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There are few cities in Europe as iconic as Amsterdam. Where else could you hop aboard a rowing boat, drift down an inner-city canal network and sip on a cold glass of Amstel while listening to Bizzey?
A company retreat in Amsterdam, Holland's capital city, exposes your team to the many Dutch stereotypes, including flocks of cyclists and coffee shops that sell more than just coffee. Behind this clichéd exterior, however, lies an enchanting city steeped in history, art, music and culture.
There are so many group activities to try in Amsterdam that you'll be lucky to fit everything into your schedule.
The canal networks alone open up a variety of unique outdoor activities, from party boats to stand-up paddleboarding tours. While on land, you'll discover countless experiences like walking tours, bar crawls, go-karting, rock climbing and much more.
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We've put together a list of
team-building activities for company retreats in
Amsterdam
, including options that work well for both small and large teams.
Winding through the Canal Belt, Jordaan, and lively districts like De Pijp, this Amsterdam retreat agenda combines structured sessions with a canal or cycling experience and relaxed evenings by the water.
Amsterdam works well for teams that want a compact European city with strong character and easy logistics. The canals, walkable center, creative neighborhoods, and lively food scene make it simple to combine focused sessions with memorable social time.
Getting there is straightforward for most international teams. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol connects directly to the city by train, bus, and taxi, and Schiphol says the train to Amsterdam Central takes about 17 minutes.
Spring and early autumn are usually the strongest choices. Spring brings a lively atmosphere with longer days, while autumn offers a more relaxed pace with fewer crowds and a strong cultural calendar.
The Centrum area is the easiest base for first-time groups, especially if you want walkability and quick access to restaurants. Jordaan feels more local and relaxed, De Pijp is lively and social, and Amsterdam Oost can work well for teams that want a slightly calmer atmosphere without feeling far out.
Popular options include canal cruises, food tours, Dutch cooking workshops, bike rides through the city, private museum visits, and evening dinners in canal-side venues. For a more playful agenda, teams can also add scavenger hunts or neighborhood-based challenges.
Most teams do well with 3 days in Amsterdam, often with arrival on the first day, one to two full working days, and a final day for a shared activity before departure. Some stretch it to 4 days when they want a more relaxed pace.
Amsterdam feels smaller and easier to manage than many capital cities, but it still offers plenty of culture and energy. The canal layout, bike culture, and dense mix of neighborhoods give the city a distinctive rhythm that suits short offsites well.
Teams can build a varied food program here, from canal-side dinners and Indonesian rijsttafel to modern Dutch restaurants, wine bars, and casual neighborhood spots. In our experience, Amsterdam works particularly well for groups that want dinners that feel social rather than overly formal.
Yes, it is one of the easier European cities for international groups to navigate. English is widely spoken, the airport connection is efficient, and the city’s layout makes it easy for teams arriving from different countries to settle in quickly.
Accommodation pricing and seasonality matter. Spring weekends and peak summer dates can get expensive, and popular areas book quickly. It also helps to choose a central base, since that keeps the whole retreat smoother and reduces unnecessary transfers.
We had an unforgettable company offsite in Panama with 19 team members, and everything from start to finish was exceptional. The food was incredible, authentic, fresh, and consistently delicious throughout the trip. Our hotel stay was fantastic, especially the strong air conditioning, which was a huge plus in the tropical heat! Surf Office did an outstanding job managing everything. As a small team, using them was a huge help to ensure we hit deadlines, found team-building activities, and had a good selection of food choices. They were professional, highly organized, and incredibly on top of every detail, making the experience smooth and stress-free for everyone involved. From scheduling to coordination and on-the-ground support, they handled it all flawlessly. Transportation during the event was well-organized and reliable, making it easy to move between activities without a hitch. Overall, this was a 10/10 experience. Highly recommend this destination and working with Surf Office for any team looking to recharge, connect, and be inspired in a beautiful location. We will absolutely be using them again for our next company off site!
