You enter The Dylan through the stone gateway of Amsterdam’s first city theatre, and that sets the tone for a tour from here. The hotel sits on the Keizersgracht at the edge of the Nine Streets, in the middle of the canal ring: the Anne Frank House is ten minutes on foot, Dam Square thirteen and the Rijksmuseum seventeen. Walks start at the gate, and for anything further afield we bring a car.
In the 1630s Jacob van Campen, the architect who would go on to design the city hall on the Dam, built Amsterdam’s first purpose-built theatre on this site. The Schouwburg opened on 3 January 1638 with Vondel’s Gysbreght van Aemstel, after the church authorities had managed to delay the première. It was rebuilt on a larger scale in the 1660s and remained the centre of Dutch theatre for more than a century.
Look up as you walk through the gateway. It is the only part of the theatre that survives, and it still carries Vondel’s lines: the world is a stage, each plays his role and gets his share.
On the night of 11 May 1772 the theatre caught fire on the night of a performance. Eighteen people died and more than twenty houses around it were damaged. The theatre was never rebuilt here, and in 1773 the Roman Catholic poor relief office, the Oude Armenkantoor, built on the site behind the gate.
The building became a hotel in 1999, when Anouska Hempel opened Blakes Amsterdam, and it has been The Dylan since 2004. Its restaurant Vinkeles holds two Michelin stars.
Two minutes along the canal, at Keizersgracht 324, is Felix Meritis, opened in 1788 by a society devoted to the arts and sciences. It had an observatory on the roof, and its oval concert hall gave the Dutch première of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Until 1981 it was the headquarters of the Dutch Communist Party. Today it is mainly an events venue, so we show you the facade and tell you the rest.
Twelve minutes north, at Keizersgracht 123, is the Huis met de Hoofden, the House with the Heads, of 1622. The six carved heads are Roman gods, though Amsterdam still prefers the story of a maid who beheaded six burglars. It now houses the Embassy of the Free Mind, a library of mystical and philosophical books that can be visited.
The Rijksmuseum is seventeen minutes on foot or about eight by car, and the Van Gogh Museum twenty-three minutes on foot.
Your guide can string several of these together in a single walk. They appear on the Private Anne Frank and Jewish History Walking Tour, and the Private Architecture Tour Amsterdam passes close by.
Six more we suggest from The Dylan. City Highlights walks the canal ring and the old centre from your gate, and the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh tours make a museum morning a short drive south. The food tour can take in the Jordaan and the Nine Streets close by. The VIP tour ties the whole city together in one day, and Zaanse Schans is the windmill trip by car.
Amsterdam City Highlights Private TourFrom 400 euroView this tour
Private Rijksmuseum TourFrom 360 euroView this tour
Private Van Gogh Museum TourFrom 325 euroView this tour
Private Dutch Food Tour, Eat Like a LocalFrom 445 euroView this tour
Luxury Private Amsterdam VIP TourFrom 1,000 euroView this tour
Private Zaanse Schans Windmill and Dutch Villages TourFrom 1,100 euroView this tourSee all our private tours from Amsterdam about Private Tours Amsterdam
For a day beyond Amsterdam your guide collects you on the Keizersgracht in a car or small van, since coaches are no longer allowed inside the ring. Zaanse Schans and Volendam, Keukenhof in spring, Haarlem, Delft or Utrecht all fit comfortably. Our private driving tours page has the full list.
The Keizersgracht is a narrow canal street, so we agree the stopping point with you and the hotel and confirm it the evening before.
The Dylan is small, and its guests tend to want a guide rather than a group. We choose the guide for the client, send a written itinerary before arrival and stay the single point of contact throughout. We also speak to your clients ourselves before each tour. Commission terms are on our travel advisor page.
The Dylan’s own concierges can book with us for a guest as well.
Walks start at the theatre gate on the Keizersgracht. For driving tours the car stops briefly outside, at a time we confirm with you the evening before.
Ten minutes on foot along the canals. Tickets are released online in advance, so tell us your dates early and we will time our Anne Frank and Jewish history tour around your entry.
Yes. The stone gateway is the only part of Jacob van Campen’s theatre that survived the fire of 1772, and it still carries Vondel’s lines. Our architecture guides start many walks right there.
Yes. Brews and T’Ales, our private craft beer tour, works its way through the brown cafés of the canal ring and the Jordaan, a few minutes from the hotel.
Yes. The Dylan’s concierges can arrange the tour for you, or you can reach us directly. Either way we confirm everything with you in person.
Usually not. A few weeks’ notice gives the widest choice, but next-day tours are often possible. Our contact page or a phone call is the quickest way to check.
