Badass Tours

26/09/2024

Walking in the footsteps of trailblazing women who shaped Amsterdam's history. We loved sharing their stories with a fun group - and the weather was beautiful! 💪🏼✨

If you'd like to join our Women's History Tour, head to the website:
https://badasstours.nl/tours/womens-history-tour/

23/09/2024

Our guides walk people around Amsterdam telling them stories from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Color), Jewish, LGBTQ+ and women's history. For guides who are interested in performing, we also sometimes have storytelling events with businesses or cultural institutions.

Who we're looking for: To be a Badass Guide, you need to have an interest in history, and you have to be able to tell a good story. Our Badass Guides work on a freelance basis, so it's perfect if you have a flexible schedule or a part-time contract elsewhere. Tour bookings are sometimes confirmed months in advance, and other times with as little as 24-hours’ notice, so the ideal guide has some last-minute flexibility. We are especially looking for guides interested in Black, Indonesian, and/or women’s history. Fluent English is required; any additional languages are a bonus!

What we offer: You’ll get focused training on your specific tour(s) that will give you deep insights and new perspectives on the city and the country. (You’ll also get a pretty cool Badass Tours t-shirt…) There is a stipend for training, then we move to per-tour fees. For our public tours, we offer a fair fee based on the number of guests. Bonus: any tips from the guests are yours to keep. For private and corporate tours, we offer a higher flat fee based on the number of guests and any additional prep work.

About Badass Tours: Badass Tours is on a mission to fill in the gaps in popular history. We lead walking tours through Amsterdam telling its incredible women’s, LGBTQ+, Jewish, and BIPOC stories. We also bring these inspiring, intriguing, and sometimes infuriating stories to a wider audience through storytelling performances and our columns, Blamsterdam and Ask a Badass.

Contact: If you’re interested in being a Badass Guide, please send us a resume and an email with a bit about yourself and your interests: [email protected].

21/09/2024

Here's our colleague Astrid showing people the hidden gems of Amsterdam. Our Hidden Gems Tour explores Amsterdam’s contradictions and quirks. We start in the bustle of Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter and proceed through the graceful Plantage neighborhood. Along the way, we explore things you might not know about Amsterdam but definitely should.

Want to join? Book here:

👉 https://badasstours.nl/tours/hidden-gems-tour/

20/09/2024

Sign this petition to support a bill before the Tweede Kamer to extend hate speech protections to trans and non-binary Nederlanders. The bill also clarifies that all forms of discrimination against transgender, non-binary, intersex, bi+, le***an, q***r, and asexual people are prohibited and punishable.

https://actie.degoedezaak.org/petitions/mag-ik-ook-gewoon-veilig-zijn-bescherm-ook-trans-mensen-tegen-haat

13/09/2024

👉 Remember: tonight, you can meet Elyzabeth at the "Poeting Q***r History" event at Pakhuis de Zwijger! She's thrilled to be back to this place where she did a long-form story for women's history day last year and is looking forward to meeting you there!

Join us for a night of q***r spoken poetry and q***r stories!

The entrance is free 😃
More info here:
https://dezwijger.nl/programma/poeting-q***r-history-2

Pakhuis de Zwijger

11/09/2024

This building, appropriately called the House With the Heads, is a really special place in Amsterdam, especially for book nerds 😃

Historically this was a place where the young Czech philosopher Jan Comenius stayed when he was in Amsterdam. Today, the house is a cool combination of a research library and a museum. It's also a nice place to sit and have a coffee, so we definitely recommend to spend some quiet time here when you are in the area!

Photo 1 Wikipedia

09/09/2024

Some of these paintings have been part of the recently closed exhibit at the Rijksmuseum and we're glad to have them back in the main collection that we talk about in the Shifting the Frame Tour! ✨

If you want to join us for the tour and explore the paintings with us from a different angle, click on the link below:
https://badasstours.nl/tours/shifting-the-frame/

08/09/2024

Come rain or shine, our tours keep going and stories are being told!

07/09/2024

Public transport in Amsterdam might seem tricky at first, but don’t worry -we’ve got you covered! Here's how you find your way in Central Station and where to buy your tickets.

💜 Follow for more stories from Amsterdam!

Badass Tours is a walking tours company in Amsterdam who tells the city's hidden stories, with a focus on BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Jewish, and women's history.

06/09/2024

Join us for the "Poeting Q***r History" event at Pakhuis de Zwijger on 13 September! This event celebrates the rich tapestry of LGBTQ+ experiences through the power of poetry. ✒️

Elyzabeth will weave her storytelling magic, sharing a captivating narrative of q***r history that will enrich an evening of spoken word performances and thought-provoking discussions about Amsterdam's q***r past.

More info here:
https://dezwijger.nl/programma/poeting-q***r-history-2

Photo by Jagoda Lasota

@ pakhuis.dezwijger

02/09/2024

Today is Labor Day in the US. This day celebrates unions and the people who fought for the working class.

We thought we should mark it by remembering these people who fought for the working class in the Netherlands (and who we talk about in our tours!)

👉 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒐𝒃𝒔 (from our Women's and Hidden Gems Tours). She was the first woman doctor, and, among other things, she started leading boycotts to improve working conditions when she saw what industrialization was doing to poor people's bodies.

👉 𝑯𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒊 𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑱𝒂𝒏 𝒗𝒂𝒏 𝒁𝒖𝒕𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒏 - 𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑩 (from our Hidden Gems Tour) - Their diamond cutter's union fought for things Netherlanders take for granted nowadays, like paid unemployment, paid vacation, and an eight-hour workday.

