Sunset Cruise Amsterdam

A sunset cruise in Amsterdam is a one-hour evening canal trip with a drink, and I found three, from $16 to $21. The best-rated is a small electric boat. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026, and the booking links are affiliate links, as I explain on my about page. For the full list of trips, see my overview of boat tours in Amsterdam.

My pick for a classic evening is the Eco Boats evening sunset canal cruise: $21, 1 hour, rated 4.8 from 5,232 reviews. If you want the cheapest, the Flagship evening cruise with a bar on board is $16.

Sunset Canal Cruise Amsterdam

A sunset canal cruise in Amsterdam works because the canals run between tall houses, so the light reflects off the water long after the sun is down. The sunset itself changes a lot through the year, and it is the first thing I would check. The times below are my calculation from sunrise-sunset.org for central Amsterdam, shown as local clock time for the middle of each month, including the shift to daylight saving time in March and back in October. You can check any date with the NOAA solar calculator.

Month	Sunset (mid-month)	Month	Sunset (mid-month)
January	4:58 PM	July	9:58 PM
February	5:54 PM	August	9:07 PM
March	6:46 PM	September	7:57 PM
April	8:40 PM	October	6:48 PM
May	9:30 PM	November	4:50 PM
June	10:06 PM	December	4:29 PM

The listings give no fixed departure times, so I cannot tell you which slot matches sunset on your date. Pick the slot that starts about half an hour before the sunset time on the table. In June that means a slot after 9:30 PM, and in December a slot around 4 PM.

The Eco Boats cruise is the Amsterdam sunset cruise I’d book for that. It is $21 for 1 hour, and the listing describes sailing through the canals at sunset with a local skipper who speaks English, plus a free digital guide book in eight languages. The route passes the Schreierstoren, the Skinny Bridge, the Dancing Houses and the Amstel. The boat is electric, open or partly covered depending on the weather, and drinks are an option you pick when you book. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before.

Night tour

Eco Boats Amsterdam

Amsterdam Evening (Sunset) Canal Cruise w/ optional drinks

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

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

from

$21

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Amsterdam Evening Cruise

Amsterdam evening cruises, and the sunset cruises in Amsterdam they overlap with, are the same canal trip sold at a lower price in some cases. The Flagship evening canal cruise with a bar on board is $16 for 1 hour, rated 4.3 from 1,427 reviews. The listing includes tour guides, blankets, snacks and gratuities, and the unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks option applies to the Central Station departure. Drinks are available to buy on board otherwise. The stops listed are Westerkerk, the Anne Frank House, the Herengracht, the Magere Brug, the Royal Theater Carre, the Prinsengracht and the Amstel.

The meeting point depends on the option you select, so check it at checkout. If you want a longer evening trip, the Blue Boat City Lights cruise is $21 for 1.5 hours on a covered boat, which I cover on my canal cruise page. Its stops include the A’DAM Tower, the EYE Film Institute and the Golden Bend.

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 cruise: $16, 1 hour, blankets and a bar on board, 4.3 from 1,427 reviews.

from

$16

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Evening Cruise Amsterdam Canal

The second Flagship evening cruise starts in the middle of the canal belt rather than at the station. It is $16 for 1 hour, rated 4.5 from 125 reviews, and the departure point is in front of the Anne Frank House, where the crew wear orange and there is an orange bike at the dock. The address in the listing is Prinsengracht 267. The route in the listing passes the Westerkerk, the Houseboat Museum, the Amsterdam Pipe Museum, the Skinny Bridge, the Museum of the Canals and the Herengracht before returning to the same dock.

That makes it a good choice if you are already on the Anne Frank side of town. The review count is low, so I treat it as a promising alternative to the other Flagship trip. The straight-line distance from the Anne Frank House to the Royal Palace is 0.55 kilometres, my measurement from the place coordinates, so you can walk to Dam Square before or after.

Night tour

Flagship Amsterdam

Evening (Sunset) Canal Cruise with Bar on Board

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

My pick: Boarding at the Anne Frank House: $16, 1 hour, bar on board, 4.5 from only 125 reviews.

from

$16

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Compared: Sunset Cruises in Amsterdam

Operator	Price	Duration	Boat type	Rating	Cancellation
Flagship Amsterdam (Central Station option)	$16	1 hour	Not stated	4.3 (1,427 reviews)	Free up to 24 hours
Flagship Amsterdam (Anne Frank House)	$16	1 hour	Not stated, blankets provided	4.5 (125 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

What to Bring on a Sunset Cruise

Pack a layer for a sunset cruise in Amsterdam, even in summer. After dark the air over the water is cooler, and the Flagship listings provide blankets, which tells you the crew expect that. In winter the sun sets before 5 PM, so a sunset cruise is really a late-afternoon cruise from November to January. The Eco Boats trip may be open or partly covered, so a rain jacket is sensible. Bring a card for drinks, since the listings treat them as an option or an extra. For a trip with a meal, see my dinner cruise page, and for a group with an open bar, my party boat page. For a private evening, my private boat tour page compares skippered boats, and my boat rental page covers self-drive boats that come with a light for the dark.

How Early to Book

The evening slots are the ones I’d book first in summer, when the sun sets after 9 PM and the light lasts longer. All three have free cancellation up to 24 hours before, which removes most of the risk. If the forecast looks poor, move to a different evening instead of paying for a grey hour.

Choosing a Sunset Cruise in Amsterdam by Season

The season decides what a sunset cruise in Amsterdam feels like. From May to August the sun sets between 9:07 PM and 10:06 PM, so an Amsterdam sunset cruise can start after dinner and still end in daylight. In April and September it sets around 8 PM, which suits a cruise before a late meal. From November to January the sun is gone by 5 PM, so a sunset cruise in Amsterdam becomes an early-evening trip, and the blankets on the Flagship boats are useful.

I would not book any of the three on a day when the forecast shows heavy rain, because none of the listings promises a covered boat. The Eco Boats trip may be partly covered, and the Blue Boat evening cruise on my canal page has a fully covered boat if you want a roof. If you only have a few hours in the city, a one-hour sunset cruise in Amsterdam fits between a museum visit and dinner, since the Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House are both close to the canals. Several of the sunset cruises in Amsterdam leave from near Centraal Station, so a tram ride is enough to reach them.

Which Sunset Cruise I’d Book

For a sunset cruise in Amsterdam, I’d book the $21 Eco Boats cruise for most people, because 5,232 reviews rate it 4.8. I’d pick the $16 Flagship cruise from the Anne Frank House if I were staying nearby, and the other $16 Flagship cruise for the unlimited drinks option from Central Station. Check the sunset time for your date on the table and the meeting point at checkout. For the rest of my Amsterdam comparisons, go back to the guide to boat tours in Amsterdam or the home page.