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    Amsterdam Canal Cruises

    4.0 (29 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Amsterdam Canal Cruises Photos

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    Reviews With Photos - Amsterdam Canal Cruises

    Andrea U.

    Months in advance we booked a canal ride with cruise like a local. We learned that Amsterdam essentially emerged from a swamp. The city was founded along the banks of the Amstel River and built on reclaimed marshlands through an extraordinary feat of water engineering. We were oriented to the Canal Belt (the Grachtengordel), the central district with a system of canal rings, water locks and bridges. Captain Dave took us on an elegant wood skiff with an open bar and assorted nibbles. It disembarks from the Keizersgracht, one of the quieter canal rings, traverses the Canal Belt and took us through the Old Center. We peered at the red-light district and had glorious views of the Dutch National Opera & Ballet, and the famous Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge).

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    Hector B.

    It was a great deal for 16 €. The cruise was a little more than an hour, and our pilot was interesting to listen to. The views were nice and I overall felt that it was a value! It was comfy and enjoyable. I wish I could put more and videos!

    Andrea S.

    Daaaaaamn, that guide really did not like my comments. And by the way, let me get one thing straight - I was not even being a jerk. I was actually just giving my cousin who was visiting extra information. While the guide was being a good basic boat driver with some standard Amsterdam information, he was really not an immaculate guide. When I added something to what he was saying, he was definitely not thrilled. I meant no disrespect, yet I was getting attitude. But, all right, I get it, don't meddle in the man's business. Later, however, I had a question about a building, and instead of an answer, I got a snippy "Pff, I don't know". I mean, I am not saying you need to know everything, but it is the delivery that makes for a good customer experience. What I liked: You can get onto a small boat, 9 people max, and enjoy a more intimate cruise.I think this is definitely better, especially on a sunny day, than squeezing in a big 50 person boat. Also nice - if you want to bring something of your own to munch and sip on, that's cool. What I did not like: The guide was not really good at being a guide, and was not really pleasant.

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    1 month ago

    Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Boat was comfortable and we had a beautiful day for our tour.

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    1 year ago

    The cruise was nice. The boat is better than the bus. You learn a lot on the tour. The tour itself is about 2 hours.

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    9 months ago

    Great experience on a small boat at sunset. We did the open bar and had a wonderful time!

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    8 years ago

    This was my favorite thing we did in amsterdam!!! The staff made the cruise so enjoyable and relaxing.

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    Amsterdam Canal Cruises Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Amsterdam Canal Cruises

    Captain Dave took us on an elegant wood skiff with an open bar and assorted nibbles.

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    Hop On Hop Off

    Hop On Hop Off

    (6 reviews)

    IJburg, Oost

    Used the I Amsterdam card to make a reservation for 50% off a Half Day Trip to Zaanse Schans…read moreWindmills and Walking Tour ticket. Just 19.50 euros for 2. Bus pick up is at the This is Holland stop. So easy to use the ticket for a half-day guided tour to Zaanse Schans. Loved the picturesque village that just oozes the essence of The Netherlands. Follow the paths to enjoy windmills, traditional craftsmanship, and timeless architecture. Nice to learn more about and sample Dutch cheese, watch clog making, and soak in the peaceful countryside filled with historic windmills. The blue sky and reflections of the windmills against the crystal blue water was just magical. Use the WhatsApp messaging to learn more along the self-guided tour (which we didn't follow that closely). Used the I Amsterdam Card to enter the museums and attractions during our visit. The two hours at Zaanse Schans just flew by. In the future, I would probably just take the bus to Zaanse Schans, but the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour was very good for our first visit.

    Rip off. We started the "tour" with no audio. My wife and I, and most of the others, stayed on the…read morebus through stop six, and then just bailed. No explanation for the lack of audio, no apologies, no nothing.I walked into one of their tour locations and informed the guy of the issue, thinking he would offer some sort of concession. If I didn't like it, too bad, complain to corporate. Later, we needed a ride back to the Centraal station, so since we had paid for this, we decided to use if for transportation. We rode from stop seven to the beginning of the route. This time there was audio. Very nice. However, when we arrived at the port, it was 5:00 pm....closing time. Get off we were told. That was the last trip of the day. Well, I paid for 24 hours. When I paid, I looked at all the literature for hours of operation...not on their paperwork...purposefully I would suppose. We got booted. Basically paid $29 euro each for an Uber around the city. Horrible experience. Worse, our hotel concierge strongly discouraged us from taking this excursion, and we didn't heed his advice. So heed mine. Stay away.

