An unusual guided tour in Amsterdam-North (Or simply “Noord”) has something raw, adventurous and exciting. (Still.)
Time Out Magazine has ranked the Northern part of Amsterdam among the 40 coolest urban areas of the world.
We are happy to guide you by bike on foot, on inline skates or by footbike or along the classic dike houses, or the NDSM wharf, the new construction around the A’DAM Tower or through the picturesque garden villages. “Noord” has got it all and it is all accessible.
A great part of the “Noord-tours” are part of team outings. We even serve & guide locally based organizations, by showing them the area around their company.
Come in and enjoy the virtual ride!
Naar deze pagina in het Nederlands
Being specialist for good, appealing stories in Amsterdam North for both groups (offline) AND locally based hotels (online stories), we herewith present our “Noord” – page in English. Enjoy the ride!
Guided tours in Amsterdam North: different choices. With dike villages, garden villages, trendy towers and self-build houses.
A review about the introductory outing for educational organization Innoord . (August 2022)
At Lex and the City, you and your tour advisor choose the tour that suits your group. You can choose Rural North: Waterland-East with dreamy villages such as Durgerdam, Ransdorp and Zunderdorp.
Or for the unusual 9 Garden villages tour, which is described below.
Or the hip, new North with the EYE film museum, the A’DAM Tower, The (sustainable) Ceuvel, interspersed with the 100+ year old Van der Pekbuurt.
Or cycle from the A’DAM Tower and EYE film museum to the beautiful houses on the Buiksloterdijk…. there is something nice to choose for every group or family. You can also combine.
Typical themes associated with Amsterdam-North are sustainability, growth, diversity, reuse, unusual, raw, a bit crazy, space, and remarkable new construction.
Guided tour Amsterdam-North 1: The 9 Garden Villages tour by bike | with that private guide | The unusual. (We call it the unLexpected.)
21 km bicycle tour with an “out of the box bicycle guide” including breaks in various garden villages.
During this tour in Amsterdam North we will visit no fewer than 9 (green) garden villages. By bike, because the distance is greater (21 km) and in terms of road surface not well suited for inline skates.
Those 9 garden villages are Vogeldorp, Vogelbuurt, the van der Pekbuurt, Disteldorp, Tuindorp Oostzaan, Floradorp (see below a photo of this colorful place.), the Bloemenbuurt, ‘t Blauwe zand (Tuindorp Buiksloot) and garden village Nieuwendam.
It is refreshing to discover 9 garden villages in town. We think the van der Pekbuurt is really beautiful! Disteldorp has something cosy, and we navigate like a snake through the small streets. Tuindorp Oostzaan is the largest and perhaps also best known of the 9 garden villages. It includes a museum model home. Floradorp is playful and cuddly with her colors (see above). The Bloemenbuurt is much tighter and also borders the Noorderpark. We think ‘t Blauwe Zand (Tuindorp Buiksloot) is cool and Tuindorp Nieuwendam has class.
In between you will also visit the NDSM wharf with your Lex and the City guide. That is still an Amsterdam hidden gem for many people. But it is not for nothing that well-known names such as Greenpeace, Hilton, Red bull, Nickelodeon, Hema and Loetje are to be found overthere.
There are also attractive places for drinks on the NDSM wharf, such as Noorderlicht, IJver and the IJ canteen. During your private “North tour”, you can also discover the Kraanspoor, the Tube, the Veronica ship, the Anne Frank drawing (street art), the NDSM warehouse, flea market… Very nice place!
During the 9 garden villages tour we will also look for the other reasons that Amsterdam-North is becoming increasingly popular. Such as Buiksloterham with the eye-catcher the lightship and on the other side the energy-neutral houseboats of “Schoonschip”.
We also pass the chic district “De Kadoelen”. Which is not a garden village, but does provide even more variety along the way. (See the recent autumn 2021 photo below with rainbow.)
This village bike ride in the city will come as a surprise to many people in your group.
The 9 Garden Villages Tour (9 Tuindorpentocht in dutch) is a typical example of an active and healthy “Unknown Amsterdam tour” by Lex and the City. This tour is quite an EYE opener. (And it’s just not on that track. ;) )
Bicycle tour “unexplored North” (2 hours and 14 unusual highlights) ⇓
Places we can enjoy; where we come by. 14 highlights and hidden gems in Amsterdam North:
- Chalk mill d’Admiraal. Chalk was mainly used as a basis for masonry mortar in construction. web page. It is also part of our hiddem gem restaurants Amsterdam page.
