Bachelor party
at A'DAM VR

Sure, drinks or snacks arranged on request via a tailored proposal.

From small groups to hundreds of guests; large groups run in phases and heats so everyone stays busy.

Expect about 2 hours, ideal as a warm-up for the rest of the day.

The best activity is one the guest of honour cannot dodge and the rest do not have to excel at. So no sport where half the group drops out, and no quiz where the same person always wins. What does work: something with a result, so there is something to win and lose, and something nobody has done before. Racing with a leaderboard on the wall does that, and VR even more so, because everyone is a first timer. Book it during the day or early evening, because after the first round of drinks anything still on the schedule becomes a chore.

Original usually means: not another pub crawl or boat. What lands well with groups of men is competition with a hard result, because then nobody has to pretend they are enjoying themselves. A racing championship where the loser buys the round beats any programme, and a free roam VR mission puts the group in a situation where they genuinely need each other. With us you can combine the two: race first, then VR, then stay at the bar or head into town. We are in the A'DAM Tower, a five minute ferry from Central, so the rest of the evening stays open.

The cliche is high tea, a spa or a flower arranging workshop, and for some groups that is exactly right. But plenty of groups want something they did not see coming, and that is where the VR side comes in. You end up in a mission together, shrieking at something that is not there, and it makes far better photos than a table with cake. Practically: it runs a couple of hours, you need no skill at all, sneakers or heels both work, and you can add drinks afterwards. Then you are back across the water in the city in five minutes.

Count on roughly three tiers. Under 25 euro per person buys a single activity of an hour, without food or drinks. Between 35 and 75 euro gets you a programme of a few hours, usually with a drink included. Above that, tailoring starts: several components, your own space, catering. Always ask whether VAT and room hire are included, because that is more often where two quotes differ than the programme itself. With us the package price is on the page, and for a group you request a proposal.

In three steps. First the date and the group size, because half the options drop away on those two alone. Then one fixed block of two to three hours that everyone has to attend, and you put it at the start of the day or the start of the evening. Anything scheduled after the first round of drinks becomes a chore. Only then do you fill the edges with food, drinks and the city. Book that fixed block first, because it is the only part with limited slots.

The classics are challenge lists out on the street, and they work as long as the group is up for it. What holds up better is a challenge with a result, because then nobody has to pretend. With us that is the racing championship: the guest of honour races the rest and the loser buys the round. In the VR missions the challenge sits inside the game, you will not get through without giving each other directions. You are welcome to bring your own challenges, and to film and photograph for personal use.

Because everything is within walking distance or a short ferry ride, so you do not lose people between two parts of the day. We are in the A'DAM Tower on the IJ, a five minute free ferry from Amsterdam Central. That means everyone comes by train, nobody has to drive, and afterwards you are back in the centre within five minutes. For groups travelling in from all over the country that saves more hassle than any choice of activity.

Yes. There is a bar on site, so you can hang around before or after the programme without moving the group. Snacks and catering are arranged in consultation, and you sort that when you enquire rather than on the day. For a fuller dinner, the rest of the tower and the surrounding area are within walking distance. What we do not do is a programme with eating during play, because then food sits going cold while everyone is in VR.

During the day and in the evening, and for groups we look at what is free on your date. For a bachelor party we suggest the start of the day or the start of the evening, for the same reason as above: put the part everyone has to attend first. If you are travelling in, an afternoon start works well, because it leaves the whole evening free in the city. Send an enquiry with your date and you will hear straight away what is possible.