Canal Cruise Amsterdam

A canal cruise in Amsterdam is a one-hour boat trip through the 17th-century canal belt, and the cheapest one costs $15. I compared six shared canal cruises, from $15 to $21, and the best-rated is a small electric boat, not a big glass one. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026, and the booking links are affiliate links, as I explain on my about page. For every kind of trip, see my overview of boat tours in Amsterdam.

My pick for a first canal cruise in Amsterdam is the Flagship cruise with the unlimited drinks option: $21, 1 to 1.5 hours, rated 4.5 from 27,085 reviews. If you want the highest rating, I’d choose the Eco Boats evening sunset cruise at $21, rated 4.8 from 5,232 reviews.

Amsterdam Cruise Canal

An Amsterdam cruise on the canals follows a simple pattern: you leave the station area, turn into the canal belt, pass a few famous bridges and come back. What differs is the boat. The two trips in this section are the most reviewed and the most traditional, and they show the two kinds of boat. The canal belt itself is the Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area that UNESCO added to the World Heritage List.

The Flagship cruise is the electric one. Its listing says the boat is 100 percent electric, with a local skipper who gives live commentary, and it names the Hermitage Museum, the Skinny Bridge, the Amstel Hotel and the Grachtengordel as sights. In good weather you get a modern open boat with a bar; in rain or cold it may be a heated covered saloon boat. The listing says dogs are allowed on board and large bachelor and birthday groups are not. It has 4 meeting points depending on the option, so the start is not always the same.

The Blue Boat 75-minute classic cruise is the covered one, at $15 the cheapest canal cruise in Amsterdam in my data and rated 4.4 from 20,966 reviews. The listing promises panoramic windows, comfortable seating on an all-weather boat, an audio guide in more than 20 languages and a kids’ audio story with booklet and binoculars. A live guide is not included. The stops it lists include Westerkerk, the Magere Brug, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Heineken Experience and the Anne Frank House.

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, electric boat with live commentary and an unlimited drinks option.

from

$21

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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 canal cruise: $15, 75 minutes, covered boat with audio guide in 20+ languages, 4.4 from 20,966 reviews.

from

$15

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Canal Cruise Amsterdam Evening

An evening canal cruise in Amsterdam is the version I’d book if the day is already full, because the bridges and gables are lit and the crowds have thinned. Three of the six canal cruises in my data are evening trips, and they differ more than the daytime ones do.

The Blue Boat evening cruise is the long one: $21 for 1.5 hours, rated 4.4 from 23,317 reviews, on the same kind of covered boat with panoramic windows and an audio guide. It lists a long run of stops, including Prinsengracht, Westerkerk, the EYE Film Institute, the A’DAM Tower, the Magere Brug, the Amstelsluizen and the Golden Bend. Wine and snacks are an optional upgrade, and the listing has two meeting points depending on the option.

The Eco Boats cruise is the shortest and best rated: $21 for 1 hour, 4.8 from 5,232 reviews. It starts at the west side of Centraal Station, in front of tram stops 2, 12, 13 and 17, where you take the stairs down to the canal and look for a dark green beach flag. The boat is electric, open or partly covered depending on the weather, and the route passes the Schreierstoren, the Skinny Bridge, the Dancing Houses and the Amstel.

The third, the Flagship evening canal cruise with a bar on board, is $16 for 1 hour and rated 4.3 from 1,427 reviews. It is the cheapest evening option, and the listing says tour guides, blankets, snacks and gratuities are included, with unlimited drinks available if you pick the Central Station option. The stops include Westerkerk, the Anne Frank House, the Magere Brug and the Royal Theater Carre. For more on timing, including sunset times by month, 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: The long evening: $21, 1.5 hours, covered boat with city lights, 4.4 from 23,317 reviews.

from

$21

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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 evening: $21, 1 hour, electric boat from Centraal Station, 4.8 from 5,232 reviews.

from

$21

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Night tour

Flagship Amsterdam

Evening. (Sunset) Canal Cruise with Bar on Board

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

My pick: The cheapest evening boat: $16, 1 hour, bar on board, blankets included, 4.3 from 1,427 reviews.

from

$16

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Canal Cruise Amsterdam Price

The price of a canal cruise in Amsterdam barely moves between operators: $15 to $21 for a shared hour, and the real spread comes from add-ons. Unlimited drinks, wine or a snack plate are options you choose while booking, and the listing price is usually the version with none of them. Where the add-on price is not in my data I cannot give a total, so I would compare the final basket, not the headline.

