Boat Trips and Canal tours in Amsterdam

By Dom Bewley
Published: July 18, 2024
canal cruises

Amsterdam is a city swimming in waterways, canals, and connecting bridges. While not as damp as the likes of Venice, it's about as close as you can get without the stilts. And with so much water, one of the best ways to see the city is by boat. Whether you're looking to see all the biggest landmarks, enjoy a bottomless brunch with your friends, or have a romantic meal on the water, Amsterdam has some amazing boat trips and canal tours to experience in the city. So, which are the best? Well, read our handy list and discover for yourselves! These are our picks for the best boat trips and canal tours in Amsterdam!

Including:

  • 100 Highlights Cruise
  • Hop on-Hop off Boat Tour
  • G's Brunch Boat
  • Candelight Cruise
  • Pizza Cruise
  • and more!
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Everything, everywhere, pretty much in one go

If you want to see all the sights Amsterdam has to offer in one fell swoop, consider hopping aboard the 100 Highlights Cruise. Pack your camera and get ready to snap the likes of the Anne Frank House, Westerkerk, and so much more.

Thanks to the audio guide you'll get when you board, available in myriad languages, you'll learn all about the city and canals' history, as well as the highlights of each landmark you pass. It's the perfect introduction to Amsterdam's waterways and gives you the chance to learn about landmarks you might want to visit on land afterward!

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Hop to it

If you're hoping to see the sights up close, then check out a Hop on-Hop off boat tour instead! You're in complete control, so you board when you want, leave when you want to see one of the amazing landmarks that Amsterdam has to offer, and then hop back on the next boat to continue one. It's that easy!

You'll pass the likes of the Rijksmuseum, the Heineken Experience, A'DAM Lookout, and the Anne Frank House, which are all well worth exploring on foot.

So, if you want the freedom to go and see what you please on dry land, a Hop on-Hop off boat tour is one of the best boat trips and canal tours in Amsterdam!

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Boat brunch like a G

Sure, you could spend your tour of Amsterdam's canals sightseeing. Or, you could enjoy a brilliant bottomless brunch courtesy of G's Brunch Boat!

Two options await you on your watery adventure. Either pick a drink and one of the amazing brunch options from G's impressive menu. Or, go all-in on the bottomless brunch, help yourself to as many cocktails, beers, wines, or proseccos as you like, and top it all off with a meal from the menu.

Food-wise, you'll find brunch classics like Eggs Benny, and breakfast burritos alongside meatier options like chicken and waffles, chicken burgers, and salmon-topped brioche.

Then, sit in for 75 minutes of amazing views, amazing drinks, and amazing food. Does it get any better than that? Probably not.

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Romance on the waves

If you're visiting Amsterdam with that special someone, or you're a resident who wants to impress their significant other, consider a romantic canal Candlelight Cruise!

You and your muse will sit down to a delicious selection of traditional cheese and meats as your tour guide waxes lyrical about all the landmarks you pass. Sip on unlimited drinks, with beers, wines, and soft drinks on offer.

It's a great way to get the lay of the land, while enjoying the lights reflecting off of the water. And your partner's eyes, of course. Romance, right? Top stuff.

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A pizza paradise

Boats and pizza - typically not two things you'd associate with one another, but when has that stopped humanity from making things happen? We created bacon mayonnaise, after all. So, why not see pizza and boats beautifully combine on a Pizza Cruise of Amsterdam!

Served by one of the city's favorite pizza chains in New York Pizza, you'll get to choose a pizza of your choice before you set off along Amsterdam's beautiful canals. Your guide will regale you with tales of the sights and sounds you see along the way, all while you tuck into your slices and a couple of drinks to boot.

Ideal if the sun is shining and you have a group of friends with you, this 1.5-hour tour is easily one of the best boat trips and canal tours in Amsterdam!

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Learn on the water

What if you could combine your love of water and boats with a sprinkling of learning and culture? Well, we have great news for you. You can, thanks to the Museum Line - Amsterdam's best museum cruise!

