After our late lunch at Brasserie De Joffres, my husband and I went to explore the city. One of the things that we were thinking of doing on our trip to Amsterdam was a canal tour, if time permitted. We walked through Vondelpark, and as we exited, we saw the Blue Boat Company. We went to see what time they offered tours, and they had an upcoming tour at 5pm, which was in about 20 minutes -- perfect timing! They also had snacks and drinks for purchase, and we bought a snack pack of cheese, crackers, and wine. The tour was 75 minutes, and you were given earphones so that you could listen to an audio recording in various languages of the scenery you were passing, although I didn't listen to the audio recording the entire time. All in all, a nice relaxing boat ride, eating cheese and drinking wine. [Yelp collections: Europe 2024; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Planes, Trains, and Automobiles] read more

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Total switch and bait. Add showed being able to sip on wine glasses w cheese. Reality was a baggie w cheese that tasted like rubber and plastic wine glasees for one glass. I enjoyed the cruise hence at the points, but even there the guide hardly said anything asking us to rely on our earphones for info. If your language wasn't one of them like my table mates, you'd be totally out of luck! read more

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When visiting Amsterdam I'm not sure how you could avoid traversing at least some of their 165 canals, but why would you want to? We set out to experience as many as possible, but with nearly 50 miles of them to explore, a plan was surely warranted. Fortunately we just happened to be visiting during the 13th Annual Amsterdam Light Festival and were able to enjoy a cruise along a multitude of canals. As we passed beneath an unnumbered collection of the city's 1,281 bridges, we eagerly awaited what form of lighted artwork might be awaiting us on the other side. This year's event spans November 28th-January 19th and celebrates Amsterdam's 750th birthday. The majority of the seating is enclosed, but the best views and pictures/videos can be captured from outside at the back of the boat. Most of our fellow travelers were dissuaded by the cold on the evening of our tour, so great vantage points were readily available. Audio tours in multiple languages are provided, there is a restroom on board, small snacks can be purchased prior to boarding, and the staff is willing to assist those who are unable to descend/ascend the boat's steep staircase. And that's...Henry's Take. #amsterdamcanals read more

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This canal tour was a fun experience! Me and my family enjoyed it thoroughly! All the workers were friendly! The captain was skilled, humorous, and friendly! The boat ride was long and worth the time! The light show was cool but the sites really said it all! 2 of the lights weren't fully working but it didn't effect the experience! We paid a very fair price for the tour! If you're looking to see some fun lights for yourself or children or just looking to see some wonderful views and experience Amsterdam for itself you're looking in the right spot! read more

Blue Boat Company - 1 of the many lights from the light show! - Boat Charters Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

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Good service for checking in and out. The boat was clean and comfortable. The captain was polite. However the audio tour was okay. There was little interaction with the captain. This was perfect for me as I've previously done a canal tour in Amsterdam; however if you are looking to learn more about the city or having an engaging host then this might not be for you. read more

I was dropped off at the wrong location and had to walk a little ways to get to the boarding in Amsterdam. Just follow the canal. No problem. It was a nice scenic walk. On arrival I was checked in and boarded. We were told that we could listen via the headsets for the presentation of the tour. It is a 90 minute ride and worth ot. The only downside was a group in front that decided that they should open a window on a chilly night. The route was scenic and very informative. It is lit up and beautiful at night. Exiting the boat was interesting. We all went the wrong way. The guide finally opened the correct gate. I am glad I finally did this and would definitely recommend. read more

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The ride was more than an hour and longer than expected. We floated past many of Amsterdam's famous places to visit. Narration is over headphones in your language of choice. Very enjoyable! read more

Throughout they kept playing music or talking over the audio guide rendering it almost useless. You ending up guessing at what some of the noted buildings were read more

This is one of many boat companies that do canal cruises. Their standard boat is a longer, slower boat where you sit inside a covered ceiling. We chose this company due to their affordable price and convenient location near Damrak. The cruise on the canal was informative, though relatively boring overall. I think if I was to do one of these ever again, I would go for a smaller boat with an open top. read more

Blue Boat Company - Boat Charters Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

