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
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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 5,788 reviews
Katherine_M, Jun 2026
We loved this! Just the perfect mix of sightseeing, history and comfort. Yurien skippered our boat and he was informative, funny, skillful, and attentive. We highly recommend this tour.
Andrea_K, Jun 2026
This hour long cruise took us through several different canals, places you wouldn’t necessarily walk along the usual tourist paths. Our guide was nice and had some info on some of the buildings we passed but I wish he’d said more about the history of the city. Nice experience, despite the blistering heat. We were glad they had umbrellas to provide some shade!
BETH_K, Jun 2026
Captain K did a great job manoeuvring the boat through so many waterways. Being a smaller boat meant we could go to the narrower canals. Well worth the money. His knowledge of the area was outstanding.
Anne_M, Jun 2026
It was nice to be with a small group. The captain was knowledgeable and fun and the whole trip was enjoyable
Maria_R, Jun 2026
Fantastic boat tour around Amsterdam. Captain Sebastiano and Gabby were really friendly, shared lots of knowledge and stories as we travelled, and made us laugh a lot. It was a small tour with only 8 of us which felt really personal and relaxed. Drinks were very reasonably priced and tasty (highly recommend the aperol spritz!). Definitely book this tour over one of the bigger boat ones. (Also very glad to have an open boat rather than enclosed in this hot weather!). Thank you so much for such a brilliant tour 😊☀️
Louis_S, Jun 2026
Knowledgeable your guide ...CPT V or B was great
Very relaxed small group
Great overview of the city
Madeleine_F, Jun 2026
Great way to see and learn about the city. Lovely experience with knowledgeable and friendly cruise tour guide/captain.
Amy_H, Jun 2026
Timon was a great guide, very friendly and knowledgeable. It’s good to see the city from the canals.
Jessica_E, Jun 2026
What a wonderful and informative tour. The weather was perfect and our guide was very nice and excellent boat captain. My entire family enjoyed the experience. Highly recommend this tour group. The boat was very comfortable and one of the best on the canal.
Seth_S, Jun 2026
It was fun and easy to book. Crew was fun and accommodating. Felt like a good value. Not a tourist trap.
Lisa_G, Jun 2026
A beautiful and informative way to see Amsterdam. The view from the canal gives an different perspective of the city. Max was the perfect host!!
Amanda_B, Jun 2026
Basic tour guide info, not a lot of unavailable info shared. Potential to include a lot more history for the context and to be more animated with the audience.
Anne_M, Jun 2026
Embarkation is down stairs to your far right if the station is directly behind you. We had the good fortune of booking an early cruise on the first day without a cover on the boat. Fabulous views! Maurits was a great guide. Answered lots of questions and showed us the layout of the canal system. Great thing to do first in Amsterdam to start to figure out where things are.
Ornella_G, Jun 2026
A must do. A wonderful tour with an excellent guide and the chance to see beatuful places from a privileged point of view.
Nikole_S, Jun 2026
EcoBoats did a wonderful job with our boat tour! I believe Gabriela was our guide and I can’t remember the captain’s name. They offered fun information about the city and it was really fun seeing Amsterdam from the canals. I answered a question about some Netherlands house lore and was given a free drink as well! My partner and I had a lovely time. Recommend to others mostly definitely!
Lyndsay_S, Jun 2026
Rodney our guide was so lovely! He gave us a great tour and was so knowledgeable and friendly. Thank you, Rodney!
Pam_N, Jun 2026
Informative and relaxing. We had a rainy dark evening, but a double rainbow
They should keep towels on board for rainy days, which are common in Amsterdam
linda_t, Jun 2026
Our boat captain, Mark, was quite entertaining and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the trip.
Our only recommendation is to improve the notes on the booking to make it easier to find (I.e. there is no green beach umbrella).
Paula_G, May 2026
Great tour- boats are super quiet because they are electric. Very informative. It’s an open boat but umbrellas are provided. I loved the history and the sights. A must do while in Amsterdam.
Lisa_D, May 2026
We had the best tour guide/skipper in Max who has a very good knowledge of the history of Amsterdam and gave us a really fun tour. It’s a really good way of finding out where things are and I especially loved it when we went by the zoo and saw the giraffes
Cecelia_B, May 2026
Igor was very friendly and amusing. Enjoyed the short canal cruise as an introduction to Amsterdam. 😊
Natalie_S, May 2026
Very easy to hop on this boat tour on a long layover at AMS. JJ was informative and funny. The boat has an open top which makes it easy to see everything.
Olivia_G, May 2026
This was a really educational - but really entertaining - trip! Our guide JeanPaul was awesome and so friendly throughout.
Patti_C, May 2026
Igor was a great guide, the boat was small and comfortable, even on a hot day (no shade). Conveniently located, good communication from the company about where and when. Nice trip!
danielle_o, May 2026
fantastic boat ride and the operator and captain were so kind and friendly making sure we found the location of the boat.. very enjoyable experience!
Ravikumar_A, May 2026
I am my friends had a great time on the canal boat tour. It started from a convenient location - from the Amsterdam Central station. The boat ride was as described and we got a good view of the city and the canals.
Carol_S, May 2026
Had a lovely and informative cruise with John Paul. Wonderful way to explore Amsterdam. Highly recommend.
Brooke_A, May 2026
Igor was AMAZING!! Beautiful weather and friendly crew. Mother and daughter trip and had a great midday trip through the city! Answered all of our questions and very knowledgeable, would definitely do again!!
Keith_M, May 2026
The skipper Jean Paul made all the difference. Informative with a touch of humor. Perfect combination. This isn’t a party boat with drunken young people and a skipper that wants to be everyone’s friend. I never take organized tours but my wife persuaded me to this time. She was right (don’t tell her I said that!) I highly recommend this tour and skipper
Karina_C, May 2026
Very knowledgeable guide which made the tour very interesting! The weather was not cooperative (rain) and so unfortunately, we could not see much through the plastic window coverings.
From $22.61
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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