Amsterdam canal cruise: the city from the water
Amsterdam was built to be seen from its canals. The merchants of the Golden Age put their fronts on the water, and a boat is still the best way to read them: the gables, the hoisting beams, the bridges one behind another.
- What it is
- On the water
- Time to allow
- 1 to 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Ticket for the boat
- Best time
- Late afternoon, or after dark when the bridges are lit
Amsterdam this week
Why a canal cruise is worth it
Amsterdam has more than a hundred kilometres of canals, about ninety islands and some fifteen hundred bridges. The heart of it is the canal ring, the grachtengordel: three great canals, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht and the Prinsengracht, dug in half-circles round the old town in the seventeenth century.
It was planned, not grown. Work began in the north-west in 1613 and went on, sector by sector, for most of the century. Along the canals stand more than fifteen hundred listed buildings, and in 2010 the ring was put on UNESCO's list of World Heritage.
From the street the houses are a row of fronts. From the water you see what they were built for: the warehouses with their wide doors, the beams at the top for hauling goods, and the way the ring opens on the IJ, where the ships came in.
What to see
The Herengracht
The gentlemen's canal, the first of the three, with the widest houses of the ring at its bend between the Leidsestraat and the Vijzelstraat, the Golden Bend.
The bridges
On the Reguliersgracht, at its crossing with the Herengracht, you can see a line of bridges one behind the other, best after dark when their arches are lit.
The Prinsengracht
The longest of the three, past the Westerkerk and the Anne Frank House, with houseboats moored along its banks.
The IJ
Some cruises go out into the harbour behind Central Station, past the Maritime Museum and the replica of the ship Amsterdam.
How to do it well
- An open boat is best on a fine day, a covered one in the rain. Most of the big glass-topped boats leave from the Damrak and the piers by Central Station.
- A smaller boat goes into the narrower canals that the big ones cannot reach.
- The light is warmest in the late afternoon. After dark, the bridges are lit and the windows of the canal houses glow.
- Book a time if you can. In summer and at weekends the boats fill up.
Where it is
Address
The canal ring, from piers across the centre
Nearest station
Most boats leave near Centraal (metro lines 51, 52, 53 and 54) or from the Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank House piers
Museums and sights nearby
- Rijksmuseum800 m
- Rembrandt House Museum850 m
- Heineken Experience1.0 km
- Moco Museum1.0 km
Distances are in a straight line.
Tickets and tours: Canal cruise
Canal cruise: common questions
- How long is a canal cruise in Amsterdam?
- Most last an hour to an hour and a quarter. Dinner cruises and private boats take longer.
- Which is better, an open boat or a covered one?
- An open boat on a dry day, for the view and the quiet. A covered boat in rain or cold. Smaller boats of either kind reach the narrow canals the big ones cannot.
- Are the Amsterdam canals a World Heritage Site?
- Yes. The seventeenth-century canal ring, inside the Singelgracht, was put on UNESCO's list of World Heritage in 2010.
- How much time do you need for a canal cruise?
- Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.
Things to do near a canal cruise
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 10Step through a doorway into the Begijnhof300 m awayWalk, 20 to 45 minutes, free
- 6Walk through the city hall that became a palace750 m awayMonument, 1 to 2 hours, ticket for the palace, the square is free
- 1See the Night Watch and the Milkmaid at the Rijksmuseum800 m awayMuseum, 2.5 to 5 hours, ticket with a start time
- 7Visit the house where Rembrandt lived and painted850 m awayMuseum, 1 to 2 hours, ticket
Artists to see near a canal cruise
The museums nearest to here, and the most famous artists on show in each.
Rijksmuseum, 800 m away
Rembrandt House Museum, 850 m away
Where to eat near a canal cruise
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in Amsterdam. Distances are in a straight line.
- Vleminckx de Sausmeester4.5Fries counter, Spui150 m away
- Café Hoppe4.4Brown café, Spui250 m away
- Café De Dokter4.8Brown café, Spui300 m away
- d'Vijff Vlieghen4.4Restaurant, Spuistraat300 m away
Hotels near a canal cruise
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Amsterdam. Distances are in a straight line.
- Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht4.7Five-star hotel, Prinsengracht450 m away
- Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam4.7Five-star hotel, Oudezijds Voorburgwal600 m away
- Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky4.6Five-star hotel, Dam Square750 m away
- Pulitzer Amsterdam4.6Five-star hotel, Prinsengracht800 m away