Cruise along the UNESCO World Heritage Canals of Amsterdam
A cruise on Amsterdam's canals is a must for any first-time visitor! By doing this early in your trip you will get a great perspective of the city.
The Grachtengordel (known in English as the Canal District) is a neighborhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands located in the Centrum district. The seventeenth-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the center of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in August 2010.[1] The Amsterdam Canal District consists of the area around the city’s four main canals: the Singel, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, and the Prinsengracht. From the Brouwersgracht, the canals are generally parallel with one another, leading gradually southeast into the Amstel river. Many of the canal houses in the Amsterdam Canal District are from the Dutch Golden Age, 17th century. Many of these buildings, however, underwent restoration or reconstruction in various centuries, meaning that these building display many different architectural styles and facades
The Grachtengordel (known in English as the Canal District) is a neighborhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands located in the Centrum district. The seventeenth-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the center of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in August 2010.[1] The Amsterdam Canal District consists of the area around the city’s four main canals: the Singel, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, and the Prinsengracht. From the Brouwersgracht, the canals are generally parallel with one another, leading gradually southeast into the Amstel river. Many of the canal houses in the Amsterdam Canal District are from the Dutch Golden Age, 17th century. Many of these buildings, however, underwent restoration or reconstruction in various centuries, meaning that these building display many different architectural styles and facades
The Westerkerk was built between 1620 and 1631 in Renaissance style according to designs by architect Hendrick de Keyser (1565-1621). He is buried in the church he designed earlier: the 'Zuiderkerk'. The building of the Westerkerk was finished and completed by his son Pieter de Keyser (1595-1676) and inaugurated on June 8, 1631. The church has a length of 58 meters and a width of 29 meters. The high nave is flanked by the two lower aisles. The three-aisled basilica has a rectangular plan with two transepts of equal dimensions. As a result, the plan for this church was given the form of two Greek crosses connected with each other.
Amsterdam Centraal was designed by Pierre Cuypers, who is also known for his design of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. While Cuypers was the principal architect, it is believed that he focused mostly on the decoration of the station building and left the structural design to railway engineers
A’DAM LOOKOUT is an observation deck with an unrivalled panoramic view of Amsterdam. You’ll see the city’s historical centre, its pulsating port, the unique Dutch polder landscape and you’ll spot the famous canals which belong to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Complementing the experience is a state-of-the-art interactive exhibition and free audio tour about Amsterdam’s history and culture. A’DAM LOOKOUT is located on top of the A’DAM Tower in Amsterdam North.
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NEMO Science Museum is an interactive, informal learning environment in which the general public comes into contact with science and technology. Visitors see, hear and experience how scientific phenomena and technology play an important part in their lives. NEMO works closely with the fields of science and education. NEMO is a registered museum and the owner of a significant historical collection.
Cruising the Amstel river
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The famous skinny bridge on the Amstel River
The InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam Hotel, commonly referred to as the Amstel Hotel, is a hotel in Amsterdam, capital city of the Netherlands, on the east bank of the river Amstel. In 2007, it was the only hotel in the Netherlands on the list of World's Best Hotels, and was ranked in 90th place.[1] The Amstel Hotel is part of the InterContinental Hotels chain. In 2006 the building was sold to Morgan Stanley. In 2011 the Lebanese businessman Toufic Aboukhater bought the hotel. In 2014 the hotel was acquired by Qatar-based Katara Hospitality, but is still operated by the InterContinental Hotels Group
On a 1.5-hour self-guided tour you’ll learn about the company’s heritage, the beer brewing process, Heineken’s innovations, and about what it takes to serve a world-famous beer. Find out the four natural ingredients that make this beer, and discover the brand’s sponsorship activities with Formula 1, the UEFA Champions League and the Rugby World Cup. And sure enough, at the end of the tour you can raise your glass with new friends.
This iconic museum in the heart of Amsterdam is a must-visit for any culture lover. The Rijksmuseum houses more than 8,000 works of art from Dutch and European history, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh.
