90-min Amsterdam Light Festival Tour

Paap is amazing! he is really friendly, and he knows the city perfect!. if you ra visiting Amsterdam, please do this tour!!! Thank you Paap.

It was a fantastic tour. The boat itself is very updated and quiet. With great amenities with complimentary drinks , blanket and heard seats. Paap is very knowledgeable about the city and gave great Information. Will do it again while visiting Amsterdam. Highly recommended

Paap is the best captain you can choose to show you around Amsterdam from the water ! We’ve been going with him for years - every time we have guests or to see the light festival with friends . We always learn something new ! Thanks again for a wonderful boat ride !

Wonderful experience! Gezellig boat, great vibes, will definitely book again when family is in town. Best way to see the lights festival!

Wonderful tour with Paaps as our guide. We had such fun cruising the canals, enjoying the lights, and learning about the history and current day life in Amsterdam and the Netherlands!

Our guide Alex was helpful and flexibke. This was already the second time I went with Rederij Paping for Amsterdam Light Festival, last year I went with my family but with my friends it was also an enjoyable experience! Thanks for the service.

Excellent experience. We were presently surprised that the cruise was a private one. The captain was very knowledgeable and personable. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the heated seats were a bonus. Wonderful experience!

On a rainy evening my wife and I, along with three friends, boarded a small canal boat to see the 2025 Amsterdam Light Festival. Our captain for the cruise was Paap, the owner of Book a Tour Amsterdam. He made us feel very welcome (switching between Dutch and English seamlessly) and we felt special although he does this every night. After offering us drinks and chocolates (included in the very reasonable price), he expertly guided us through the canals and explained each light sculpture to us. But he always let us have our conversation, he never talked over us or went on too long about each one. A true pro. The weather was a bit chilly, but his heated seats were divine! He kept the sides covered because of the rain, and as it turned out, it actually made for a magical rainy evening on the canals in Amsterdam. So don’t let the weather put you off! His little canal boat can hold up to ten, but for our group of five it was just perfect. Paap is full of Amsterdam knowledge; one of his best lines of the night, given with a wink and smile, was EVERY DAY IS SCHOOL DAY! We have done many canal tours, and this one in the rain was near the top. Dankuwel Paap!

Good skipper Alex - punctual, helpful, on time and a good guide. Plenty of drinks and chocolates for the ride. That said, the boat wasn’t as clean as it should be, the windows were not wiped, there was water on the floor and we had to remind the skipper to turn on the seat heaters. We had a much better experience with other companies but this was less expensive.

Had a great time. Boat was perfect for the cold night with roof, clear side coverings that didn’t fog and heated seats. Our family of 8 had the whole boat to ourselves and Skipper Paap was an excellent tour guide.

We had a lovely time on this tour. As described. Paap was friendly, full of great information, shared stories, took his time, didn't rush through the lights. The seats were heated, which kept us warm. Drinks and candy were provided. He also went the extra mile and dropped us off at our hotel. All 8 ladies throughly enjoyed our trip and would highly recommend this activity when visiting Amsterdam.

We had a lovely time on this boat trip. Our skipper Alex was friendly and informative. We had the boat to ourselves and even though it was raining we were cosy and dry. Highly recommended!

Had such a great experience with Alex! He was super knowledgeable. The seats were heated and kept us comfortable - not too hot or cold. We saw several boat tours with people all wrapped up. We really enjoyed our time. It was better than a bigger tour or with other groups of people and exceeded all expectations. Highly recommend!

On 11 January we enjoyed another great tour with Rederij Paping during the Amsterdam Light Festival with family and friends. Our skipper was very well informed about the sculputures and engaged with our group. See you next year at the ALF.

It was amazing. My family loved it. The skiper was very thoughtful and explained all the works in the festival. The boat was very comfortable.

This was such a nice tour! We had a great and fun tour guide and everything was just beautiful at night! Highly recommend this one!

Our guide was very informative & friendly, and he described all the art installations in detail. He also gave us Lindt chocolates and drinks. The art installations were beautiful!

