Explore Amsterdam with a local private guide. | Customized, green, from the heart, active, FR-EN-NL-DE and unusual tours.

This page about me, local private guide in Amsterdam, Lex van Buuren, is written in English.
Other languages I speak as an Amsterdam guide: French, German, and Dutch.
Corresponding guide pages:

Mostly guided offbeat tours of Amsterdam led by a passionate local guide, named Lex, with an educational background in international tourism management and his teammates.
Not a tour. Not a team-building exercise. A tour outing — That is the Lex and the City way!

Lex van Buuren is  a local tour creator and organizer, and his tour company Lex and the City offers guided tours on foot, bike, footbike (scooter) and inline skates for small private groups. Lex and the City specializes in Amsterdam North (e.g. the NDSM area), Oosterdokseiland, sustainability as a theme (and mission), hidden gems, Lastage and the eastern part of the city. Lex also knows and loves the famous highlights: the Vondelpark, the Jordaan and de Pijp.

Join that local private tour guide on a surprising and unusual tour of Amsterdam. Embrace the local lifestyle. Head out with your passionate city guide to discover unexpected places, hidden spots and highlights in the capital of the Netherlands.
Thanks to my background in France, especially Paris (where I studied and worked), I am also a French-speaking local guide in the Dutch capital. The “city smiley” you see in the Lex and the City branding represents both Amsterdam and Paris!

 

customer reviews Amsterdam private tours 

6 specialties from the Lex and the City local private tour guide in Amsterdam

This Amsterdam private local tour guide web page gives you insight into the ways you can take advantage of my specialties, experience, (off-the-beaten-path side) preferences and qualities in the tempting dutch capital and in it’s surroundings: North-Holland.

Six things that distinguish Lex and the City tour guide in the capital of the Netherlands: “The Lexperience top-6″:

1. Customized experiences (f-Lex) Also for people with disabilities in a wheelchair. High-end but with out of the box style guiding. Or tailor-made experiences around a 5-star hotel. Like this one behind Okura Hotel: (check the picture beneath.)
2. Unusual Amsterdam experiences: off the beaten track. Like exploring strongly developing Eastern Islands (with a maritime angle). Hidden gems as a central theme as well. Lex and the City blog-post.

   

    

3. French speaking guide Amsterdam (I speak 4 languages ​​very well by the way: English, German and Dutch as obviously well.)
4. I consider myself a location expert in Amsterdam. Driven by curiosity, my volunteer work for Amsterdam Heritage Day and Friday Night Skate, countless dance floors (including five-star hotels), and time spent with clients between sessions, I’ve come to know the city from many angles.
5. Active and sustainable (green) tours. (And even sporty; if you prefer that.)
6. Private off the beaten track excursions above Amsterdam, such as a tulip bike tour, biking to Zaanse Schans and a Texel tour on wheels.

We’d love to arrange tours for your group. I prefer to keep this as the basis. As we are storytellers and city explorers.
Lex

Free publicity in well-known media.

Lex and the City have been guiding around UK-based I Paper in the eastern part of Amsterdam: The Eastern Docklands.
Check out the article:

 

Even an article in the Sunday Times. With our offbeat Amsterdam scooter tours. < < <Lex and the City scooting experiences, the only Amsterdam experience present in Sunday Times Magazine: “Six of the best unusual city tours“.  1. The traveltext about this unusual Lex and the City tour

2. The whole article (paid)

 

(The Lex and the City private footbike / scooter tours still take place by the way; also in French yes.) Lex and the City is tourism professional in other parts of the Netherlands as well: on our Eleven Cities inline skate-tour The Washington Post published an A3-article:

Our former “inline adventure” with our skate brand Skate•A•Round in Barcelona was covered by the Guardian. (In 2006 already.)
#lexiness

Local guide on French national television (TF1) telling about the hidden gems of Amsterdam

French-speaking guide in Amsterdam Lex van Buuren on TF1 8 O’clock news with an interview. August 2020.

 

Private bike tours in Amsterdam for groups

Private city bike-tours and off the beaten path experiences above Amsterdam as well.

• Amsterdam highlights bike trip, including hidden gems. By the way: We offer highlights’ city tours on Saturday and Sunday morning. “(just) In the morning” (in the weekend) makes all the difference in terms of urban quality experience.

• Custom bike tour.

• Unusual private bike tour (Example: East Amsterdam. Like cycling Amstelkwartier together with (the first signs of) Bajeskwartier. And also the North of Amsterdam) including quite some hidden gems of Amsterdam.
• The “surprise me” bike-tour

• All you can bike Amsterdam tour: 32 km and 100% urban!

