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The Netherlands is a country in northwest Europe, also known as Holland. Its capital, Amsterdam, is where the house that Jewish diarist Anne Frank hid during WWII. Some amazing locations to have a company retreat in the Netherlands include Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
There are tons of museums in the Netherlands such as Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, Mauritshuis, Our Lord in the Attic Museum, NEMO Science Museum, and Stedelijk Museum. They also have the theme park Madurodam and Efteling, along with the ARTIS Zoo.
Aside from museums and theme parks, there are also lots of team-building activities such as cooking classes and art workshops. These activities inspire your team to have better communication and build lasting bonds.
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We've put together this list of team-building activities in
Netherlands
to help you get the most out of your visit.
Street art workshops in Amsterdam Noord, countryside excursions to Zaanse Schans and farewell dinners beside the canals give this retreat agenda a distinctly local Amsterdam atmosphere beyond the city’s usual tourist routes.
The SurfOffice team helped me organise a great offsite abroad for my distributed team of 16 and the experience was seamless. Their clear communication made planning easy, and they thought of everything we might need. They have a great selection of hotels and experiences, helping us stay within budget without compromising on quality. What especially stood out was their real-time availability during the event, which helped us quickly solve a few last-minute issues.
We recently worked with Surf Office to organize a company retreat in Lisbon, and the experience was nothing short of exceptional. From the very beginning, Simon was incredibly patient and supportive, helping us navigate multiple destination changes until we finally landed on Lisbon. His calm demeanor and willingness to ensure we found the perfect location made the planning process much smoother. Once we signed the contracts, Cristi took over and was an absolute star. Her patience, clear communication, and flexibility made all the difference. She understood our brief, even in its most creative form, and worked tirelessly to bring it to life. Cristi kept us on budget, coordinated seamlessly with the right production team, and managed everything through an intuitive dashboard on Coda. She was always a step ahead, anticipating our needs before we even voiced them. On the ground, Fernanda was a force to be reckoned with! She ensured that venues delivered on time and to the highest standards, making sure every detail was executed flawlessly. What truly set Surf Office apart was their ability to make us feel like a collective team rather than just another client. They handled sensitive information with discretion, tackled challenges with calm professionalism, and ultimately delivered an unforgettable retreat. We would work with Surf Office again in a heartbeat and highly recommend them to anyone looking to plan a seamless, well-executed offsite.
From the very first contact to the last goodbye, Surf Office was an incredible company to work with for our company retreat in Portugal. The customer service was top tier and every single person I interacted with was absolutely lovely, professional and so helpful.
We recently had our company retreat in Spain which was organized together with Surf Office and the experience exceptional. From the initial planning stages to the final details, the Surf Office team was professional, attentive, and incredibly helpful. They provided tailored recommendations for a venue and their local expertise and network made the entire process smooth and stress-free. The seamless coordination of accommodation, transportation, and activities allowed us to focus on creating meaningful connections within our team without worrying about logistics. The retreat itself was a huge success, and a big part of that was thanks to Surf Office's ability to anticipate our needs and adapt to last-minute changes. I would like to give a special shoutout to Romane who is an organization wizard and made sure everything works out as planned, Fernanda who was our on-site support and did an exceptional job even for the very short-term requests. If you're looking for a reliable partner to help organize your next retreat, I highly recommend Surf Office. Their expertise, attention to detail, and dedication to creating memorable experiences are unmatched. Thank you!
We have organized company retreats for our distributed 30 people team multiple times with Surf Office and the team has loved it every time. Surf Office has some great venues as part of their portfolio and do a great job helping to facilitate pretty much everything from accommodation, food, activities, airport transfers etc.
Candela over at Surf helped us to organise our first ever team retreat in Portugal for 30 odd people (which included +1s and small children.) It honestly couldn't have been more perfect. Every detail was seen to and we felt completely supported. Our team came away from that trip feeling like a proper little family. Such wonderful memories. We honestly could never have done this without Surf and would recommend to anyone.
Surf Office made planning our 20 person offsite a breeze! They found the perfect location for us, advised on places we weren't originally considering, and the organization/logistics were very smooth. As a small people team, having this extra help makes a world of a difference. Our team had a great time!
We had a fantastic experience partnering with Surf Office for our 3-day company retreat in Costa Brava. From the early planning stages to the end of the event, everything ran smoothly and professionally. We first worked with Anthony, our Company Retreat Consultant, who helped us choose the right package. He was responsive, approachable, and clearly experienced—making it easy to select the hotel, which suited our needs perfectly. From there, we were supported by Romane, our dedicated Retreat Manager. She was absolutely great—well-organized, proactive, and always ready with thoughtful recommendations and local insights. Whether it was fine-tuning the schedule, adjusting logistics, or booking group activities like kayaking and hiking, she made sure every detail was handled. The mix of work sessions, team-building, and social time was just right. The hotel was comfortable, the activities were fun and well-coordinated, and the team dinners and beach events added a special touch. Everyone had a great time and felt the experience helped strengthen our team dynamics. Surf Office made it easy to plan and execute a retreat for 65 people without stress. We’d absolutely recommend them to any team looking to run an effective and memorable offsite—and we’ll definitely be working with them again.
We had the pleasure of working with Surf Office to organise our annual company offsite in Portugal and the experience exceeded all expectations. From the initial planning stages to the final event, the team demonstrated outstanding professionalism, attention to detail and a true commitment to making our event a success. Every aspect of the offsite was handled seamlessly, including venue selection, team-building activities and logistics. They have a deep knowledge and network of local and trusted vendors.
The Netherlands combines short travel distances, excellent public transport, bike-friendly cities, and a very international atmosphere. A company retreat in the Netherlands can move easily between strategy sessions, canal dinners, museum visits, and outdoor team-building activities.
Amsterdam is best for international access, canals, culture, and nightlife. Rotterdam suits creative and design-focused teams, The Hague works well for coastal retreats near Scheveningen Beach, and Utrecht is a practical choice for teams wanting a central, relaxed city.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is one of Europe’s best-connected airports and is around 15–20 minutes by train from central Amsterdam. Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) and Eindhoven Airport (EIN) can also work for regional European arrivals.
April to June and September to October are usually the best months, with mild weather and good conditions for walking tours, cycling, boat trips, and outdoor dinners. April is popular for tulip season, while summer gives longer daylight hours but higher demand.
Amsterdam is the easiest base for most international teams because it has strong flight access, many hotels, canal-side event venues, museums, restaurants, and simple transport. In our experience, teams hosted in Amsterdam appreciate how little transfer time is needed once they arrive.
Popular options include canal cruises, bike tours, Dutch cooking classes, museum challenges, beach games in Scheveningen, Rotterdam architecture tours, escape rooms, and day trips to places like Zaanse Schans, Keukenhof, or the North Sea coast.
Yes, the Netherlands can support small leadership offsites as well as larger company retreats. Amsterdam and Rotterdam are especially practical for bigger groups because they offer strong hotel capacity, event venues, restaurants, and transport options.
Most teams plan 3 to 4 days. That gives enough time for meetings, team-building activities, dinners, and informal bonding without making the retreat feel rushed.
The main things to plan around are hotel demand in Amsterdam, rainy weather, restaurant bookings for larger groups, and bike safety for teams unfamiliar with cycling in Dutch cities. Booking early is especially important in spring and early summer.
Teams can enjoy canal dinners, Indonesian rijsttafel, Dutch pancake experiences, food tours, brewery visits, cheese tastings, and relaxed waterfront meals. These experiences work well for team bonding because they are social without feeling too formal.
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