    Randy Roy's Redlight Tours

    Randy Roy's Redlight Tours

    (8 reviews)

    Centrum

    This was a good tour that started rather inauspiciously as our small group was blocked twice from…read moreentering the Red Light District due to a heavy police presence and an on-site uniformed forensics team collecting physical evidence. It turned out that a working prostitute was stabbed to death by a customer while inside her window space just a matter of minutes before our group arrived. On a third try geographically farther down we successfully entered Amsterdam's main Red Light District. Different than Hamburg, where women are not allowed inside the city's designated Red Light District, here men and women are permitted to congregate together, and bars and restaurants abound in addition to sex shops, live shows, and working girls standing in windows along narrow alleyways off main streets. The women showing themselves to potential customers were by and large tall and quite attractive. Except for the presence of the human window displays, a passerby might think he or she was just in any other fun area of a major metropolitan city. Tour guide Kimberly provided interesting facts and historical commentary about the district as Diane, I, and the rest of our group walked several blocks as sightseers. The atmosphere on the streets was convivial, as several loud bar goers could be seen and heard imbibing beer and other alcoholic beverages just inside the front of several taverns dotting a main street. Both tourists and locals were in abundance in the early evening when our 90-minute tour unfolded. It ended with an included drink at a local bar/restaurant just outside the Red Light District. From what we were told, this type of tour inside the district may soon be legislated out of existence by local lawmakers, and strong political interests are seeking to push the prostitutes out of this special zone altogether. The recent murder of a professional prostitute here in plain daylight will likely provide additional fodder for the critics who argue that prostitution is inherently dangerous, and should not be legally protected or allowed in a special authorized geographical zone. So, if such a tour as this is of interest, it should be booked very soon.

    This was a great tour. It was hilarious and informative…read more It was best way to be a tourist incognito. And the best way to see the city at night with a local as your guide. Kim (the fantastic tour guide) takes you all around the city and shows you where to find the good coffeeshops, smartshops, bars, sex shops, live sex shows, hookers and anything else you'd like to spend your money on. Kim was friendly, funny and answered ANY questions we had. The tour lasted about an hour and a half and was €12.50. We went on the 10pm tour on a Saturday night and really had a good time. So thank you Kim, I'm an Amsterdam hooker specialist now thanks to you.

    Hungry Birds - Our amazing guide, Charmaine!!

    Hungry Birds

    (84 reviews)

    Centrum

    So there we were, in Amsterdam chatting with other folks from the hotel. They spoke about food tour…read moreand we've done them before as well so we decide to delve in. After a bunch of research we decide on hungry birds, and it was a good decision. Our guide for the tour was Anne, as you proved to be a little ball of positive energy that was totally appreciated. She handled controversial issues well, and introduced us to many of the tastes of the market. We tasted everything from fresh Herring to smoke deal to sought after, cookies and we seem to have a back door, no line access to everything. If you'd like to stop reading now is a good point but know that we are big fans of Angry Birds We met at the designated location, introduced ourselves to the other people on the tour and then Anne showed up. She arrived bearing cookies, and my wife and I had actively sought out these cookies just the day before as we had seen them on Instagram. We waited for 15 minutes in line to buy our Van Stapele cookies and here she was showing up with a fresh batch to share with us to get the party started. It was a great start. We then moved onto multiple quality tastes. My wife, ever the brave soul, volunteered to taste the whole fresh Herring that was offered to her, served in the traditional fashion of the seasonal run of the fresh Herring. So it arrived on a plate with onions and pickles, and Leah was taught how to hold the Herring by picking it up from its tail, adding the onions and the pickles and then taking a bite. Mind you the fish had been deboned and cleaned, but it looked every bit of a fish without the head. I volunteered to try a couple of bites as well and enjoyed it. This was at the Volendammer Vishandel, and there was no doubt about the fish being fresh as the place was very busy I don't want to go on and on and ruin your trip to the food tour and so I'll stop here but the combination of the energetic tour guide and the unique stories told made it a very quick four hour tour that I would encourage my friends to take.