- Bridgekeeper’s house as a hotel room on the Buiksloter revolving bridge. (And 2 others along the North Holland channel) More info about Bridgekeeper’s house as a hotel room
- Buiksloterdijk. forgotten wood. Read more about captain’s canopy. ⇓ more highlights below the photo ⇓
Former coffee house on the Buiksloterdijk. - Floradorp
- Noorderpark
- The 2 abandoned pumping stations
- Friendly Fire artwork at former Ritakerk (Rita church) (now BUNK hotel-restaurant)
- Van der Pekbuurt: see below. ⇓ more highlights below the photo ⇓
Van der Pek neighborhood (1st Tuindorp (garden village), 1918) - The new Amsterdam-North: Yvie, Congress Hotel, EYE, swings, Overhoeks, and photo exhibition “Sprong over ‘t IJ”. (season 2022)
- Disteldorp: A neighborhood that was actually built temporarily. (And now monumental)
- The hidden gem the Lightship.
- Schoonschip; the most sustainable houseboat project in Europe.
- Buiksloterham; looking for the self-build plots or houses
- NDSM wharf including the NDSM Loods, the Kraanhotel, Anne Frank street art (front of the Street museum), the Veronica ship and Kraanspoor.
PS: I now realize that an important one is missing: the place where Ajax started in 1900 on a soccer field…in “Noord”! :p
Free touristic bike track in “Noord”
Feel free to try and use it, in case that is what you are looking for. (It’s got an app too.)
Below you will find a description of the (shorter) tour in Noord. On the scooter / footbike. You can also book this 10 km tour as a bike tour at Lex and the City.
Scooter tour in Amsterdam-North: Active with sustainable highlights | 7.5 to 10 km.
(We can also do this North Amsterdam tour for you by bicycle. When cycling, the focus is on the so-called sights & sounds (the content) on the scooter is a bit more sporty. Scooters with 1-2 bicycles, for example for a pregnant woman, is also possible.)
All signals seem to be green for this tour! Because the theme is green, people want (see) this, it’s in our genes and we are ready for it. (also for you)
Of course we will also see the famous A’DAM tower. (Yeah, the one with those swings on the roof.). And that spot of architecture next to it; EYE film museum. A so-called crea playground where we also provide private inline skate lessons.
And maybe we’ll also take the ferry with your group.
Highlights of the private tour in Noord on the scooter: “ Unexpected Amsterdam ”.
- The A’DAM tower with Madam, Sir Adam and the swing on the roof, EYE Filmmuseum, This is Holland, the Friends concept building and De Tolhuistuin are the start of the tour through Amsterdam North.
- IJ view
- Van der Pek neighborhood (100+ years old)
- De Papaverhoek: Amsterdam School architecture building. Circular construction project with a (successful) mission from a former school to a place to live. (From the Eigen Haard housing association) All homes in the building have their own air source heat pump . (photo from Lex and the City guide from December 2021 directly below)
- De Ceuvel (a real eco-tour inside. If the owner allows the weather.)
- Buiksloterdijk: beautiful dike houses, including wooden houses.
- Noorderpark (With its curious abandoned gas stations.)
- Nieuwendammerdijk
- fly forest
- North/South line
- Base of “unexpected Amsterdam”: 7.5 km
- Including Vogelbuurt: 9 km
- Including Nieuwendammerdijk, Vliegenbos and part of the Vogelbuurt: 9.5 km.
- Pace: enjoy the always cool city.
On the road with your group in Noord! (start description of the private tour with Lex and the City)
The start of the guided tour through Amsterdam-North is near Café de Pont. So in the corner where the Tolhuistuin is located and also the A’DAM Toren, This is Holland, EYE Filmuseum and the new chic neighborhood Overhoeks.
Here is the former Overhoeks Shell tower , which is now the ADAM tower, and of which the Amsterdam Look Out is part.
Next door is EYE, the film museum.
Club Paradiso Noord is also nearby.
You could possibly can have lunch in the morning next to EYE in the Tolhuistuin.
We have also eaten upstairs with a group at EYE with a view of the IJ.
(To a Flemish group customer:) If you want proof that we Ollanders can also bake fries, then the fries place “Gare du Nord” is just around the corner.
We first scooter along the IJ, with a view of the already new Westerdok district and the Pontsteiger with its famous $$ million penthouse. (Across the water that is!)