Van Gogh museum
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Enjoy the legendary flavors of classic American dining in an energetic, modern setting right on the waterside at Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam. We're located on Max Euweplein, just a two minute walk from the Leidseplein entertainment area. We're just steps away from the Paradiso live music venue, the Holland Casino, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and plenty of other attractions. Our restaurant is not only the perfect spot to kick off any day or night, but we are also a museum of pop culture with authentic memorabilia from rock 'n' roll legends like Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley.
Amsterdam is best viewed from the water. On this 75-minute canal cruise you’ll experience the best of our historical city.
Fancy an exciting evening out in a relaxed setting? Then come to Holland Casino Amsterdam Centre! You'll find us in the heart of Amsterdam, with the largest selection of table games in the Netherlands. Play a variety of exciting table games, such as American Roulette, Black Jack, Poker and Punto Banco or take a seat behind one of the many slot machines.
This waterside hotel is perched above Amsterdam’s famous canals on the vibrant Leidseplein with many bars and music venues. Explore Vondelpark and the museum district with the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum just around the corner. Return to our historic Art Nouveau building and power up at the famous Café Americain. Unwind with signature cocktails at the iconic Bar Americain. More musical amenities await in your room with guitar program Picks®, Record player program Wax® and curated music with our Tracks® playlists. Let the set begin.
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Cruise along the famous canals of the old city of Amsterdam
It was interesting albeit tedious after about 45 minutes , i.e. it essentially went through multiple residential areas. The audio guide was mostly music with some trivia thrown in occassionally.
In the mid to late afternoon on the 1st day of October this was a serene “ride” around the canals and a nice refuge from the busy Amsterdam streets.
I picked this canal cruise because it had headsets rather than a person talking. Easier for my elderly mother to hear. But the commentary on the headsets didn't give that much information. But the canal cruise was quite nice. The snack box was okay. We did get to choose a wine and the wine was delicious! It was worth the $15.
We had such a lovely 75 minute canal cruise through the city celebrating all of 5 of our 70th birthdays, thank you so much, will highly recommend this trip
This was an excellent tour, nice clean boat. Could open the side windows but protected from the light rain that was on and off for our tour.
Great way to experience the canals. Choose a covered boat if you’re worried about rain.
Lovely trip, chilled and relaxed whilst taking in all the sites. Lovely spacious boat, clean and an excellent driver
This was brilliant and very informative. It was comfortable seating and the boat even had a loo. The snack boxes were a bit expensive and nothing to write Home about. But I would definitely use this company again to do a boat trip. It was easy to find a pick up point and well worth the money. Claire Bott
Was a good way to see the city. We enjoyed it and it wasn’t crowded. Had the booth to ourselves. Boat tour was on time.
We booked the family boat trip My daughter loved the colouring and activities Kept her entertained the whole time
The tour itself was really interesting with commentary available is several languages. It was a great way to see Amsterdam. For us there were two things that needed improving. Firstly, the meeting point provided on the email did not align with what was on the ticket. Fortunately we allowed ourselves extra time and comfortably made it to tue correct dock. Secondly, we booked a trip which was supposed to provide snacks/snack boxes but nothing was provided.
The captain was very knowledgeable and the 4-star rating is for him! Otherwise it’s only an ok experience. The fact that there is a toilet onboard is great! But the cleanliness of said toilet is practically non-existent. I would describe the condition of the bathroom as grimy. If you don’t need to use the bathrooms, you’ll have a much better experience as the boat itself is in nice condition and the glass roof and windows gives you a great overview of the surroundings. The audio guide was the most disappointing aspect. It’s pre-recorded, and switches from between at least three different narrators. The way the information is presented is way too chipper - they over excitedly present you very basic-level information. This tone makes you feel like you’re a kid and they’re your teachers. Overall, it was fine, and it’s a nice break from a lot of walking - as you do see places and sights you might otherwise miss - just don’t go in with high expectations.
First of all I’d like to say that we went on this cruise on the hottest day so far this year - 30° and felt we were in a greenhouse due to the glass roof. As the cruise was full, and as a group of 6, we all sat together at one table, had there have been room, we would have separated in order to not feel cramped in this heat. I would also try to get seats so you can sit looking the way you are going, not sitting backwards as this in uncomfortable when trying to see what the audio guide is telling you to look at. Now, it sounds like I didn’t enjoy the tour-I certainly did! It’s just the heat was a factor in feeling uncomfortable. The audio guide was really good and gave interesting information and pointed out the sites you might not normally take any notice of. We chose the 75 min trip without the snack option. Highly recommend.