Following a set schedule, you'll glide along Amsterdam's canals, stopping off at major museums such as the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House, and the Hermitage. At each stop, you'll have the chance to explore and learn, filling your withered brain up with key information.

There'll even be the opportunity to do some shopping, should you require tributes to the in-laws back home. And all of that in one-and-a-half hours. Not bad! Not bad at all.

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Sail like a semi-pirate

And finally, we'll end this list of the best boat trips and canal tours in Amsterdam with an old classic - the booze cruise. Yes, even Amsterdam's beautiful waterways are graced with these bad boys. So why not take a pub cruise and explore the more exciting parts of the city?

Your trip will take you through the red light district, where the eponymous lights will dance off of the canals. Beautiful, right? You'll also be free to drink beer, wine, and munch on a variety of snacks as you go, in case all that booze leaves you with cravings!

And that was our list of the best boat trips and canal tours in Amsterdam!

Dom Bewley
Go City Travel Expert

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Amsterdam's Munttoren behind a canal
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Amsterdam in July

At the height of summer, Amsterdam in July positively oozes life and culture. Some of the largest crowds flock to the capital over the summer period to bask in the Dutch sun and explore the city’s cultural hubs, hedonistic pleasures and world-famous nightlife scene. So long as you’re prepared to put up with larger queues and busier streets, a trip in summer is sure to be a thrilling one. Visiting Amsterdam in July Average Temperature: 54 - 70°F • Average Rainfall: 12 days/mth • Average Sunshine: 6 hours/day It likely comes as little surprise that visiting Amsterdam in July – and just about anywhere else in Europe around this time – will land you amid one of the city’s most bustling periods. The Dutch capital positively brims with life throughout summer, as the waves of families and vacationers flock to see just what the country’s cultural center has to offer. Naturally, this comes at the cost of sharing the city with many more tourists than during the low season. Lines for attractions are likely to be longer, and accommodation rates will be at their highest. However, that also allows the nightlife scene to really come into its own, and the city as a whole will have a much more electric atmosphere. Your trip to Amsterdam in July will likely be complemented by overall mild to warm temperatures. While you aren’t guaranteed the same summertime heatwaves of more southern European destinations, July’s climate is prime weather for exploring the iconic streets and squares of the Dutch capital. That being said, it also wouldn’t be a terrible idea to pack an umbrella just in case. Things to Do in July No matter the time of year, any trip to Amsterdam would be incomplete without discovering at least some of its famous cultural hubs. Taking precedence is the emblematic Rijksmuseum towering over the Museumplein, housing a vast collection of renowned artworks and historical artifacts. Where historical insight is concerned, the Anne Frank House stands as the most potent recounting of life in the Netherlands during the Second World War. As a city with more bicycles than people, there are few better ways to explore Amsterdam than on your very own pair of wheels. Over 470 miles of cycle paths make up the Amsterdam Bicycle Network, making for a fantastic excuse to take a more physically active approach to exploring the capital. Many bike rental stores offer daily rates somewhere in the region of €10. There’s