Recommendation of an Amsterdam Canal Tour

[Ladybug18]

Hello!

My husband, son (11 yr old) and I will be in Amsterdam for the first time in July.

 

We WANT to book a canal tour so that we can see the beauty of the city from the canal. 

 

Any recommendations for a great Amsterdam Canal company? 

 

Thanks!!!

[MeHeartCruising]

1 hour ago, Ladybug18 said:

Hello!

My husband, son (11 yr old) and I will be in Amsterdam for the first time in July.

 

We WANT to book a canal tour so that we can see the beauty of the city from the canal. 

 

Any recommendations for a great Amsterdam Canal company? 

 

Thanks!!!

 

Are you looking for a small, personal tour?  If not, I would not pre-book anything.  Just decide when the right time to go is based upon weather and timing when you are exploring the city on foot.  There are multiple boats selling tours constantly along the Main Street in front of the train station.

[Ladybug18]

5 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

Are you looking for a small, personal tour?  If not, I would not pre-book anything.  Just decide when the right time to go is based upon weather and timing when you are exploring the city on foot.  There are multiple boats selling tours constantly along the Main Street in front of the train station.

Thank you for your response. We are open to any of the canal tours but we are concerned we will get there and none will be available. I had no idea you could just walk up and purchase a tour. 

 

We are trying to figure out how to get to the city from the port that our NCL ship docks at. Any suggestions?

[cyntil8ing]

Last summer, we pre-booked a canal boat ride with Flagship Amsterdam. I was very pleased. The boats were small compared to some of the others we saw, and very conveniently located. We picked it up right outside the Anne Frank House. Had the weather not been as lovely as it was, the uncovered boat might have been a problem. We had reserved 10:00, but arrived early, so we jumped on a 9:45 departure without issue. Others purchased their tickets on board. 

 

Our ship docked in Ijmuiden, not Amsterdam, so we pre-booked a taxi for the 45 minute ride.

 

 

 

 

 

[gumshoe958]

1 hour ago, Ladybug18 said:

Thank you for your response. We are open to any of the canal tours but we are concerned we will get there and none will be available. I had no idea you could just walk up and purchase a tour. 

 

We are trying to figure out how to get to the city from the port that our NCL ship docks at. Any suggestions?

If NCL use the main Amsterdam passenger terminal, it’s a very easy 15 minute walk to Centraal station, or a 5 minute tram ride (#26).

 

From the station you can walk or catch a tram to all the main sites. Or, do as the locals do, rent bikes and cycle. Either way, the city centre is fairly compact.

 

If NCL use the IJmuiden terminal, that’s much further out and requires a taxi to Haarlem station than a train into Amsterdam (or a taxi all the way).

[MeHeartCruising]

2 hours ago, Ladybug18 said:

Thank you for your response. We are open to any of the canal tours but we are concerned we will get there and none will be available. I had no idea you could just walk up and purchase a tour. 

 

We are trying to figure out how to get to the city from the port that our NCL ship docks at. Any suggestions?

Here’s the Google Streetview of the major canal tour starting point on the Damrak street I mentioned earlier.  I think the tours start at regular departures (like “on the hour”, etc.  but there are multiple companies to choose from.  As the previous post indicates, there are other possible starting locations. 
 

If your ship docks right In Amsterdam, you could walk to this location in about 15-20 minutes of a nice walk.  If you dock in IJmuiden, then you will need some other transport.  I’m not up to speed on the best options there, I’m afraid. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

Canal cruises in Amsterdam are much of a muchness. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to book a canal cruise in advance. Just wait until you get here, walk up to where the canal cruises dock, near Central Train Station or near the Rijksmuseum, pick the one you like, pay, board and off you go!

[Scottishclover]

We also went with Flagship Amsterdam. I much preferred this smaller, uncovered boat but we were in Amsterdam in very hot weather. I had booked early evening so it was very pleasant. They have umbrellas if it’s raining/for shade and also a drinks service, but they were not pushy about it in the slightest.  We had booked but I would wait and see the weather before deciding. Like another poster,  we got on at Anne Frank’s House and had timed our reservations there so we walked straight off the boat and into the museum. It was a nice experience and a great alternative to the usual walking tours.

[Ladybug18]

16 hours ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

Canal cruises in Amsterdam are much of a muchness. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to book a canal cruise in advance. Just wait until you get here, walk up to where the canal cruises dock, near Central Train Station or near the Rijksmuseum, pick the one you like, pay, board and off you go!

