Skip to main content

Amsterdam Light Festival Canal Cruise With Unlimited Drinks

Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.4
·
· Tanya_W ·
Jan 2026
A last minute booking and it was a great decision! The boat was warm and comfortable, plentiful drinks and our captain and host were funny, knowledgeable and interesting. It was a beautiful way to see the festival of lights and lean some history. Highly recommended!
· Gary_H ·
Jan 2026
Goose and Lex were the best hosts ever! So friendly and helping and made our experience so great. Lex was a phenomenal boat captain and Goose was great at being interactive and showing us around the city. 1000000/10 would recommend and do again! Was very worthwhile.

Overview

Cruise the canals of Amsterdam to see the city illuminated during the Amsterdam Light Festival, and enjoy unobstructed views of the glowing artwork. All drinks are provided on this evening canal cruise, with options that include beer, wine, mulled wine, and soda. Heated cushions, blankets, and a covered bow ensure a comfortable cruise even if the weather is chilly, and the boat’s open back is ideal for photography.
  • Get beautiful views of the Amsterdam Light Festival
  • Heineken beer, wines, mulled wine, and sodas provided
  • Choose from open and covered seating options
  • Convenient departure point in a central location

What's Included

  • All drinks included (Heineken beer, wines, mulled wine, soda's)
  • Comfortable pillows
  • 100% Electric boats
  • Live guided tour
  • Toilet
  • Young and enthousiast crew

    Meeting and Pickup

    Meeting point

    • Amstel 51F, 1018 EJ Amsterdam, Netherlands

      Please meet us 15 minutes before your scheduled departure time for your check-in at: Boat Stop in front of the H'ART Museum located on the Amstel river.

    End point

    This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    Itinerary

    Boat Amsterdam (Pass By)

    1

    Amsterdam Light Festival

    1 hour 15 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

    The Amstel (Pass By)

    Montelbaanstoren (Pass By)

    ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo (Pass By)

    H'ART Museum (Pass By)

    Ice Amsterdam (Pass By)

    Het Scheepvaartmuseum| The National Maritime Museum (Pass By)

    Dutch National Opera & Ballet (Pass By)

    De Sluyswacht (Pass By)

    Waterlooplein Market (Pass By)

    Magere Brug (Pass By)

    Koninklijk Theater Carre (Pass By)

    NEMO Science Museum (Pass By)

    Additional Info

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Children must be accompanied by an adult
    • Stroller accessible
    • Minimum drinking age is 18 years
    • Service animals allowed
    • Near public transportation
    • Infants must sit on laps
    • Most travelers can participate
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers

    Cancellation Policy

    You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

    Traveler Photos

    Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

    Featured review

    Gary_H
    Goose and Lex were the best hosts ever! So friendly and helping and made our experience so great. Lex was a phenomenal boat captain and Goose was great at being interactive and showing us around the city. 1000000/10 would recommend and do again! Was very worthwhile.

    Reviews

    4.4
    based on 699 reviews
    Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

    Amazing way to see Amsterdam

    Tanya_W, Jan 2026
    A last minute booking and it was a great decision! The boat was warm and comfortable, plentiful drinks and our captain and host were funny, knowledgeable and interesting. It was a beautiful way to see the festival of lights and lean some history. Highly recommended!

    Lex, Goose, and the canal cruise were a great time.

    Gary_H, Jan 2026
    Goose and Lex were the best hosts ever! So friendly and helping and made our experience so great. Lex was a phenomenal boat captain and Goose was great at being interactive and showing us around the city. 1000000/10 would recommend and do again! Was very worthwhile.

    Worth the cost for the...

    Corey_M, Jan 2026
    Worth the cost for the ride and guide alone, add in the drinks which they make you feel welcome to have as many as you’d like.

    Great! Very interesting...

    MichalYalli_T, Jan 2026
    Great! Very interesting and beautiful Flo was are guide and he his so knowledgeable, nice and amazing

    No boat

    Richard_R, Jan 2026
    Boat could not be located we were there at Amstel 51 and no boat. We were walking around the pier and looked at several slips and there was no boat at 51F

    Must do

    John_E, Jan 2026
    Really enjoyed the tour. Our captain and our guide. "little goose" were great. Nice warm and cozy too

    Light, art, and great times!

    Mercy_O, Jan 2026
    This was a great trip through the various canals that house the Light Festival art installations. Both the captain and host were fantastic, knowledgeable, and attentive, especially with the free drinks! It's well worth it to see Amsterdam in a different light during one of the great times of the year. Plus, the snow was a bonus that made everything more beautiful!

    Awesome!

    John_G, Jan 2026
    It was great. Highly recommend, especially for the price! We had a fun group and our guide did a nice job of explaining all the various art/light works.

    So many other boat tours to choose from

    Peter_S, Jan 2026
    Was not as expected. Very cold, no heated seats or blankets are described in description. The windows were all foggy, so you couldn’t see much. The tour guides, didn’t have microphones, so they were talking very loud, so depending on where you sat, it was either extremely loud or you couldn’t hear anything. We were crammed inside the boat as they over booked

    Canal boat cruise

    KAMAL_S, Jan 2026
    Great boat experience and friendly staff who keep you well informed. Nice and warm inside the boat and unlimited drinks.

