Amsterdam canal cruises

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The first pleasure cruise in the history of theAmsterdam canals took place in 1621 when Queen Elisabeth Stuart of Bohemia was welcomed into the city in a parade of festively decorated admiralty sloops, with thousands of Amsterdammers cheering on bridges and canal-sides.

Treating visiting royals and other VIP's to a cruise on our canals became a tradition that lives on till today. From Winston Crurchill to the Beatles and Nelson Mandela, almost all our famous guests have made their acquaintance with the city from the deck of a canal cruise boat.

No longer exclusive Royal privilege, canal cruises in Amsterdam are now the most popular tourist attraction in the country, with over 3 million passengers a year. For good reason, the city was built to be seen from that perspective.

Canal Cruise Fleet
Today, a diverse fleet of about 200 specialized vessels offer a waterborne variety of almost every form of service and entertainment that's available on shore.

New in 2011

The most interesting news about the canal cruises in Amsterdam this year concerns the environment. Almost 20 percent of all canal cruise boats are now electrically powered. Clean and silent, these boats are ideal for tourists who want to record their cruise on video. No engine noise or tremble will pollute their recordings. The green colored hotlinks on this page lead you to websites of the cruise companies that have electrically powered cruse boats in their fleet.

  This year, Canal Company was the first

  passenger cruise company in the world to

  receive a "Green Key", the official international

  eco-label for sustainable and Corporate Social

  Responsibility. On the "Eco Pier" at Damrak

  opposite Central Station, information is

  available about 'Green' activities and biological

  restaurants in the city. The pier also is the

  starting point of clean, zero emission canal

  cruises.

Wheelchair elevators  Blueboat Company deserves a special  recommendation for disabled tourists. All the canal  tourboats of this company are equipped with  wheelchair elevators. For groups of wheelchait passengers it is recommended to contact the reservations department of the company. They will be happy to assist you with reservations.   Sailing gourmet restaurant   The beautiful saloonboat ' Henry Schmitz' of   Amsterdam Jewel Cruises is the only classic   saloonboat in the fleet where a private table   can be booked for a gourmet  dinner à la   carte. Your dinner will become a relaxed and   romantic outing in the enchanting setting of   the illuminated canals. Certainly the most   tasteful way to move around Amsterdam!      New in the saloon boat fleet: Her Royal Highness, built in 1913 for His Royal Highness Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands, grandfather of the current Queen Beatrix. Public cruises Most of the bigger tourboat companies can be found around Central Station and in the area of entertainment center Leidseplein. They offer similar cruises of 1 to 1½ hours. An electronic tourguide in several languages is standard equipment om these boats. The list with special arrangements of the Amsterdam tourboat companies is almost endless. We have made a selection of the most interesting offers, with links to the websites of the companies that offer them.

Posted in: Amsterdam tours,Amsterdam travel guides