Lex and the City private bike-guides speaking French, German, English and/or Dutch Press the picture with the windmill for our dedicated “Private bike tours Amsterdam” page.

A real-life practical example of a small-scale private family ride in 2025:
We meet up at 10 at Sofitel the Grand. 4 bikes have been reserved for you by Lex and the City and the hotel. For one day. The concierge of the Grand is the contact for their bikes. We ask you to sign and get the bikes after breakfast and then join me in front of the hotel.

Off the beaten track rural bike excursions

We can take you on a bike day trip to Waterland, Marken, Broek and Monnickendam. Starting at a bike shop near your hotel.  Me as a private tour guide for one day. Appr. 55K of biking. Relaxed pace.

New page about the private tulip excursion by bike above Amsterdam; one hour by train from the capital. North-Holland North. This is the unknown and largest (yes!) bulb & flower area of the Netherlands above Amsterdam. It is cheaper and more relaxed.

Or a unusual private guided bike excursion to the Zaanse Schans. Enrich your Lexperience by enjoying the area between Amsterdam and the Zaanse Schans by bike.

3rd private bike tour option above Amsterdam: daytrip Texel island, starting by car, minivan or train in Amsterdam. Other countryside Lex and the City bike day trips, like Waterland-East, to Zandvoort beach and along river Amstel. Lex and the City: the local who goes left where others go right.

Guiding in Amsterdam during international events and summits. 

(Like SAIL 2025; last summer.)

• Amsterdam 750th anniversary; yes!
• Sport events, like the World Padel Tour
• Summits in Amsterdam: Lex and the City is ready and would be happy to guide participants of Summits in Amsterdam. Inbetween summit and dinner? We love what we do, and it shows.
• Floriade: we’ve offered a private excursion by bike (or skate, or scooter / footbike) to the Floriade 2022 in Almere, starting in Amsterdam. Great dutch experience filled with nice bike paths, lake views, cows; the rural theme. It still is a nice and green track!
• SAIL Amsterdam 2030 is a great opportunity to enjoy an unusual private tour with Lex and the City. We have been specialized in sailing, are actually focused on the area where SAIL Amsterdam takes place and we can guide you during SAIL on the boat, bike, during a walking tour, on the scooter and even on inline skates. In the Eastern Docklands. As the specialist for this neighborhood, we have a dedicated page to show you.

 

Experience as an organizer in Amsterdam | International training in tourism.

You will read about my motivation and passion, +25 years of experience in Amsterdam and Paris and the international tourism courses that I have completed and completed in France, England and in the Netherlands.

In addition to English, I speak French, German and Dutch. I have my international tourism management diplomas in both the Netherlands (NHTV Breda, BUAS) and then also in England and France . (DESS Tourisme Bac + 5, at the Université de Savoie in Chambéry.)

Experience? Yes, Lexperience in my case. For the past 25 years, I have regularly been both a private tour guide and (often sporty) international guide. “Lexperiences” ahead as a tourist guide and tour leader in Cahors, Canet Plage, Mimizan, Nice, Saint-Jean de Luz and Paris. I have accompanied hundreds of different tours in Paris and in Amsterdam. (Lex has been living in both towns.)

I have been guiding in Amsterdam since 2004. International tour groups. In Paris I have guided and told stories on the street since 1998. On inline skates, bike and walking. In the city of lights I have hired boats on the river Seine for mainly company events & teambuilding outings.

For French local tourism companies, Lexposure, the online marketing part of Lex and the City, also has (online) storyteller services as well: SEO copywriting and social media creation in Dutch.

French-speaking private guide who started in Paris.

Review of a French family and a photo with a smile:

I would like to guide even more tours in Amsterdam in the upcoming months. For example, unusual group tours in French. Because of my history as a private guide, tourism student and guide in France, the French-speaking market is my language specialization here in Amsterdam.

This photo on Rembrandtplein was taken during a private guided tour in French by Lex. He is 2nd from the left in the photo. Otherwise, click on the photo to see who is on Rembrandt’s head. ;)

This French family from Limoges sent Lex the photo by MMS afterwards. Accompanied by the short review below of the guided tour that started at their 5* Pestana Hotel in the Pijp and ended at the Waag on the Nieuwmarkt. (As well a place where Rembrandt played a role in history.)

Now for the review text that was attached to the picture MMS : Avec nos remerciements pour cette agréable visite. Bonne journée. Famille Mxxxx. Finally: local private guide Amsterdam Lex was asked for this tour by Amsterdam Odyssey, specialist in tailor-made high end tours in Amsterdam and partner of various five-star hotels .

