Lex and the City offers customized private tours in Amsterdam that are often offbeat — also suitable if you don’t yet know what you’re looking for
These tours can include high end, popular breakout moments during meetings, events, fairs, conferences and exhibitions. Exclusive, from-the-heart urban experiences in Amsterdam: a unique and valuable Lexperience, all year round.
Local Neighborhood Context: Lex and the City also specializes in private tours around places that have a personal connection for our guests – such as their hotel, office, business venue, former school or childhood home. This goes beyond simply picking you up at your hotel reception. It becomes the starting point of a more personal (L)experience.
New in 2026: 26 (or 16) minutes of rooftop guiding before dinner in a skybar restaurant. Possibly part of a 90-minute corporate activity between the fair and group dinner. (Like in IJburg, in “East” or the Zuidas.)
Feel free to ask enthusiastic Lex for a proposal tailored to you and your group. (For a high end street Lexperience.)
Privé rondleidingen in Amsterdam (Nederlands)
Visites guidées privées à Amsterdam (Français)Private Führungen in Amsterdam (Deutsch)
The meaning of a bespoke Amsterdam Lexperience in 2026
A bespoke Lexperience is a tailor-made experience shaped around the group, the moment, and the city itself. It is not just about delivering a tour, but about making the right choices together — including timing, routes, and context.
In practice, that means aligning expectations with reality: for example, avoiding peak moments in the city when the experience would be compromised, and instead choosing conditions that allow space, attention, and quality.
Our tour experiences are designed as live urban experiences, shaped by local availability, seasonal context, and ongoing developments in the city.
A recent situation illustrates this mindset we also call high end urban street life:
A request was made for a private cycling tour for a family staying at one of Amsterdam’s most expensive hotels, scheduled at a very busy time. From my perspective, investing in a high-end stay while planning an activity in crowded conditions does not reflect the same level of consideration for the overall experience. We advised accordingly and declined when the conditions did not match what I consider appropriate for a high-quality Lexperience.
In that sense, a bespoke Lexperience is also about standing for the quality of the whole — not just executing a request, but helping shape it into something that actually works.
For every tour outing, we check everything, look for new stories, read up on the group (you), and so on. It is a tailor-made approach. That is why I call it a “tour outing”. (It also means you need to give us some time to properly prepare. ;) )
How Lex and the City has become the private tour creator of surprising Amsterdam.
Surprising touring isn’t just what we do — it’s who we are.
Back in 1998, we started with skate tours and skate lessons — including in Amsterdam.
When we realized that skate tours were a bit of a stretch for companies and public organisations to offer to their teams, we launched another unusual idea: foot-bike (or “kick scooter for adults”) tours in Amsterdam.
Within a year, we had our own footbike base: 45 steps we bought at the Albert Cuyp market.
The base was in a small street off the Weesperzijde, nicely tucked between the Amstel, Amstelstation and two cafés where groups could relax, eat and chat afterwards.
A good spot for groups — and it worked. (Even the Sunday Times noticed.)
Footbiking in heels and suits? Yes, even that Amsterdam business event we have created!
In 2012 we had to leave the base due to a new zoning plan.
So we sold the footbikes (all but one…for Lex.) during an offline, slightly playful offline Facebook event.
But stopping with footbike tours? No.
We did, however, choose to focus on the district where our footbike storage — and our group welcome point — was located: Amsterdam-East.
And not just on the footbike — also by bike, on inline skates and on foot.
That’s when the Amsterdam-East specialist was born.
But “Oost” alone wasn’t enough to keep growing. We also noticed rising interest in Amsterdam-North. So the scope broadened: from Amsterdam-East to the unusual and surprising Amsterdam as a whole. Including Hidden Gem Tours. (In the town center as well.)
Unexpected Amsterdam. From the heart. On your terms.
High quality private touring in Amsterdam according to us: less script, more flow
For Lex and the City, “high-end” means creating a private tour that moves in flow with the guests, without being ruled by strict timetables. Being in the middle of the city naturally brings moments that ask for attention, flexibility and care anyway.
That is what we mean by quality. It is what makes Lex and the City different — and it is a sound you rarely hear elsewhere, online or offline. We believe it, because we practice it.
More and more people ask for this approach: less programming, more presence. Just being together in this compelling city called Amsterdam, and being able to respond to whatever we encounter along the way — for us, that is real luxury.
