CANAL CRUISE
Hop-on hop-off boat
A canal boat on a fixed route with stops near the big museums and sights, on one ticket for the day.
A boat instead of a tram
A hop-on hop-off boat works like a sightseeing bus on water. It runs a fixed loop with stops near the places most visitors want to see, such as the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House and Centraal Station. You buy a ticket for the day, get off where you like and catch a later boat to the next stop.
It suits a day of museums: you get a canal tour between the visits, and you skip a tram or two.
What you see
Between the stops the boats follow the main canals of the ring, so you see the same canal houses and bridges as on a classic tour, only in pieces. Some routes also cross to the eastern docks, near the maritime museum and NEMO.
Good to know
The boats come every half hour or so, less often in winter, so check the timetable for the last boat of the day. A day ticket only pays off if you use it several times. For one loop and no stops, a classic one-hour cruise is cheaper and shorter.
Before you go
- There are stops near the Rijksmuseum on Stadhouderskade, near the Anne Frank House and by Centraal Station, among others.
- Check the timetable for the last boat: it runs less often in winter.
- Worth it if you plan to get on and off several times in a day.
What people say
Related spots
More things to do in Amsterdam ›
MUSEUMRijksmuseum
The national museum: Rembrandt's Night Watch, Vermeer's Milkmaid and 800 years of Dutch history.
MUSEUMAnne Frank House
The secret annex where Anne Frank wrote her diary, kept as it was. Tickets sell out weeks ahead.
LANDMARKLeidseplein
The square of street performers, theatres and the Stadsschouwburg.
MUSEUMMoco Museum
Banksy, Warhol and digital art in a villa on Museumplein.
MUSEUMVan Gogh Museum
The world's largest Van Gogh collection: the Sunflowers, the bedroom and his letters.
HIDDEN GEMHouse of Bols
The Bols distillery's cocktail and genever experience next to the Van Gogh Museum.
Tours and quests that pass here
These walks have a stop a few minutes from Hop-on hop-off boat. Free, on your phone, start any time.
AUDIO TOURVan Gogh's Amsterdam
The years before the fame: a failed bookshop clerk walking these same streets. Ends at the museum door.
AUDIO TOURIn Rembrandt's Footsteps
From the biggest house on the street to bankruptcy and an unmarked grave. His Amsterdam, in the order he lived it.
CITY QUESTRembrandt's Missing Panel
Count steps, columns and a missing piece of skyline. Rembrandt's city, looking closely.