What It’s Like to Take a Small Boat Tour in Amsterdam
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Ever wonder what it’s like to cruise the canals in Amsterdam? Wanting to have a better view of the city, we took a small boat tour in Amsterdam and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Before our recent Baltic cruise, which took place in late May, we spent a couple of days in Amsterdam, trying to experience as much of it as we could. The best way we found to do that—aside from renting a bicycle—is to take an Amsterdam small boat tour. We stayed at the Amsterdam Marriott, conveniently located on the southern side of the canal ring, and found a Blue Boat canal cruise dock just a short walk away.
On our free day in Amsterdam, the skies were gray, which was a shame. But I was still excited to go on a tour and take as many photos as possible of this picturesque city. Our small-boat tour on Blue Boat was €23 each and lasted about an hour.
After waiting a few minutes on a bench on the dock for the appointed time, we met our captain, who ushered us onto the boat with about eight other people. Blue padded cushions made our ride comfortable, along with the gray wool blankets he provided those of us who were chilly. Although I wore a blue jean jacket, I took advantage of the offered blanket.
One thing you need to be aware of in the late spring and early summer is that the temperatures in Amsterdam can be quite cool. This time of year, be sure to wear a jacket on your canal cruise. Some boats like ours will even provide blankets for you.
As our cruise started, the captain warned us to stay seated and keep our arms inside the boat and our heads down when we cruised under the bridges, which were quite low. Some are also very narrow. We were allowed to stand up to take photos, but I elected to stay seated. Didn’t want to rock the boat, you know.
What You’ll See on a Small Boat Tour in Amsterdam
In a nutshell, you’ll see beautiful row houses and other buildings in various styles, small boats and houseboats moored along the canal, other canal tour boats of all shapes and sizes, low bridges, and bicycles. Lots and lots of bicycles.
If your captain is good like ours was, they’ll regale you with stories of Amsterdam’s history, interesting tidbits about the places you’re passing, and a little insight into Amsterdam’s culture.
One tidbit he shared that surprised me is that the canal water is quite clean. He scooped up a plastic cup of it to show us how clear it was. Not clean enough to drink, naturally, but better than I would expect.
Canal Views Along the Way
The overall views along the canals are quite stunning. Rows and rows of former warehouses have been converted into homes or businesses. Amsterdam is quite green, especially this time of year, so the trees were lovely with their new bright green leaves.
Buildings Along the Way
Buildings in Amsterdam are constructed primarily of brick, so the colors are muted compared to the building colors in Dutch colonies like Curacao. The row houses are narrow in the front but deep, and some larger homes have combined more than one row house to give them the space they desire.
Boats Along the Way
With the price of homes along the canals astronomical, many people choose to live in houseboats. Berths for those are also incredibly expensive, though. Amsterdam is quite a pricey city.
Bridges Along the Way
As I mentioned before, bridges along the canals are very low and frequent, so you’ll need to pay attention to be sure you don’t get hurt. You’ll find yourself ducking more than necessary as you pass below, just to be sure you don’t get conked in the head.
Bicycles
Bicycles are incredibly prevalent in the Netherlands, as I imagine keeping a car there might be quite expensive. Along your canal tour, you’ll see them parked along the canal at your side and on the bridges over your head.
You’ll see cars, of course, but not as many cars as bicycles. Both tourists and residents alike ride them, and when you’re walking in the city, you’ll need to be sure to watch out for them as they have the right of way.
The bicycles adorned with flowers I saw often throughout the city like the one below are the work of an American ex-pat known as the Flower Bike Man, who takes pleasure in spreading joy throughout the city.
Other Canal Tours Available
Many other options are available for canal tours in Amsterdam, including large-boat tours like the one shown below, lunch tours, drinks tours, and evening tours. You can even take paddle boats!
I’m glad we chose the tour we did because if we were on a large-boat tour, I would have been taking pictures through a window, which isn’t optimal. For a lunch or drinks tour, I’d be distracted from taking pictures and enjoying the scenery, which is the whole reason I wanted to take the tour in the first place.
An evening tour would have been nice for scenery, but not so much for pictures as the boat is moving and the photos would be blurry, unless I’d brought along my high-speed camera DSLR, which I didn’t for this trip. So, a small boat tour worked out perfectly for us. I took hundreds of photos and ended up with several that I was quite pleased with.
Your preferences for cruises may be different, though, so check out your options.
What It’s Like On The Boat
A small-boat tour is great, but your greatest obstacle in taking pictures will be the other passengers. I ended up doing a fair bit of cropping of my photos to eliminate the heads and elbows of our boatmates. Some of the other passengers merely soaked in all the scenery without capturing it on their phones or cameras, which might be the very best way to enjoy a small-boat cruise in Amsterdam.
Planning To Go?
If you’d like to take a small boat tour in Amsterdam (or a large-boat tour), it’s smart to book ahead. Purchase your tickets ahead of time online, and show up a few minutes ahead of time, dressed to be comfortable for the tour.
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Final Thoughts on Taking a Small Boat Tour in Amsterdam
Taking a small-boat tour in Amsterdam is a must-do while you’re there. Whether you take a large boat or a small one, you’re sure to enjoy the experience. One piece of advice: put down your camera for a while and really soak in the experience. It will be one to remember. With that in mind, maybe next time we’ll take an evening canal cruise tour.
Here’s our post on the Top 10 Things To Do In Amsterdam, if you’d like to take a peek. Plus, our hotel recommendation for Amsterdam.
Happy cruising!
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