no better time than summer to make the most of Amsterdam’s many sprawling green spaces. The weather in July offers a perfect opportunity to take a stroll among Vondelpark’s ancient trees and stunning lakes, and grab a seat at one of its many charming park cafés. Equally, why not have a picnic in Westerpark, make the most of its live summertime events and shows, or even catch a viewing at its very own arthouse cinema? Second only to cycling, Amsterdam’s emblematic waterways offer a uniquely alternative means of seeing the city. You can choose from a large variety of tour operators offering their own canal boat excursions, often including tours of the capital’s key landmarks accompanied by local insights into their cultural and historical significance. Amsterdam’s nightlife scene is never better than in summer, when you can expect most bars and clubs to be brimming with life. Popular venues can be found throughout the city, but as a general rule of thumb, the old area of Jordaan is typically very popular with young people for its trendy bars. Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein are particularly popular for their club offerings, while the street of Nes often attracts more of an intellectual theater crowd. Events in July Over Het IJ Festival Held on the waterfront of the River IJ in Amsterdam, the 10-day Over Het IJ Festival stands as a combined celebration of theater, art and culture. With the backdrop of Amsterdam’s iconic wharves, piers and shipping containers, the festival offers a variety of theatrical performances, visual arts and interactive installations for visitors to enjoy. The waterfront location allows for visitors to enjoy the festival’s jam-packed program of location-specific shows and activities while enjoying the best of the Dutch summertime weather. The event is publicly accessible for visitors to explore at their leisure, with a variety of delicious food stands and chill spaces scattered around the venue. Amsterdam Pride As the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, nobody knows how to celebrate Pride more than the Netherlands. Now a multi-day festival, Amsterdam’s Pride Festival typically attracts around half a million visitors each year in late July in celebration of equality, diversity and personal identity. Should you happen to visit around this time, you’ll find local bars and clubs veritably thriving with festivity. Various street parties and events bring together thousands of revelers dressed in the full color spectrum to enjoy live music performances and Amsterdam’s famous Canal Parade, during which over 80 official vessels celebrate the past, present and future of the LGBT community. Milkshake Festival Organized as a collaboration between two of Amsterdam’s most prominent clubs, Air and Paradiso, the Milkshake Festival is a multi-genre music event built around central themes of inclusion and freedom of expression. The event promotes diversity in every sense of the word, as thousands of music fans flock to enjoy the festival’s many different stages and performances in a safe, open environment. North Sea Jazz Festival The North Sea Jazz Festival is the world’s largest indoor music festival. Hosted in Rotterdam, just over an hour away from Amsterdam by train, the event takes place over three days and features performances from various music genres. Although primarily considered the world’s most important jazz festival, the festival also offers blues, funk, hip hop and world music performances from local and international names both big and small. As many as 70,000 visitors flock to Rotterdam each year to enjoy live music from over 1,000 musicians performing across 15 stages.
Robert Heaney
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Amsterdam in November

