Amsterdam canal cruise: which boat to choose and what it costs

Which type of boat to choose

The history of the canal ring and its main viewpoints are covered in our page on the canals of Amsterdam; this guide focuses on choosing a boat.

• The glass-roofed sightseeing boat: the long, low boat with a glass roof, heated in winter, with a toilet on board and an audio guide in about twenty languages, including English. It is the cheapest option, but you sit in rows behind a window with dozens of other passengers.
• The small open boat with a skipper: ten to twenty passengers, live commentary, often in English only, and narrower canals than the big boats can use. Expect to pay from €20 to over €40 per person.
• The saloon boat: an old, restored pleasure boat with a small covered lounge, for a small group, often with a drink on board.
• The self-drive electric boat: you rent a small boat for 2 to 4 hours and choose your own route. No commentary, but real freedom.

Glass-roofed boats: companies, piers and prices

Most glass-roofed boats leave from four areas: Central Station and the Damrak, right opposite; the Rijksmuseum, on the Stadhouderskade; the Leidseplein; and the Anne Frank House area, around the Westermarkt. Trips return to their starting point.

• Stromma: its one-hour cruise leaves from the Damrak (piers 4 to 6, 2 minutes from the station), Central Station and the Leidseplein, for €13.50 online (€14.50 at the ticket office). From the Rijksmuseum, the trip lasts 1 hr 15 and costs €16.50 online (€17.50 at the ticket office). Children aged 4 to 12 pay €12.50 and under-4s travel free. Boats leave roughly every 30 minutes depending on the season.
• LOVERS: the classic one-hour cruise leaves opposite Central Station (Prins Hendrikkade 25), as well as from the Westermarkt, the Leidseplein and the Rijksmuseum, daily from 9:00 to 21:00, from €15.50 online. The child fare applies from 4 to 13. Boats are heated, have toilets and are almost all electric.
• Blue Boat Company: departs from Stadhouderskade 501, opposite the Hard Rock Cafe, between the Leidseplein and the Rijksmuseum. The 75-minute cruise costs €26 per adult and €13.50 per child. The company runs wheelchair-accessible boats on some departures.

These three companies offer the same type of boat and a similar route: pick the pier closest to your plans for the day and book online.

Small open boats and saloon boats

These boats take few passengers and often have no toilet: book them in advance.

• Stromma Open Boat: one hour on an open electric boat, covered in bad weather, with a skipper commenting in English and Dutch, from the Damrak (pier 6), the Rijksmuseum or the Leidseplein, for €20.50 online (€21.50 at the ticket office). There is no toilet on board, and boarding via steps rules out wheelchairs.
• Flagship Amsterdam: the one-hour cruise leaves from Prinsengracht 267 (near the Anne Frank House), Prins Hendrikkade 33A (Central Station) or Museumbrug 1 (Rijksmuseum), for €19.40 per adult online instead of €22.95. In good weather it runs on an open boat; in cold or wet weather, on a glazed saloon boat. There is a bar on board.
• Those Dam Boat Guys: a trip of at least 90 minutes, with 10 passengers at most, from the dock in front of Keizersgracht 100, for €36.50 per adult (€31.50 for children and students). You can bring your own drinks and snacks, or buy them at the company's office, Prinsenstraat 13, before departure.
• Pure Boats: from Keizersgracht 106, the "Iconic" cruise of about 75 minutes, one drink included, costs €42.50 (€25 for under-14s), with 16 passengers at most. The 2-hour option with a self-service bar costs from €69 excluding fees (ages 14 and up).
• Signature Boats saloon boat (Stromma): 90 minutes on a boat more than a hundred years old, for 12 passengers at most, from €47.95.

Evening cruises and dinner cruises

At night, lit bridges and glowing windows give the canals a different look. Blue Boat Company runs a 90-minute evening cruise at €28 per adult, every evening, from Stadhouderskade 501; LOVERS also has a one-hour evening cruise on a glass-roofed boat. For couples, our guide to romantic Amsterdam covers the cheese and wine cruise and other evening ideas on the water.

