peter lead a very small group, with no more than six people.
• Archival photos show wartime scenes at present-day locations, making the past easier to picture.
• Important stops include Anne Frank’s former home, Nazi offices, resistance sites, and Jewish memorials.
• A short coffee and restroom stop takes place at Cafe Wildschut on Roelof Hartplein.
• The ride lasts about two and a half to three hours, starts at 11:00 a.m., and costs $66.09 per person.

Why Amsterdam South tells a different wartime story

I like this tour because it moves beyond the best-known Anne Frank sites without ignoring them. Amsterdam South was a residential district during the occupation, but it also became a place where arrests were organized, Nazi departments operated, resistance members worked, and people faced brutal reprisals.

You see these stories in places that still look like normal Amsterdam. A square may now be used by local residents. A school may still serve an educational purpose. An apartment building may appear unchanged. The point of the ride is to show how occupation entered everyday life.

Cycling matters here. The route covers a broad part of the southern neighborhoods, and bike paths let you move between sites faster than you could on foot. You also reach quieter streets away from the center, where traffic and crowds are less likely to distract you.

The tone is serious but not academic for its own sake. Rudy, who grew up in these neighborhoods, brings family experiences and local memories into the explanations. Peter also guides the tour, and the guides use maps, personal stories, and historical images to make each stop easier to understand.

From Victorieplein to the Frank family’s apartment

The route begins with the June 20, 1943 raid in mind. Victorieplein was then called Daniël Willinkplein, and it became one of the places connected with the mass arrest of Jewish residents.

At the foot of the Skyscraper, large groups of Jewish people were detained during a so-called Judenaktion. Dutch police units and police volunteers connected with the Dutch National Socialist Movement helped the German authorities. Those arrested were taken to locations including Olympiaplein for registration before being sent to Westerbork concentration camp.

This opening gives you an immediate sense of the tour’s approach. The guide is not simply pointing out a plaque. You learn how a location functioned during the occupation, who took part, and what happened next.

The route then reaches Merwedeplein 37-II, the former home of the Frank family. In the summer of 1942, Otto Frank moved his family and acquaintances to the Secret Annex on Prinsengracht, where his company was based.

A statue of Anne Frank now marks the square. Nearby, the Jimmink bookshop on Waalstraat is still active. Otto Frank bought Anne’s diary there for her. That detail links a familiar literary object to a specific neighborhood shop, making the story feel less distant and more physical.

The stop is not a replacement for Anne Frank House. You do not visit the Secret Annex on this ride. Instead, you see where the family lived before hiding and learn how the diary entered their lives.

Merwedeplein and the story of Lex van Weren

Across from Merwedeplein, Waalstraat 48 is now Cafe Blek. During the war, the building housed the Tilex Bar, named after Tilly and Lex van Weren.

Lex van Weren survived Auschwitz because he was forced to play his trumpet at executions. It is a short account, but a grim one. It shows how survival could depend on a terrible role imposed by the camp authorities.

This is one of the route’s strengths. The tour does not present the occupation only through famous leaders and major military events. It also follows musicians, shopkeepers, police officers, neighbors, and people who had to make impossible choices.

For you, the setting helps. You are not hearing the story in a museum room with a large crowd around you. You are standing outside the address, looking at the modern building and considering what happened there.

The former police barracks and Museumplein stronghold

At Cornelis Troostplein 23, the building once held the PBA barracks. Before the war, it had been a Catholic complex with two convents and a school, known as the Peace Parish.

In spring 1942, SD and Gestapo chief Rauter inspected the police battalion. He also met SS leader Heinrich Himmler at Museumplein. The stop shows how existing civic and religious spaces could be absorbed into the occupation system.

Museumplein itself was turned into a German stronghold. German offices occupied buildings facing the Concertgebouw. The former United States consulate housed the Zentralstelle für Jüdische Auswanderung, the Central Jewish Emigration Office. Despite its official-sounding name, this office was part of the system used to register and deport Jewish people.