Thank you so much! I think this what we will do since we have no idea what time we will be ready to do a canal tour. Do you know what form of payment the canal cruises will take when you pay the day off. Hopefully they will take a credit card as I was not planning on carrying local currency. 

 

Do you have any other suggestions for things to do and see in Amsterdam? Was thinking Anne Frank but not sure if its worth the crowds. 

[Ladybug18]

5 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

We also went with Flagship Amsterdam. I much preferred this smaller, uncovered boat but we were in Amsterdam in very hot weather. I had booked early evening so it was very pleasant. They have umbrellas if it’s raining/for shade and also a drinks service, but they were not pushy about it in the slightest.  We had booked but I would wait and see the weather before deciding. Like another poster,  we got on at Anne Frank’s House and had timed our reservations there so we walked straight off the boat and into the museum. It was a nice experience and a great alternative to the usual walking tours.

Thank you for your reply. I'm glad you had nice weather. That is definitely a concern I had...what if the weather is terrible and we booked an uncovered canal tour, that would NOT be fun! Did you enjoy the Anne Frank House? Do you think it would be enjoyable for an 11 year old boy?

[Ladybug18]

16 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

Here’s the Google Streetview of the major canal tour starting point on the Damrak street I mentioned earlier.  I think the tours start at regular departures (like “on the hour”, etc.  but there are multiple companies to choose from.  As the previous post indicates, there are other possible starting locations. 
 

If your ship docks right In Amsterdam, you could walk to this location in about 15-20 minutes of a nice walk.  If you dock in IJmuiden, then you will need some other transport.  I’m not up to speed on the best options there, I’m afraid. 

Awesome!!! Thank you so much for the google street view photo showing that there are multiple canal tours available in that one area. I am making note of the location so that we can just walk over there at our own leisure and book a tour. Hopefully they will take credit cards. Any other suggestions to see and do while in Amsterdam?

 

[Ladybug18]

17 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

If NCL use the main Amsterdam passenger terminal, it’s a very easy 15 minute walk to Centraal station, or a 5 minute tram ride (#26).

 

From the station you can walk or catch a tram to all the main sites. Or, do as the locals do, rent bikes and cycle. Either way, the city centre is fairly compact.

 

If NCL use the IJmuiden terminal, that’s much further out and requires a taxi to Haarlem station than a train into Amsterdam (or a taxi all the way).

I am pretty sure that NCL is going to port at the main Amsterdam cruise terminal so we should be able to walk. The tram sounds pretty neat, I bet our son would get a kick out of that. Does we need to repurchase tram tickets? Do you know if they take credit cards?

[Ladybug18]

18 hours ago, cyntil8ing said:

Last summer, we pre-booked a canal boat ride with Flagship Amsterdam. I was very pleased. The boats were small compared to some of the others we saw, and very conveniently located. We picked it up right outside the Anne Frank House. Had the weather not been as lovely as it was, the uncovered boat might have been a problem. We had reserved 10:00, but arrived early, so we jumped on a 9:45 departure without issue. Others purchased their tickets on board. 

 

Our ship docked in Ijmuiden, not Amsterdam, so we pre-booked a taxi for the 45 minute ride.

 

 

 

 

 

Great photos! It looks like you and your family had a wonderful day in Amsterdam! Do you do any other fun things in Amsterdam?

[gumshoe958]

4 hours ago, Ladybug18 said:

I am pretty sure that NCL is going to port at the main Amsterdam cruise terminal so we should be able to walk. The tram sounds pretty neat, I bet our son would get a kick out of that. Does we need to repurchase tram tickets? Do you know if they take credit cards?

You can buy tickets on board the tram. For adults it’s €3.40 for a single ticket or you can buy a day ticket for €9. You can only use a credit or debit card, they do not take cash.

[cyntil8ing]

5 hours ago, Ladybug18 said:

Great photos! It looks like you and your family had a wonderful day in Amsterdam! Do you do any other fun things in Amsterdam?

We did the canal cruise, visited the Anne Frank House with the introductory program (which I highly recommend!) and the Van Gogh Museum. Very busy day!

 

You're lucky that your port is move convenient. That was a lesson learned for us when booking European cruises. It was the same with "Brussels". The port was actually in Zeebruge, which was closer to Bruges, but still a 20 minute transfer. Brussels was over an hour away.

