We used the Headout app to book this canal cruise, and then when we arrived at the Lovers Canal cruise dock, it felt a little chaotic. Besides the ticket line, the signs were nonexistent. I had to ask two staff to tell us where to line up. Advice: show up 15 minutes before your scheduled cruise. We ended up going on a cruise that started at 6:20 once we got through the long line. (Our tix were for 6 p.m. yesterday). It was threatening rain, so I was grateful for the enclosed and heated cruise boat. Our captain was a careful driver; otherwise not really interactive. We were seated 3 people in from the window so I did not take many photos because the edges of the window would interfere. Earphones and a wall unit to plug in and select your language. The start of the recording was slightly out of sync with our trip. Fun to see a different perspective of the canals and canal houses. So much history and architecture to admire. read more

See all

I took the 1-hour cruise and I was expecting some live explanation of the history and sightseeing, instead it was a pre-recorded low-quality audio that made me sleepy. The tour destination is good but this specific one doesn't involve wine or food so I would have taken a different one. read more

See all

Good activity while visiting Amsterdam. We did it because we had to kill an hour before our hotel room was available. It was rough being extremely tired trying to listen and being swayed to sleep by the boat. That said it was something to do and I enjoyed the parts my body let me stay awake for! I would have liked an in person presenter but the plug in audio wasn't bad. I appreciated the adorable price! They run every 15 minutes. You can buy tickets online or in person. They seemed decently flexible if you arrived early for your time slot. read more

Lovers Canal Cruise - Tours Near Me - Amsterdam, DR

I purchased a ticket for a day trip on Viator and one of the activities that was included was a canal cruise. The ticket was good for two days and I was able to walk up to the ticket booth and choose a time that I wanted to go. I went on a Monday at noon. Lovers is not too far from Amsterdam Centraal. I arrived a few minutes before noon and was surprised that I was able to board (I figured the boat would be full by the time I arrived). The one downside to being one of the last to board was that I wasn't able to get a window seat. The boat is enclosed with glass. If you're able to get a spot next to the window, you can open it which makes for better photos. The windows weren't super clean so my photos didn't come out that great. The cruise was about an hour. You're given a headset that plugs into an outlet at the table. The recorded guide comes in a couple of languages. The captain of the boat occasionally pointed out different landmarks. It was cool seeing one of the narrowest buildings in the city (it's a meter wide). The cruise was fine, but it wasn't a highlight of my trip. There are a lot of canal cruise options in the city. If the weather is nice, opt for an open air cruise. read more

See all

Was told the ship was overbooked. My husband and I could not sit together. Instead I sat next to a selfie obsessed couple that took up the window. My seat faced a wall and toilet. Audio headset did not work. I wish this could have been a better experience, one hour wasted. read more

Lovers Canal Cruise - My view - Tours Near Me - Amsterdam, DR

See all

This place was directly across the canal from our hotel and the central train station. It appeared that there were some other tour options just across the bridge from here also. I think there are more departure points (some for this company and some for others) at other spots also. This was convenient for us and the cost seemed in line with what other places were charging (between 15 and 20 Euros per person). I think there are options where you can get a cocktail / beer / wine on some cruise, but this wasn't one of those. There is ticket kiosk just off the bridge where they sell tickets to multiple different Amsterdam attractions, including the cruise. There was a short line when we arrived but it moved quickly. I think that, during peak hours, they have boats leaving every 15 - 20 minutes. There wasn't a need to check scheduling online, but they probably have one listed on a website. The tour lasted about an hour and covered several different areas. It was mostly a recorded narration (you got free, cheap headsets which you plugged in at your seat and selected the language by channel). The boat driver sometimes chimed in where there was no recording. We took this on our first afternoon in Amsterdam and were somewhat dazed and jetlagged. We might have gotten more out of it some other day, but the weather was nice. My only other observation is that these boats have sides with windows, but the top is mostly open (unless it is raining). If you have an interest in taking photos from the boat (assuming it is not raining), you might want to opt for a boat with no sides or roof for better field of vision. I did see other companies with that type of boat. It seemed sort of obligatory to do a canal cruise while in Amsterdam, and this company was more than adequate to check that off your itinerary. read more

Lovers Canal Cruise - The departure point for the cruise. - Tours Near Me - Amsterdam, DR

A lot of the reviews are negative, but I thought it was fine. While an open boat with live commentary would be preferable, I didn't make those reservations early enough so did this instead. No one looked at the time on our tickets, so it didn't seem to be an issue if it's a really long line and you're concerned about missing your boat. There was one available right after the next one. Using the headphones for info was fine. It would be a bummer if you're not by a window though as you might be sitting by a stranger and awkward to reach over them for a picture. read more

See all

If you dislike crowded conditions, consider other options. -- This was a find saloon boat cruise but ended up being extremely crowded. Each Lovers boat we saw was packed full. As we passed other brands we saw they had more space available so, next time, I would choose one of them since they all seem to follow the same or similar routes. read more

