Book covered heated salon boats, boutique open sloops with blankets, and canal cruises with unlimited Glühwein or open bar along the official illuminated route.
Teams from these companies cruised with us:
“Easy to book. A bit of a challenge to find the boat as there are many boat tours leaving from the same general area. We were 5 minutes late arriving. The crew were very accommodating. We each had a beer and cheese snacks that were delicious. The captain had great stories and pointed out many historic sites with facility. The captain maneuvered the boat expertly. My husband had a broken foot and wearing a walking boot. They helped him on and off the boat safely.”
Deborah B.
Luxury Small Group Canal cruise“Fantastic tour by Marc! Super friendly and knowledgeable!”
Christopher H.
Luxury Small Group Canal cruise“Great tour, nice boat and great crew (Ian and Francis I believe) 100% recommend”
“This was one of the highlights of our trip! The tour guide was wonderful and so personable. She provided the perfect mix of history of Amsterdam and tons of information about Amsterdam culture as well. The boat was beautiful and being coveted was a must- it was a beautiful sunny day and then midway through it started hailing!m out of no where! We were grateful we booked one that was partially covered. We would recommend this to anyone. Thanks for a great afternoon!”
“We had an absolute blast with Boat Local Netherlands! Our guide was amazing—incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and provided great insights throughout the entire tour. The route was gorgeous and gave us such a wonderful perspective of the waterways. Highly recommend booking with them if you want a top-notch experience!”
“The best! We loved our canal cruise so much. The boat is lovely and comfortable and our guide Attila was great, relaxed and full of interesting facts. Highly recommend.”
“Great tour! Very knowledgeable captain, who shared interesting stories. I live in Amsterdam and often take my friends who are visiting on a boat tour, and I must say this one is now my favorite! Do not hesitate further to book it! Small group, nice boat (with bathroom), nice drinks and a great captain! Good time guaranteed!”
“A night-time cruise gave a different perspective to the city. It was a worthwhile experience. The captain gave a good commentary. Maybe because it was a last minute booking it seemed expensive as a “cruise-only” offering.”
“Very laid back easy boat tour with a wonderful captain and nice drinks as well as a comfortable boat. Highly recommend for families!”
Thomas W.E.I.
Private Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise on Curaçao“Eddie was the best captain!! Amazing tour and experience on board”
“The 2 men where great telling us all the history of Amsterdam, would definitely recommend brilliant trip.”
Melissa L.
Private Open Boat“Great trip. Easy to book and find. Guide was a bit hard to hear from the back of the boat”
“Friendly and knowledgeable Captain, would definitely recommend”
“Fantastic Tour, the guide and skipper were really friendly. We recommend starting right before its getting dark.”
“Easy to book. A bit of a challenge to find the boat as there are many boat tours leaving from the same general area. We were 5 minutes late arriving. The crew were very accommodating. We each had a beer and cheese snacks that were delicious. The captain had great stories and pointed out many historic sites with facility. The captain maneuvered the boat expertly. My husband had a broken foot and wearing a walking boot. They helped him on and off the boat safely.”
Deborah B.
Luxury Small Group Canal cruise“Fantastic tour by Marc! Super friendly and knowledgeable!”
Christopher H.
Luxury Small Group Canal cruise“Great tour, nice boat and great crew (Ian and Francis I believe) 100% recommend”
“This was one of the highlights of our trip! The tour guide was wonderful and so personable. She provided the perfect mix of history of Amsterdam and tons of information about Amsterdam culture as well. The boat was beautiful and being coveted was a must- it was a beautiful sunny day and then midway through it started hailing!m out of no where! We were grateful we booked one that was partially covered. We would recommend this to anyone. Thanks for a great afternoon!”
“We had an absolute blast with Boat Local Netherlands! Our guide was amazing—incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and provided great insights throughout the entire tour. The route was gorgeous and gave us such a wonderful perspective of the waterways. Highly recommend booking with them if you want a top-notch experience!”
“The best! We loved our canal cruise so much. The boat is lovely and comfortable and our guide Attila was great, relaxed and full of interesting facts. Highly recommend.”
“Great tour! Very knowledgeable captain, who shared interesting stories. I live in Amsterdam and often take my friends who are visiting on a boat tour, and I must say this one is now my favorite! Do not hesitate further to book it! Small group, nice boat (with bathroom), nice drinks and a great captain! Good time guaranteed!”