We took the evening canal cruise last night starting at 7:30pm. I assumed that there would be AOME amount of info given or input from the captain but there was Zero. All commentary was through a headset which seems years old and was uncomfortable. The seating was also extremely uncomfortable with hard seats, and straight backs, and no way to really relax. We were at the front and disability was somewhat limited, so that was a disappointment as well. There were several main sites the audio pointed out, but nothing about cool places to go or visit or suggestions of what to do for our first time in Amsterdam. The city is beautiful with amazing architecture, and the canals are just picturesque, and all of that is of course wonderful. This was pretty basic and boring. read more

Well organized boat touring company, with a retail shop/ticket office across the street from the Park Centraal Amsterdam. Easy to get tickets in the moment, and because they have boats going every 15 minutes at peak. Cost is about €23 for the night tour per adult. They have disposable earbuds for audio tour that you can plug into a transmitter, with different channels for many languages. The seating is situated booth style with a table (i.e. it can be used for dinner cruising)...but it means half of the folks will be going backwards, which does add a bit to possible seasickness. It also is completely enclosed, so very comfortable on a brisk night. About an hour and 20 minutes round trip. I had taken this trip one other time, and I enjoyed that trip a lot more. Trying to figure out why: This time it was a larger (taller boat) that was enclosed, so I'm pretty sure there were bridges we could not go under that I had gone before. This time the audio was pre-recorded commentary, whereas before, we had the driver giving out his perspective. The biggest missing piece was the canal with the very colorful houses...didn't go this time. Recommendation: if possible, go during the day (the daylight does wonders for the views), and take a open air lower height boat on hopefully a pleasant day, where you are seated facing forward. I think Blue Boat has that as well, but thinking they only used the big boats because it was night and very chilly. Totally understandable. read more

Blue Boat does canal boat tours. I used my I amsterdam city card to get on for no additional fee. The process is different from buying tickets directly from Blue Boat. You can't do it online. I went to a ticketing office, showed them the I amsterdam app and the QR code. They scanned it and gave me a boarding pass. The boarding pass let me on the boat. They give you free ear buds. You can listen to an audio tour in one of about 20 different languages. The audio tour didn't have much; the captain spoke a lot more (and in English). There are a few different location. I started at the dock near the Heineken Experience. The 75 minute tour went around the center of the city. Up to the Keizergracht, up to the Ij river, east to the Nieuwe Herengracht, south along the Amstel, then back to the starting point. You get some views that you can't normally get just by walking around. Even without the I amsterdam card, it doesn't cost much. I can't compare this company to other canal tours, but a canal tour is definitely worth it. I would recommend wearing sunglasses. read more

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We selected the Blue Boat Company as we'd purchased a voucher with a discount through "Booking". Our tour was about 75 minutes in length. We sat near the center of a long boat. The roof was mostly open. We sat at a table for 6. Lucky for us - only 4 sat at our table. Six would have been tight. There was an audio guide through the use of ear buds. The narration was sparse. I would have preferred a live English speaking guide but I understand the tour has tourists who speak many different languages, so the ear buds was the best fit. I was able to go to the back of the boat and stand outside for some pictures. Other pictures, I just stood up and raised my camera up over the boat roof. The canal tour was decent, but honestly, you see most of the same things as you walk around the city. The exception was when we hit the main waterway near the main train station. And that was cool to see the station from the water and other landmarks in that area. read more

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We picked this tour because it's across the street from the Heineken Experience. The boat was clean and the driver had no issues. What we didn't like was there was no live guide, just a prerecorded audio guide which really gave next to no detail of the city or canals. The boat was crowded and you were stuck in a booth with strangers. Would not recommend. Look for a different tour with a live guide who will give you details of the city, which is what a tour should be. Also, many other tours include food and drink. This one included nothing at same price point. read more

We ended up buying tickets (32 EUR for 2) for the canal cruise after we visited Heineken. We were scheduled to leave at 1:45pm. We lined up to get on the boat and they oversold tickets for the time slot. We had a seat but we ended up giving it up to a group that was having a bachelorette party so they could sit together. We were told we could go on the other boat - which we did and it was horrible. The boat was OLD and the guy giving the tour we couldn't even understand. 3 stars is because it is cool to cruise through the canals and see all the houseboats and neat buildings but I would choose a different company if I were you! read more