We had a tour in a boat for a maximum of 10 people. The tour was personal, boat on time, good communication both around the booking and during the tour, a friendly well-informed guide / experienced skipper (Deep) who really knew interesting things to tell about the theme and the artworks of the light festival. Very nice to do, yourself or if you have guests in Amsterdam. In short, highly recommended, we will definitely book with Paping again next time.

Fantastic tour with a skipper who told us everything about Amsterdam and espacially about the art objects of the Light Festival.

The boat tour was very good.. Very detailed showing all the buildings and history around. The drinks and snack were great too..the only thing it was missing a bit of music in the background..but overall excellent experience

There were several tour options to choose from, and we picked right!!. The lights were beautiful, but the Captain and working our way through the canals was FABULOUS. We were a family of six, and the Capt. was so accommodating with my parents (in their 70's) and family members with hip and knee issues, getting in and out of the boat -he took such good care of everyone. He made sure we got the pictures we needed/wanted. The Capt. was knowledgeable, answered all of our off the wall questions; simply put... he took care of us and made sure this trip was go home and talk-about worthy. I highly recommend this tour.

I would definetely recomend!! The cruise is awesome. It was the best thing we have done in Amsterdam.

A family of four, kids aged 13 and 11, and we all loved this cruise. We took the tour on Christmas Eve and it was one of the highlights of our holiday. Great snacks and drinks and our guide was friendly, chatty and knowledgeable. This personal touch made it so much better than the other cruises. Thanks for a fabulous time.

Rederij was very entertaining and made the whole trip very enjoyable. We would reccomend this trip to anyone. The time just flew by. Thanks. Barbara and Charlie

We very much enjoyed these 2 hours. It was a small boat cruise with a friendly atmosphere (unlike other boats we passed by along the way that were packed) and drinks & snacks on board and a very interesting skipper. We learned so much!

The cruise was excellent , nice snacks and drinks and lots of time at each light display. Our guide was really nice, chatty and very knowledgeable. I’d definitely recommend to others!!

Brilliant canal cruise. Skipper was very knowledgeable when it came to Amsterdam and history. Great service. Would 100% recommend. Refreshments were very nice and hot chocolate very tasty!

A canal cruise of Amsterdam is a must. Doing it at night with the lights of the city was outstanding. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, the snacks and the heated seats. A great trip!

Can’t praise this enough, the captain was warm, welcoming and extremely knowledgable. The refreshments were a great touch and the boat also has blankets to keep you warm! The tour was beautiful and provided a perspective of Amsterdam that is not available on foot. Thank you, again! :)

We took the tour on Dec 24th. Despite the light rain, it was a lovely 2 hr break through the canals. The narration and guide to the Winter Lights Festival, as well as seeing quite a few window and balcony decorations along with glimpses through windows of families and friends gathered, were just great. The guide also welcomed our Beagle onboard with us and the 8 other passengers were terrifically friendly. Highly recommended!

Very accommodating! Wonderful refreshments on board. Very personal setting and we were able to interact with the the captain. He also takes his time to allow photos and commentary! We have been to Amsterdam 4 times and have taken many boat tours but this was by far the best! Highly recommended!

we thought it was a nice romantic and intimate tour. Tasty sweets and fluffie blankets to keep you warm. Entertaining explanation of the light objects and the history of the city.

Papp, the owner of a small, intimate canal barge arrived on time with cream puffs, Lindt chocolate balls, hot chocolate and sparkling wine. We cruised around the canals and harbour for 2 hours to see the Winter Light installations and the lovely bridges and houses of Amsterdam. Paap was very well informed and informative. I would recommend this cruise as a more intimate way to experience the canals than with larger barges.

We really enjoyed our tour with Mark. He was very knowledgeable about the light exhibits and the canals. He served tasty hot chocolate, sparkling wine, cream puffs and cookies. This tour was a highlight of our visit to Amsterdam.

Best way to see Amesterdam at night especially in the light festival season. The skipper was really friendly and informative and the cream puffs and hot chocolate made the place feel cosy. We really enjoyed it.

I learned a lot about the city from our excellent guide. There was so much to see. Yummy hot chocolate and treats.

