Small Group Tour to Former Nazi concentration camp Vught WW II from Amsterdam

  Castle de Haar is a tour worth taking and our guide Sarah was great. We had time to explore both inside and out and enjoyed learning the story of the... read more castle.

  We really enjoyed the day with Eva. The pickup spot for the tour was in a great, easy to find, uncongested area. Eva greeted us and the other... read more couple on the tour with a smile and welcome when she arrived. The van was very comfortable and a great ride. We never felt uncomfortable during entire ride to the camp and back from. Eva was a wonderful hostess and during the ride out to the camp, told us family stories of her grandparents and father having to hide. Her stories were nicely paced and just amazing. We are also grateful that her grandparents and father survived so she could be here to tell us the stories.

When we arrived at the camp, which is now mostly a Dutch military base or part of a prison, she was still a gracious hostess. She made sure we understood what type of camp it was, concentration (work camp) as opposed to an extermination which were largely in Poland. She helped us to fully understand what happened there and made sure our expectations were correct for what it was. Eva was patient with us, told us to take all the time we needed and ask her if we had any questions.

We fist visited the museum, which was intense even for someone who is a history buff like one of us is. It was intense for both of us. It has a wonderful historical presentation but be prepared, I'm going to say it was intense one more time here. When we were done at the museum, Eva took us out to the barracks buildings and the Children's Memorial. This is really, something else-I don't know how else to describe it. There are 1200 children's names on this memorial, children who were sent away from this camp straight to Auschwitz. None survived.

Eva then walked us through the barracks buildings and into the crematorium. Yes, this camp had one, they all did, but that is because, while people died here, it wasn't industrial scale murder but people were still cremated when they died. She explained to us how many people were in one room, their living conditions, including hygiene facilities such as they were and the work they were forced to do.

This was an amazing experience and much more moving and emotional than initially thought it would be. We are so happy Eva and Sara started this company so we could take this tour and spend the day with Eva, and learn.

If you are in Amsterdam, take this tour. You won't be sorry.

  If you are debating on choices for day trips from Amsterdam, select this tour and it won’t disappoint. The castle and its grounds are not too far outside the city.... read more The buildings and gardens are impressive from the outside but the interior of the castle is incredibly preserved and decorated beautifully. Our guide Ava told facts and stories in each room that made the visit to this exquisite home come alive! It made #1 for my most favorite tourist attractions in this city and there’s a lot of competition in Amsterdam for that ranking! Don’t miss Castle De Haar.