Amsterdam 90-min Private Canal Cruise with Live Guide and Drinks

Recommended by 99% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Amsterdam, Netherlands

High interest

Booked 2 times today.

1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Shanshan_P ·

Aug 2026

Highly recommend. Best way of seeing the quintessential Amsterdam. I have been here so many times and this time I discovered so much more thanks to the captain, friendly and knowledgeable. Relaxing way to tour Amsterdam with kids, no constantly worrying about stepping into all modes of traffic. “The boat ride was really fun.” - my kid says.

· Maneesh_J ·

Jul 2026

We really enjoyed our experience. The company helped us find a nearby pizza place which we enjoyed on the boat. The ride was very safe and relaxing, with the captain being super friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!!

Overview

Relax after a busy day of sightseeing on a private evening cruise of Amsterdam’s historic canals. Take in views of the historic waterways at sunset, travelling through areas including the UNESCO-listed Canal District and De Wallen, and benefit from a customizable itinerary according to the group’s interests. Gain insight into the landmarks and routes from you local skipper, and choose a tour time that suits your schedule.

Discover the famous Amsterdam canals illuminated by city lights
Relax after a busy day of sightseeing on a scenic cruise
Enjoy a customizable itinerary according to group interests
Learn about the city from your local skipper

What's Included

Live commentary on board
Eco-friendly sightseeing cruise
Private Tour
Local certified skipper
Drinks (Water, Soft drinks, Beer, Prosecco)
Dog-friendly

Food (You may bring your own on-board!)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Prinsengracht 375, 1016 Amsterdam, Netherlands
The skipper will be at the waterside at the exact start time of your tour. You can recognise the boat by: White boat, Blue Roof, Turquoise blue seats, Heart logo on the side, Boat Name is Gordita.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

The Jordaan (Pass By)

Canal Ring (Grachtengordel) (Pass By)

De Gouden Bocht (Pass By)

Amsterdam (Pass By)

The Amstel (Pass By)

Amsterdam (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation in case of extreme weather. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately. Blankets and optional roof available
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

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

Amy_C

Lucas was the best! He was very friendly and made the tour so interesting. Such a beautiful and relaxing way to see Amsterdam!!

Reviews

4.9

based on 336 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sort by: Most insightful

Wonderful private canal cruise

Kelly_P, Aug 2026

Papp was a fantastic guide. He gave us a wonderful information about the city while riding us around the canalsz

Highly recommend!

Shanshan_P, Aug 2026

Response from Host, Aug 2026

Wonderful you and your family enjoyed yourselves, and thank you for the lovely review!

Highly Recommended Personal Tour

Clinton_C, Aug 2026

What a wonderful experience. Skipper Paap was informative and provided a delightful tour. It was relaxed and just what we needed for a Sunday afternoon visiting. Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Aug 2026

Thank you for the excellent review! We greatly appreciate it, and are happy you enjoyed yourselves and the experience.

Perfect Canal Trip

Maneesh_J, Jul 2026

Response from Host, Aug 2026

Thank you for the great review Maneesh! We're happy that you enjoyed yourselves. Hope to see you on the canals again sometime.

excellent time had by all

Lee_W, Jul 2026

Alex the driver was incredible with facts and info. Was excellent overall. We saw so much of the city we would not have by foot

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Thank you so much for the excellent review! We really appreciate it and will let Alex know ;)

Great tour ! We enjoyed...

Laura_G, Jul 2026

Great tour ! We enjoyed having a tour with just 8 of us. Our guide was fun and we got to see a lot of the city in 90 mins,

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Thank you so much for the review Laura, we're happy you all enjoyed yourselves! Hope to welcome you on the canals again sometime.

Excellent tour of the beautiful Amsterdam canal system and surrounding buildings and history.

Bob_B, Jun 2026

Excellent private tour in a comfortable boat. We saw much of the city from the canals and learned lots of local history.

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Thank you for your review, we greatly appreciate it and hope to welcome you on the canals again sometime.

Private Cruise Canal Tour

Martin_S, Jun 2026

Awesome tour and the skipper was great! Super nice! They were on time and very communicative, a must do!

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Thank you for this great review Martin! We appreciate it, and hope to welcome you on the canals again in the future :)

Great way to see the...

Katie_B, Jun 2026

Great way to see the city! Fun and friendly guide as well. Definitely recommend doing. It was chilly and he had blankets for us so we could keep the boat open and still enjoy it!

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Thank you for this excellent review! We're glad you enjoyed the canals and the blankets ;)

An Amsterdam must do!

Bradi_B, May 2026

Our tour guide/Captain was fantastic. Super knowledgeable of the area very pleasant and great boat driver.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you for the excellent review Bradi! Much appreciated, glad you enjoyed yourselves :)

We had an amazing trip!...

Karen_P, May 2026

We had an amazing trip! Skipped Paap was the perfect guide & it was so nice to see parts of the city we haven’t experienced yet. So calming & peaceful by the water. Very informative and he answered all of our questions!

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you Karen! We appreciate your excellent review, hope to welcome you on the canals again sometime.

Excellent

Sara_P, May 2026

Excellent way to see and learn about the city of Amsterdam - very informative and fun experience for just the 6 of us traveling together.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you for the gracious review, we are happy you enjoyed yourselves.

We loved our canal cruise...

Alyson_B, Apr 2026

We loved our canal cruise - Paap was an excellent skipper and very knowledgeable about architecture and history of Amsterdam. Would highly recommend!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for your lovely review! We're so glad you enjoyed yourselves with the best skipper in Amsterdam :)

This is a MUST

Mario_P, Feb 2026

This is a MUST do tour in Amsterdam. Pap was incredible, on time, the boat is super comfortable and the experience is amazing.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you for your recommendation. We’re glad you enjoyed the tour with Paap and found the experience comfortable and special. Hope to welcome you back soon!