CLEAN ALL THE GLASS!!! I wasn't able to sit next to a window, therefore, had to rely on the glass above and around. Let me also add...the Captain spoke English, but purposely ignored when I tried to tell him that no one could hear him that sat in the open section to the rear and only had a door dividing. The mic wasn't heard back there. So I moved to the inside and left 4 ladies there. I'm a visitor from Hawaii, I'll share this with others. Oh, my tour guide today agreed and said there were betters ones out there. I'll inform my Rhine River cruise manager know as well since he recommended this vendor. Normally we from Hawaii don't complain but this took the cake. read more

Me and my friend wanted to go on a river cruise when we were in London and did not get a chance well here comes our opportunity and we took it. We actually walked into one of those touristy companies that had an office off the Dam square and realize we could save some money by purchasing our museum tickets and our river cruise with this company. We got the ticket combo for a river tour and tickets to the Rijksmuseum. It was so easy and stress free booking with the company. The ticket agent spoke english and was very helpful in answering all my questions. They gave us clear directions on how to get to our river cruise. We chose a day cruise and chose to go right then and there to make the most of our time in the city. We got there like 45 minutes before departure so when we boarded we got to chose our seats and we picked the window seat. They had a little squeegee on the table to wipe the windows down when it got humid inside the the windows started to have condensation. Pretty glad they thought of that idea so people can see out the windows of the boat. It did start to get crowded as the time of departure arrive but it was not that bad. The table holds up to 6 people and we had 5 in our table, the audio phones they provided are long enough to reach far but it looked a little uncomfortable. The guy sitting next to my friend was from Japan and he was able to choose Japanese as his language from the audio guide in the boat. Along with the audio tour our boat captain did make some witty jokes and pointed out to some of his favorite buildings. He also took the boat very slow in some canals to give people time to get that perfect picture of the beautiful houses. In some cases he even went back like twice to make sure both sides of the boat got to see what the main attraction was. I feel we covered a lot of ground in this river cruise and I am really glad we got a chance to experience this. Once the tour was over we circled back to the starting point and everything was great. I think next time I wanna do a night tour, looks pretty cool. read more

I had booked semi top down cruise via Klook.com, it was easy to find Lovers Canal Cruise just outside the Central train station. We were able to exchange for an earlier time slot at 930am, however the boat was not semi open. They said the semi open boats weren't going to operate that day anyways due to the weather condition. You are given small headphones to listen to some history and facts of Amsterdam during the hour ride. It was a relaxing and slow ride with good views of the beautiful canals. But I feel like you don't get much out of it since the captain just drive the boat without any interactions. We did have an near empty boat about 10 pp only at 930am departure, but the one after ours had many more customers. read more

Lovers Canal Cruise - Tours Near Me - Amsterdam, DR

We should have done our homework but the weather started to turn and we jumped at the chance to relax and take in the sights. The recording was hard to hear, it was a packed boat, and the windows were dirty so it was hard to take pictures, make sure you grab a seat facing forward that way you can take pictures outside the window read more

Lovers Canal Cruise - Tours Near Me - Amsterdam, DR

See all

We booked a cruise with the 5 of us in the family. We got on a random boat last and we couldn't sit together because of a the groups of 2 and 3 boarding first, the staff didn't help assign seats at all.... I asked the staff if they could assist but they refused rudely quote "you bought tickets but not seats and i don't care". Pretty disappointing to book a cruise two months in advance to spend time with family visiting from abroad and sitting with strangers instead on Chirstmas. read more

I had a mostly lovely time on my evening boat cruise while i was in Amsterdam. The boat was a little stuffy and foggy because it was an exceptionally rainy and chilly day but overall i enjoyed the Captain's silly comments and the lights along the way. In retrospect i would have opted for the day cruise, although i enjoyed the light art installation and my rainy window photos, i would have loved more daylight views of the canal houses. Next time! I got my tickets through Get You Guide so it was relatively inexpensive (although i didn't check prices through the actual company). read more

See all

Okay these guys are helpful and nice, though the tour not so great. It was pretty at night though. You get packed in like sardines so hard to see anything and half the time the headsets wouldn't work or only one of the earpieces would. We were sitting by some people who kept talking the whole time as well so that was annoying. Next time I go I want to do the other booze cruise or dinner cruise I found on Viator instead. You don't really pass by a lot of history places either. Just a few. I guess it's just for the view at night? read more

See all

Jungle Cruise at Disney World is better. The boat drivers are half asleep. Seen one building you've seen them all seen one bridge is seen them all. Wear your headphones otherwise you will not hear any of the pre-recorded message about what's going on your tour. read more

I came by their ticket booth yesterday and asked some questions about the cruise. The guy selling tickets was so helpful and friendly that I knew this was where I would be going for my cruise. I didn't even buy a ticket yesterday but he was willing to tell me where some different places were that I was asking about. So appreciated. It is 14 Euro for a one hour cruise. The cruises go every half hour and left and arrived back punctually. The captain greeted me warmly as I got on the boat. I chose to sit in the back outside. Even though it was brisk outside, it was the perfect place to sit. The captain hands out headsets and then another guy came by and made sure passengers knew they could choose from many different languages. I loved that. I thoroughly enjoyed my cruise. It was great seeing the city from this vantage point. I enjoyed listening to the information offered. I would definitely recommend it and am so glad I went. Nice and comfortable boat. Super friendly employees. Great experience. read more