Which does not mean we don’t enjoy a carefully curated Lexperience. We simply let it breathe.
This premium experience is also small-scale, with a limited number of participants per guide.
Feel free to ask us more about this high-end streetlife Lexperience.
In other words, we specialise in experiences around this iconic landmark and know the area inside out.
Click on the image for a Youtube short by the local guide. in spring 2026.
What defines Lex and the City private tours in Amsterdam & North Holland
-
A Lex and the City review of an unusual Amsterdam tour in 2026. Mostly unusual city tours for small private groups in Amsterdam, including Amsterdam North.
- A local private guide offering tours in four languages, with particular attention to French-speaking guests. Lex started his guiding career in Paris and holds a French university degree in tourism management (Chambéry, université de Savoie, Bac+5).
- Truly local. Lex lives in the neighbourhoods he guides in and works independently, which allows for flexibility and personal contact.
- Pioneering with offbeat, small-scale walking tours in Amsterdam for business travellers. | “Between fair and dinner“.
- Experienced guide for tours on wheels, including scooter and footbike tours, as well as walking tours, always from a sustainable and low-impact perspective.
Amsterdam private tour guide ready for a customised group experience (2018)
-
Private Bike Tour in Amsterdam with American University Students – Marineterrein – Summer of 2026 In-depth knowledge of other parts of the Netherlands, especially North Holland: tulip and bulb fields, Zaanse Schans, Texel island, Waterland, rural North and lesser-known countryside routes.
- Combination of private guide and DJ during customised private boat tours in and around Amsterdam.
- Experienced in organising tailor-made private tours during international events. Updates and examples can be found on the Lex and the City Facebook page.
- Lex and the City can create a tour around places that are meaningful to you. Like your childhood home, the neighborhood where you work, or your (former) university.
- A conscious focus on hidden gems, including surprising local restaurants, explored together with your friends, family or colleagues.
Flexible by nature, personal by choice.
Please continue on this page to discover a selection of urban private Lexperiences, illustrated with images taken by local guides in Amsterdam.
A review for custom private tour in Amsterdam: according to your needs. From the United States (June 2024)
Tailor-made corporate tours in Amsterdam | A paragraph for HR and EA’s
Not unusual for us. Quite the opposite.
A simple moment that often becomes a shared memory.
Corporate tours in Amsterdam often start closer than people expect. For example, local companies invite us to show their team the surroundings of their own office. Many people arrive at work every day without ever really experiencing the neighbourhood they spend so much time in.
Another frequent scenario starts at a congress centre or hotel where international guests gather. From there, the tour naturally flows towards the restaurant where people will later dine and connect. An active, tailor-made route in between, for instance by bike, creates space to relax, move and interact in an informal way.
Depending on the occasion, the same concept can also unfold on the water. A private boat tour, for example starting near the historic mill at the edge of Amsterdam East, offers a calm and distinctive alternative.
Hosting an important client and looking for an unexpected, well-balanced incentive experience in Amsterdam?
Lex and the City. Lexceeding expectations, quietly. ⇓
A corporate experience near the Maritime Museum, fitted into the rhythm of SAIL Amsterdam.
Memorable experiences within custom corporate tours
Meet Lex and the City in Amsterdam. Often described as ‘the unusual’.
Our corporate tours move beyond the standard tourist narrative. They are built around curiosity, timing and context. Experiences that feel natural, not staged. Exclusive, yes, but not necessarily expensive. We prefer the word special.
Amsterdam invites exploration, and Lex and the City is not a classic tour operator. We live the city, work in it daily, and design experiences from that perspective. Organisation is essential, but we deliberately leave room for the unexpected along the way.
Customisation sits at the core of everything we do. That is also why you will not find a standard booking form on this site. We prefer a direct conversation, often via WhatsApp or Signal. From first contact to farewell, the experience is personal, flexible and attentive. ⇓
Zaandijk, a former enclave of wealth and quiet elegance, just north of Amsterdam.
For HR managers & executive assistants
Lex and the City regularly works with international HR departments and executive assistants who are responsible for hosting teams, board members or key clients in Amsterdam.
The focus is on reliability, flexibility and discretion. Tours are designed to fit seamlessly into a business schedule, whether as a short intermezzo between meetings, a soft landing after a conference, or an informal moment before dinner.