    The excursion was very...

    David_I, Jan 2026
    The excursion was very good and friendly staff also gave a good overview of the city network around Amsterdam

    Personally I was...

    klay0308, Jan 2026
    Personally I was disappointed in the light festival. The ride itself was fine, the people there did their job well but the tour itself was just okay. Expected more on that front and unfortunately it just didn’t deliver. I’ll 100% recommend the boat company just not this light festival tour.

    Very enjoyable way to...

    Danielle_F, Jan 2026
    Very enjoyable way to quickly see the city! Hosts were kind and knowledgeable. Art was beautiful and fun to see.

    Incredible Activity and Experience!

    Angel_C, Jan 2026
    Such a fun activity in Amsterdam! It was easy to find the meeting point as listed on the App, drinks were included which was bonus and the best part of the tour was the Captain (Moco) and the Host (Luuk Stad). They were excellent and extremely knowledgeable on not only the Light Festival but also Amsterdam. I would recommend this activity to everyone whilst in Amsterdam.

    Could of been better

    Philip_W, Dec 2025
    Arrived at the start time and was shown to a boat which was absolutely packed and we couldn’t find any seats, so we got off the boat to speak to the staff who said there must be room and they went to have a look, they came off and said that we need to find a seat and that some people with kids were taking up to much room and to ask them to move so we could squeeze around a table to which we said no as we hadn’t paid money to squeeze onto a boat, eventually they agreed to let us get the next one which was a smaller open boat which was much better and as it was open it was easier to see everything. The caption and boast on the boat were amazing, it was just a shame that the staff on the dock let this experience down!

    Not so great

    Deb_G, Dec 2025
    Boat was late We sat at the dock for almost 30 minutes before we took off There were 2 guides on the boat One told the front of boat and the other told the back, so it was hard to hear with both talking at same time. The guy of course I had didn’t explain as much, he even said he didn’t know a lot of one of the lights. It was really not the best which was a bummer for my last night in Amsterdam. Choose a different experience.

    Nice opportunity to see...

    Maria_K, Dec 2025
    Nice opportunity to see this interesting light festival and the city by night. Make sure you wear warm clothes.

    Canal lights festival

    Deirdre_K, Dec 2025
    Great time. We enjoyed the evening lights and canal boat ride. We were given blankets and heated seats plus warm beverages and drinks. The guide and captain were very friendly and knowledgeable. Recommend

    Pleasent but not Christmas

    Michael_P, Dec 2025
    There is very little Christmas, it is artwork not Christmas Themed. If you sit in the back its a better view and pleasent but you cannot hear host.

    Good value and great time

    mpinos721, Dec 2025
    This was a cute experience. The tour guide and the boat driver were very knowledgeable. The company itself was very communicative. Would definitely use them again if in Amsterdam

    Late and unable to see inside

    Elisha_F, Dec 2025
    It was a shame as it was 30 minutes late, which made us late to our dinner reservation. The boat was huge and we all had to squeeze at the back as the condensation on the glass made it misty and unable to see anything if you sat inside. Tour guide was friendly and explained the art well. Wouldn’t do it again.

    Light tour

    Ognjen_A, Dec 2025
    Tour guide is great, relaxed and cool. We had a great time on the tour They also had a variety of drinks

    Beautiful lights from the community!

    Alexis_C, Dec 2025
    It was great to be able to see the lights from the boat instead of walking it! My tour guide was a bit standoffish towards me but kind to other guests, so it wasn’t that big of a deal. I personally wouldn’t take it again, and unsure if I would recommend it to other travelers because of it.

    Night cruise of Amsterdam light art exhibit.

    Robert_S, Dec 2025
    This was a wonderful experience as long as you understand that this isn’t a Christmas light show. These lights are part of an art exhibit. It is a very fun and unique experience. The captain and host were super nice. Had fun!!!

    Olaf and Luke were...

    Ella_G, Dec 2025
    Olaf and Luke were fantastic, we very much enjoyed our time on board! It was super informative and there was so much to see!

    Fun and festive

    Jenna_E, Dec 2025
    Fun and festive evening activity! You learn about the artists who made the light displays and get to relax with beer and wine!

    Light festival itself was...

    Deborah_B, Dec 2025
    Light festival itself was a little underwhelming but the staff on board more than made up for this by being friendly, funny and engaging. Would recommend.

    Amsterdam Christmas lights,

    Andrew_L, Dec 2025
    Friendly knowledgeable tour guide and attentive staff, great to see the Amsterdam Christmas lights from the canals

    Must see lights during the light festival

    Sandi_F, Dec 2025
    Highly recommend a boat tour to see the light festival. The guide was very knowledgeable and it was fun to learn about the inspiration behind the art pieces.

    Great host and driver....

    Jen_L, Dec 2025
    Great host and driver. Beautiful city. Stayed warm with mulled wine and heated cushions and blankets. Hard to take photos through glass sit in open outside area if you want good photos.
    Likely to Sell Out

    From $37.96

    per person

    up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

    Book ahead!
    On average, this is booked 8 days in advance.

    Compare Similar Experiences

    1 / 3
    Current
    Special Offer
    Amsterdam Light Festival Canal Cruise With Unlimited Drinks


    1 hour 15 minutes
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $37.96