Pop gives a great tour, total time was about 2 hours. There were seven passengers, so small group setting. Pop is able to give great commentary while also being able to answer anyone’s questions. He provided hot chocolate, Prosecco, cream puffs and chocolates. His seats are heated and he also provides blankets to keep everyone toasty and warm. The cruise is slow enough you can get great photos, he even unzipped the top and stuck his head out to take pictures if you couldn’t get a shot your self

We really enjoyed this trip. A small boat (9 people plus the skipper), heated seats, blankets, hot chocolate and fizz with delicious snacks. Great commentary, not just on the light festival but also in the areas we travelled through. This boat has covers to keep out the chill and it’s electric so no excessive noise; a peaceful way to see the city at night. Highly recommended!

I highly recommend this cruise. Just the right size boat, lots of good info and yummy treats. A great value, too.

This was our first boat tour with Rederij Paping and Mark & Cinthia are great skippers. It was very nice, cosy & romantic. Awesome boat trip 5⭐

Brilliant all round. There were 7 of us on our tour. We were looked after absolutely beautifully, hot chocolate, Prosecco profiteroles and chocolate‘s. The blankets and heated seats were much appreciated on what was a very bitter evening. Nothing was too much trouble. You will given a wonderful leisurely tour, lots of information on life in Amsterdam as well as the canals. Highly recommended. Thank you.

We had an amazing time on this cosy little boat. We were warmly welcomed with hot wine, hot chocolate, tea and biscuits! Then, during two hours, we visited the city, far from the big boats, with lots of anecdotes, explanations and little stories told by a very kind man. Even on a rainy and cold evening of December, it was very comfortable, thanks to blankets and heated seats. If you're looking for something authentic, not a tourist trap, don't hesitate to jump on the boat!

Great tour, lovely comfortable warm seats, perfect host, knowledgable and very personable. The tour was not rushed and we felt right at home. Would highly recommend over the other chain tours who seemed to rush through.

Went on this trip on 3rd Dec & it did not disappoint. Our time was pre-booked so no queues on arrival. Our skipper had a wealth of knowledge of the city as well as the light installations, which made all the difference. The boat is small with heated seats & blankets, hot chocolate & snacks on tap. We went at a far more sedate speed than larger boats, stopping to allow for the best pics! Great tour with an outstsnding personal service. Highlight of our holiday. Thankyou

This is our second boat tour with Rederij Paping, and it just confirmed what an amazing company it is, run by great people. Mark and Cynthia were gracious and knowledgeable hosts, really explaining everything about the light sculptures and the artists that created them. The boat was cozy, with heated seats (!!) and blankets, and we were treated to hot chocolate and sweets to top it all off. Best way to see the Amsterdam light festival - thank you! We will be back!

Thoroughly enjoyed this tour as much because of the cozy, comfortable boat as the lights themselves. Rederij is awesome and shares a lot of great information about the city and the installations. The hot chocolate is great too!

This tour was one of our favorite memories from the trip. Carla and Rederij were very knowledgeable about both the Festival of Lights and the history of Amsterdam. They were also very friendly and had wonderful senses of humor. The small boat made everything more personal and the heated seats were a plus! We also did another boat tour during our time in Amsterdam and it couldn't compare. We would use and recommend Boat Trips by Locals over any other boat touring company for those traveling to Amsterdam.

This nighttime cruise with Rederij Paping was amazing. First of all, the owner and our captain, Marc Paping, is super nice and makes you feel very welcome on his boat. Since it's a small boat (with heated seats!), you get to enjoy the cruise with max 10 guests only. Nothing like the big tour operators, who take 80+ passengers. Moreover, Marc was our guide, very knowledgeable and with passion for what he does. Although I have been to Amsterdam many times, the tour with Rederij Paping gave me a fresh perspective on the city. I will definitely do another tour with them next time I'm in Amsterdam. Worth mentioning for anyone traveling with a pet: this is a dog friendly boat tour and our pup was super happy to chill on the warm seat.

Loved this cruise. The boat was absolutely beautiful (I can't find the business card with the name) we had a small group just family. The "Captain" explained the features of the light festival as we went. A great way to see Amsterdam. I could have gone longer than the 90 minutes. I would thoroughly recommend this as an evening activity. Enjoy Raymond