Each corporate tour is tailor-made and guided personally by Lex & his local team. This ensures clear communication, cultural sensitivity and a calm, professional flow on the day itself. No rotating guides, no scripts, no surprises that create stress.
Because Lex lives and works in the city, routes can be adapted in real time to weather, energy levels or last-minute changes. This local presence often makes the difference between a good experience and a memorable one.
From the first conversation until the final goodbye, the aim is simple: to take responsibility off your shoulders and offer your guests an authentic Amsterdam experience that feels natural, well-paced and considered.
Flevopark in Amsterdam East, a green intermezzo, full of stories and breathing space.
(14) Examples of typical Amsterdam private tour items and other urban group leXperiences
Tailor-made tours and other group experiences in Amsterdam and North Holland — by bike, on foot, on a foot-bike, on inline skates, or by boat.
The most expensive house of Amsterdam – unofficially, as it has not been sold for years.
- Customized experiences built around a specific theme, such as a family’s history, the late 19th century, or routes highlighting hidden gems.
- Sustainable tour on- and- around Marineterrein: eco-friendly experience by bike. (or on foot)
- A tailored Amsterdam experience, including an online session beforehand so you can shape the experience the way you want.
Online + offline leXperience. New in 2026. - Dining experiences at distinctive local restaurants, such as hidden Indonesian gems. Imagine sharing this with your best client while enjoying a view.
- Inline skating tours, in the city or out in the countryside — the birthplace (1998) of the leX-factor
- Maritime, trade and industrial heritage on the Eastern Islands, explored with a (very) local maritime guide.
- Rooftop private guiding. LinkedIn trigger and Instagram mini videoclip impression on Zuidas.
- Tulip bike tour above Amsterdam at the world’s largest single flower bulb field.
- Hidden architectural gems, for example Amsterdam School architecture of the mid-1920s: Hidden treasures are part of the Lex and the City urban DNA. ⇓
- Modern architecture in the Eastern Docklands (tour link).
-
A glimpse of the cathedral of Amsterdam — framed through the architecture of the NEMO Science Museum. Lex and the City provides private tours in the neighbourhoods of hotels, offices, (former) homes and venues in Amsterdam. Why travel across the city if the most personal stories are right outside your door? Lex and the City creates private experiences in the neighborhoods where you live, work, grew up or are staying, revealing the unexpected history, hidden stories and changing character of places that already belong to your life. So, for example, we can show you the hidden corners of the area where you work every day.
- Including iconic spots, like the rooftop swing at sunset or the birthplace of Johan Cruyff in Betondorp, Eastern Amsterdam (By the way: This explains the “14” used in the subtitle! ⇑). Or historical highlights, like Amsterdam’s most beautiful canal house (in Mokum, the city’s nickname, locals use with pride).
- Rare experiences: For example, cycling under the Rijksmuseum, including an anecdote, to combine activity with culture.
- Cheeky Amsterdam workshop by Lex and the City, part of a city discovery. Watch a 1-minute clip to get a taste.
- Custom wishes for your group — high-end approach and delivery.
Choose from nineteen different group cycling experiences in Amsterdam in 2026, or opt for a fully tailor-made private bike tour. Seasonal highlights include the tulip and bulb fields in April, just north of the city. Each tour is designed to match your needs, whether it’s an off-the-beaten-path ride through Zaanse Schans or a customised urban route exploring hidden corners of Amsterdam:
Typical customer request:
We’d like the city beyond the canal ring — the Eastern Docklands, the Western Islands and the harbour, the Amstel — with an emphasis on urban history and architecture rather than the standard highlights.
Amsterdam East: our first area specialty as city tour organizers
A great starting point to discover the unexplored corners of the city.
Lex and the City featured as local storyteller in Amsterdam East (3-page article, March 2019) This is the publicity we are most proud of, as it comes from a local organisation. (Lex is sitting on the bar by the way.)
Our first location specialty has been private guided tours of East Amsterdam. Lex and the City is based in the Indonesian Quarter in Amsterdam-East, giving local knowledge and authenticity to every tour. Search engines also recognize this: Lex and the City ranks well for “Amsterdam East” search terms.
For busy business travelers, we offer a 1-hour offbeat private walk or bike tour in Amsterdam East, starting from your hotel or restaurant. This tailor-made “Oost experience” combines efficiency with the unexpected, perfect for groups or individual travelers. Learn more about Amsterdam East private tours.