👉 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒖𝒔 (from our Jewish History tour) - She started by providing hot meals for poor children and developed into the organizational force behind both the women's rights and disarmament movements.

Photos in order: Aletta Jacobs, Henri P***k, Jan van Zutphen, Rosa Manus. Source: Wikipedia

30/08/2024

Adding new guides to the team has been an amazing journey! They make us think about the stories in a different way, they bring new ways of telling them, and they bring different life experiences to our team! ✨

Here is Astrid leading the Hidden Gems Tour, bringing her passion and endless energy to telling the stories that explore Amsterdam’s contradictions and quirks.

👉 Want to join her? Book a tour on our website:
https://badasstours.nl/tours/hidden-gems-tour/

29/08/2024

The Rijksmuseum has just purchased a rare edition of the book on Surinamese insects and plants by scientist, artist, and Hidden Tours subject Maria Sibylla Merian. It's now part of their impressive library where our tours were researched!

Now, let's hope they also buy contemporary artist Patricia Kaersenhout's series reflecting on this work.😃

Photo: Elyzabeth researching in theRijksmuseum library.

You can read more about this acquisition here:
https://www.volkskrant.nl/boeken/rijksmuseum-verwerft-surinameboek-maria-sibylla-merian-de-vrouw-die-de-metamorfose-van-insecten-in-kaart-bracht~b9ba8209/

28/08/2024

We're happy to see this kind of reviews for our tours! Thanks Marly!

"My partner and I recently had the pleasure of joining the LGBTQ+ History Tour around Amsterdam with Badass Tours, and it was a great experience from start to finish. Elizabeth, the guide, was knowledgeable and passionate, so she shared touching stories about history of Amsterdam's LGBTQ community and the significant landmarks associated with it.

We learned about personal struggles, love triangles and triumphs of the LGBTQ community in Amsterdam over the years. It was clear that a lot of thought and care had been put into ensuring that everyone felt welcome and comfortable. I highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in learning more about LGBTQ history and culture in Amsterdam. A must-do in Amsterdam!"

27/08/2024

Join us for this event!

🎤✨ Calling all spoken word lovers! 
Join us at Paradiso on Tuesday, September 24th for an unforgettable evening with Word Up x Unwanted Words. Dive into powerful performances, thought-provoking poetry, and electrifying vibes.
Let’s celebrate creativity, connection, and the beauty of language.

Don’t miss out—grab your tickets now! 🎟️🔥

📅 Date: September 24th, 2024
🕖 Time: 7:30 PM
📍 Location: Paradiso, Amsterdam

27/08/2024

We have room in our Jewish History Tour this Thursday at 1pm! Will you join us? Link in comments

22/08/2024

Our tour participants are the best! Thanks for this review, Elyssa - and for embracing the stories of all types of Amsterdammers! It meant so much to all of us that your family was so emotionally engaged with our favorite stories.

20/08/2024

We're still reminiscing about the incredible Q***r Heroes Tours we hosted during Pride Week. We met such amazing people!

19/08/2024

Amsterdam's canals are stunning year-round, but they become especially captivating in the summer during the Grachtenfestival!

This event transforms the city center, with live music performances taking place right on the canals.

More info on: https://www.grachtenfestival.nl/

Photos courtesy of Grachtenfestival.
Grachtenfestival

17/08/2024

Today is Indonesia's Independence Day. On this day in 1945, Indonesia proclaimed independence from the Netherlands. At 10am, a flag raising ceremony marks the speech that marked the beginning of the Indonesian National Revolution.

Photo by: By Betari Ratih - Flickr: Happy Independence Day, Indonesia, CC BY-SA 2.0, Commons Wikipedia

13/08/2024

Did you know that the Stadsarchief Amsterdam (the City Archive) has a chest where it keeps all of Amsterdam's important documents? One of these documents was the first one where the name Amsterdam ever appeared. It was from 1275.

Once a year, the City Archive shows this document to the public. In 2025, Amsterdam will celebrate its 750 years anniversary with a lot of pomp, and it's all possible because of this piece of paper!

Stadsarchief Amsterdam

08/08/2024

Only a couple more weeks to see the Point of View exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, with artworks by Marlene Dumas, Robert Mapplethorpe, Erwin Olaf, and Charley Toorop.

This exhibition is all about gender in art and explores how ideas around gender have been visualized through the ages and how they are constantly changing.

Photos courtesy of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
Photographers: Albertine Dijkema, Kelly Schenk

07/08/2024

Two of our favorite Pride boats were connected to our tours! Nickie Nicole, who led the parade, is an icon of Amsterdam's q***r nightlife, so she's come up on our LGBTQ+ History and Q***r Heroes tour. (Imagine our excitement when it looked like she was smiling and pointing at us!!!)

COC leader Benno Premsela was so impactful that he is on all of our tours except Women's History! One of his major acts was to keep the community unified, so we loved the COC boats call for unity.

Huge thanks to for the front-row seat!!

***ramsterdam

05/08/2024

Last week we did some special tours for Pride Week: Q***r Heroes Tours. We loved meeting so many amazing people and sharing the stories of our favorite badasses!

Here you can see some snapshots from the tours. The first two are from the tour we did for Clink Hostels Noord. (We love Clink and we're so grateful they set up these tours!)

Clink Hostels

***rtours