Amsterdam Canal Cruise with Local Guide and Small Group
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Cruising down Amsterdam’s iconic canals is one of the most popular activities in the city. Join this exciting small-group cruise guided by local skippers who share the city's most beautiful spots. Sip on an optional drink (alcoholic or soft drink), as you pass highlights like The Dancing Houses and the Skinny Bridge. The skipper provides commentary in English, with digital guides available in multiple languages.
- Enjoy unobstructed views from the open boat
- Enrich your visit with an explanation of historical highlights from your skipper
- The tour conveniently departs from Amsterdam Central Station
- Cruise with the proud winner of TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice 2025 award
What's Included
- English speaking guide
- Digitial booklet in 8 languages: English French,German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian,Dutch & Chinese
- Cruise with the proud winner of TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice 2025!
- Snacks
- Alcoholic BeveragesA (Non) alcoholic beverage can be booked as optional
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Stationsplein 18, 1012 AB Amsterdam, Netherlands
Our location is right in front of Amsterdam Central Station, directly in front of the tram stops by the water. You can recognise us by our dark green beach flag and staff wearing blue shirts/jackets with 'Eco Boats' on it. Please use Google Maps to find the correct location, not Apple Maps.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Canal Ring (Grachtengordel)
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
St. Nicholas Basilica (Pass By)
Sea Palace Restaurant (Pass By)
Montelbaanstoren (Pass By)
Oudeschans (Pass By)
The Amstel (Pass By)
Blauwbrug (Pass By)
H'ART Museum (Pass By)
The Dancing Houses (Pass By)
Oude Kerk (Pass By)
Red Light District (Pass By)
Zeedijk (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Departure point right in front of Central Station
- The route may vary each time depending on external factors.
- On the day itself (depending on the weather conditions) we decide to cruise with an open or half open boat (with shelter for rain).
- On sunny days, please wear sunscreen, as cruising on water can get hot
- On cold days, please wear warm, clothes, as cruising on water can get cold
- We only serve alcoholic drinks for travellers 18 years old and above (proof of ID can be asked for). Minor travellers below 18 years old will be served non-alcoholic drink
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 28 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
P_C
Taking a canal tour in Amsterdam was easily one of the highlights of my trip. Nould was knowledgeable without being overwhelming, sharing interesting stories about the city’s history, architecture, and culture in a way that felt engaging and natural.
The staff were all very friendly and kind! I highly recommend their tour.
Reviews
5.0
based on 4,978 reviews
Elisabeth_B, May 2026
Great experience, Mike was an awesome Tour guide, definitely recommend.. boat size with small group is great
Cristina_P, May 2026
Great experience seeing Amsterdam and finding out interestiing things about the city. I recommend this experience. Jean Paul is a great guide!!
Marcy_K, May 2026
Great cruise. Jack was full of fun facts. Boat was comfortable. Staff was excellent, polite, friendly and efficient. Very professional.
Keith_W, May 2026
First class experience. Sebastian was interesting and engaging. Would love to do it again. The route was diverse and beautiful .
Pratyush_D, May 2026
This canal cruise in Amsterdam is a relaxing and scenic way to explore the city’s historic waterways and charming architecture. The gentle pace, combined with insightful commentary, made it both enjoyable and informative. A must-do experience, especially during sunset hours, when the canals light up beautifully.
Khang_N, Apr 2026
Very relaxing and informative tour. Emma, our boat's captain, was friendly and told us a lot of interesting info about the canals and general history of Amsterdam. Would recommend this tour to any Amsterdam first-time visitor.
Carmen_C, Apr 2026
Had some trouble finding our pickup location so we’re running a few minutes late, but we made( it and had a great tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Amsterdam and the canals. (Carl?)
James_W, Apr 2026
Mike, our skipper, was very knowledgeable about the area and quite entertaining. He navigated the canals with ease. We enjoyed the whole experience and would definitely recommend it.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your lovely review! Great to hear that Mike made the experience both informative and entertaining, he’ll really appreciate the mention. Sounds like you had a smooth and enjoyable cruise through the canals, exactly what we aim for.
Thanks as well for the recommendation, that means a lot to us. Hopefully we’ll see you back on board again sometime!
Kind regards,
Team Eco Boats Amsterdam
Ana_C, Apr 2026
This tour was fantastic from start to finish! The entire team was incredibly friendly, helpful, and accommodating, they even offered sunscreen for our toddler, which was such a thoughtful touch.
Our captain was knowledgeable and engaging, sharing fascinating historical stories we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. He truly went above and beyond, even giving us great tips on things to do with our toddler on King’s Day.
Overall, a wonderful experience we’d highly recommend!
Paulette_D, Apr 2026
Wonderful seeing the city on a boat with a knowledgeable tour guide. Made it fun enjoyed his comments.
Susan_A, Apr 2026
Max gave a great canal tour, as guide, host and pilot! He was knowledgeable and pleasant, entertaining travelers with history and relevant stories about the sights.
Karen_J, Apr 2026
Lovely small boat tour of Amsterdam. Bram was a great tour guide very funny and knowledgeable with some great stories.
Kaeli_Z, Apr 2026
This was an excellent experience! Jean-Paul is an excellent tour guide and very knowledgeable. The boat tour was beautiful and very smooth. Highly recommend
Laura_H, Apr 2026
My sister and I booked this tour same day and had an excellent tour with Captian K. He was very knowledgeable and shared so much about the history of the city & canals. He also shared about the modern day city, like how the house boats work. We booked with the option to include 1 drink and thought that was just right. The ride is very comfortable. Highly recommend seeing the city this way!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you, Laura, for sharing your experience! We're thrilled you and your sister enjoyed the tour with Captain K and appreciated his insights on Amsterdam's history and modern life. It's great to hear the drink option was just right for you. We hope to welcome you back on board soon!
