Private, expert-led tours of the battlefields, camps and stories of the Netherlands in the Second World War
The Netherlands carries some of the most powerful stories of the Second World War: the occupation and the resistance, Anne Frank and the Jewish community of Amsterdam, the Hunger Winter, the airborne battle of Operation Market Garden, and the long road to liberation. Our private World War II tours bring these places and people to life with an expert local guide, at a thoughtful and respectful pace.
Planning around Anne Frank House tickets? Our Anne Frank House ticket date calculator shows when tickets for your dates are released and by when you need to book.
Every tour is private and fully tailored, with door-to-door transport included from your hotel in Amsterdam, from Rotterdam, or from the IJmuiden cruise port. Whether you are researching a relative who served, returning to remember, or learning the history for the first time, we shape the day around what matters most to you.
A private tour gives these places the time, focus and flexibility they deserve. Every tour is one-to-one with an expert local guide, fully tailored, and includes door-to-door transport from your hotel in Amsterdam, from Rotterdam, or from the IJmuiden cruise port. Whether you are researching a relative who served, returning to remember, or discovering the history for the first time, we set the pace and shape the day around what matters most to you.
The Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany from May 1940 until liberation in 1945. Those five years left a deep mark: the persecution and deportation of the Jewish community, told through Anne Frank and the transit camp at Westerbork; a courageous resistance; the airborne battle of Operation Market Garden in September 1944, when British, American and Polish forces fought for the bridges at Arnhem, Nijmegen and Oosterbeek in the events made famous as ‘A Bridge Too Far’; the terrible Hunger Winter of 1944 to 1945; and finally the liberation in May 1945. Each of our tours brings a different chapter of this story to life on the ground where it happened.
If you are staying in Amsterdam, you don’t need a full day out to see where the war happened. The occupation is written into the streets of the old Jewish Quarter: the Portuguese Synagogue, the Hollandsche Schouwburg, the National Holocaust Museum and the Stolpersteine memorial stones, and along the canals to the Anne Frank House. Our private Anne Frank and Jewish History walking tour covers this chapter with your own guide, with your Anne Frank House tickets included when you book at least 13 days ahead.
Prefer to join a small group? The Anne Frank walking tour follows her last walk through the city and ends inside the Secret Annex in virtual reality. For the battlefields, the Operation Market Garden tour takes you to Arnhem and Nijmegen, and the Camp Westerbork tour visits the former transit camp.
You can focus on a single theme or combine several sites, for example Arnhem and Nijmegen in one day, or an Anne Frank tour in Amsterdam paired with a battlefield or Westerbork day. We also arrange multi-day itineraries and can build the route around a particular division, unit or family connection. Each September the Operation Market Garden commemorations take place around Arnhem and Oosterbeek, and early May marks Dutch Liberation Day, moving times to visit, so please book well ahead.
“Well worth our time. Our guide, Kaleigh, was very informative about the history, the culture and the experiences of the Jewish people during the war. The package includes and ends with a timed ticket to the Anne Frank House. Not to be missed with any visit to Amsterdam!”
– pat, verified guest review
Not sure which tour is right for you? We also create combined and multi-day World War II itineraries across the Netherlands. Get in touch and we will tailor a route to your interests.
Our main WWII tours are the Operation Market Garden battlefield tour around Arnhem and Nijmegen, the Westerbork transit camp tour, the Anne Frank and Jewish History of Amsterdam tour, and the Anne Frank’s Last Walk virtual reality experience. We can also combine sites or create a fully bespoke itinerary.
Yes. Every tour is private with door-to-door transport included from your hotel in Amsterdam, from Rotterdam, or from the IJmuiden cruise port, so they work equally well as a day trip or a cruise shore excursion.
Very much so. We regularly guide families researching a relative who served and can build the day around a particular unit, person or memorial. Let us know in advance and we will prepare a meaningful route.
Yes. Many guests combine sites such as Arnhem and Nijmegen, or pair an Amsterdam Anne Frank tour with a battlefield or Westerbork day. We can plan combined or multi-day itineraries at a comfortable pace.
WWII tours run year-round. Each September, Arnhem and Oosterbeek hold the Operation Market Garden commemorations, and early May marks Dutch Liberation Day. These are moving times to visit, so please book well ahead.
Header image: British Second Army crossing the Nijmegen Waal bridge, September 1944. Spaarnestad / Nationaal Archief via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.