 

Private tours in Amsterdam: landing page

Yes, I’m your guide. And I’m also the maker and organizer behind the customised experiences I create for small groups in Amsterdam.
Explore the city with someone who knows it from the inside — on the bike, on foot, or off the beaten track.
Press the picture to discover how we can shape a private tour or incentive that truly fits your group.

And one thing upfront: sustainability guides the choices I make, even when that means rethinking a request that leans purely toward luxury. Some clients think that makes me ‘not f-Lex’ — and they’re exactly the ones who love the experience.

FAQ and other roles of the local storyteller

What moment to meetup with your local private guide Amsterdam?

I would propose as early as possible during you stay, as you can use the inspiration of the tour to make plans for afterwards without me. After breakfast is a good time by the way.

What local value to add to third parties like DMC’s, tour operators, agencies and hotels?

Except for individuals and groups I have indirect customers. That can also be a Dutch company that has foreign colleagues coming over. Or an event agency. Of course also a DMC. Maybe a bicycle tour provider. Or a tour for the guests of a hotel. Local guiding for a tour operator. A colleague guide can also look for an enthusiastic guide because his or her group is too large for themselves.

Are you a travel agency? Question about your customer: is it their 1st time visit? (I try to find out if I should focus more on the highlights or more on the unusual Amsterdam.)

To tour operators, DMC’s, event agencies and bike shops, asking me for a group tour, I ask:

• Is it a highlights tour or a specialized one? (A certain theme?) (Historical town tours I do not perform on Friday-, Saturday- en Sunday afternoon anymore nowadays . Too busy as far as I am concerned.)I focus on the unusual Amsterdam.

• Private tour? (Or for individuals together?)
• What kind of group is it?
• How large is the group? I guide max. 8 people on wheels.
• Would you like us to give you our best advice regarding hidden gem restaurants in Amsterdam?
• You want my tariff or do you have a fixed reward?

So I just would like to be approached for the kind of tours who are my thing. This you can easily get out of this page.

 

Direct customers for private tours: the groups (or individuals) themselves

In addition to tourist groups, I also like company outings, staff outings or a tour for a school or university. (And I have a lot of private tour guide experience in the city. )

• 

  People who speak French, English, German or Dutch.

• Companies
• Families
• VIP’s
• Media
• Friend groups
• Bachelor parties (Hen tours)
• Birthday tours

 

 

 

Large tour groups for Amsterdam: our standing point and policy

Taking a lot of persons to a restaurant or nightclub (and join them) by 1 person is no problem. However for tours in the street with let’s say 40 persons at the same time, you’d need 5 local Amsterdam guides.(5 groups from 8) The good news about that is, that you are then able to offer them different themes.

For example, depending on their experience with Amsterdam. Or depending on what kind of means of transportation they’d like. (bike, footbike, skate, walking.)

In general you could say we are focused on small-scale outings in Amsterdam.

 

 

Tour guide case from the heart: Volunteer during heritage day | Open Monuments weekend Amsterdam

A great way of (Le)xpanding my knowledge and network regarding the unknown Amsterdam, is being volunteer during the heritage days. (Open Monuments weekend) It takes place once a year. I have been guide volunteer at the following historic sites:

• Amsterdam School heritage “De Dageraad”, de Pijp. From there we (my colleague Bob Maas and me) have guided bike & footbike tours for kids and their parents in the area. (Including the Diamond quarter) Occasion: 100 years of Amsterdam School Architecture.
• Lloyd history tours in the Eastern Docklands (2 years)
• French-speaking guide Amsterdam at Windmill “De Otter” (check the picture here, September 2020)

As a result of these volunteer activities in Amsterdam, I was offered the opportunity by the organization to participate in the following enriching heritage activities:

• A lecture on the history of brewing beer in Amsterdam. It took place in the former church “De Duif”, Prinsengracht.
• Another lecture, a year later at the same spot on the canal, on excavations in the town center;
• Guided tour with colleagues in the former “Scheepvaarthuis”. (The current Amrath Hotel)
• Lecture about the history of sports in Amsterdam. In the great venue “Vondelkerk”.
• reconnaissance of the Food center. (with the mayor.)

Contact with local private tour company Lex and the City: online and offline (tea time?)

I’d love to discuss the outing and the route over a cup of tea with you in your office or in a public place. I gladly offer that to you as an extra, in my case Lextra, service.

We can also discuss outings with more local guides Amsterdam; I have a network of quality people. These city guides also have a good experience and will make it an interesting time during your private walking tour, guided boat trip, private guided bike tour Amsterdam or footbike tour in “Mokum”. (= nickname of AMS)

I even have a small network of French-speaking tour guides. +31655337726 | [email protected]

Private walking tours focusing on the highlights are possible as well. Hotels in the oldest part of town are perfectly located for Rembrandt theme kind of highlights. The Rembrandt House, Hotel de Doelen and de Waag are then sort of around your hotel and team up to a 1st theme already. A 1/2 day private walking tour is possible as well.

