While we were trying to figure out what to do with our only day in Amsterdam, our Dutch friend offered her advice. “No matter what else you do,” she said, “an Amsterdam canal cruise is essential. You really can’t say you’ve seen Amsterdam without it.”
Is an Amsterdam canal boat tour worth it? Well, of all the things to do in Amsterdam, it ranks #1!
About Amsterdam’s canals
Maybe that’s because the city’s history is intimately connected with water. Water is essential to Amsterdam’s history. The city began its life as a fishing village in the 12th century, springing up along the banks of the river Amstel. Unfortunately, flooding became a problem, and so they dammed the Amstel. Before long, the town was known as Amstellodamus (Dam on the Amstel). Over time, its name got shortened to Amsterdam.
During the Dutch Golden Age (17th century), city planners built a series of canals in order to reclaim land to expand the city.
Today, you can’t picture Amsterdam without houseboats and canals. The canals are such a historical treasure that UNESCO added Amsterdam’s canal ring to its World Heritage Site list in 2010.
All told, there are 165 of them, with a combined length of 100 km (60 miles). They surround the city in concentric belts and connect to each other, making the center of Amsterdam resemble a fan when seen from above.
Canal cruise, Amsterdam style
We think a hop-on/hop-off bus is a convenient way to see all the popular, “must-see” sights quickly and for one price. But not here. Here, you take an Amsterdam city canal cruise instead.
The variety of Amsterdam canal cruise options is amazing.
- City canal cruise tour—this is the one we took. The 75-minute cruise tour of Amsterdam includes plenty of interesting facts. This is a relaxing and fun way to see the city’s historical center, the skinny bridge, the Golden Bend, famous churches, quaint canals, and more. Check availability
- 420-friendly cruise—Experience a unique boat tour in the heart of Amsterdam, starting out in the Red Light District. Take in the iconic sights and enjoy 2 free drinks aboard a brand new, weed-friendly luxury lounge boat with a unique UV-protected hybrid glass rooftop. Check availability
- Boat cruise with cheese & wine—Cruise the canals of Amsterdam’s Canal Belt as you dine on a delicious 4-course meal with vegetarian options. Experience the city as it comes alive at night, and cruise past the illuminated Skinny Bridge, merchant houses, and more. Check availability
- Canal cruise with 3-course dinner and wine – Enjoy an evening of fine dining on a 2-hour dinner cruise of Amsterdam’s canals. Depart from Centraal Station to see Amsterdam’s best sights while enjoying your choice of a 3-course meal with wine. Check availability
Spending hours on the water is possible, but for those who would prefer to explore the city on foot, there’s also the option of taking a regular canal tour of Amsterdam.
That’s what we did. Having taken a number of cruise tours, like the Thames (London) and the Singapore River, we knew from experience that any city with this much water looks completely different from a boat.
Looking back, that canal tour was one of the smartest things we did that day. It was an ideal introduction to the “Venice of the North”… and we have the photos to prove it.
👉🏼 Join this free Amsterdam walking tour to discover the must-see attractions and hear fascinating stories from a local guide. Leave a tip if you enjoy the tour—it’s their only compensation!
👉🏼 Join this free Amsterdam walking tour to discover the must-see attractions and hear fascinating stories from local guides. Remember, they rely on tips for their expertise, so show your appreciation!
Amsterdam bridges
While Venice Italy may have more canals, Amsterdam eclipses Venice in the number of bridges (1500 vs. 354). Interestingly, most of the bridges in the center of town can only accommodate the smallest of boats. They are that low.
Taller vessels need to use the larger waterways, where the bridges are able to open to let ships through. Speaking of which, “the bridge was open” is a valid excuse for being late for work in Amsterdam!
Crooked houses
Looming overhead and leaning toward the water, those tall and skinny houses that line its canals are as much a part of Amsterdam as bicycles and canal boats.
As nice and neat as they might look from the sidewalk, they don’t look quite as tidy near the roofline. At water level, the perspective shifts, revealing their jumbled and messy appearance at the top, as they protrude in various directions.
In the past, it made sense to build tall and skinny homes. They take up less space (lower land tax, more per square kilometer). Besides, high floors are more practical in a city with canals that are prone to flooding.
But there’s one major problem with tight and narrow houses: They also have tight and narrow staircases. It didn’t take long until folks figured out that it was impossible to get their furniture upstairs.
So then, how did the Dutch solve the problem?
Brilliantly! They get their goods to the upper floors from the outside! Look carefully, and you’ll see that every house has a large arm and hook sticking out below the peak of the roof. Items can be tied to this hook and pulled upstairs through the window.
Why do so many Dutch houses tilt forward? Because this reduces the risk of scraping the furniture on the façade on the way up. There’s also less of a chance of accidentally breaking a window. What a mess that would create!
Some of Amsterdam’s houses also lean because of problems with the foundation or the ground underneath. If you notice black braces on a home’s facade, they are there to help stabilize the house.
Houseboats everywhere
Many of the canals we passed on our canal cruise had houseboats moored along their banks. Our tour guide told us that many have been around for more than a century. Most are residential homes, but not all. Some houseboats have been converted to hotels, others are available as short-term rentals, and you can even visit the Houseboat Museum to see what one looks like inside.
