Private customized tours adjusted to your wishes

Our guides know a lot about Amsterdam. And we are experts in making a customized tour for you. You will be perfectly taken care of, including first-class food and drinks. Tell us about your wishes, interests and itinerary. We combine all your information with our knowledge and build a tailor made tour for you. Of course we also take into account your wishes regarding the logistics of the tour. Length, means of transport, starting point and where to end can all be discussed.

Did we already mention we love our city? We do, for sure. And we do know her well, too. Center, north, south, east, west: each part of Amsterdam has got its own unique spots and stories. Each area has its own history of why and how it came into being. Every block has an architecture story. Every neighborhood has got hip places, hidden gems and surprising anecdotes. Would you like to discover more than the obvious tourist attractions? It’s our pleasure to take you along on a customized tour through Amsterdam.  

What do we mean by customizing?

Customizing is quite a broad concept. And we do it all. Are you staying in an – at first sight – touristically less appealing neighborhood? Even the areas where you don’t really expect it, have interesting places to see and stories to hear. Think history, current developments and future perspectives of Amsterdam and her inhabitants. Stories related to, for example, migration, World War II, how we turned a swamp into liveable area, gentrification, architecture, social structures, city planning, sustainability, food – well, a lot of topics.

Actually, we also like to create a customized tour of Amsterdam based on a topic. Give us a theme and we take off. Maybe a few examples help to make ourselves clear.

Once a British company sent a few employees to Amsterdam for Brexit related purposes. At their request we added a ‘European twist’ to the tour. We stopped by the French baker, Spanish butcher, Italian coffee, Belgium beer. Everywhere we had a little chat with the entrepreneurs, sharing stories about migrating, culture and and good food. Ah, and of course, Dutch cheese!

Another example is a tour we developed for a city event with the theme ‘underground’. There were World War II stories of hiding and resistance from Eva’s family. We interviewed a former homeless man about living on the street. We stopped at a graffiti spot and a squatted building. The lowest spot was probably the highlight of the tour. We were allowed into the inaccessible part of the subway station, with a ‘ghost station’ of a metro line which was never finished and the remains of a nuclear shelter. To put a nice closure to the tour, we got a tasting of gravlax – not before having been shown how the salmon is being fermented by burying it, yes, underground.

These examples might seem a bit extreme. It’s also fine if you simply tell us you like to focus on art, or architecture, or ice creams, or something else.

As an extra service we are always happy to share tips on what to do and where to go before or after the tour.

FAQ

Where is the meeting point?
We customize everything about this tour, including the starting point. We can pick you up at your hotel (if in Amsterdam), or meet you at another location which is convenient for you.  

Is the tour suitable for young children?
This tour is suitable from the age of 12.

Is this tour suitable for people with reduced mobility?
Yes. Especially with reduced mobility a customized tour can be the perfect solution. Please contact us to share your wishes and options, and we will come up with suggestions to create the most suitable tour for you.

I have particular interests and/or special needs. Can this be arranged?
Most of the time, the answer is yes.

The weather is bad, what happens now?
Amsterdam Odyssey tours will take place under any weather conditions, unless a formal warning regarding the weather has been issued by the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI). Dutch weather can be unpredictable. Make sure to pack and dress accordingly!