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Don't bother buying a ticket at your hotel. You will have to exchange it for a real ticket at the company and then schedule your trip. The canal is polluted with litter--water bottles, plastic, and corn cobs. They have made little to no effort to clean it up. If you sit outside you don't get the audio and even worse they don't enforce no smoking so smokers come out and light up. Pretty disgusting. A better deal would be to get a smaller boat with a personal guide which is what we wish we had done. read more

We had a boat trip at 8pm - which was great, because we saw the sun go down and so we had some time in the sunshine, some in the dusk and then in the dark with all the beautiful lights. I can only recommend this trip, really shows the city of Amsterdam from a different perspective. We had a great evening - really good value for the money! read more

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BEWARE OF THEIR NO CANCELLATION POLICY! I booked a Canal Cruise & Heineken Experience excursion with Blue Boat through GetYourGuide for a trip we are taking to Amsterdam in July. I almost immediately realized that we had already taken this trip last time we were in Amsterdam a couple of years ago. GetYourGuide advertises that you can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the excursion but that policy doesn't apply to Blue Boat. There was probably fine print I didn't see. I contacted GetYourGuide and they contacted Blue Boat for me but Blue Boat refused to allow us to cancel and get a refund. Beware of this no cancellation policy when booking this tour or any other that is run by Blue Boat. This is really poor customer service! read more

I was lucky enough to have my friend arranged and paid for an Evening Cruise with Blue Boat Company for my brief stay in Amsterdam. Sipping wine under the starry sky and cruising the canal at night definitely a delightful experience. Definitely recommend if you have 90 minute to sparse when you are in town. read more

My fiancé and I took the Blue Boat City tour while visiting Amsterdam for 4 days. After a little research I found that Blue Boat generally had the best reviews-75 minutes for 15€/person with pre-recorded audio. The majority of the boat is covered, with an open area out back if you want to get an umimpeded view. However, if you're out back you don't get the audio so there's a trade off. We enjoyed the cruise as it was nice to get a view of the city from the canals and get a little history at the same time. We had taken a double decker bus tour the day before and really enjoyed that-it was nice to hop on and hop off and we got to see the city from the height of the bus. This was a nice complement to that tour. If you have time I would definitely recommend a canal tour while in Amsterdam and we were happy with Blue Boat. read more

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Could be a 4 star if they did the following: better history with some stories, the tape was behind where we were By about 8mins. Then it would be way ahead. Made it hard to follow. The Audio tape also repeated itself. Boat was clean enough and staff was nice. Actually I was going to give this 3 stars. But the audio tour was painfully boring. It's a pretty town and cool to look at. Save your money and walk. read more

Had a wonderful time with Blue Boat today! I took the Blue Sky Boat open boat tour and couldn't have been happier. Our guide/boat driver (Max) was a great narrator and historian, telling us lots of tidbits and anecdotes about the city as we went along. The pace was perfect and we got a chance to see a good many of the sights, canals, bridges, and houseboats. It was a beautiful, relaxing 1.25 hours. I bought my ticket ahead of time online with no problem, and several people were buying them on the spot when I arrived. read more

Many blogs will tell you that most canals cruises are the same. But one main difference is that some of these have commentary in many languages that you hear from a headset. This commentary was over a loud speaker and was said in Dutch, English, and French I believe. And there wasn't a lot of commentary at all, especially since they said the same thing three times. The boat is covered, but we went on a beautiful day so the top "Windows" were open, but really this just caused people to stand in the middle holding their camera up, so us short people couldn't enjoy the view upward. You can go out back where it is open-air, but that's where the motor is and you can't hear anything from back there. Our boat was not full and it was tables and chairs (regular chairs that move), so at least we had our own space. The captain was great. He added commentary based on things he knew and spoke in English which was helpful for us. He was the best part about the boat. I highly recommend that you tip your captain if he does a good job. There may not be a lot of tipping in Amsterdam, but this is one situation I would suggest it! Next time, I will go on a cruise with commentary through headphones that give a bit more information! read more