Nearby were the Ortskommandantur, or town command, and the Feldgendarmerie, or military police. Other buildings held Nazi Party offices and German services. On the skating club grounds, the Germans built bunkers and anti-aircraft batteries.

The Amsterdam headquarters of the NSB stood beside the Concertgebouw. After the war, the bunkers were destroyed. As you cycle around the square, the open public space can seem far removed from its wartime use. That contrast is exactly what the guide helps you see.

Coffee, resistance photography, and a small memorial

At Roelof Hartplein, the group stops at Cafe Wildschut for about ten minutes. This is a useful pause rather than a major attraction. You can have coffee and use the restroom before the route continues.

Near the library on Roelof Hartstraat, a former photo shop played a role in the Dutch resistance. Resistance workers used the shop to develop photographs, including images by Charles Breijer, of the first roundup of Jewish people in Amsterdam by the SD, Gestapo, and German police.

Photography mattered because evidence could be hidden, copied, and passed on. The shop was not simply a place for family portraits. It became part of an underground effort to document what the authorities were doing.

You also stop at a small monument remembering Jewish people taken from the neighborhood. It is a modest marker, and that is part of the lesson. You will encounter several places where memory is held by a plaque, stone, or small monument rather than a large museum.

Apollolaan and the cost of retaliation

At the corner of Beethovenstraat and Apollolaan, you hear about an assassination and its consequences. In late October 1944, SS officer and SD or Gestapo agent Herbert Oelschlägel was executed near number 6 by a Dutch resistance member.

The German response was brutal. Two houses were burned, and 29 resistance fighters were executed. The guide uses the location to explain the logic of collective punishment, in which civilians and prisoners paid for resistance actions.

Most house numbers remain the same as they were during the war. That makes it easier to orient yourself and understand the distance between the event and the buildings around it. At the same time, the ordinary residential setting can make the story harder to absorb.

The next street was once called Euterpestraat. It is now associated with Gerrit van der Veen, who led an important Dutch resistance group. This name change itself carries meaning. Street names can reflect a city’s effort to remember people whose actions were once illegal under the occupation.

The Nazi offices on Memlingstraat and Rubensstraat

At the corner of Memlingstraat and Rubensstraat, the tour reaches two major Nazi offices. One was the Amsterdam headquarters of the Sicherheitsdienst, or SD, under Willy Lages. The other was the Hausraterfassungsstelle, which catalogued and stole the possessions of deported Jewish people.

The second office belonged to the Central Jewish Emigration Office. Its leader was Henneicke, a Dutch collaborator. This stop explains that persecution relied not only on German officials. Dutch collaborators also helped identify people, seize property, and keep the process moving.

In November 1944, the resistance asked the Royal Air Force to attack the offices. Destroying SD and Gestapo files was the main goal. Group Captain Denys Gillam led the 149 Typhoon Wing during the attack.

There was also a resistance safehouse near Rubensstraat and Gerrit van der Veenstraat. In June 1944, a female informant betrayed the address to the SD and Gestapo. A Stolperstein, or stumbling stone, marks the address.

This section is especially useful for anyone interested in how resistance networks worked. You hear about offices, documents, safehouses, informants, and the risks involved in trying to destroy records. It is a more detailed account than a simple good-versus-bad overview.

Olympiaplein, the Luftwaffe, and public defiance

At Olympiaplein and Parnassusweg, Jewish people arrested during the June 1943 raid were registered at the sports complex. The SD and Gestapo carried this out with help from Jewish camp police sent from Westerbork.

The wording and circumstances are difficult, but the site matters because it connects the initial arrests to the bureaucratic process that followed. Registration was one step in moving people toward deportation.

At Valeriusplein, you see the Amsterdam Lyceum building, which served as Luftwaffe headquarters near the end of the occupation. The building’s educational identity and wartime use make another sharp contrast.

The route then reaches the statue of Queen Emma on Emmalaan and Prins Hendriklaan. In summer 1940, people placed flowers at the statue in defiance of the German occupiers. It was a small public act, but public acts carried risk under occupation.

