Boat Tours Amsterdam

Boat tours in Amsterdam come in six main kinds: a classic canal cruise, a night cruise, a dinner cruise, a party boat, a private boat and a self-drive rental. I compared 17 Amsterdam boat tours, from $15 to $606, and the best value is not the most expensive one. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026, and the booking links are affiliate links, as I explain on my about page.

My pick for a first boat tour in Amsterdam is the Flagship canal cruise with the unlimited drinks option: $21, 1 to 1.5 hours, rated 4.5 from 27,085 reviews, on a 100 percent electric boat with a local skipper. If I had one evening and wanted the highest rating among the busy trips, I’d choose the Eco Boats evening sunset canal cruise at $21, rated 4.8 from 5,232 reviews.

Boat Tours in Amsterdam

Almost every boat tour in Amsterdam sails the same ring of 17th-century canals, which UNESCO lists as the Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area, so the real choice is the kind of boat and the time of day. The cheapest trips are shared, last about an hour and cost $15 to $21. The expensive ones are private, include dinner, or let you steer yourself.

The most reviewed boat tour in Amsterdam in my data is the Flagship canal cruise, with 27,085 reviews. It sails on a 100 percent electric boat, and the listing names the Hermitage Museum, the Skinny Bridge, the Amstel Hotel and the Grachtengordel canal belt as sights on the way. In sunny weather you get an open boat with a bar; in rain it may be a heated covered saloon boat. The unlimited drinks option adds beer, wine, soft drinks and small savory bites. The listing says large bachelor and birthday groups are not allowed, which tells you what the crew expects on board.

The other trip in this section is a seasonal one. The KINboat King’s Day party cruise is $84 for 1.5 hours, rated 4.9 from 74 reviews, and it sails on King’s Day only, 27 April. I list it because it is a real Amsterdam boat tour, but it is not something you can book for a summer weekend. It includes unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and a live guide, and it excludes children under 12.

Flagship Amsterdam

Canal Cruise with Unlimited Drinks & Bite option

• ★ 4.5 (27,085 reviews)
• 1 - 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: My first-timer pick: $21, 1 to 1.5 hours, 4.5 from 27,085 reviews, electric boat with an unlimited drinks option.

from

$21

Check availabilityRead my review

KINboat

King’s Day Party Cruise including Unlimited Drinks

• ★ 4.9 (74 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: King's Day only, 27 April: $84, 1.5 hours, unlimited drinks, 4.9 from 74 reviews. Not bookable the rest of the year.

from

$84

Check availabilityRead my review

Amsterdam Boat Trips

Amsterdam boat tours split into two camps: the big covered boats with an audio guide and the small open boats with a host. The Blue Boat Company 75-minute classic cruise is the first camp and the cheapest trip in my whole list at $15, rated 4.4 from 20,966 reviews. The boat is covered with panoramic windows, the audio guide runs in more than 20 languages, and there is a kids’ audio story with a booklet and binoculars. The listing says the boat is wheelchair accessible on request. The route of this boat tour in Amsterdam passes the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House, the NEMO Science Museum, the Heineken Experience and the Magere Brug, according to the stops in the listing.

The other end of the range is private. The Flagship private cruise is $250 for 1.5 or 2 hours on an open boat with a local skipper, unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, and hotel pickup and drop-off. Its 4.6 rating comes from only 73 reviews, so I treat it as promising rather than proven. Divide $250 by a group of eight and it is about $31 each, which is more than a shared $21 cruise but with no strangers on board.