If you're looking for a great time to visit the Netherlands off-season while still having the chance to experience the best that the city has to offer, then a trip to Amsterdam in November could be ideal. Combining the best of both worlds of off-season quietness and the beginnings of the holiday season buzz, November has something to offer for just about all types of traveller. Visiting Amsterdam in November Average Temperature: 39 - 48°F • Average Rainfall: 7 days/month • Average Sunshine: 2 hours/day With fall coming to a close, Amsterdam prepares to welcome a brief wave of holiday-season tourists. How busy the city may be will therefore largely depend on when in November you plan to visit the Dutch capital. A trip early in the month will allow you to still benefit from the low-season tourism rate of fall, and the more straightforward access to attractions and lower accommodation fees that come with it. Toward the end of the month, while the city still isn’t likely to be too busy, you’re bound to come across more tourists than earlier in the month. With many Dutch festive celebrations starting as early as mid-November, many international visitors and Dutch residents alike flock to the city to enjoy the holiday season. The tail end of fall brings with it fairly cool, wet and gloomy weather for Amsterdam. With temperatures falling between the high-30s and high-40s, you’ll typically want to wrap up warm if you plan on spending a lot of time exploring the city’s charming squares. Be sure to pack an umbrella or waterproof clothing, too, as you’re likely to encounter at least one day of rain per week. Things to Do in November With the not-so-cheery weather in fall, you wouldn’t be blamed for wanting to orient your trip to primarily around indoor activities. Fortunately, while Amsterdam may be famous for its iconic architecture, bridges and canals, it’s also known for its rich bounty of culture and history. With that, one of the best things to do in Amsterdam any time of the year is to explore its wealth of world-class museums and art galleries. For a variety of both, head to the Rijksmuseum, home to a vast collection of over 8,000 pieces chronicling the history of both the Netherlands and Dutch art. To retrace the steps of history, you’ll want to make your way to the likes of the Amsterdam Museum and the Maritime Museum, each offering key insights into the respective histories of Amsterdam as a whole and the nautical pursuits of the Netherlands. Also popular is the Anne Frank House, where a biographical museum now stands in memory of the Jewish wartime diarist. If you have an eye for art, then topping your list should be the Van Gogh Museum, which houses an impressive collection of over 1,400 of the renowned Dutch painter's works. Right next door is the MOCO Museum, where you'll get your fix of modern and contemporary art, with exhibitions dedicated to artists such as Banksy, Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. If you’re an avid cyclist or just feel like taking a more active approach to your trip, there are few better places for it than Amsterdam. With more bikes than people, there are few better ways to see the Dutch capital than on your own two wheels. There’s a plethora of bike rental stores scattered throughout the city offering reasonable day rates of around €10/day. If you happen to be visiting toward the latter half of the month and don’t mind getting a little chilly, then you may find Ice*Amsterdam a wonderful way to spend some time. Taking over the Museumplein, this event centers around a huge ice-skating rink and offers everything from festive market stalls to winter bars where you can warm up with a hearty cup of hot chocolate milk. Events in November PAN Amsterdam For a week in mid-November, the RAI Amsterdam convention center hosts PAN Amsterdam, the Netherlands’ leading art, design and antiques fair. Bringing together over 40,000 visitors each year, the fair serves as a platform for designers and art lovers alike to share insights and inspirations in every discipline from photography and contemporary art to antique furniture and interior design. IamExpat Fair Somewhat of a more niche event, the IamExpat Fair takes place in The Hague, just a short train ride away from Amsterdam. This one-day event offers a forum for long-stay internationals to come together and learn about life in the Netherlands. The event consists of presentations, workshops and information stalls offering insights into the likes of professional life, education, housing and banking for those who otherwise may find themselves lost amid all the new systems of their host country. Expats can make connections with one another and find the right organizations to help them get settled. Visitors with an interest in relocating to the Netherlands may find some value from the information and insight on offer. International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) Each November, much of Amsterdam’s city center transforms into a veritable paradise for film and documentary lovers. Since 1988, the IDFA has evolved to become the world’s largest documentary festival, and offers a vast program of events including guest lectures and workshops. At the core of the festival is its huge range of documentary films offering unique perspectives on every imaginable aspect of life around the world. Typically running for a little over a week, festival screenings take place throughout the city, including outdoor screenings beneath the night sky. Many of these movies are in English or offer English subtitles, making them accessible to as large an audience as possible. Sinterklaas’ Arrival Should you be visiting Amsterdam any time from mid-November, you’d be hard pushed not to notice the festive celebrations beginning to unfold. On the first weekend after November 11, the Netherlands welcomes the arrival of Sinterklaas on his iconic steam boat. In the lead-up to the day of Sinterklaas on December 5, most major cities throughout the Netherlands will host parades in which Sinterklaas and his helpers, known as Pieten (Peters) greet the onlooking families by throwing festive candies and treats out to the crowds. Throughout this period, you’ll also find festive treats lining the shelves of most stores and bakeries. Among the most common Sinterklaas treats are pepernoten and kruidnoten (tiny gingerbread cookies), large solid chocolate letters, schuimpjes (foam-like sugary candies), speculaas cookies and various marzipan-based cakes. Amsterdam Light Festival Running alongside the holiday season, the Amsterdam Light Festival illuminates the Dutch capital with an impressive light displays by designers, artists and architects from around the world. Taking place throughout December and January, the festival typically showcases around 30 unique art installations, bringing an even more magical touch to an already festive city. One of the most popular activities of the Light Festival is to take a canal cruise in the evening. These boat tours offer a chance for visitors and locals alike to see the city from a different perspective, offering unique insights into the history of prominent neighborhoods while also exploring the artworks lining the banks of the canals.
Robert Heaney

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