We had been thinking about taking a canal cruise on our trip, and when our feet gave up after our walking tour of the city, we were able to swap a different pre-booked walking tour for this cruise. The true name of this tour is "Cruise Like A Local". I don't know if what we did is really how the locals do it, but we had a great time!
The dock we were directed to was right outside of the Amsterdam Central station. We hopped on an open air boat (do the open air if the weather is nice, trust me!) along with 6 other passengers, for a total of 8, plus our captain, Charley. The boat could easily have held many more people, so we got lucky having such a small group. The boat was equipped with seat cushions, blankets and umbrellas, and although the tour officially offered 2 drinks per person, Charley told us to drink as much as we wanted! Soda, wines, and beer were all available, and included in the price of our tickets.
We took a leisurely cruise throughout the city, hitting areas that we hadn't gotten to on our walking tour. We went under bridges, through tunnels, onto the Amstel River. We passed the Opera House and the Jewish Quarter. Charley was very knowledgeable about all the areas she cruised us to, and in addition to being a great tour guide, she was a great conversationalist, talking to us about how different areas of the city were impacted by the war or how the different communities made an impact/influence on the city. We passed houseboat after houseboat, and some were for sale. Charley informed us that those boats usually cost no less than 1 million euros! At one point, she let everyone on the boat have a turn at the helm. I was going to pass, but then my husband pointed out, "when are you ever going to get a chance to steer a boat in Amsterdam again?" and so, I did it. You should too, if given the chance!
The cruise was supposed to last an hour, but I feel like it lasted longer and that was fine. Because there were so few people on the boat, everyone was able to move around and get just the right photo of everything that they wanted. Everyone helped each other take the "perfect" couples photo and although many drinks were consumed, everyone behaved themselves. It was the perfect ending to our first day in Amsterdam!
34/2019 read more