Blue Boat Company - Gray Line Amsterdam

75-Minute Classic Canal Cruise & Snack Option

• ★ 4.4 (20,966 reviews)
• 75 minutes
• Free cancellation

My pick: The cheapest way out: $15, 75 minutes, covered boat with audio guide, 4.4 from 20,966 reviews.

from

$15

Check availabilityRead my review

Flagship Amsterdam

Private Cruise with Drinks & Optional Snacks

• ★ 4.6 (73 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: For a private group: $250, 90 minutes or 2 hours, unlimited drinks and hotel pickup, 4.6 from 73 reviews.

from

$250

Check availabilityRead my review

Amsterdam Boat Cruises

Of all the Amsterdam boat tours, the one that keeps your feet dry and the sun low is the Eco Boats evening sunset cruise: $21 for 1 hour, rated 4.8 from 5,232 reviews, the best rating of any trip with more than 5,000 reviews. It starts in front of Centraal Station on the west side, where you take the stairs down to the canal and look for a dark green beach flag. The listing says the electric boats are open or partly covered depending on the weather, that the skipper speaks English, and that a free digital guide book comes in eight languages. Drinks are an option you choose when booking.

If you would rather steer than listen, the other cruise in this section is a boat you drive. Eco Boats also runs the Captain For a Day 2-hour boat rental: $154, rated 4.9 from 43 reviews, on a 100 percent electric private boat. It comes with a map of the canals and instructions from the crew. Anyone aged 18 or over can drive, and the listing says no licence or experience is needed. With only 43 reviews the evidence is thin, so I would read the booking page for the boat sizes and capacity first.

Night tour

Eco Boats Amsterdam

Amsterdam Evening (Sunset) Canal Cruise w/ optional drinks

• ★ 4.8 (5,232 reviews)
• 1 hour
• Free cancellation

My pick: The best-rated crowd-pleaser: $21, 1 hour at sunset, 4.8 from 5,232 reviews, optional drinks.

from

$21

Check availabilityRead my review

Eco Boats Amsterdam

Captain For a Day 2-Hour Boat Rental

• ★ 4.9 (43 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Drive it yourself: $154, 2 hours, electric private boat with a map, 4.9 from 43 reviews.

from

$154

Check availabilityRead my review

Boat Tour Amsterdam Night

A boat tour in Amsterdam at night is the version I’d book for a first evening, because the canal bridges and houses are lit and the day-trip crowds are gone. The Blue Boat Company evening cruise is $21 for 1.5 hours, rated 4.4 from 23,317 reviews, and it is the second most reviewed trip on this page. It sails on a covered all-weather boat with panoramic windows, an audio guide in more than 20 languages, and a stop list that includes Westerkerk, the EYE Film Institute, the A’DAM Tower, the Magere Brug and the Golden Bend. Wine and snacks are an upgrade.

The second night boat here is a smaller one. The Flagship evening sunset canal cruise with a bar on board is $16 for 1 hour, rated 4.5 from 125 reviews. It leaves from the dock in front of the Anne Frank House, where the crew wear orange, and the stops include the Westerkerk, the Houseboat Museum, the Skinny Bridge and the Museum of the Canals. I picked it here only because it is the sunset trip left over after the other sections had their cards, not because it is the best night trip. The Blue Boat cruise has far more reviews. For the full set of evening options, see my sunset cruise page.

Night tour

Blue Boat Company - Gray Line Amsterdam

Evening Canal Cruise – City Lights & Wine Option

• ★ 4.4 (23,317 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: My night pick: $21, 1.5 hours, covered boat with panoramic windows, 4.4 from 23,317 reviews.

from

$21

Check availabilityRead my review

Night tour

Flagship Amsterdam

Evening (Sunset) Canal Cruise with Bar on Board

• ★ 4.5 (125 reviews)
• 1 hour
• Free cancellation

My pick: A smaller evening boat from the Anne Frank House: $16, 1 hour, bar on board, 4.5 from only 125 reviews.

from

$16

Check availabilityRead my review

Best Boat Tours in Amsterdam

The best boat tours in Amsterdam are the ones that match your group, not the ones with the biggest review count. For friends who want a lively hour, I’d choose the Starboard canal booze cruise: $21, 1 hour, rated 4.7 from 6,182 reviews. The bar is open from the moment you step on board, according to the listing, and the boat is an open-air electric one for a maximum of 28 guests. It sails past seven bridges and the Seven Bridges View Point, and a host points out sights. The crew sells stroopwafels on board, but snacks are not included.