Charles Breijer photographed a guard at the Kriegsmarine headquarters in 1944. The tour returns to his work here, connecting the earlier resistance photo shop with a wider record of life under German control.

The final shootings and ride through Vondelpark

The last historical stop concerns May 7, 1945, when German forces surrendered. The surrender did not produce instant calm. German troops and resistance fighters faced one another in dangerous conditions, and a shooting killed several people.

You see a monument to the victims. This final point adds an important note: liberation itself could be chaotic and deadly. The war’s end did not erase fear in a single morning.

Afterward, the guide takes you through Vondelpark toward Leidseplein, where the ride began according to the tour information. The official meeting point is Tesselschadestraat 1, while the route description begins at Victorieplein, so I would confirm the exact starting arrangement when booking.

How much value do you get for $66.09?

At $66.09 per person, this is not the cheapest way to spend three hours in Amsterdam. You are paying for a small group, a specialist route, an English-speaking guide, and access to a broad set of places that would be difficult to connect on your own.

The value improves if you care about World War Two, Dutch resistance, Anne Frank’s wider story, or local Amsterdam history. The group limit of six is important. Rudy or Peter can answer questions without turning every stop into a long wait, and you are less likely to lose the thread while cycling.

You also cover more ground than you could on foot. A larger bus would move you farther, but it would not provide the same access to residential streets. A walking tour in the center would likely be easier for some people, but it would not reach this spread of sites as efficiently.

The price makes less sense if you already know Amsterdam South well, dislike cycling, or want a relaxed ride with only brief historical comments. The material is serious and detailed. You should choose it for the subject, not simply because it is a bike tour.

Who should book this Amsterdam WWII bike tour?

I would choose this experience if you want to understand how the occupation worked at street level. It suits adults, older children, history students, and anyone who has already visited the main center and wants a different part of Amsterdam.

It is also a good fit if you like guides who connect facts to local experience. Rudy’s childhood in these neighborhoods and his family stories add a personal layer that a standard city tour cannot easily provide.

You should think twice if you are uncomfortable riding in a city, cannot bring a bike, or want access to a major indoor memorial site. This is an outdoor route with frequent stops, not a museum visit or a canal cruise.

The tour is offered in English and begins at 11:00 a.m. Confirmation arrives when you book. Most people can participate, but the information does not give detailed accessibility or bike-rental arrangements, so ask before paying if either point matters to you. Free cancellation is available until 24 hours before the start time.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want a focused look at Amsterdam during the occupation, especially through Jewish persecution, Dutch collaboration, resistance work, and local acts of defiance. The old photographs, small group, and exact addresses make the history easier to follow.

I would skip it if your priority is central Amsterdam scenery, major museums, or an easygoing cycle with little serious discussion. For the right rider, this is a thoughtful and unusually local way to spend a morning, with enough detail to stay with you after the bike is returned.

FAQ

Where does the Amsterdam in World War Two Cycle Tour start?

The listed meeting point is Tesselschadestraat 1, 1054 ET Amsterdam, Netherlands. The route description begins at Victorieplein, so confirm the exact arrangement with the provider before departure.

What time does the tour begin?

The start time is 11:00 a.m.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours and 10 minutes.

How many people can join the tour?

The maximum group size is six people.

What language is the tour offered in?

The tour is offered in English.

Do I need to bring a bike?

The experience is described as a bike tour, and booking information advises you to bring your bike. Bike rental is not specified, so confirm arrangements with Slagveldreizen.nl before booking.

Does the tour visit Anne Frank House?

No. The route visits Merwedeplein, where the Frank family lived before moving to the Secret Annex, and the nearby bookshop where Otto Frank bought Anne’s diary. The tour does not list entry to Anne Frank House.

Is there a break during the ride?

Yes. The group makes a roughly 10-minute stop at Cafe Wildschut on Roelof Hartplein for coffee and a restroom visit.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours in advance are not accepted for a refund.