Step aboard or walk along Amsterdam’s canals and uncover centuries of stories often left untold.
This immersive heritage experience reveals the early presence of free and unfree people of African descent, the rise of the Dutch trading companies, and the traces of colonial history that still shape the city today.
Guided by passionate storytellers, the Black Heritage Tour Amsterdam is a living journey through memory, art and identity, connecting past and present through education, reflection and dialogue.
Discover the city through a new lens, each stop on this tour brings hidden stories to light. From canal houses and monuments to voices of courage and creativity, every moment connects Amsterdam’s past to its living heritage.
Some highlights:
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Hidden Black history revealed
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Cruise along UNESCO canals
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Sites of freedom & resistance
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Stories of art and remembrance
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Connect past, present & future
Boat Tour
Begin your journey at the pier in front of the H’Art Museum (Amstel 51) or start at the Amsterdam Museum by request.
After a short introduction, we travel along the canals that form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, pausing to uncover the city’s hidden connections to the Dutch East and West India Companies.
You’ll see canal houses marked with colonial symbols, hear stories of the city’s early Black residents, both free and enslaved, and learn about locations of active resistance, including a newly established site commemorating Amsterdam’s first Black community.
Duration: approx. 1.5 hours
Walking tour
For smaller groups (up to 15 people), the walking version begins at Dam Square, weaving through the oldest part of Amsterdam, De Wallen (the Red Light District) and ending at the Mayor’s residence on the Herengracht’s Golden Bend.
Along the way, you’ll encounter monuments, buildings and spaces that hold centuries of history, from trade routes to personal stories of courage and connection.
Duration: approx. 2 hours
This experience is for anyone curious to look beyond the postcard view of Amsterdam and engage with its deeper story.
It’s especially suited for:
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Travellers seeking meaningful, culture-based experiences
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Educators, students or professionals exploring themes of remembrance and diversity
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Community groups, companies or institutions wishing to deepen awareness and connection
You don’t need prior knowledge just an open heart, a listening ear and a sense of curiosity.
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Professional local guide and storyteller
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Boat or walking tour experience
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Entry or donation to selected cultural sites
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Coffee or tea before or after the tour
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Contribution to remembrance initiatives
10% of every booking supports Keti Koti remembrance initiatives and local heritage foundations in Amsterdam.
Continue your exploration beyond the tour itself.
GINI Travel curates extended experiences that connect Amsterdam’s Black heritage to other key locations across the Netherlands and beyond.
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Black Heritage Journey – The Netherlands
Discover sites of remembrance in Rotterdam, Middelburg and The Hague.
Explore Netherlands Journey -
Black Heritage Journey – New York
Connect Amsterdam’s story to Harlem’s living Black history.
Explore New York Journey
This tour is more than history, it’s remembrance in motion.
Every step or canal bend reveals the layers of a city shaped by global movement, resilience and exchange. By joining, you help keep these stories alive and visible for future generations.
10% of every booking supports Keti Koti remembrance initiatives and local heritage foundations in Amsterdam.
Black Heritage Tour Amsterdam
On request
- The Netherlands - Amsterdam
- Untold Black history revealed
- Cruise along UNESCO canals
- Sites of freedom & resistance
Add travel arrangements
Black heritage journey
The Black Heritage Tour Amsterdam can be part of a wider, transformative journey, one that connects remembrance, travel and community impact.
Through GINI Travel, you can extend your experience into a multi-day itinerary that explores related stories across the Netherlands or connects Amsterdam’s legacy to the African diaspora in places like Suriname, Ghana or New York.
These curated extensions include visits to remembrance sites, local artist studios, cultural foundations and community projects that continue the conversation beyond the tour itself.
Each arrangement is tailor-made, ensuring that your travel contributes to regeneration, through fair local wages, small-scale partners, and meaningful encounters that honour the people and places shaping Black heritage today.
Every GINI Journey includes a direct donation (10%) to remembrance initiatives such as Keti Koti and the Mama Baranka Foundation, ensuring that cultural storytelling remains rooted in community benefit.
Discover more
About the organisers
Founded by Jennifer Tosch, cultural historian and heritage activist, as part of her groundbreaking work to uncover and share the hidden Black histories of the Netherlands.
Since its creation, the tour has inspired thousands of visitors to see Amsterdam through a new lens one that celebrates Black presence, resistance and creativity across centuries.
Founded by Virginia Scheele, combines these stories now extend beyond the canals into a broader travel and remembrance experience.
Together, Jennifer Tosch (Black Heritage Tours) and Virginia Scheele (GINI travel) collaborate to bridge storytelling and travel, weaving cultural remembrance with ethical tourism and economic regeneration.
This collaboration ensures that every journey supports local communities, artists and guides, while inviting travellers to take part in a living legacy of education, healing and reconnection.
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