For a private version of the same idea, Starboard’s private canal booze cruise is $606 for 1 hour on a covered boat with an open bar, a skipper and a local host. It has 4.8 from only 22 reviews, so I would not choose it for the rating. It makes sense for a group of 12 or more, where $606 comes to about $50 a head, and I have not checked the exact capacity because the listing does not give it.

Starboard Boats

Canal Booze Cruise with Unlimited Drinks Option

• ★ 4.7 (6,182 reviews)
• 1 hour
• Free cancellation

My pick: My party-friendly pick: $21, 1 hour, open bar option, max 28 guests, 4.7 from 6,182 reviews.

from

$21

Check availabilityRead my review

Starboard Boats

Private Canal Booze Cruise with Unlimited Drinks

• ★ 4.8 (22 reviews)
• 1 hour
• Free cancellation

My pick: A private boat with an open bar: $606 for 1 hour, but only 22 reviews so far.

from

$606

Check availabilityRead my review

Amsterdam Boat Tour Price

The honest answer on price is that a boat tour in Amsterdam costs $15 to $21 for a shared hour and rises quickly once food, privacy or a party is added. The two trips in this section are the ones that were left over after the cheaper and better-reviewed cruises were placed, so read them as extras, not as the lowest prices. The cheapest trips are the Blue Boat 75-minute cruise at $15 and the Flagship bar cruises at $16.

The Flagship evening sunset canal cruise with bar on board is $16 for 1 hour, rated 4.3 from 1,427 reviews. It is one of the cheaper evening boats in my list and leaves from a different dock to the one in the night section; the listing says the meeting point depends on the option you select, including a Central Station departure for the unlimited drinks option. The second trip, the Flagship Kingsday party cruise, is $84 for 1.5 hours with unlimited drinks and music, rated 4.5 from 32 reviews. It sails on 27 April only, from Piet Heinkade 1, about a 20-minute walk from Centraal Station, so it is no use to you outside King’s Day.

Night tour

Flagship Amsterdam

Evening. (Sunset) Canal Cruise with Bar on Board

• ★ 4.3 (1,427 reviews)
• 1 hour
• Free cancellation

My pick: A $16 evening hour with a bar on board, 4.3 from 1,427 reviews; check which meeting point the option uses.

from

$16

Check availabilityRead my review

Flagship Amsterdam

Kingsday Party Cruise + Unlimited Drinks & Music

• ★ 4.5 (32 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: King's Day only, 27 April: $84, 1.5 hours, unlimited drinks and music, 4.5 from 32 reviews.

from

$84

Check availabilityRead my review

Boat Tour Amsterdam Near Me

If you search for a boat tour in Amsterdam near you, the answer depends on where your hotel is, because the departure points sit in two clusters. The first is the Centraal Station side, where Stromma, Flagship and Eco Boats all start within a few hundred metres of each other. The second is the museum quarter, where Blue Boat is 0.27 kilometres from the Rijksmuseum by my measurement from the place data. Stromma at Damrak is 0.94 kilometres from the Anne Frank House and 0.51 kilometres from Dam Square, straight-line figures and not walking distances.

Among Amsterdam boat tours the Stromma Original Pizza dinner cruise is the one I’d pick if you want to walk to the boat from the centre. It leaves from Damrak, pier 4 (the place data lists pier 5 at the same Damrak address, so check your voucher), and costs $39 for 1.5 hours, rated 4.5 from 3,101 reviews. It includes a New York pizza, drinks, wifi and a toilet, and the listing excludes bachelor and bachelorette groups.

Stromma Netherlands

Original Pizza Dinner Cruise + Unlimited Drinks

• ★ 4.5 (3,101 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Walkable from Dam Square: $39, 1.5 hours, pizza and drinks included, 4.5 from 3,101 reviews.

from

$39

Check availabilityRead my review

Boat Trips in Amsterdam Tickets

Tickets for a boat tour in Amsterdam are sold as time slots, and the dinner cruises are the ones where the booking page matters most. The LOVERS dinner cruise with a 4-course menu is $100 for 2 hours, rated 4.4 from 1,849 reviews. You check in 15 minutes before departure inside the LOVERS cafe at Prins Hendrikkade 25, with a mobile voucher. The menu is meat, fish or vegetarian, always starting with green pea soup and ending with a tiramisu made with stroopwafels, and the listing includes unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks.

