Photos: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 PA0CCB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 PA0CCB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A city hall and opera house beside an old market
Your local guide
Jasper Dijkstra
View profile
Highlights
- A city hall and opera house built together
- One of the most debated projects of its decade
- An old market square right beside a modern building
- Old and new placed directly against each other
- A specific, well-remembered planning dispute
About this tour
This session looks at a modern civic building placed directly beside one of the city's oldest markets, and the debate that surrounded building it in the first place. You see the combined city hall and opera house up close and then the market square beside it, largely unchanged in spirit even as the building next to it changed completely. It is a session about a specific, well-remembered planning dispute.
We spend time on the modern building first, explaining the debate around its construction, before turning to the older square for contrast. I keep the explanation specific and grounded in what actually happened.
It suits anyone interested in how cities argue over their own modern buildings. It also works well paired with the flea market session at the same square on another day.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
-
Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Amsterdam before heading out.
-
Stopera Exterior 21 min
You see a modern combined city hall and opera house, and I explain how the building's construction in the 1980s was one of the most debated projects in the city's recent history.
-
Waterlooplein Square 21 min
The camera turns to the square beside it, home to the market that gave the whole area its long-running local nickname, and I explain how old and new sit directly beside each other here.
-
Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Amsterdam: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
-
A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Stroopwafel and De Pijp, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Amsterdam time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 9 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Amsterdam, showing you Stopera Exterior and Waterlooplein Square live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I stand between the two buildings and turn to face each.
Times shown in Amsterdam time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Reviews appear here after travellers have completed this tour.
How reviews work
Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Fri 13 Nov · 9 seats left From 20,00 €
Book