Lex with a group of expats in front of Molen de Gooyer – the starting point for our Amsterdam private boat trip.
East Amsterdam is also an ideal starting point for a private boat tour. Choose a two-hour route with highlights along the canals, or request a fully tailor-made itinerary. The terrace at Kop van Oost, next to our only city windmill, Molen de Gooyer, is a perfect spot to begin your tour. We hosted a group of Internations expats here, and the experience was a great blend of culture, movement, and local stories.
Lex and the City, the storyteller of Amsterdam East, shares local stories online as well, creating content for locally based hotels, restaurants, and other local companies, highlighting the neighborhood’s unique character.
Lex and the City foot-biking tours in Amsterdam
Lex and the City organized the corporate event “footbiking on heels and in suits” for an Amsterdam business club in Vondelpark, June 2011.
Corporate custom tours on wheels
The big child with an international tourism management diploma and a love for city movement is passionate about foot-biking. Lex has shared this passion with many groups on the streets of Amsterdam, making it a fun and active option for corporate tours. Foot-biking fits perfectly within the Lex and the City mission, combining team engagement, exploration, and memorable experiences. Learn more about foot-biking and scooting in Amsterdam for private corporate activities. This page also features a YouTube clip of the “business seduction footbike tour”.
Active Amsterdam Bachelorette & Hen Parties
Private tour in Amsterdam with Tijs in the Jordaan on footbike for a women’s bachelorette party. Lex and the City ensures an unforgettable experience.
Foot-biking tours are not limited to corporate groups. They are perfect for active private groups, like bachelorette or hen parties, offering a playful, out-of-the-box way to explore Amsterdam while staying active and engaged. Each tour is tailored to the group, route, and energy level.
Private boat tour in Amsterdam, embarking next to “the Windmill of the East”
Example of a guided company event on the water
Starting from the historic windmill at the edge of East Amsterdam — a perfect spot for groups.
Custom boat tour starting in East Amsterdam with Lex and the City guides for EY Ernst & Young — May 2019. Press to access the private experience on the water.
Private guided boat tours can pass by the last remaining windmill in Amsterdam’s town center, including the first city brewery — an ideal highlight for exclusive corporate tours. (Photo by Lex, February 2024.)
Around the Mill of the East, a customized Amsterdam experience is possible before the private boat tour begins.
Customized boat tour with a local guide and DJ in one
During corporate events on private boats, we discovered the perfect combination: a local guide who shares entertaining stories about Amsterdam, while a DJ provides lounge music before dinner and upbeat tracks afterwards. This “in the mix” role — guide + DJ on the water — offers a unique, memorable experience for your group.
Even our king has bought a boat on Cruquius Island — Eastern Docklands. Lex and the City love to show this hidden gem to groups on the water.
“Group Lexperiences” in Amsterdam North
Both urban tours in “Noord”, as well as tours combined with its less-known countryside, including cycling along the dike facing the water.
“High end tours“ in urban Amsterdam North
If you are looking for a private tour in Amsterdam North with an English-speaking local guide, Lex and the City offers tailor-made tours on foot, by footbike, bike, or even inline skates. Explore hidden gems, classic dike houses, the NDSM Wharf, self-built homes, garden villages, local ferries, a brewery along the IJ, sustainable hotspots, and the iconic A’DAM Tower with its swings. ⇓
We also serve locally based companies, helping them introduce their teams to the area around their office or workspace.
Typical themes of Amsterdam North include sustainability, growth, diversity, reuse, rawness, off-the-beaten-track experiences, bold architecture, and unusual inspiring spaces — as well as its lesser-known countryside, including cycling along the dike, facing the water.
Based on your group’s wishes, we can create a themed, tailor-made route — for example, a Garden Houses tour in “Noord”. Every tour is designed according to your needs. F-Lexy and we know it.
Private countryside tour in rural Amsterdam North and in Waterland
Private Countryside Tour, Amsterdam North — a more off-the-beaten-path option. It’s a scenic private countryside tour themed “rural” while beginning and ending in the urban part of Amsterdam North, offered in French, German, Dutch, and English, passing a windmill with a story next to a local brewery, with a stop possible at a sustainable local store for a bite to eat. The route runs through Ransdorp, Durgerdam, and Holysloot — a quiet, rural area ideal for cycling — and you can climb the 32-meter church tower in Ransdorp along the way. This one feels less “tourist-trail” and more personal/curated
Biking on the IJmeer-dike during an Amsterdam-North countryside private group tour. Press on the picture for that “unusual Lexperience”.