    I can't say enough good things about this tour. From the start Esther made a point to connect to…read moreeach person and check in throughout the tour to see how we were doing. It was a family adventure with our kids and my mom, 80yo, and everyone had a great time. The food was amazing but made better as we learned about the history and influences in the neighborhood and country.

    Amsterdam City Tours - One size fits all

    Amsterdam City Tours

    (3 reviews)

    This was a really great tour and very informative and great way to learn more about amsterdam with…read morea few stop at few places to learn more. Even though bus had a flat the tour company sorted without any delays. The tour guide was great. Great price. Staff were friendly.

    Don't do this tour if you are spending a week or more in Amsterdam. You can take local buses and…read moretrains to most of the places these tours take you to. We did the Edam, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans bus tour and enjoyed it very much. It was expensive but worth it as we had limited time in Amsterdam. I was worried the tour wouldn't allow enough time for each city but that was definitely not the case. I would say they gave us just enough time in each location. Zaanse Schans was the highlight--very pretty town and a great tour of a working windmill. Also enjoyed petting the baby goat, though I'm pretty sure that wasn't allowed. The boat ride from Edam to Volendam was lovely and we enjoyed tasting all the cheese at the Gouda factory. If you are on the fence about bringing cheese back to the states, definitely do bring it back. It travels really well in our experience. Put in your checked bag and don't declare it. The great thing about this tour was that the group was so large, you could wander off on your own and still find your way back. You can also opt to wander instead of doing one of the planned factory tours, which is what I did in Edam with the clog-maker's workshop (my husband did it and said it was nothing special--I'd recommend you skip it). The guide was good about letting me know when to be back at the location to meet the group. If you are expecting a traditional tour with a history lesson, it is pretty much non-existent here. The guide serves more to make sure people get from place to place. There is a taped "tour" on the bus that you can plug into but it's not that interesting. If you have limited time and want to see the Dutch countryside though, it doesn't get better than being chauffeured on a scenic tour... in a double-decker.

    Lindbergh Excursions

    Lindbergh Excursions

    (17 reviews)

    Centrum

    I took the Brussels bus tour with my family and was not particularly pleased. First, we expected a…read morelittle more historical information on the city of Brussels itself, but the information portion of the tour felt extremely limited. The value prop is limited, as you get to the city at around noon, walk to the main town square and then are shuffled to a tourist trap (I think) restaurant. The bus leaves at 5:15pm, so unless you want to just shuttle to the tourist trap shopping area of Brussels to get chocolate and waffles and fries (it's all you'll have time to do), I would advise you to do some other tour or go on your own. This wasn't a huge deal though -- what particularly bothered me was the belligerence, impatience, and bullying-like pettiness of our tour guide. We were treated alright, but my tour guide Pedro seemed to be picking on the Indian Canadian couple on the tour bus, mocking them (at least I perceived) for their vegetarianism, saying things like "You are Indian, so you should know..." blah blah blah. As a minority, this kind of behavior was rather cringeworthy and made me very uncomfortable. He also got really angry over some trivial matter where one of the other tour-goers forgot to drop their radio headset. Pointing his finger and telling them "I am not your servant," he ran across the bus and carelessly (albeit accidentally) bumped my mom. Extremely professional -- I think not. Not using this company again. No tip for punk tour guides.

    I wouldn't buy from this company and chose another one. We purchased three hop on hop off tickets…read morefor a tour of Amsterdam and Van Gogh museum tickets. We were excited to start off our day and looked and looked for the buses. Unfortunately no buses were running because of the annual marathon through the city. We found this out from their competitor who said we don't sell tickets that day because the city shuts down. We Immediately called the company and asked for a refund. They said we can't use the Van Gogh tickets which was fine so we spent 90 euros on separate tickets and sent an email to the company. The company said they will only refund a partial amount for the bus and not the museum. Well this is not what we were told per the phone call and this is the email we got back from them. Awful service. Why offer the bus service if you know they won't be running that day. We disputed with our credit card. But why deal with this stress on holiday and do the right thing. Wouldn't use them ever again.

    Joy Ride Tours - Meeting Point:  Museumplein between the Museum Shop and the Cobra Cafe.