One limit to know before you pay: the booking module allows one menu per booking, so a mixed table has to make separate bookings under the same name. The listing excludes wheelchair users and pets other than assistance dogs. For other options with food, see my dinner cruise page.

Night tour

Tours & Tickets

Dinner Cruise with 4-Course Menu

• ★ 4.4 (1,849 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: A sit-down dinner: $100, 2 hours, 4 courses and unlimited drinks, 4.4 from 1,849 reviews.

from

$100

Check availabilityRead my review

Boat Tours in Amsterdam Netherlands

Boat tours in Amsterdam, Netherlands are mostly about water that was dug by hand in the 17th century, and the Amsterdam tourist board is the official visitor source for the city. A private boat tour lets you leave the main canals. The Rederij Paping private canal tour through the smaller canals is $275 for 1 to 2 hours, rated 4.9 from 257 reviews, the highest rating of any private trip in my list. It is a quiet electric boat with a light blue canvas roof, and you customise the route with the captain.

The listing includes water, beer, soda and Prosecco, hotel pickup and drop-off, and life vests on advance request. There is no toilet on board, which matters on a 2-hour trip. The booking page does not give a passenger limit that I can quote, so ask before you book for a large group. My private boat tour page compares this one with the other private boats.

Rederij Paping

Private Canal Tour through Smaller Canals

• ★ 4.9 (257 reviews)
• 1 - 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The private pick: $275, 1 to 2 hours on small canals, drinks and hotel pickup included, 4.9 from 257 reviews.

from

$275

Check availabilityRead my review

Boat Ride in Amsterdam

Among Amsterdam boat tours for a special occasion, the one that fits is the Rederij Aemstelland high-end 3-course dinner cruise: $135 for 135 minutes, rated 4.7 from 297 reviews. You board at the dock in front of Zwanenburgwal 20, a 5-minute walk from Nieuwmarkt, to a welcome glass of Prosecco (alcohol-free is available), small table bites, a freshly prepared 3-course dinner and a private window table for your group on a classic saloon boat. Drinks are for sale on board.

It is the longest boat ride in my list and the only one where the boat makes brief stops at a partner restaurant, Le Hollandais, according to the listing. The listing excludes wheelchair users. At $135 it costs $35 more than the 4-course LOVERS cruise, and I’d choose it over that one only for the saloon boat and the private table, since the LOVERS rating is lower and the Aemstelland one has fewer reviews.

Night tour

Rederij Aemstelland

High-End 3-Course Dinner Canal Cruise

• ★ 4.7 (297 reviews)
• 135 minutes
• Free cancellation

My pick: The special-occasion ride: $135, 135 minutes, 3 courses and a private window table, 4.7 from 297 reviews.

from

$135

Check availabilityRead my review

Amsterdam Boat Tour with Drinks

Most boat tours in Amsterdam let you add drinks, but the Canal Motorboats self-drive rental is the odd one out, because the boat is yours and the drinks are whatever you bring. It is $148 for 2 hours, rated 4.8 from 175 reviews, from Amsterdam’s oldest self-drive boat rental company, which says it has operated since 1996. The listing has five departure locations across the centre, west and east, with private electric boats for up to 8 people, and the rental includes cushions, a paddle, a map, a light for when it gets dark and life jackets for children.

Anyone aged 18 or over can drive, and the listing says no experience or licence is needed. Cancellation is free up to 2 days ahead, longer than the 24 hours of the cruises. If you want a boat tour with drinks served to you instead, the Flagship unlimited drinks cruise and the Starboard booze cruise above are the ones to look at. My boat rental page compares the two self-drive options.