The things I am not-, do not- and cannot do- as a local Amsterdam tour guide.

Well, what can I say? First I tell what I am & do in Amsterdam:
I am a rather active & sporty local tour guide focusing on the unusual Amsterdam, who loves to take small groups of people on bike & footbike & skate & walking tours. (above Amsterdam as well.)
(Plse continue beneath the Lex and the City p-Oost card 2024) ⇓

If we’d like to visit a museum, such as the Rembrandt House, can you join us, and how does that work?
Yes. However my role is then of a tour leader. (and not a tour guide.) I have been to loads of museums, including the Rembrandt House, however I am a pure outdoor local city guide.

Tour manager for groups? I am not. I miss organizational skills while being in the streets with a group of people. Moreover being with a group for a whole day (or several full days) is too long for me. (As a result I surround myself with people who compensate for weak points within me.)
By the way, being tour manager the whole day (or more days) for 1-2 people is OK.

Middelburg and Veere? I lived and worked there for 20 months but could not guide there.
Arnhem? Kroller-Muller Museum & Park? I like it pretty much, but guiding? No, not me.
Rotterdam? Keukenhof? I am probably that one guide who is NOT guiding there… (However I do know the Mini-Keukenhof in Anna Paulowna! Maybe in the future…I love the bulbs area above Schagen…my thing.)
Large groups not split up into smaller ones? Too large for me.
Spanish? Tengo qué aprender español.
Volendam? Nice, but not my thing as a guide at least. (The exception: passing by while touring on the bike or inline skates.)

The good local guiding news for you: while (L) expanding, I always have local guides on my list, also French speaking guides, recommended by someone else, or knowing them myself (very well). Yes, also for those so-called “unexpected areas” in Amsterdam. ;)

Private tour guide Amsterdam and mobile 80’s and early 90’s “in the mix” | During boat tours

 

French-speaking private skating instructor Amsterdam

(The 6th USP for outings in Mokum is, by the way, is a Private inline skating lesson in Amsterdam . It does not fit completely within the format of this page, so we count it halfway. Together 5,5 specialties in the field of guides and tours in Amsterdam. )

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Rates for tailor-made tours in surprising Amsterdam

These are the rates for guiding, creating and molding the customized private tour / outing in Amsterdam. They are excluding other costs like rentals and drinks.
Discounts are possible on the rates mentioned. Provided there is a good reason for it.

• The price for the creation, organisation, and the local multilingual Lex and the City guide for a private tour is €175 (incl. 21% VAT) for 1 participant.
  Each additional participant costs € 22,75.
  This includes our thinking along with you, local expertise and experience (“Lexperience”). Lex and the City also provides attention in the preparation phase, customization, and tips—because we are Amsterdam specialists.
  A maximum of 8 participants per rolling local guide; after that, the same calculation applies for the next group. Walking tours? 10p. max and no surcharge for the 9th and 10th person. An additional 30 minutes is € 70,-.
• That rate is excluding materials like a bike (€ 16,50 for 2-3 hours at a local bike shop) and excluding meals and drinks a.s.o..) E-bike: € 34,95
• Discounts are possible on the rates mentioned. Provided there is a good reason for it. For example: For small parties, we give a discount if possible. (Tip: think ant-cyclical.) Super Last minutes? Just send us the request in the heat of the moment. (Even 3 hours before; we live here and now.) Then we know if it is a yes or no, the here-and-now price and if we have the spirit then and there.
• General conditions for the Lex and the City local private tours in Amsterdam.

• We keep a maximum of 8 people per tour group; sometimes 10. (Reason: safety, comfort and service) Multiple groups next to each other are possible.
• The (“L“) exclusive option, Customized memorable experiences and small scale exclusive tours in Amsterdam for the corporate market is treated differently. In this case we add custom recommendations before the day itself of any kind, no additional charge for any labor-intensive work and making reservations for tourism services. The passion of your experienced, private and local Lex and the City guide is included for a whole day of about 9 hours. € 685,- excluding VAT. Services except for our own (as mentioned here), like sights, restaurants, museums, bike rental, private boat  and drinks do not include our price.
• Do you provide umbrellas in case it rains? No. However we have durable poncho’s. (included for usage) And: we also have the flexibility to act upon circumstances.
• How does payment work? Can I pay with a credit card, or do you prefer cash? Both are possible. (Paypal as well and Maestro.)

We speak German, French and Dutch as well. Both during the tours and before and after.

Contact the local private guide.

+31655337726 | [email protected]