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Sarah_J, Apr 2026
I loved this so much I might do it again while I’m here. Super friendly host and very knowledgeable. Great for different languages although your was in English there was a we code for 6 other languages. Max was great 10/10 no notes.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you, Sarah, for the wonderful review! We're thrilled you enjoyed the cruise and found the multilingual options helpful. Max will be delighted to hear your praise. We hope to see you again for another memorable trip on the canals! Safe travels!
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Lindsay_F, Apr 2026
Pleasant boat ride of the canal. They were flexible when we needed to change our tour time. Badr was a great guide!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your kind words, Lindsay! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the canal cruise and appreciated our flexibility. Badr will be thrilled to know he made your experience special. We hope to welcome you back on board soon!
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Cece_G, Apr 2026
The tour was great. All the staff I interacted with were friendly
My only small issue was that I had a hard time finding the meeting point even with Google maps. I walked around in circles trying to find the "dark green beach flag" but didn't see it. Eventually I found it after asking a couple of other nearby boat tours and saw that the flag was on the ground. No wonder I didn't see it!
Other that that I had a great time on the tour.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your feedback, Cece! We're glad you enjoyed the tour and found our team friendly. Sorry about the trouble with the meeting point; we'll make sure the flag is more visible in the future. We'd love to welcome you back for another adventure!
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Katrina_D, Apr 2026
We loved this guided canal trip. Our guide Jean Paul was excellent and it was a very relaxing experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words, Katrina! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the canal trip with Jean Paul. It’s wonderful to know you found it relaxing. We’d love to welcome you back for another cruise soon!
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew
Lauren_M, Apr 2026
A lovely experience floating along the canals of Amsterdam. Marcus was knowledgable & friendly - it was great to see parts of Amsterdam we probably wouldn’t have visited and to learn about certain buildings with really interesting histories. The sun shon the entire time. It was a great.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your experience! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed exploring the canals with Marcus and learning about Amsterdam's fascinating history. It sounds like a perfect day with the sun shining! We hope to welcome you back on board soon for more adventures.
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Serge_R, Apr 2026
Excellent cruise. Captain Jasper was amazing, he had a story to tell about very building, bridge, or street that we saw during the cruise, oftne with the references to the artists and thier works, which I particularly liked. It was very pleasant to get a welcome drink too. This is the best way to see Amsterdam. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you, Serge, for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the cruise with Captain Jasper and appreciated his storytelling and insights about Amsterdam's landmarks. We're glad you liked the welcome drink too. We'd love to welcome you back on board anytime!
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Dirk_W, Apr 2026
This was an Eco boat tour - electric engine so no noise or fumes. Our guide, Timon, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Everyone in the family enjoyed the tour and it was one of our Amsterdam highlights.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you, Dirk, for sharing your experience! We're thrilled that Timon's enthusiasm and knowledge made your eco-friendly canal tour a highlight for your family. We'd love to welcome you back for another adventure on the Amsterdam waters. Safe travels!
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Mandeep_B, Apr 2026
Noud was a wonderful host. He was very informed about the history of Amsterdam and was super accommodating to everyone on the boat. We are from Essex ( England ) but others with us were from Spain and Thailand and he was great at talking to everyone. The tour was spoken to us in perfect English and it was a very enjoyable trip!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for the kind words, Mandeep! We're thrilled to hear that Noud made your canal cruise so enjoyable and informative. It's wonderful that he could connect with guests from diverse backgrounds. We hope to welcome you back on board soon!
Mary_H, Apr 2026
We didn’t go. Weather was cold & rainy. Hard to find when we went to check out boat. Was sure it was an uncovered boat & not suitable for the weather
Victoria_h, Apr 2026
We had a very pleasant and informative boat trip captained by Noud who has good local knowledge, is friendly and experienced. Enjoyed it very much and had plenty of suggestions from the captain for places to visit. There was plenty of Dutch history, but not too much!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you, Victoria, for your lovely review! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the canal trip with Noud and found his local knowledge and suggestions helpful. We hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Rodd_N, Apr 2026
The boat ride itself was good being open but we felt the skipper/tour guide could have been more informative.
Arun_K, Apr 2026
Viator should put Google maps pin for the meeting place so you dont have to go to different boat ride places to find the one for your tour!!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your feedback, Arun! We appreciate your suggestion about the Google Maps pin for the meeting place. We'll definitely look into making it easier for our guests to find us. We hope you enjoyed the canal cruise and would love to welcome you back for another adventure.
The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew
Janice_B, Apr 2026
Lots of information from our captain/driver. It was a little chilly on the boat, temperature about 53F, and it was windy in the city on April 6. Wrap up well of a cool day.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience, Janice! We're glad you enjoyed the informative tour despite the chilly weather. Our captain loves sharing unique insights about Amsterdam. We hope to welcome you back on a warmer day for another memorable cruise. Cheers! The Amsterdam Eco Boats crew.
Russell_E, Apr 2026
Perfect length trip, can be cool & windy so wear a jacket/beanie. Blankets were provided. Very informative, interesting, cultural experience!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your great review! We're glad you enjoyed the length of the trip and the informative experience. Good tip about the weather—nice to hear the blankets helped keep things comfortable!
Kind regards,
Team Eco Boats Amsterdam
Alex_H, Apr 2026
Timon was great and we loved the fun facts he shared about the city! This was the perfect introduction to Amsterdam upon our arrival.
Susanna_P, Mar 2026
Mark was a great guide! Very funny and informative! Loved getting to see Amsterdam in the evening when the canals are light up with all of the beautiful lights!
From $23.28
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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