Canal Motorboats

Self-Drive Boat Rental (5 departure locations)

• ★ 4.8 (175 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Be your own captain: $148, 2 hours, private electric boat for up to 8, 4.8 from 175 reviews.

from

$148

Check availabilityRead my review

What You See on an Amsterdam Boat Tour

On any Amsterdam boat tour you see the canal belt from the water: the three main canals (Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht) and the leaning gabled houses on their banks. The stop lists in the listings name the Westerkerk, the Skinny Bridge (Magere Brug) over the Amstel, the Rijksmuseum, the NEMO Science Museum and the A’DAM Tower on the IJ. Which of them you pass depends on the route, and the shortest trips stay inside the canal belt.

The sights on an Amsterdam boat tour are close together. From the Stromma pier on Damrak, the A’DAM Lookout is 0.89 kilometres away and the NEMO Science Museum is 1.02, while the Rijksmuseum is 2.01. From the Blue Boat dock the Rijksmuseum is 0.27 kilometres, and the Rijksmuseum to the Van Gogh Museum is 0.35. These are straight-line figures I computed from the place coordinates. Sunset moves a lot through the year. By my calculation from sunrise-sunset.org, local sunset falls at about 4:29 PM in mid-December and 10:06 PM in mid-June, with daylight saving time included. My sunset cruise page has the full month-by-month table.

Where the Boats Leave From

Most boat tours in Amsterdam leave from the old-centre waterfront, and two of the biggest operators sit within 0.2 kilometres of each other. The Flagship Central Station base is 0.2 kilometres from the Stromma pier on Damrak, and the Flagship dock by the Anne Frank House is only 0.01 kilometres from the house itself. I would check the meeting point in each listing, because several have two to four of them, and the option you choose decides which one you use. The cards below show the places that matter for a boat tour in Amsterdam: the operators’ bases and the sights you pass from the water.

Which Amsterdam Boat Trip Type Fits You

Pick the trip type first and the boat second when you plan a boat tour in Amsterdam, because the type sets the price, the length and the crowd. This table is built from the 17 listings in my data. Each type has its own page where I compare the boats side by side.

Trip type	Price from	Typical duration	Best for
Canal cruise	$15	1 to 2.25 hours	First-timers and the classic route
Sunset cruise	$16	1 hour	Evening light with a bar on board
Dinner cruise	$39	1.5 to 2.25 hours	Pizza or a seated multi-course meal
Party boat	$21	1 to 1.5 hours	Friends, open bar, King’s Day
Private boat tour	$250	1 to 2 hours	Small groups who want the boat to themselves
Boat rental	$148	2 hours	Steering a private electric boat yourself

How I’d Choose an Amsterdam Boat Tour

My short answer for a first boat tour in Amsterdam is the $21 Flagship canal cruise, because 27,085 reviewers rate it 4.5 and it covers the canal belt in about an hour. Here is how I’d decide, in order:

• Lowest price: the $15 Blue Boat 75-minute classic cruise, with an audio guide in more than 20 languages.
• Best evening: the $21 Eco Boats sunset cruise, rated 4.8 from 5,232 reviews.
• Party mood: the $21 Starboard canal booze cruise with an open bar option, for up to 28 guests.
• Dinner: the $39 Stromma pizza cruise for a casual meal, or the $135 Aemstelland saloon boat for three courses.
• Private: the $275 Rederij Paping small-canal tour, rated 4.9 from 257 reviews.
• Steering yourself: the $148 Canal Motorboats rental, for up to 8 people.

Two of the 17 trips, the KINboat and Flagship party cruises, sail on King’s Day (27 April) only, so skip them for any other date. Before I booked any boat tour in Amsterdam, I’d check three things: the meeting point, which differs by operator and sometimes by option, whether drinks are included or an option, and the cancellation text, which is free up to 24 hours for 15 of the 17 and up to 2 days for the two rentals. Browse the Amsterdam boat tours above, pick one and use the booking links to see current availability for your dates.