Skip those large canal boat rides and go with a small boat and personalized tour with a native of…read moreAmsterdam. Our guide Jan was a first-rate skipper, guide, and a great on board host. Filled with knowledge and unusual things to see along the way, Jan was as personal and friendly as you could ever hope for in a tour guide / skipper. This was truly one of the highlights of our time in Amsterdam. The boat was small, and comfortable for the 4 of us, we drank beer and wine while nibbling on small bites, as we toured Amsterdam from the water. I lived in Amsterdam for quite some time and had walked most of the canals Jan took us through, but I learned plenty on this boat tour. Jan is a native of Amsterdam, and skippers' tours every day. I would not hesitate to recommend Amsterdam Boat Center if you're looking for a unique way to see Amsterdam.

My family and I very much enjoyed our Amsterdam Boat Center canal tour earlier in August. There…read moreare many canal tour companies in the area to pick from and while this one is on the pricier side, it was a very nice experience and lasted 90 minutes. The boat itself is very authentic and was very comfortable to sit in. We cruised through numerous canals around the city while the captain (who also acted as our guide) talked about the canals, history of Amsterdam, and the buildings flanking the canals. The only drawback was the lack of microphone because the captain/guide was difficult to hear at times if you were sitting in the back and other passengers were talking.

Approximately 20 kilometers south of Amsterdam, there is a popular lake disctrict. This is used for…read moresailing, kayak, surf, dive, flyboard and waterski. The easiest way to get here is by car. Public transport is a bit of challenge. Two options: take your bicycle with you on the train from Amsterdam to abcoude, and cycle the last few kilometers...or take the metro from Amsterdam to Holendrecht and then cycle the last part., At Winkeloord (winkeldijk 20), we rented sailing boats with a group of 15+ for the afternoon. Boats and sails were ok. Lifevests were available upon request. Most rentals are "valk", a sailing boat that fits up to 4 people. It is expected that whoever will sail, knows how to set up the sails and get the boat out of the harbour. If you are not able to do that without support, you probably should not be renting a boat. Bon is the huge cafe/restaurant next to the harbour. Service is dutch standard. Suitable for larger groups. Visitors are mostly Dutch. From the terrace you have a prime view of the locks. That is the main attraction of this terrace. Tip: - check the wind conditions, as wind force may drop at the end of the day and you surely don;t want to paddle all the way back to the harbour

From the owner: Jachthavens en Jachtwervenread more

Had an unreal evening with Cap't Dominic tonight. He killed it on our tour. Like so impressed. Grew…read moreup in the Netherlands, loves his country, has been navigating the canals since he was 14 and loves his job. What an amazing person to be around for 3 hours. The tour is pricey. But you are getting an unreal meal as good as any 1/2/3 star Michelin restaurant. They have a great bar selection. And a ride around the entire city with an amazing tour guide. 1st Course: I had salmon with dill tops. My wife had prawns. 2nd course: my wife had a Scottish steak + croquettes and I had the surf and turf. 3rd corse / dessert: my wife gas cre me brûlée and I had a cheese plate. Live the tour of the city. Amazing doing it mid August as you start the tour in the light and then it is dark by the end.

Rode my bike over to ROEIcentrum - the "Rowing Center" to learn how to row a boat on the Amstel…read more Was with a group of lady friends and we all gathered together while Pablo showed us how to get in and out of the boat (I didn't know you could step right through the bottom of the boat if you step in the wrong place), and the correct way to hold the oar and row in synch. The "in synch" part is critical - otherwise, you're going around in circles and hooting in fear. After some instruction inside in the tank, we were out on the river four to a boat, with an instructor up front telling us why our skinny little boat wouldn't topple over and when to "go." I focused on rowing in synch with the person up front, and making sure I didn't drag my oar - which did all kinds of crazy things to the boat's stability and made us all shriek. And after awhile, I got into the rhythm of it and didn't think of anything but the sun at my back and rowing. I'm going back in early July to take lessons - which are tres reasonable (just EU 100 for 7 weeks). Additional bonus: the female instructor who headed up our boat had the most beautifully toned arms....surely, if I keep rowing this will happen to me!

This place is just too damn fun! Lessons are very reasonably priced and all of the instructors I've…read morehad are very supportive and kind. It's also a nice and inexpensive place to grab a glass of wine or a beer, especially when the weather is good. I'm looking forward to more classes here.

I had the opportunity to experience both the canal tour and the stroopwafel-making workshop, and I…read morethoroughly enjoyed them both! I had also booked the food tour, but unfortunately, it was canceled. I wish I had been notified in advance rather than finding out upon arrival, but they apologized, explained the situation, and assured me that I would receive a refund, which I believe I did. Stroopwafel-Making Workshop I absolutely loved this workshop, it was so much fun! Sofia was a wonderful instructor who made the entire experience feel welcoming, relaxed, and enjoyable. I first noticed the workshop the day before because the store window was so beautiful. I wondered what it was all about, and by complete coincidence, Sofia was the person who pointed me in the right direction and showed me how to book it. I'm so glad she did because I ended up having such a fantastic time! The best part was getting to make my own stroopwafel and decorate it however I wanted, with as many toppings and decorations as I liked. It was such a fun and unique experience, and I'm so happy I decided to give it a try. Canal Tour Daniel and Summer were incredibly welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable. Daniel, in particular, went above and beyond by happily answering our questions and even getting us drinks whenever we needed them. Their hospitality added so much to the experience. The boat itself was beautiful, and the canal tour was a relaxing and memorable way to experience Amsterdam. Seeing the city from the water offered a completely different perspective and made the tour feel especially memorable. I also thought it was really smart to decorate the boat with flowers. They created such a unique and beautiful backdrop for photos, and if you prefer not to have them in your pictures, they're very easy to avoid. My only small suggestion would be to be mindful of where you sit. I somehow ended up getting quite wet all down the back of my legs! I think I was simply unlucky, since no one else seemed to have the same issue, but it's something worth keeping in mind. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and Daniel and Summer made it even more enjoyable! Both experiences were highlights of my time in Amsterdam, and I would happily recommend them to anyone looking for a fun and memorable way to experience the city and its culture. Side note, they are both located right near the Anne Frank Haus!