Footbiking towards the Garden Villages. Visiting the van der Pekbuurt and the Ceuvel
The Van der Pek neighborhood is located above Overhoeks. This garden village has rapidly become more popular in recent years. With its low-rise buildings, it also gives a village feeling in the city.
A popular (Italian) restaurant is Il Pecorino , which was founded by the well-known entrepreneur Mick Sonnenfeld. ( Our ex-tour guide in Paris; in the end-90’s .)
Then we continue the tour in Amsterdam-North to the Ceuvel on the scooter!
De Ceuvel is a sustainable hotspot for creative and social entrepreneurs on the former shipyard Ceuvel-Volharding in Amsterdam-Noord. You will be amazed with all kinds of recycled houseboats that are now on dry land. And that looking around; that’s what we’re going to do there too; on a special way.
The scooter tour continues through the Noorderpark, over the North-South line and over the Nieuwendammerdijk
The Noorderpark is a merger of 2 existing parks and even contains 2 former gas stations with a new mission.
Then along the Buiksloterdijk, which used to be on the IJ.
Daan and Lisa are the enthusiastic team of the Pink Panther; one of the 2 former gas stations that now serve as a cultural center, place for workshops and other creative excesses. Children are also a target group.
Then we turn onto the Nieuwendammerdijk. Enjoy the history here in the form of beautiful houses; including the inspiring story of your scooter guide.
After this we go stepping through the Vliegenbos.
Via the station of the North/South line, the Vogelbuurt, De Willem-I lock (with a view of the De Six Haven and the famous Mandela house) we step back to Overhoeks, where the Pont to Amsterdam Central is also located.
That was the Unexpected Amsterdam Tour you might have been hoping for.
The route on the scooter in Amsterdam-Noord: (For example, for a company trip.) | Duration: 2 hours and length: 9.5 km, at a “ reLexed ” pace.
The North Lexperience .
Other options are also negotiable.
Footbiking in Amsterdam Noord as a staff outing: an example of a quote to a large organization. (July 2021)
Hello dear tour buyer,
You have submitted the following quote request:
Dear Lex,
I would like information about the possibilities for a possible staff outing . Is it possible to tour Amsterdam North
with about 50 people with scooters ?
What would be the cost and what is the duration of the tour?
It would be {date} upcoming.
Sincerely,
{name}
The central place where we start at ?? hour* is your location.
*: the start time is needed to take an option for you.
Your participants or members can choose from various inspiring Amsterdam-North themes during the active staff outing in Amsterdam-North.
Duration of the tour : 2 hours. We make story stops in between and take two bottles of water or something in your backpack and a bar. (Drinking alcohol before or during the tour is not allowed.)
Price :
The fine print ; the general terms and conditions of the Lex and the City active private tours in Amsterdam
4 photos of scooters in Amsterdam-Noord for your internal promotion in the attachment.
Nice day,
Lex
Cost of the guided tours in Amsterdam-North by bike or scooter (footbike)
Amsterdam off the beaten track
Lex and the City rates for Amsterdam arrangements
The price page ⇑ lists amounts for:
the rental of the scooters (kickbikes ) or bicycles- the transport of the scooters to Amsterdam North. (The bicycles, on the other hand, are rented on site.)
- the organization of the unexpected Amsterdam tour; the guided scooter tour.
- the Lex and the City local guide with his or her tour. (Possibly supplemented with your customization.)
Contact about a different private tour in Amsterdam-North for you.
Call or app Lex and the City for a guided tour by bike or scooter through Amsterdam-North: +31655337726. Or [email protected] Easy does it.
Lex has been touring Amsterdam with groups since 2005 .
It is his mission to enthuse people to explore the city in a sporty and healthy way . In “unexpected Amsterdam”.
In addition, he is one of the few Amsterdammers who scooters almost every day as a hobby, for fun, and also to get from A to B.
Finally: Lex van Buuren is a active and if you wish even sporty tourist local private guide in Amsterdam .
So on the scooter, but also on the skate and as a private and unusual cycling guide and outside the box.
Photo on Instagram of the “ Amsterdam Lexplorer ” of a guided tour in Amsterdam North: a company outing for 12 people. (October 2019)
A few more photos that Lex and the City took while plotting routes in Amsterdam North. (Or has had groups that scootered along in “Unknown Amsterdam”.)
Platform for adventurous women asks Lex and the City for examples of “adventurous Amsterdam”.
Alice goes Wild, platform for adventurous women, picked up the spirit of Lex and the City. (Thanks for the publicity, Brigitte Ars.)