Small Electric Open Boat Canal Cruise with Live Skipper Amsterdam

Central Station and the Basilica of Saint Nicholas

The cruise leaves from the canal on the west side of Amsterdam Central Station, the grand red-brick terminus opened in 1889 on artificial islands in the IJ. As the boat pulls away, the twin towers and dome of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas rise across the water on Prins Hendrikkade.

Completed in 1887, the basilica is the main Catholic church of the old centre, built in a mix of neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance styles and dedicated to the patron saint of sailors, a fitting guardian for a port city. Your skipper then steers along the Oosterdok waterfront, the old eastern harbour, where modern buildings and moored historic ships sit side by side, before turning into the quieter canals of the medieval city.

Montelbaanstoren and the Oudeschans

The Oudeschans was dug in 1516 as a defensive moat on the eastern edge of the young city, and on its bank stands the Montelbaanstoren, a sturdy brick tower built the same year to protect the shipyards beyond the walls. In 1606 it received its elegant wooden spire and clock, and it soon leaned so much that ropes were once used to pull it straight again.

From the water you see the tower at its most picturesque, reflected in the canal and framed by old warehouses and houseboats. This is the kind of quiet corner where a small boat canal cruise in Amsterdam shines: the canal is narrow, the pace is slow, and your skipper has time to point out details such as hoisting beams and old warehouse doors.

The Amstel, the Blauwbrug and the H'ART Museum

The boat then reaches the Amstel, the river that gave Amsterdam its name. Here you pass under or beside the Blauwbrug, a stone bridge opened in 1884 with richly decorated lamp posts topped by crowns and pillars shaped like ships' prows; its name, Blue Bridge, comes from the painted wooden bridge that stood here before.

On the riverbank stands the long classical façade of the Amstelhof, built in the 1680s as a residence for elderly women and now the H'ART Museum, which hosts major international art exhibitions in partnership with famous museums abroad. From the water you appreciate the full length of the building and its quiet inner courtyard, and the views up and down the wide river are among the most open of the route.

Narrow side canals and the dancing houses

The real advantage of a small electric boat shows in the narrow side canals of the old centre, where everyday life happens: bicycles chained to railings, plants on doorsteps, tiny bridges you can almost touch and residents waving from their windows. The boat is silent, so you can hear the skipper clearly without microphones.

Along the way you see the famous dancing houses, canal houses that lean against each other at odd angles. Some lean forward on purpose, so goods hoisted to the attic would not hit the façade; others tilt because their wooden pile foundations, driven into the soft wet ground centuries ago, have slowly sunk. Your skipper explains how the whole city stands on millions of such wooden piles.

The Oude Kerk and the Zeedijk

Near the end of the route the boat passes close to the Oude Kerk, consecrated in 1306 and the oldest building in Amsterdam. Its huge wooden vaulted ceiling is one of the largest in Europe, and its bell tower has been a landmark for sailors entering the harbour for centuries.

Nearby runs the Zeedijk, which began as a sea dyke protecting the early city from the water and is now a lively street lined with historic houses and Asian restaurants at the edge of Amsterdam's small Chinatown, with a Buddhist temple built in traditional Chinese style. From here the boat returns to Central Station, and your skipper shares tips on where to eat and what to visit next.