Canal Cruise with Dutch Cheese Tasting from Dam Square Amsterdam

The Golden Age canal belt

Amsterdam's canal belt was dug in the 17th century, when the city was the richest trading port in Europe. Three main canals, the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, form concentric rings around the old centre, crossed by smaller radial canals and lined with tall, narrow brick houses with gabled tops and hoisting beams. In 2010 the ring was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list as a masterpiece of town planning.

An Amsterdam canal cruise is the easiest way to understand how the city works: from the water you see the facades as they were meant to be seen, the houseboats, the bridges and the way the houses lean slightly forward so goods could be hauled up. On this canal cruise in Amsterdam the host explains how merchants built their fortunes here, while you taste Dutch cheese at your table.

Herengracht and the Golden Bend

The Herengracht, the Gentlemen's Canal, was the most prestigious address of the Golden Age. Its most famous stretch is the Golden Bend, between Leidsestraat and Vijzelstraat, where wealthy families were allowed to build double-width mansions with sandstone facades, grand staircases and long gardens behind. Many of these buildings now house banks, consulates and cultural foundations.

Seen from a small boat, the Golden Bend shows the contrast between ordinary canal houses and the palaces of the city's elite. Your host points out the different gable styles, from step gables to elegant neck and bell gables, and the details that reveal when each house was built. It is one of the best stretches for photos on any Amsterdam boat tour, so keep your camera ready.

Seven Bridges view on Reguliersgracht

Where the Reguliersgracht meets the Herengracht there is a famous spot where, looking straight down the canal, you can see a row of arched bridges lined up one behind the other. Locals call it the Seven Bridges, and in the evening, when the lamps under the arches are lit, it is one of the most photographed views in Amsterdam.

The view works best from water level, which is why the skipper slows down here for a couple of minutes. Reguliersgracht itself is a quiet, narrow canal with leafy trees and small bridges, a contrast to the busy shopping streets nearby. If you are wondering whether an Amsterdam canal cruise is worth it, this moment usually answers the question.

Prinsengracht, Rokin and the Amstel

The Prinsengracht is the outermost and longest of the three main canals, lined with houseboats, cafés and the slender tower of the Westerkerk, the tallest church tower in the city. The route then heads back toward the centre along the Rokin, a broad street that was once part of the Amstel river before it was filled in during the 1930s.

The cruise ends on the Amstel itself, the river that gave Amsterdam its name: the city began as a dam on the Amstel in the 13th century, on the spot of today's Dam Square. From here you can see the white wooden Magere Brug, a lifting bridge that is lit up after dark. The finishing point is about a 10-minute walk from where you boarded, right in the centre of the city.

Dutch cheese on board

The Netherlands has been a cheese-making country for centuries, and markets in towns such as Alkmaar and Edam once set prices for the whole of Europe. On board you taste four Dutch cheeses served from young to bold: a soft and creamy young cheese, a cumin cheese with warm spicy notes, a firm and savoury aged cheese, and a mustard-dill cheese with a fresh, tangy finish.

The host explains how Dutch cheese is graded by age, from young (jong) to mature (belegen) and old (oud), and why cumin and herbs became classic flavours. Water is included; other soft drinks can be bought on board. This cheese tasting canal cruise in Amsterdam is a relaxed way to try local flavours without giving up sightseeing time.