Unique Canal Experience ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sherilyn_S, Dec 2025

We had the best time with Skipper Paap! He showed us way more than we expected and took the time to capture several photos of us. I’ve taken a few canal tours and this one was far more exciting and enjoyable than the others. Highly recommend this private 90-min tour!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you so much for this glowing review! We are thrilled you enjoyed yourselves and captain Paap's superior knowledge of the canals of Amsterdam.

Go Private with Paap! There’s no better way!

Carmen_F, Nov 2025

It’s not that much more for private…&…worth it! The excellent boating skills, personal attention and knowledge of this local enhances any experience!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you for the kind review! Paap is the best, glad you enjoyed yourselves :)

Would 10/10 recommend!

Melissa_S, Sep 2025

Would 10/10 recommend this private canal tour. Was an excellent small group activity. Pap was a wealth of knowledge, funny, and open to our questions, etc. We are Ted Lasso fans and he even showed us where Rebecca fell in the canal and which house boat they were on!

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you, Melissa! So lovely to hear you enjoyed the cruise and Paap’s stories. Sounds like that film location was a fun surprise, glad you got to see it!

A private canal ride through this beautiful city is a must.

Robert_R, Sep 2025

Our guide and tour was a highlight of our trip to Amsterdam. The day was rainy but this boat has a clear top and open sides making the ride pleasant. His knowledge of the area was exceptional and the city is......beautiful!!

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you for your kind words. We're so glad the cruise was a highlight of your trip, even with the rain. Amsterdam has its own quiet charm in that weather, and it’s wonderful you could enjoy it from the canals.

Not great for the money. ...

steve_t, Sep 2025

Not great for the money. Handed us a half bottle of flat prosecco and thought Auschwitz was in Germany. The private boat was good and preferred to large crowded boats so not terrible but not what we’ve come to expect with Viator tours and guides

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Hi Steve, We're sorry that our tour didn't live up to your expectations. In order to save the environment, we do save our partially used bottles, however we should have checked whether it was sparkly or flat. Our apologies for this. If you are still in town, we would love to offer you a discounted tour with guaranteed sparkly wine and our most expert skipper. Contact us if you want to take us up on this.

Great tour - worth the money!

Emma_R, Sep 2025

Lucas was our skipper and he was excellent!! He gave us great insight into the city & its history. He was really friendly & easy to chat with, but also gave us privacy to take in the sights & talk amongst ourselves. The boat was very clean and Lucas was a great driver, we felt very safe the entire time! Refreshments on board (Cava & Beer) were great. Boat location was easy to find.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for the excellent review and we're happy you and the other guests enjoyed yourselves. Hope to see you again sometime!

Do this tour!

Lisa_B, Sep 2025

Relaxed, informative, great captain! We throughly enjoyed this trip and Captain Deep was great. Informative without over talking, small enough boat to be intimate and yet plenty of room to spread out!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

We're happy to hear you had an enjoyable tour with skipper Deep. Thank you for the positive review!

What a scam!

Lena_C, Sep 2025

Don't recommend at all, absolute rip-off for the money! Boat is nothing special, no amenities and no drinks (as promised in the description). 1 hour 20 minutes through a few canals in Jordaan at 20 km/h, not covering many sights. Tour "guide" is an international student, recently moved to Amsterdam and learned 3 Wikipedia facts. Instead of some history or interesting facts, we just got awkward small talk about food and religion (not kidding). Felt scammed afterwards

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Hi Lena, Thank you for your feedback. We’ve tried to contact you about this. We’re truly sorry your cruise didn’t reflect the quality and service we aim to deliver. Our tours include drinks and a well-informed skipper guide, so it’s clear we fell short in this case. We are reviewing this with our team to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Please contact us directly so we can make this right. (By mail to Ahoy@bookatour.amsterdam or phone +31202101256). We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Kind regards, Carla

Great experience

Jamie_F, Sep 2025

Great private experience. Lucas was very knowledgeable and pleasant. Beautiful scenery. Love Amsterdam.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for the review, and we're happy you enjoyed yourself and the scenery :)

Wonderful

kee_S, Aug 2025

The boat ride through the canals was incredible . The skipper (Deep) was excellent and extremely knowledgeable.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for the great review and we're happy you enjoyed the canals with our expert skipper Deep! Hope to see you again on the canals soon.

Great private tour

CARLOS_M, Aug 2025

A pleasant beautiful ride that gives you a nice romantic introduction to the city. Our captain was very knowledgeable

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for the nice review Carlos, we hope to have you on the canals with us again soon!

Great time

John_W, Jul 2025

Great trip, nice boat, and friendly guide. Drinks could have been a little better, but we had a geat time overall.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you for your feedback, John! Glad to hear you enjoyed the trip and the guide. We appreciate your note about the drinks, if you have suggestions, we’d love to hear them. Thanks again! Kind regards,

Great Tour

Mark_G, Jul 2025

We had a great tour with Paap. The canals were beautiful and Paap kept us engaged throughout with great information. Highly recommended!

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you, Mark! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the tour with skipper Paap. Thanks a lot for your recommendation, we hope to see you on board again! Best regards,

Enjoyed our canal tour with Lucas!

Alice_T, Jul 2025

Lucas was very friendly and knowledgeable. We learned a lot and had a great time! Highly recommend- it’s a great way to see a special part of Amsterdam.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you for this wonderful review! We'll let Lucas know that you had a great tour with him :)

Must Do in Amsterdam!

Thomas_B, Jul 2025

Wonderful experience and a must-do in Amsterdam. Great way to see the whole city! Driver was extremely knowledgeable about the area, pointing out many important buildings and attractions. He also let our kids drive the boat!