Excellent tour with just the right amount of information. Our guide (Clair) was fun, knowledgeable and efficient. We learned a lot about Amsterdam and was an ideal way too begin our stay.
Good! Good experience! Recommend
A very busy city which seems to be unable to cope with the number of visitors.
Great cruise! Comfortable environment, company very good communication. Was so nice to be able to schedule wheelchair accessible cruise. Highly recommend!
Okay 75min cruise along the canals. Picked this one as my wife was using a wheelchair.This made the trip accessible with a lift which was great, Staff were fantastic and very welcoming. However, seating was uncomfortable and cramped. No snack box and drink provided either. A little disappointed overall
Really nice experience Guide is very friendly We were lucky to have nice weather in April Kids were sitting outside and fully enjoyed Covered most of the main attractions in Amsterdam
Great service! Very toddler friendly. Travelled with a 3.5 and 18 month old. Great way to see the city!
We did this trip in February. Was a cold day but boat was lovely and warm. Was an interesting trip and good to see Amsterdam from the river. Good value. Would recommend.
This was a wonderful experience on a beautiful day with a special access ramp and our incredible captain CHRISTOPHER The tour is very comprehensive and includes areas one could not access on foot or by car The entry ticket shop also has lovely pieces of DELFT BLAU and TULIPS
The best way to see Amsterdam! It can be hard to stop and admire all the beauty of Amsterdam on foot when you have to be mindful of traffic, other pedestrians and all the many bicycles. We just sat outside at the back of the boat (there was no audio connection points outside if that’s important to you) and chatted, took photos and relaxed. One of my favourite moments of our stay.
Recorded guide but our boat captain pointed out some things as well. Amsterdam is a gorgeous city! xx
Excellent and good value activity - must do for a first visit. We did this trip as a family of 4 with two teenagers (13, 17), who thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt loads. We specifically chose this trip for the wide range of sights and areas visited, and it did not disappoint. The audio guide was clear and easy to understand, with lots of breaks in the narration to chat. You could buy a takeaway coffee and stroopwaffel beforehand to take on board.
Excellent trip, highly recommended. Friendly and helpful staff. Easy to find and enjoyed the nearby Irish bar for some lunch.
We really enjoyed this tour. Brian, our driver was friendly and welcoming and full of knowledge which was shared in addition to the audio guide. The boat was comfy and cozy on a chilly morning making this a lovely way to see Amsterdam and learn a bit of its history too. Favourite bits were getting close enough to peek into some of the amazing houseboats! Would highly recommend and was easy to book via trip advisor
Just a few blocks away from the Rijksmuseum, a great way to see the city after 4 hours at the museum. Our captain was full of jokes and information, bring some change for tips. Highly recommend.
Great cruise. Only snag was the audio as we didn’t want to use the inner ones provided so advice is being your own. You can tune in on your phone however
Comprehensive and informative tour. Saw a lot of canals, with various sights of water boats and learnt the history of buildings along the banks
As a wheelchair user I was impressed to see that I could travel on an accessible cruise. From start to finish from collecting tickets, getting on and off the cruise the staff were too tier in making me feel included. They are warm and helpful. Highly recommended for wheelchair users
We had an unfortunate experience with another guest on the boat but our boat Captain Sharon rectified the situation immediately and helped our group immensely. The experience would not have been the same without her.
Wonderful experience. I’ve never seen a 4way traffic jam in A canal before but the driver managed the boat extremely well
Boat ride was fine and the audio was good. We had a cold, rainy day so the cover was great. It wasn't crowded probably due to the weather.
Nice enough, clean covered boat that kept us dry on a rainy day. Slow-moving, so easy to see and take pictures. Basic audio plug-in tour had limited information and was a bit disapointing for the price (45 euro for 2 adults)
It's okay to get to pass through the canals and know the locations of certain places. Not what I expected
The ticket office is across from the Heineken experience. We did a canal tour. Narration was available in different languages. The driver of the boat also gave us good info. We were able to see a lot more than we could have on foot. It was a good experience for day 1 as it gave us ideas of where we wanted to go. The boat was clean with plenty of seating. You are allowed to take any snacks or drinks you purchase at their store. They have a bathroom on the boat.