 

We had an issue using our credit card on the tram. The Chase credit card we used required a signature, so the tram driver could not accept it, but he waived us on without paying. I did have a Capital One debit card that probably would have worked.

[gumshoe958]

52 minutes ago, cyntil8ing said:

We had an issue using our credit card on the tram. The Chase credit card we used required a signature, so the tram driver could not accept it, but he waived us on without paying. I did have a Capital One debit card that probably would have worked.

Good point. ‘Chip & PIN’, and more recently contactless, cards are now standard in Western Europe. Cards that don’t have a chip and still require a signature will be problematic. 

[Scottishclover]

18 hours ago, Ladybug18 said:

Thank you for your reply. I'm glad you had nice weather. That is definitely a concern I had...what if the weather is terrible and we booked an uncovered canal tour, that would NOT be fun! Did you enjoy the Anne Frank House? Do you think it would be enjoyable for an 11 year old boy?

We were all completely moved by our visit. Well worth it. Our children are older though - 17 and 19. I teach 11 year olds and to be honest, I think only a handful of them would get the significance of Anne Frank’s House. Only you will know if your son will appreciate it. It definitely helps to have read “ Diary of a Young Girl” beforehand. Another poster mentioned the introductory programme. I was unable to get tickets for that, I think you need to be in quick when tickets go on sale.You need to book tickets in advance and if you are in Amsterdam before a cruise, I recommend booking the latest available time slot. We did that and the museum wasn’t crowded at all.

[DMP609]

After googling, it looks like tips are not expected in Amsterdam but are appreciated and one should feel free to do so if there was good service (tip at around 10%). We weren't planning on getting Euros for our trip as we're only in 2 locations that take them. Can one add on a tip when buying the tickets (although I realize I won't know if the service is good at that point)?

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

Tips aren’t expected in Amsterdam, but if you want to tip anyway, paying extra when you buy a ticket is not the way to go. And why would you even want to tip someone before they provided you the service? They might do a terrible job. 

Each canal cruise boat has a tip jar. The only way to tip and the only way to ensure that the money will end up with the captain and staff of your particular boat is to put money in the tip jar. 

[DMP609]

3 hours ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

Tips aren’t expected in Amsterdam, but if you want to tip anyway, paying extra when you buy a ticket is not the way to go. And why would you even want to tip someone before they provided you the service? They might do a terrible job. 

Each canal cruise boat has a tip jar. The only way to tip and the only way to ensure that the money will end up with the captain and staff of your particular boat is to put money in the tip jar. 

Thanks for your reply! Yes, tipping in advance is not ideal. I just didn't know how I would go about getting 5 - 10 euros for tipping. I didn't want to stop at an ATM just for a few euros.

[fruitmachine]

8 hours ago, DMP609 said:

Thanks for your reply! Yes, tipping in advance is not ideal. I just didn't know how I would go about getting 5 - 10 euros for tipping. I didn't want to stop at an ATM just for a few euros.

In a situation like this, just tip in US dollars.  Anyone working in the tourism business in any European city or tourist hotspot will have ways of using it - from funding their own US trip, to pooling with others to exchange.

[Paula_MacFan]

Does anyone know if the canal boats all take the same route? Do they all go by and/or stop near the Anne Frank House?  We are taking a tour through Princess that includes the canal in the morning and 4 hours of free time in the afternoon.  It doesn't say where the canal cruise begins or ends.  I'd like to get Anne Frank House tickets in advance but wasn't sure if our canal cruise would be anywhere near that, or if we'd be able to at least see it from the outside during the canal cruise.

 

Thanks to anyone who has some info.  I've looked online but haven't been able to find a specific answer. 

[gnome12]

There are a number of different start locations, but as far as I know every route is a circle back to the start point. They are not a hop-on hop-off service. 

[irvington]

Thanks for all this information. 

[Ladybug18]

On 3/10/2023 at 1:30 PM, gumshoe958 said:

You can buy tickets on board the tram. For adults it’s €3.40 for a single ticket or you can buy a day ticket for €9. You can only use a credit or debit card, they do not take cash.

Thank you so much for this information. Our 11 year old son would probably enjoy taking the tram. Is the tram located in Central Station? How far is that from the main cruise terminal in Amsterdam?