I generally want to avoid doing anything that’s overly touristy when traveling (remember that time we went to Neuschwanstein Castle?). I prefer getting off the beaten path and just experiencing the city. But every once in a while I’ll come across a tourist attraction and think it’s probably worth it, such as going on a boat tour in Amsterdam. I mean, we were already visiting a city that was bound to infiltrated by masses of tourists, so why not?
At first I told Mr. Meena that we should book a private boat tour with a local, which we did. However, said local never responded to our booking so we canceled it. Then I found a company that was recommended by Amsterdam locals and we decided to go with that… but every time we walked by their boats there were excessive lines and waits. We went to the boat tour booking office and were told that all the boat tours were full (which wasn’t true – just all of their affiliated boat tours were full). As it was nearing the evening of our second (and last) full day in the city I started to freak out a little because I thought we weren’t going to go on a tour. Mr. Meena decided we should just walk along the docks until we found one we liked, and so we did.
The tour cost €32 for both of us and lasted for an hour. At first I was disoriented because the guy driving the boat didn’t talk to us at all, not even to say hello. But I can kind of understand because the audio guide did the talking for him (and came in 21 languages). And he was a really great driver.
The tour was lovely from the very beginning. I slid open the window next to my seat so that I could stick my camera out and take photos, much to the chagrin of the woman behind me.
Throughout the tour my backseat companion alternated between trying to get me to move so that she could take a photo from my open window and getting angry when I wouldn’t close it all the way (it was pretty cold, but I paid to enjoy my tour and she could have moved to another seat). She made several demanding requests to me (in Spanish) and she even walked up to the front of the boat once, startling our driver, in order to snap some photos with her phone. Mr. Meena and I tried to laugh it off, but she drove us a little batty.
One of the first things we saw on our tour was the Montelbaanstoren tower, which was built in 1516 and incorporated into the defensive walls around Amsterdam as a watch tower. But when the walls were replaced with bulwarks the tower got an upgrade in the form of a decorative clock on its upper portion.
So pretty.
We saw the Opera House from the water (which we’d briefly experienced from land during our visit to the NAP Visitors Centre).
Next we passed by the Seven Bridges, where we stopped for a moment in order for everyone to go nuts taking photos (I was on the wrong side of the boat for a photo, but you can see what it looks like here).
The tour took us past mansions (or at least what qualifies as mansions in Amsterdam) occupied by various businesses since no one can afford to live in them anymore. We floated down wide canals and narrow ones, saw leaning houses, famously narrow houses, and houseboats.
We saw plenty of color, as well.
We even saw a DHL floating service center.
The tour took us by the aptly named “House of Heads”, which has six carved heads on its façade featuring six Roman gods. People like to say that six thieves who tried to rob the home and lost their heads to the kitchen maid, thus inspiring the decoration.
We saw the insides of many a canal bridge, including a few that were barely larger than our boat.
We saw some open water as we neared the harbor.
We saw one of the ferries provided by the city, which will take you across the harbor at no cost (and you can take your car for €1.20).
Or you could bike across.
Toward the end of the tour we saw the library (the building on the left below) which I’ve heard is beautiful and I’m sad that we ran out of time to see it.
At least we saw it from the water.
Nearby is this rather impressive three story floating restaurant, called the “Sea Palace”.
While we saw some wonderful sights in Amsterdam during our tour, we also saw some less savory things. Like trash in the water, green slime, decrepit boats, and even one intense duck fight.
The swan was nice.
While the audio guide didn’t give us the personal experience of a knowledgeable tour guide, we still learned a lot and it was nice to just sit and soak it all in. Especially for me, since the arthritis in my knees hit a new pain record during this trip. Overall, I recommend going for a boat tour if you’re visiting Amsterdam. You’ll learn a lot about the city and likely be grateful that you got to view it from the water.
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I didn’t even consider taking a boat tour while we were there, will definitely consider this next time!
You won’t regret it!
Oooo, I love boat tours! We did one in Strasbourg, and it was nice to escape the cold, rainy weather with a warm hour on the boat. I’ve only been to Amsterdam briefly, but want to return with hubby in tow. Thanks for linking up!
I loved taking the boat tour in Strasbourg, France, but that’s the only experience I’ve had with them. I visited Amsterdam once just briefly, but hope to return someday for a proper visit. Thanks for linking up!