“A night-time cruise gave a different perspective to the city. It was a worthwhile experience. The captain gave a good commentary. Maybe because it was a last minute booking it seemed expensive as a “cruise-only” offering.”
“Very laid back easy boat tour with a wonderful captain and nice drinks as well as a comfortable boat. Highly recommend for families!”
Thomas W.E.I.
Private Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise on Curaçao“Eddie was the best captain!! Amazing tour and experience on board”
“The 2 men where great telling us all the history of Amsterdam, would definitely recommend brilliant trip.”
Melissa L.
Private Open Boat“Great trip. Easy to book and find. Guide was a bit hard to hear from the back of the boat”
“Friendly and knowledgeable Captain, would definitely recommend”
“Fantastic Tour, the guide and skipper were really friendly. We recommend starting right before its getting dark.”
“Easy to book. A bit of a challenge to find the boat as there are many boat tours leaving from the same general area. We were 5 minutes late arriving. The crew were very accommodating. We each had a beer and cheese snacks that were delicious. The captain had great stories and pointed out many historic sites with facility. The captain maneuvered the boat expertly. My husband had a broken foot and wearing a walking boot. They helped him on and off the boat safely.”
Deborah B.
Luxury Small Group Canal cruise“Fantastic tour by Marc! Super friendly and knowledgeable!”
Christopher H.
Luxury Small Group Canal cruise“Great tour, nice boat and great crew (Ian and Francis I believe) 100% recommend”
“This was one of the highlights of our trip! The tour guide was wonderful and so personable. She provided the perfect mix of history of Amsterdam and tons of information about Amsterdam culture as well. The boat was beautiful and being coveted was a must- it was a beautiful sunny day and then midway through it started hailing!m out of no where! We were grateful we booked one that was partially covered. We would recommend this to anyone. Thanks for a great afternoon!”
“We had an absolute blast with Boat Local Netherlands! Our guide was amazing—incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and provided great insights throughout the entire tour. The route was gorgeous and gave us such a wonderful perspective of the waterways. Highly recommend booking with them if you want a top-notch experience!”
“The best! We loved our canal cruise so much. The boat is lovely and comfortable and our guide Attila was great, relaxed and full of interesting facts. Highly recommend.”
“Great tour! Very knowledgeable captain, who shared interesting stories. I live in Amsterdam and often take my friends who are visiting on a boat tour, and I must say this one is now my favorite! Do not hesitate further to book it! Small group, nice boat (with bathroom), nice drinks and a great captain! Good time guaranteed!”
“A night-time cruise gave a different perspective to the city. It was a worthwhile experience. The captain gave a good commentary. Maybe because it was a last minute booking it seemed expensive as a “cruise-only” offering.”
“Very laid back easy boat tour with a wonderful captain and nice drinks as well as a comfortable boat. Highly recommend for families!”
Thomas W.E.I.
Private Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise on Curaçao“Eddie was the best captain!! Amazing tour and experience on board”
“The 2 men where great telling us all the history of Amsterdam, would definitely recommend brilliant trip.”
Melissa L.
Private Open Boat“Great trip. Easy to book and find. Guide was a bit hard to hear from the back of the boat”
“Friendly and knowledgeable Captain, would definitely recommend”
“Fantastic Tour, the guide and skipper were really friendly. We recommend starting right before its getting dark.”
Browse every cruise of one type, then filter by price, group size and features.
A seat on a shared boat along the light route, from €30.65 per person.
Every boat here is heated, drinks are included on all of them. From €52.48 per person.
The whole boat to yourselves, for couples and small groups. From €304.50 per boat.
Room for family or friends, up to 12 guests. From €294.35 per boat.
Boats for big groups, up to 36 guests. From €395.85 per boat.
A private boat with dinner served on the way. From €593.17 for two, dinner included.
From covered heated saloon boats to boutique open sloops with blankets and open bar packages — read our local skippers' complete festival guide.
Every festival boat sails the same loop: down the Amstel past the Magere Brug, through the quiet canals of the Plantage, out to NEMO on the Oosterdok and back through the Oude Schans and the Zwanenburgwal.
Distances measured along the canal centrelines. Map data, canal and bridge names © OpenStreetMap contributors.
No tourist traps. Our skippers curated their favorite breakfast spots in De Pijp, secret Jordaan courtyards, and cozy neighborhood bars across the entire city.
Historic hidden jazz bar tucked down an alley off Spui.