    Joy Ride Tours

    (17 reviews)

    Museumkwartier, Zuid

    terrible service personnel. went to the stated location for a tour and was told I needed to go to…read moreanother. biked there after confirming with personnel at the alternate location, they would be waiting. biked quickly and found the tour had left. ?? which direction, so we can catch up?? no idea where they go, the young man said. what about the promise to wait? they left. dont know. ok how about giving my money back since I had one of your staff members call ahead to MAKE SURE YOU WOULD BE THERE 10 min later as we biked quickly to your location. "no you can handle that with a third party, but we dont do refunds, generally..." what a stupid policy to offer a customer, even worse since this 20 something guy (dirty blond hair at the location under the highway), had a terrible attitude and no respect for an elderly couple. STAYED THERE AND MADE THEM WORK WITH THEIR THIRD PARTY PROCESSOR to get my money back. If that wasn't bad enough, three of the other employees thought it would be good to go after me with their excuses and random shots. Is there an adult anywhere around this business???

    Melissa was responsible for the most perfect day of our vacation…read more JoyRide offers you a full refund if you don't have an excellent time-- pretty high bar, I'd. But looking back on our tour, there was nothing that could have been improved upon. We met at 10:15 in the morning in a common location that is easy to find but not too busy at that time of day on a weekday. Melissa was friendly and helpful. The tour started in Amsterdam through Vondel Park and then took us to a boathouse community, past the 1928 Olympic stadium, through the Dutch countryside to a working farm where we got to see cows and how cheese is made (with plenty of samples) and saw a typical functional Dutch windmill. The tour was adventurous without being taxing, and Melissa could not have been more knowledgeable of friendly and truly catered to all of our needs. She was so great I wish we could have her as our tour guide on all of our travels. JoyRide exceeded all of our expectations and I would not hesitate recommending them to any of our friends!

    Captain Jack Amsterdam

    Captain Jack Amsterdam

    (28 reviews)

    Centrum

    Last night we booked a "peaceful, romantic, CO-neutral evening canal cruise" in Amsterdam. What we…read moregot instead was part sightseeing tour, part improv comedy, and part low-speed nautical thriller. Honestly, I am still laughing. Our captain, Stefanie, opened the evening with what I can only describe as a legally binding statement "I will tell you everything about Amsterdam... and I will not lie." Bold. Confident. Inspirational. I trusted her immediately. To be clear, Stefanie was fantastic. Funny, personable, and working hard the entire time to keep things upbeat. The canals at night are stunning. The setting is absolutely top-tier. Now let's talk about the experience. The boat was described as "intimate," and credit where it's due, it actually was. Plenty of room, very comfortable. But the crowd was so international it felt like the United Nations had decided to take a field trip. I am pretty sure we solved at least two global issues before we left the dock. Then the journey began. Reverse gear? Optional. Possibly theoretical. The Red Light District? Hyped like the grand finale. "You have to see it at night." Did we see it? No. The canal was closed. Somewhere, dessert was served without us. At one point, we entered what I can only describe as a delicate negotiation with either another boat or a bridge. It was not a crash. It was more like two vehicles gently disagreeing about personal space. And through all of this, Stefanie remained calm, smiling, and narrating like everything was exactly as planned. Which brings me to my favorite moment of the night. During the chaos, she says "Please, take anything you want, I am so sorry!" Now remember, this is the same woman who PROMISED not to lie. So naturally, when we returned to the dock, I grabbed a bottle of wine. Not greedily. Respectfully. Like a man honoring a verbal contract. Immediately, a deckhand appears out of nowhere "You can't take that." I respond, calmly and with conviction "Stefanie said we could." Stefanie, without even blinking "I meant candies." Candies. At that exact moment, I realized I had just witnessed a masterclass in precision language. She did not lie. Not technically. She simply... left room for interpretation. Did she promise too much at the beginning of the tour? Possibly. Did I misunderstand the scope of "anything"? Also possible. Was I emotionally prepared to trade wine for candy? Absolutely not. All jokes aside, it was a hilarious, memorable, and genuinely fun evening. Not the flawless, whisper-quiet romantic cruise you might expect, but something far better. A boat full of great people, a captain who handled mild chaos like a pro, and a story that gets funnier every time I tell it. Would I do it again? Yes. Would I ask for a written list of what "anything you want" includes? Also yes.

    The guide was excellent. Comfortable boat and a lovely ride through the canals. Unlimited wine and…read moreHeineken with some cheese and crackers.

    Amsterdam Canal Cruises - boatcharters - Updated July 2026

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