AMSTERDAM UNDERGROUND TOUR, Authentic Stories About Life on the Streets

During the tour, we’ll show you Amsterdam’s city center through the eyes of someone who is homeless and in need of drugs. Is there a place to sleep out of the rain? Can I make some quick cash for drugs or alcohol? Where can I find food, and where am I safe? We’ll share our personal stories with you. How we ended up on the streets. How we survived in the harsh and unsafe environment of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. And how we’re now seeking and finding peace in our lives again—for example, as tour guides on this unique walking tour.

Amsterdam Underground employs a person with lived experience who wants to use his own experiences with drugs, homelessness, crime, and mental health care to provide education at schools or meetings. He can provide information, offer assistance, and contribute ideas during consultations with the municipality and healthcare providers.

Are you looking for a peer expert for a specific event? Please contact amsterdam.underground@deregenboog.org

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The tour starts at Dwaze Zaken at Prins Hendrikkade 50 and ends at Brouwerij de Prael, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 30. (The guides share their personal and unfiltered stories about addiction and survival on the streets. The walking tour is therefore not suitable for children under 12.)

About the route

The tour follows a set route and takes you past places you won’t easily find in a typical travel guide. During the walk, our guides share their personal stories, making each walk unique.

Amsterdam Underground is a cooperative. The guides are all owners and earn their living through their work. Many of the guides have experienced homelessness and dealt with the consequences of substance abuse. Under these difficult circumstances, they have developed knowledge and skills that they now put to positive use during the city walks. Drawing on their own experiences, the guides offer a glimpse into the lives of people for whom things have turned out a little differently. The tour thus fosters greater understanding of (former) addicts and combats the stigma they sometimes face on a daily basis. Working as a guide helps build self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-reliance.

Amsterdam Underground is an initiative of De Regenboog Groep. De Regenboog Groep wants Amsterdam to be a place where everyone feels at home. De Regenboog Groep encourages everyone who wants to make the most of themselves—whether you have mental health issues, are homeless, use drugs, or are in debt.