The Starboard canal booze cruise is the example of an option-heavy trip. It is $21 for 1 hour, rated 4.7 from 6,182 reviews, with an open bar from the moment you board if you choose that option. The boat is an open-air electric one for a maximum of 28 guests, and the route covers the Red Light District, the Herengracht, the Prinsengracht and the Seven Bridges View Point. Snacks are not included, though stroopwafels are for sale on board. Starboard also lists a private version at $606; see my private boat tour page.

Starboard Boats

Canal Booze Cruise with Unlimited Drinks Option

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

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

from

$21

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Compared: Canal Cruises in Amsterdam

Operator	Price	Duration	Boat type	Rating	Cancellation
Blue Boat Company (classic)	$15	75 minutes	Covered, all-weather	4.4 (20,966 reviews)	Free up to 24 hours
Flagship Amsterdam (bar on board)	$16	1 hour	Not stated	4.3 (1,427 reviews)	Free up to 24 hours
Flagship Amsterdam (unlimited drinks)	$21	1 to 1.5 hours	Electric, open or covered	4.5 (27,085 reviews)	Free up to 24 hours
Blue Boat Company (evening)	$21	1.5 hours	Covered, all-weather	4.4 (23,317 reviews)	Free up to 24 hours
Eco Boats Amsterdam	$21	1 hour	Electric, open or partly covered	4.8 (5,232 reviews)	Free up to 24 hours
Starboard Boats	$21	1 hour	Open-air electric, 28 guests	4.7 (6,182 reviews)	Free up to 24 hours

Boat Tour Amsterdam Canal

The shortest route for a boat tour on the Amsterdam canals stays inside the belt of Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, and the longer ones add the Amstel and the IJ. The Blue Boat classic cruise is the one that reaches the IJ side, since its stops include the A’DAM Lookout and the NEMO Science Museum. The straight-line distance between the two is 1.29 kilometres, my measurement from the place coordinates.

Which cruise suits you depends on weather and on what you want to do on board. If you want to hear a live skipper, pick Flagship, Eco Boats or Starboard. If you would rather have a roof and an audio guide in your language, pick Blue Boat. If you want a private canal tour, ask for a private boat; the Rederij Paping tour through the smaller canals is $275, covered in my private boat tour page. Several of the same boats also run evening party trips, which I cover on my party boat page, and I list the dinner options on my dinner cruise page. If you would rather drive yourself, the boat rental page compares the two self-drive options.

Booking a Canal Cruise in Amsterdam

A canal cruise in Amsterdam is easy to book on the day, but the evening slots in summer fill up first, so I would book a day or two ahead for those. The daytime canal cruises in Amsterdam leave often, and the free cancellation up to 24 hours makes an early booking low risk. Wear a layer even in July, because the air over the water is cooler than on the street.

Which Canal Cruise I’d Book

For a canal cruise in Amsterdam, I’d book the $21 Flagship cruise for a first visit, because 27,085 reviews back it at 4.5. I’d pick the $15 Blue Boat classic cruise for a rainy day or a family, and the $21 Eco Boats cruise for the evening, since it has the best rating of the six. Check the meeting point before you pay, because several of these have more than one. Every canal cruise here has free cancellation up to 24 hours, so use it if the forecast turns. For the rest of my Amsterdam comparisons, go back to the guide to boat tours in Amsterdam or the home page.