Booking a last‑minute tour online turned out to be more confusing than expected. Flagship lists a…read morewhole menu of overlapping options -- beer, wine, beer‑and‑wine, full bar, cheese or no cheese -- all at different prices, all departing at the exact same time from the exact same dock. We had the tour that started near the Rijksmuseum, which made getting there straightforward despite the confusing booking process. We chose the basic tour; the couple ahead of us booked the Heineken version, which supposedly included multiple complimentary beers. Yet once onboard, everyone was offered the same single complimentary drink, and anything beyond that was charged. It's hard not to wonder why the pricing tiers exist when the onboard experience doesn't seem to match them. Our captain, Max from Amsterdam, was friendly and clearly knew his way around the canals, but he was repeatedly overruled by the guide, Roger, who insisted on turning the boat around whenever Max tried to take us toward certain areas. Roger's guiding style leaned more toward casual chatter and personal anecdotes than actual commentary on the city. Over the course of an hour, only a small handful of buildings or landmarks were mentioned, leaving long stretches of the ride feeling more like background conversation than a guided tour. At the end, Roger joked about the tip jar being a "traditional Dutch tip jar" -- the kind where you leave what you think the tour was worth, and if you weren't satisfied, you take out what you think you're owed. It was meant as humor, but it landed a little too accurately; we laughed with the group next to us that there wasn't nearly enough in the jar for all of us to reclaim what we felt we were owed due to what the tour lacked. All in all, it was a pleasant boat ride and a nice way to see Amsterdam from the water. But if you're expecting a genuinely informative, structured canal tour, this isn't the company -- or at least not the guide -- to rely on.

Wonderful Experience!! Highly recommended. We did this tour as a last minute booking one evening…read moreand after searching other companies, I found this one and the great reviews. Well worth it!! Both the Guide and Captain were excellent. Both Knowledgeable and entertaining. Our tour included free Heineken, wine, hot cocoa, soda, and water. Blankets also provided for cold nights. The start location was excellent to see both the narrow canals and the main waterway. Many historic sights and lots of information provided. We booked right at sunset and were fortunate to see the sunset AND the bridge lights. Wonderful! We will definitely use BoatAmsterdam.com again!

Nice open boat, good stories, very personable guide. Good selection of beverages. Also appreciated…read morethe brevity of the tour (one hour). Plenty of time when trying to squeeze in so many activities.

After our late lunch at Brasserie De Joffres, my husband and I went to explore the city. One of…read morethe 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]

Total switch and bait. Add showed being able to sip on wine glasses w cheese. Reality was a baggie…read morew 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!

Asked for 2 tickets. Cashier charged us for 3 when I checked credit card activity, but she only…read morehanded me 2 tickets as requested.

The boat captain would not use his microphone so we could not hear him most of the hour cruise,…read morewhen he actually spoke. He told us maybe one or two significant things, other than that, he was horrible at being a tour guide, horrible. We did have beautiful weather and cruising the channels was cool.

We had the most wonderful time on our private canal cruise with Captain Michael. We were on the…read moreboat Amstel and it was a gorgeous eye catching boat. Everywhere we went people were taking pictures of it. The captain was very informative and proud of Amsterdam. We went for the unlimited drinks option and they had a great selection to choose from. I highly recommend using this company if you want to take a private tour. Worth every euro.

I highly recommend Rock That Boat for your private tour of the Amsterdam canals. We had a tour…read morewith them in June. Communication is great in setting up and paying for the tour, quick response to emails. We booked the private tour on the Delphine and it was wonderful! Our skipper, Vera, was great and shared so much about Amsterdam. We were also able to ask lots of questions. With the smaller boat, which holds 12 people max, we were able to go in canals that the larger boats must avoid. Vera had coffee on board for us and the boat picked us up at the dock adjacent to our hotel. The windows open for great pictures and there are also a couple of open air areas for when the weather is nice. Our day happened to be rainy and there was a small space heater on board.

Great fun way to see Amsterdam from a different perspective. The boats are easy to navigate and…read morethough they don't go very fast can still cover a relatively large area in three hours. Easy to book and friendly service. Highly recommend!

I love Boaty! The…read morename = adorable. The hunky Dutch men renting out the boats = easy on the eyes, easy to deal with. The boats = simple and spacious. The price = reasonable. The location = beautiful. Rented a boat here this past weekend with three friends. They're so helpful and easy to book with. It's the perfect way to cruise Amsterdam's canals in a gezellig way. :) Highly recommended!