Was a very nice experience. You can buy snacks to take with you. Very informative and did not talk the entire so you could enjoy the sights.
It was okay. The commentary and head phones didn’t work. So we had no idea where we were in Amsterdam.
It was very nice to go around the city in the canals but especially to see the historical sailing boats present in honour of the “SAIL” up close!
Excellent tour of the city by Pietr! Saw beautiful architecture, learnt a lot about the city. The audio recording is good, and Pietr is an excellent host!
Very good canal cruise very informative, Crew friendly and helpful. Nice boat. Would definitely go on this cruise again.
Extremely boring cruise with mild interests along the way. Most of it is conducted with you looking up as you are so low to the points of interest. The narrative didn’t always follow the cruise so we looked around to try to figure out what was being talked about , settled on something that satisfied us - then came across it a few minutes later whilst the narrative was on something else… Much nicer when we made the river but the canals were clostraphobic. Photography and video was restrictive as there were only a couple of sunroofs on the boat and the rest of the glass baked us. Mildly happy we did this once but wouldn’t recommend it. We’ll rent a boat next time.
Canal boat was very clean but the cruise was deathly dull. Noone was chatting as there were just earphones to listen to, not a live guide. The view was pretty much the same all the way round with very little variety or interesting information. We were disppointed to not go near even some of the famous sites. I wouldn't recommend this 75min tour for children. My partner and I and 2 teenagers were appaled at the extended tedium. Seeing other reviews which contrast this means maybe the dining ones are better or at least those that serve alchol to help numb the boredom.
Wonderful tour. Captain was informative and entertaining but gave space to enjoy the tour. Really well paced
Last Saturday we went on daytime canal-cruise with the family, including our 5-years-old daughter. Of course we didn't know in advance but we were in for an absolute treat with Brian, our captain! Aside from being utmost friendly, the man knows how to keep a canal-tour interesting. Besides talking about the scenery, sights and history he included personal anecdotes about himself living in Amsterdam with his wife and kids. And yes, the kindergarten was located right next to one of the canals! The tour itself is well worth it but if you get lucky, you'll have Brian driving the boat you step on … 10/10 Would mos def recommend! Chris, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
We really enjoyed this - the only drawback would be that on a warm day it is a bit too warm inside the boat, but there is a small outside area if it is too much for people. We had cheese, nuts & wine which was lovely. The tour covered lots of different points of interest, and the audio tour covered most facts but the tour guide was equally informative, and engaging too. Well worth doing!
A great tour with no frills. The audio guide works great - plenty of languages to choose from, and you can keep just one ear plugged in, so that you can still talk to your fellow travellers. The captain was both kind and fun, and we covered an impressive amount of ground (or rather, canal) in just over an hour.
What an awesome canal tour! So relaxing, scenic and informative. I took many pictures. So quaint! We took the smaller open boat. The weather was perfect, with a beautiful breeze. The captain was wonderful. Very knowledgeable and professional. He spoke perfect English as well as other languages. We really enjoyed this cruise and highly recommend it!
✨ Such a lovely, affordable, 75 min river cruise!! ✨ This is definitely a cheaper option compared to other cruises. It’s a cruise only with no added extras but wow it was great!! ✨ The staff are lovely and accommodating and the tour goes through all the canals and onto a big stretch of water next to the train station which is really lovely. ✨ You’re provided with earphones which you plug in and listen to the tour with but we didn’t personally use these as we sat outside at the back of the boat (which is THE PLACE TO BE!) ✨ There’s a toilet on board which is really handy! ✨ Wheelchair accessible- however the stairs onto and off the boat are quite steep and no one helps you so i’m not sure if people would be able to use the wheelchair access if they needed to? ❌ There’s not much instructions for when you arrive so make sure that you go inside the little reception area so they can scan your ticket and provide you with a paper version to take on board. A lot of people went onto the dock with their phone tickets and were sent away/ lost their place in the queue to board as they didn’t have the paper ticket from reception so had to go and get it and then they were allowed to board.
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