Because of how affordable they are (as compared to houses) houseboats quickly became very popular housing options. At one point the canals became so crowded with houseboats that Amsterdam finally passed a law requiring a mooring permit, then limited the number of permits. Today there are around 2500 houseboats in the city.
Those houseboats could have become an eyesore. However, Amsterdam has a law that wooden houseboats need to be repainted every three years, so most newer boats are made of concrete.
Amsterdam trip planning resources
- Read more in iAmsterdam’s guide: Canal Cruising: On the Water in Amsterdam
- Our How to See Amsterdam in One Day itinerary is a first-hand example of how to fit a canal cruise into a short visit. That will give you time to see other nearby places, like the windmills at Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Explore our Netherlands travel photos for more inspiration.
I grew up just 10 minutes from Amsterdam, it’s such a shame people only know it for its “red lights and green smoke”. I really like your post, showing what Amsterdam really is like 🙂
Thank you for the feedback, Saskia. It’s great hearing from locals. What would you recommend for people who are visiting a second day?
Before…. i didnt know and i dnt care about the place of amsterdam… bcause i am ordinary people here in phillippines … but when i hear and know about the story of “Anne frank” who lived there before.. i was so curious evrything about her place where she lived. I was search, google, and watch her story.. etc.. etc.. shes so amazing, and strong young girl!! I admire her so much… really! My husband’s surprise me when he gave me the book of “anne frank” “The Diary of a young girl” in our 3rd wedding anniversary! and im so happy and excited to read that.. so sad i dnt have a gift to him.. but he said.. “its okay” bcoz when he saw me happy and cotented.. his happy too! For me.. Hehehe… haisst.. if only i can go there to visit her place bcoz its a museum already in Prinsengracht. Where they hid for 2yrs.. but im just ordinary girl here in phillipines to far from my dreams to go there.. but its okay.. im happy that i saw the pictures.. sorry if my messaged was too long.. i just want to share my feelings bout that! Thnku so much!!!
We’re glad you liked our photos, Pearlynn.
i am ashamed to admit that I had no idea that these were UNESCO listed. Thanks for that little bit of learning today 🙂
That’s two of us! We only found out after we’d been there.
Your beautiful pictures really captured the essence of Amsterdam. We did the canal cruise a few years ago but it was the tour and not the HOHO version. It is such a great city to explore. We were there in late November but would love to go back when the trees are greener and the weather is warmer.
Thank you for the compliment about Dan’s photos, Mary. You’re right, Amsterdam is a great city to explore, very compact and walkable. We did the canal tour too because we were only there for a day. Ha – actually we’ve been in and out of Amsterdam three times and we haven’t spent more than a day in it yet.
Wow! Your pictures of Amsterdam are stunning, especially the ones of the canal and the houses. I have never been there but judging from your photos and what you said, a tour of the canal by boat provides a different and very unique perspective of the place. Oh, and staying on a houseboat sounds like a cool thing to do, too!
Yes, those houseboats do sound like a unique place to stay. We would like to rent one when we have the chance to spend a few days in the city.
Thanks for sharing this post Linda. We are planning an European river cruise this summer and I was thinking of starting or ending it in Amsterdam. I find your information very useful, since I wasn’t sure if I should do a canal cruise too. I am not sure the river cruise ships can get on the canals in Amsterdam.
If a tour of Amsterdam isn’t an included part of your cruise, you should definitely plan to spend a couple of hours on a canal cruise before/after your trip. Those canals are way too small for a ship of that size.
I really want to make it to Amsterdam one day, and you’re right – you can’t go without riding on the canals!! It’s a bonus that it’s a good way to get an intro to the city. I didn’t realize so many people lived in house boats there! I just love the houses along the canal – they’re so beautiful.
The next time we have a chance, we want to stay in one of those houseboats. It’s a bit of a splurge but we don’t mind paying extra for memorable experiences.
Hi Linda,
My wife Kelli deems this city as one of her fave on earth; and it ain’t just for the green smoke 😉 Definitely not the red lights unless she’s keeping a secret from me, LOL! I find the canals and overall vibe to be most attractive, at least from afar as I’ve yet to pull myself from the beaches and warm temperatures of SE Asia or the South Pacific. I figure when the time is right we’ll go there and enjoy the city together. Awesome vibe, great people too, as we’ve met so many fun-loving, kind Dutch ex-pats and tourists during our world travels. One Dutch dude in Chiang Mai spoke English like an American. I was stunned. No accent, no hint of anything other than sounding like he was from the States. He spoke English better than I 😉
Thanks Linda!
Ryan
We’re totally with you on the preference for sand and warm weather. Dan and I spent years within 8 degrees of the Equator because we don’t like cold toes. That said, we do like the European wines, cuisines, and ease of travel from one country and culture to the next. In an ideal world we would spend summers there and move to warmer climes as soon as the weather got cool.
My second-best friend in Panama (Dan will always be my #1) is Dutch and her English is perfect as well. I can’t say the same for my Dutch!
Thanks for your comments, Ryan. I appreciate your insights.
Linda