What a wonderful experience! I purchased my tickets through a third party website and the redemption process was simple. I received my email verification about 3 minutes after the purchase. The email contained all of the information needed to successfully redeem my two cruise tickets. The cruise itself was a little over an hour long. They provided ear phones if you would like to listen to the audio recording, but luckily we brought our own. The cruise was very scenic and beautiful. It showcases all of the major canals throughtout the city and the audio discusses any important landmarks we see along the way. Luckily the boat has a bathroom and plenty of seating for their guests inside. They also have a heater in the boat since it was fairly chilly on the day of our visit. Towards the back of the boat, you have the opportunity to step out and get take some photos without having the window reflection appear on your photos. I believe we spent under $30 for the two tickets. We purchased our tickets the morning of the event and had no issue, but I would recommend purchasing ahead of time that way you can find some deals online. read more

We used them in the morning of a cold weekday. The boat was super empty but they still proceeded with the tour. People were friendly. But beware; buying the tickets in advance from their website will cost you $5 less per person. Felt like it was a ripoff but here's your heads up. read more

We chose Blue Boat for their slightly higher ratings on Google, and their locations were more convenient to our hotel. But the audio guide was middling and the boat was a stifling hot greenhouse where windows don't open. Seeing the "L" competition boats that's who I would choose next time. Also, if we had been on a full boat with Blue Boat I would have been disappointed with the way their table+bench seating works. We had a booth to ourselves which was fine. read more

Friends and I went on the 10pm evening river cruise and it couldn't have been better (the lighting is amazing). You get a drink included with your ticket that helps. They have a headset commentary in English, and while slightly annoying and kitschy it was informative and gave some fun facts. The boats are covered and have heating which was perfect on our cold rainy day. You can also go out on the back deck to take photos if you wish. It was definitely worth the money to see that much of the city, even if it is a bit touristy. read more

Blue Boat Company - View of the bay during the end of the evening cruise. - Boat Charters Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

I've been on 3 boat tours over the years. The first wasn't so pleasant. They packed us in tight. I've used this one twice now and both experiences were comfortable, pleasant and afforded a big guy like me plenty of room to view everything I wanted to see. It's worth every Euro to see Amsterdam from a canal instead of beside it. Go when the trees are blooming. It makes it that much more special. The whole adventure was easy from start to finish and the staff is very helpful when needed. read more

This canal cruise was fantastic! 14 euros gets you a 75 minute cruise through Amsterdam's canals. I liked that they had headphones with commentary in many different languages. I had a hard time in Belgium on a canal cruise because I couldn't hear the captain, so this was a much better experience. The commentary gives a pretty good history of Amsterdam and points out several neat little spots along the way. The only bummer about the cruise is if you love taking photos. The boat is covered and has windows. The windows open about halfway, which is good if you're sitting in a spot that has an open part. But then they point out something that's on the opposite side of the boat and you don't have time to run over to the other side (and rip out your headphones) to take a photo. I think I sat on the better side (the right fyi), it seemed to have more photo ops, but I still missed photos of some cool stuff. Also, cash only unless you spend more than 50 euros. Was not prepared for that and nearly ran out of cash! read more

We opted for a 75-minute tour of Amsterdam's canals at 1:30PM on a Wednesday. We found the tour to be an incredibly boring amalgamation of tedious (and spotty) narrative commentary and views of the city anyone spending more than two days in Amsterdam can come across. This experience isn't worth 10€, let alone 18€, and should be avoided if one can spare a modicum of time to walk around the city. read more

Took a fantastic cruise through Amsterdam's lesser-seen canals today on a Blue Sky cruise, which isn't advertised on their permanent schedule and lets you see the city from a smaller open-top boat. It's €1 more expensive than their regular cruises, but it's more intimate and provides a superior view of the canals. The captain was also one of the best. Really engaging and chock full of interesting facts about the history of Amsterdam. After the cruise, he told us that he actually knows 22 different routes throughout the city, so if anyone comes back he can guarantee a new experience each time. Plus, you get a free beverage (water, soda, beer or wine) as you tour the canals. Not much else you can do to see Amsterdam at its finest! read more

