CANAL CRUISE
Pancake boat
Dutch pancakes on board while the boat sails the wide water of the IJ; a favourite with families.
Pancakes on the IJ
The Pancake Boat, Pannenkoekenboot in Dutch, is a large covered boat with a pancake buffet on board. It does not go into the canals: it sails the IJ, the wide river behind Centraal Station, with views of the old harbour, the ferries and the new buildings of Amsterdam Noord.
Children love it: they can walk around, eat as many pancakes as they like and watch the big ships. Adults get a calm hour on the water with a view.
What you see
The waterfront of the IJ: Centraal Station from the water, the EYE film museum and the A'DAM tower, the old shipyard at NDSM and the ferries that cross back and forth all day.
Good to know
The boat leaves from NDSM in Amsterdam Noord. The free ferry from behind Centraal Station takes you there in about a quarter of an hour, which makes a small boat trip of its own. Book ahead at weekends and in school holidays.
Before you go
- The boat leaves from NDSM in Amsterdam Noord. Take the free ferry to NDSM from behind Centraal Station.
- Book ahead at weekends and in school holidays.
- Come hungry.
What people say
Related spots
More things to do in Amsterdam ›
LANDMARKIJ-Hallen flea market
A huge flea market in the old shipyard halls at NDSM, one weekend a month; it calls itself the biggest in Europe.
MUSEUMSTRAAT Museum
A huge street-art museum in a former shipyard hall at NDSM.
LANDMARKWesterpark & Westergasfabriek
A park around a former gasworks, now cafés, a cinema and weekend markets.
CANAL CRUISESelf-drive boat
Rent a small electric boat and steer it through the canals yourself, no licence needed.
CANAL CRUISEHarbour and IJ cruise
Tours that leave the canal ring for the IJ and the docks, where Amsterdam’s harbour and new architecture meet.
CANAL CRUISEWater taxi
A small boat that takes you from one quay to another, or around the canals for as long as you book it.
Walk it with a guide or a quest
If you want a story on the way, these walks also live in Amsterdam.
AUDIO TOURAmsterdam Ghost Tour
Plague pits, public executions and the canal that swallowed people. The city's grim side, told without the cheap scares.
AUDIO TOURAmsterdam in a Day: Highlights Walk
Start here if it's your first day. Why the houses lean, how the canals were dug, and what the Golden Age was actually built on.
AUDIO TOURRed Light District
Seven centuries of sailors, sin and stubborn tolerance. The real history of the oldest part of town, told straight.