I had a great experience working with Surf Office! Elke and Alvaro were extremely helpful throughout the process and I always felt confident our retreat planning was in good hands. We've held 2 retreats working Surf Office and would recommend them to anyone looking for help planning a company retreat.
We are a 100% remote Software Company that has been doing self organized Teamevents since 2016. They are a very important part of our company culture and something the whole company is looking forward to throughout the year. As the company grew we have been searching for a partner to organize a Teamevent for 50 People in 2024 and have found the perfect one with Surf Office. The main advantage for us was not them taking over the main organization, it was that they just had the same vibe. You can find people who will organize a team retreat for you - but only a few will catch the right vibe and select the right venues - Surf Office does! Needless to say that the whole process was smooth and the organization was flawless. If you are a boring company, please do not hire them. But if you are a bunch of people that are working together and actually like each other, i would really give it a shot. For us, a Teamevent has never felt this easy.
We recently partnered with Surf Office to organize our company retreat in Osaka, Japan, and we couldn't be more pleased with the experience. From the outset, Surf Office showed exceptional ability to coordinate across time zones, manage the language barriers, and handling the logistical complexity of a group of 100+ people with ease and professionalism. The team from Surf Office were flexible, communicative, and proactive every step of the way. They helped us plan everything, from the event scheduling to restaurant reservations, hotel reservations for 100+ people, team activities, and last-minute changes They ensured the entire retreat was seamless, memorable, and highly energizing for our team. Thanks to their support we were able to focus on what mattered most: connecting as a team, exploring a new culture, and building lasting memories We highly recommend Surf Office to any company looking to run a world-class team offsite, especially in international destinations.
We went to Lisbon with 31 employees from all over the world. The event had been organised by SurfOffice/Elke. The hotel was top, the activities were top and the food was top. The communication with Surf O. was very good too, and it helped that Elke is a Dutch woman living in Lisbon. The coda app was not very handy at first, but turned out to be useful at the end/towards the event. We look back at a very successful All Company Meeting in Lisbon!
We can highly recommend Surfoffice for company retreats! From the very first contact until the end of our trip, everything went smoothly. Communication was consistently fast, reliable, and highly professional. A special thanks goes to Stef, who supported us throughout the entire organization process. She was always available, answered all our questions, and made the planning process extremely pleasant with her friendly and helpful approach. Lola also did an excellent job in finding the perfect accommodation for our group — her quick and competent assistance was invaluable. The accommodation itself was beautiful, with an incredibly kind host who took great care of our group and prepared delicious meals for us. Surfoffice provided us with a perfectly organized company trip — efficient planning, outstanding support, and a wonderful experience for the entire team. We are already looking forward to our next trip with Surfoffice!
SurfOffice delivered an absolutely outstanding service. Their attention to detail, responsiveness (literally day and night!), and presence throughout the entire process went far beyond our expectations. The whole team was a true pleasure to work with — professional, proactive, and always one step ahead. A special thank you to Cris, Romane, and Angela: you were exceptional. Your dedication, kindness, and efficiency made all the difference. Thank you again — we would 100% recommend SurfOffice and look forward to the next collaboration!
Great support, personalised service and great experience. Would highly recommend Surf Office services to any organisation. Their follow-up tools make it very easy to also communicate with your team.
I organized our company retreat with the help of SurfOffice, specifically with the help from Candela and Álvaro. They helped me tremendously, made sure important things were taken care of, deadlines were met and they made sure we could have a smooth experience with the company during the week - we had an absolute blast on Gran Canaria and the Team had an amazing week! The communication was absolute S-Tier. Clear, quick and always friendly, which made organizing an event very enjoyable, which normally is a rather monotone and sometimes even chaotic experience. I came into this without any event organization experience and leave with a "wow, this was smooth!". Thank you for this!
The most popular team building activities are surf lessons, SUP lessons and tapas night but there are plenty more to choose from.
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Join the club of innovative companies which organise
retreats with Surf Office.
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