Custom-made tours, starting from five-star hotels in Amsterdam
Amsterdam School Architecture housing in de Pijp from +105 years ago — Picture by the local guide.
On a sunny afternoon in Amsterdam (30th of January), I captured this photo of the playful Amsterdam School Architecture from the 1920s — over 100 years old. This is the kind of detail we highlight on customized tours for families staying at five-star hotels, including children. The architectural style is playful and engaging, perfect for interactive experiences during a weekend visit.
Tailor-made tours for business guests follow the same principles: a custom approach with respect for time. Tours are kept concise — around 90 minutes — to fit into busy schedules while still offering a rich, local experience.
Ask your five-star hotel local guide in Amsterdam for more information, or read a review of Lex at a five-star hotel near the Vondelpark here.
Our tailored experiences around international urban events, like the maritime one: SAIL
SAIL Amsterdam has long been one of the city’s most outstanding maritime events, attracting the world’s most famous tall ships and much more. Lex and the City specializes in guiding groups through the area where SAIL takes place — the Eastern Docklands in Amsterdam East.
Discover our tailor-made services during SAIL Amsterdam by pressing the picture below, captured by local guide Lex during the 2015 edition of the event.
SAIL on Veemkade, Eastern Docklands — Click for our dedicated page on customized SAIL Amsterdam tours.
Amsterdam private walking tours for small, intimate groups
Experience a gentle walk through Amsterdam with small groups, led by a local guide. Stories, anecdotes, and hidden details make every stroll unique. Examples:
- Vondelpark walk — enjoy the famous park, with insider anecdotes and playful observations.
- Historical private walk in old Amsterdam — perfect for small business groups, exploring hidden canals, historic houses, and lesser-known city corners.
- Discover the Eastern Islands: Group walk.
Every walk is tailor-made to your group’s interests — from architecture and art to local stories or family history. Small, personal, and memorable.
Tours and venue news from the local guide and creator
Enjoy 2026! 2025 was a milestone year for Amsterdam: the city turned 750 years old and hosted the major maritime event SAIL Amsterdam in August.
- Are you looking for a corporate activity on Zuidas? Introducing rooftop guiding — already practiced for years, now visible online. Corporate tour “between fair and dinner”.
- With 23.5 years on Amsterdam’s streets, we know the venues. For active team outings, we find surprising locations in this inspiring city.
- November 2025: private Maritime tours have been refined and clarified.
- New uncommon private tour on the historic Eastern Islands, enhanced sustainable bike tours, and tailor-made experiences during SAIL. Even “I Amsterdam” recommends us for this area. (Proof in Dutch.)
- More French-speaking local guides.
- Expanded group touring choices in Amsterdam-North (“Noord”).
- The Watergraafsmeer Lexperience (East Amsterdam).
- We’ll be local marshal, DJ, and guide on inline skates again during Skatefresh Amsterdam (August 2026).
- The Vondelpark Lexperience has been elevated with 2 hidden gem lunch venues.
- Autumn 2025: Hidden Gems of Amsterdam tour — quintessential Lex and the City.
- “Rhythmic walking tour” — walk and subtly move your hips to the beats of DJ Lextase, guided by Lex. Part of our living in the here and now 2025 approach.
- Lex has long admired Samuel Sarphati. In January 2025, Sarphati was chosen “greatest Amsterdammer ever.” Lex showcases his passion starting from the Amstel Hotel, one of Sarphati’s 19th-century hotspots.
Pricing of Lex and the City tours, contact, free publicity and reviews
Contact, request a quote, free publicity, “about us” and reviews
- Pricing: Press the picture of these two inspiring Amsterdam venues for the Lex and the City pricing section for private tours.
- Example of a private tour request: “Hi there. I would like to inquire about a private bike tour for my family. We will probably need a few electric bikes. I’d just like to organise something special for them as we are only coming together once a year. I see your tours are a bit ‘different’. Thank you very much in advance. Kind regards, xxxxxxxx.”
Feedback from an American business client
Jayson from the United States wrote after the 2024 tailor-made bike tour: “Hey Lex, just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed local tour guide Tomas. Just an absolute treat and a perfectly crafted experience.”
Lex and the City homepage in English
All Lex and the City Amsterdam services and experiences in English on one page