Private Tours for Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam Guests

A headquarters built like a ship

In 1595 Cornelis de Houtman left from this stretch of waterfront on the first Dutch voyage to the East Indies. Three centuries later six Amsterdam shipping companies chose the same spot for a shared head office, and they gave the commission to Johan Melchior van der Mey.

Van der Mey worked with two younger architects, Michel de Klerk and Piet Kramer, and between 1913 and 1916 they raised a building in which brick, stone, iron, glass and wood all tell the story of the sea. It is generally seen as the first building of the Amsterdam School. Look for the heads of seafarers along the facade and the sea creatures worked into the ironwork.

After the shipping lines moved away, the building became a national monument in 1972 and later housed the offices of the city transport company. It was restored and opened as a hotel in June 2007. Inside, the staircases, corridors and the stained glass above the central hall are all part of the original design, so even walking to your room is a small architecture lesson.

The tower on the Oudeschans

Six minutes from the hotel, the Montelbaanstoren stands on the Oudeschans canal. The lower part was built in 1516 as a defence tower on the city wall, and Hendrick de Keyser added the elegant spire in 1606. Rembrandt, who lived around the corner on the Jodenbreestraat, made a drawing of it.

It is one of the most photographed corners of Amsterdam, yet it stays quiet early in the morning. From there our guides often continue to Nieuwmarkt and the Waag, the old weigh house, which takes you straight into the Middle Ages.

What to do near the Amrâth

• The Schreierstoren. The old harbour tower, a few minutes along the quay.
• The Montelbaanstoren. Six minutes on foot.
• Nieuwmarkt and the Waag. Seven minutes, with cafés all around.
• Centraal Station. A few minutes west, for trains to the rest of the country.

The Anne Frank House is 26 minutes away on foot or about ten by car, and the Rijksmuseum 33 minutes on foot, sixteen by tram or around twenty by car.

Ask your guide to include any of these. They feature in the Private Architecture Tour Amsterdam and in the Private Around the Red Light District Tour, with six more tours listed below.

Six more private tours for Amrâth guests

We picked these six with the east side of the old centre in mind. The Anne Frank tour and City Highlights both cross the canal ring from here, while the Rijksmuseum is best reached by tram or car. Brews and T’Ales starts close to Nieuwmarkt. For a day to fill as you like, book a guide for the day, and take Zaanse Schans for windmills.

Private Anne Frank and Jewish History Walking TourFrom 515 euroView this tourAmsterdam City Highlights Private TourFrom 400 euroView this tourPrivate Rijksmuseum TourFrom 360 euroView this tourBrews and T’Ales, Private Craft Beer TourFrom 500 euroView this tourGuide for a DayFrom 1,000 euroView this tourPrivate Zaanse Schans Windmill and Dutch Villages TourFrom 1,100 euroView this tour

See all our private tours from Amsterdam about Private Tours Amsterdam

Days beyond Amsterdam

The Prins Hendrikkade is one of the easier places in the centre for a car to stop, so driving tours begin right outside. Haarlem, Utrecht, the fishing towns of Volendam and Marken or the tulip fields around Keukenhof are all good options, and our private driving tours page has more ideas.

For travel advisors booking the Amrâth

Guests who choose the Scheepvaarthuis tend to care about design and history, and we brief our guides accordingly. We send a written plan before arrival, keep one person as your contact throughout, and we contact the guests directly before each tour. See our travel advisor page for commission terms.

The hotel’s concierges can also book with us for their guests.

Private tours from every 5-star hotel in Amsterdam