Took the 8pm Blue Boat evening cruise with the boyfriend. We were staying in Dam Square, and took the #5 tram for a few Euros down to where the Blue Boat takes off. It is right across the water from the Hard Rock cafe down near where the Van Gogh and Ruks museums are. We bought the tickets beforehand in the US. Just be careful when you order because the American and European dates are flipped (Days/Month vs. Month/Days). Blue Boat has 8 boats, 6 of which are wheelchair accessible. If you want an accessible boat, you'll need to email them ahead of time so they know to have one available during your requested tour. It was quite easy, they have a ramp to the loading dock, and then a small lift to get onto the boat which was quite fast and efficient. The tour was great. They had a cash bar with a hostess bringing drinks during the tour. It took 90 minutes and went through many of the canals of Amsterdam, by the Anne Frank House, through the Red Light District, out into the open water near the Science and Technology museum and back again. This was such a great way to see the city because sometimes when you're walking the streets, its so crowded you're just trying to get to your destination and not get run over by all the bikes! This was our favorite experience in Amsterdam. Definitely don't miss the canal cruise if you make it to Amsterdam! read more

I can't recommend this company enough. The first time I used them, I contracted a 90-minute boat tour from them to transport everyone from my wedding venue at De Duif to the reception place in the east of Amsterdam. It was a great experience, and everyone at my wedding had such a fun time going on a boat ride in the middle of my wedding day. Ever since then every experience I've had with them has been great. The staff is courteous and friendly, the boats are clean and warm and in good shape, and they just do things right. Every time I've tried another boat company I am disappointed. Either the staff is indifferent, or unknowledgeable, or the boat is poorly insulated and cold, or there are no individual tables to sit at with your children. Blue Boat does all of these things right. Especially with the Amsterdam Light Festival every year, I find the Blue Boat company the best tour in town. Their prices are low, 21 euros per person vs. 35 euros and up at other places, even with a groupon, children under 4 are free, and their staff gives descriptions in both Dutch and English. There is a bathroom on board, and an uncovered area in the back of the boat where you can go out and take pictures without having a window in the way. So far I haven't had a bad experience. I highly recommend taking a boat tour with them. Just be sure to make a reservation first, because they tend to be fully booked if you wait until the last minute! read more

Enjoyed our combo tickets to this and Van Gogh. Good cruise with nice momentum and city views. The waiting area to buy tickets is really small and gets crowded so make sure you buy everything you want to take aboard or as souvenirs the first time you go through. Also, boat has a tiny restroom. read more

I took the cruise it is really fun it last 75 min and they explain everything on different languages!!! I really enjoyed that trip!! The only thing is that if you wanted to stat outside you could hear the explanation! read more

Blue Boat Company - Boat Charters Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

Visited on a rainy day. The tour information was given by audio plugs that are pre-recorded. Overall an ok tour, but you get similar enough views walking around the canals. Neither my friend or I were impressed, but it was a good way to waste some time on a rainy Amsterdam day. read more

I take a boat tour at every city which it is available. Boston, Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, Paris, Copenhagen...... I think it gives a completely different perspective to see the city and I usually can learn something new and get some good pictures. This one I had such a high hope as it is a city on the canals I expected it to be full of stories and rich in history. I was looking forward to exciting commentary. No such thing. The automatic audio was silent half of the time and some content even repeats as he boat passes the same site. Can't even come up with another script?! Terrible. Don't waste your money. read more

I wouldn't pay for a canal ride on my own, but it was included in my iAmsterdam card so I felt compelled to go. Nothing special - the commentary was good, but I knew what I wanted to see in AMS so I wasn't that particularly interested. The employees in the small store are friendly, but there isn't that much direction/information given after you get your ticket. I believe boats leave every half hour or so...all in all a decent perk and a good way to see the city in an hour. read more

A canal ride and tour is a must. Just not this one. There has to be many better than this one. Boring. read more

We experienced terrible customer service with this company and an extremely lame tour. To begin, we purchased tickets and asked where we needed to line up- just west of the ticket booth. 20 minutes prior we went to the location and waited for our boat to arrive. While waiting we were in clear sight of the ladies in the booth who had no line and were not busy by any means. So imagine our frustration when our boat sailed by without us in it. When I spoke to the ladies about this, they tried to deny telling us to wait there but then admitted it. I requested a refund at this point and was told that was impossible. So they rebooked us. Thirty minutes later we sat in a dirty, partially enclosed boat listening to the absolutely inane conversation between Ron and Nels, the audio guides. This pre-recorded duo only speaks for about 1 minute with a good 5 minute pause. The tour guide is supposed to fill in this time but ours did not. So we would pass by beautiful buildings with no info. The other tour companies look much better and I would encourage anyone looking for a canal cruise that is partially enclosed to go with anyone but Blue Boat. read more