Cruises with drinks and food mostly leave from the Damrak and Central Station:

• Stromma offers, from the Damrak, a 1 hr 30 pizza cruise, a 1 hr 15 cheese and wine cruise (adults only), a 1 hr 45 beer tasting, a 1 hr 15 cocktail cruise and a one-hour Aperol Spritz cruise, from €29.50 to €39.50 depending on the option, the date and how you buy.
• LOVERS runs a proper dinner cruise: 2 hours, a four-course menu (meat, fish or vegetarian) with wine, beer and soft drinks, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 19:00, from the LOVERS Café, Prins Hendrikkade 25. It costs €89 per person, from age 12, and the boat is not wheelchair accessible.

In winter, the Amsterdam Light Festival places light artworks along the canals from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027; many companies then sell a special cruise, described on our festival page.

Renting a self-drive electric boat with no licence

The small electric boats rented to visitors require no licence: the rental company gives you a short briefing and a map of the canals before you set off. The driver must be at least 18.

• Mokumboot: seven rental points around the city (including the centre, on the Nassaukade, De Pijp, the Amstel and the east), daily from 9:00 to 22:00. The boat, for up to 8 people, costs €97.50 for 2 hours, €140 for 3 hours and €170 for 4 hours, plus €2.70 tourist tax per person and a €100 deposit.
• Boaty: a single departure point, on the Jozef Israëlskade, next to the Hotel Okura, on the edge of De Pijp. The boat, for up to 6 people (children count), costs €69 for 2 hours in the morning and €79 in the afternoon, €89 or €99 for 3 hours, €114 or €124 for 4 hours, plus €2.70 tourist tax per person. The €100 deposit is held on a bank card, not in cash.
• Stromma pedal boats: for one hour only, pedal boats can be rented at the Rijksmuseum, the Leidseplein, on the Keizersgracht and near the Anne Frank House, from €23.50 online.

If you like the idea of steering yourself, a day trip to Giethoorn, a village without roads where people get around by electric boat, offers a much calmer time on the water than central Amsterdam.

Boating rules

• Speed: 6 km/h maximum on the canals, 7.5 km/h on the Amstel towards Ouderkerk aan de Amstel and on the Kostverlorenvaart. Keep to the right and leave the middle of the channel to the big boats, which struggle to manoeuvre on bends and under bridges.
• Alcohol: the person steering must not exceed 0.5 g of alcohol per litre of blood, the same as when driving. The police can breath-test a skipper on the water just as on the road. Passengers may drink, in moderation.
• Noise: the city bans music and shouting on the canals, out of respect for residents.
• Passengers: a private or rented boat carries no more than 12 passengers plus the skipper; above that, you need a licensed boat with crew.
• No-go areas: rental companies, Mokumboot for example, forbid the IJ and the port, used by ferries and large ships; their map shows the limits not to cross.

The cruise included in the I amsterdam City Card

The I amsterdam City Card includes one canal cruise, only one per card, with one of seven partner companies: Blue Boat, LOVERS, Stromma, Amsterdam Circle Line Sightseeing, Smidtje Canal Cruises, Amsterdam Boat Cruises and Mokum Open Boat Tours. There is no need to book: show your card at the pier and board the next available boat, between 10:00 and 18:00. Evening cruises, dinner cruises and boat rental are not included.

The card only pays off if you also visit several museums and use public transport: the maths is in our comparison of the City Card and the Museumkaart, and our guide to tourist passes in Amsterdam compares the City Card with other passes.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Buying at the ticket office without comparing: the online price is €1 to several euros per person cheaper than the ticket office price at most companies, and the gap is wider on themed cruises.
• Forgetting the boarding time: LOVERS and Blue Boat ask you to be there 15 minutes before departure; a boat that has left will not wait for you.
• Heading out on a rented boat at dusk without landmarks: the return dock is harder to find in the dark, and the return time is still the one on your booking. Leave yourself some margin.
• Mistaking a cruise for a walk: an hour on a boat gives you an overview, but the facades are best seen up close. Our walk around the canal ring goes well with a cruise.

Comparison table

Prices seen in October 2026 on the companies' websites; for rentals, add €2.70 tourist tax per person.

Further reading

To place the canals you will see from the water, read our page on the canals of Amsterdam. If you are torn between several passes, our guide to tourist passes in Amsterdam will help you choose. And for a trip for two, our guide to romantic Amsterdam gathers the best evening ideas.