See all

Its was ok. The staff was really nice - but you don't get to see much with the closed in boat. Also, the windows were really dirty so you couldn't see all the "monuments" they were disclosing. read more

Extremely disappointed with Lovers Canal Cruises. We purchased four tickets under the assurance we'd be seated together, only to find out last minute that wasn't the case. Despite an available boat right after, they refused to accommodate us or issue a refund. It's ridiculous that they don't guarantee seating together for groups--who'd want to take an hour-long cruise separated from their friends? Would not recommend. read more

The night art lights canal tour was pretty terrible. It was raining so it was hard to see anything at all through the wet windows. The art was mediocre at best. They squeeze in too many people per boat so I suggest coming arriving very early if you're with a group so you can sit together. Most people on our boat ended up looking at their cell phones and sleeping and just talking to each other. It was that dull. I think a day time tour would provide better visibility and maybe don't plan to do a tour when it's raining as the windows fog up and collect too much water to see properly. read more

Lovers Canal Cruise offers a solid boat tour through the famous Amsterdam canals --- I mean what better way to experience this ironic city than on a boat. They have multiple language selections on a prerecorded audio guide (like 15). You can choose between the 1-hour or pizza-dinner cruise -- and while they don't offer beverages on the ship (for the 1-hour cruise), you can purchase them at the cafe/bar adjacent to the port. read more

Lovers Canal Cruise - Canal boat ride at dusk - Tours Near Me - Amsterdam, DR

The tour we'd purchased tickets for was to leave at 4:30, but had already pulled well away from the dock by 4:28 when we arrived. yes, we cut it close BUT it should not leave early when people have tickets purchased. Fortunately, our hotel (who had booked the tickets for us) refunded them. But, according to the ticket office rep and the other boat drivers at the dock, this particular captain regularly leaves early for his tours, leaving ticketed passengers behind. I would NOT recommend booking with this tour, or at least not doing so in advance. We gave that same feedback to our hotel concierge as well. read more

The ONLY reason we used this tour group is because it was part of a package. Right across from Centraal Station is convenient but just not a good experience. Top of boat isn't clear so much of the view is obstructed if you are on the 'wrong' side. Clear windows dirty so not great for taking photos. Repeatedly asked to open the top of the boat on a clear, sunny day and it was opened essentially a crack so there was not much moving air. Table we were at was filthy and sticky. Audio plug in for "guided tour" was sparse. No real person on the boat, crowded, and half seats faced forward. Other tours have full glass tops, open tops and someone to talk about the area. read more

Took a late afternoon cruise with this company for 16 euro per person. They Provided headphones and offered an audio tour in 19 languages. The staff was friendly as was the captain. They navigated the canals of Amsterdam pointing out highlights of the city. I thought the audio tour could have been better, it was rather sparse with information. The tour lasted approximately 1 hour and was pleasant after a full day of travel, but it did not give me a sense of the layout of the city. If you have time and just want to take an affordable, quiet boat ride this may work for you. read more

Well, the name sounds cool, but they are known to overbook so plan ahead to stand in a very unorganized line. Scheduled a 1000 and it is now 1003 and no boat, crowd is getting annoyed and no staff to explain. Getting in line is unorganized as people line up anywhere and just pile up hoping for the best. Looking at the faces around not a lot of smiles. Will update if I ever get on the boat ride read more

The tour is terrible. The natrative is a rwcording if cold facts from history that does nothing to help visitors feel the heart and soul of this wonderful city. I tmwas embarrassed tontake some first time visitors on this tour. Please take a canal tour with a human guide who can speak about thw history but also culture. read more

What a perfect way to spend a long layover in Amsterdam. It is easy to get there from Schiphol airport - simply take the metro to Centraal Station (it's just a few stops) and look for the orange Lover's Canal signage as you walk out of the station. They even stored my carry-on luggage for FREE! Why sit in the airport for hours when you can take this amazing cruise... read more

The captains seem to gain perverse entertainment from letting their passengers wait in line for 45 minutes whilst 5 boats were sitting empty. Horrible way to treat customers! General don't care attitude. Should have gone on the hop-on-hop-off boat instead. read more

Now don't let the name deceive you - this isn't anything to do with the red light district. But Lovers has very clean boats and do a very good job with the audio tour on their canal cruise. It was an hour long and gave such great history and allowed us to see some of the beautiful architecture and history and culture of Amsterdam. Cost was only 16 Euro per person - and I felt it was very worth the cost! read more

Lovers Canal Cruise - Tours Near Me - Amsterdam, DR

See all

Go at twilight and sit in the back of the boat. You will have the most amazing river views imaginable. The hotel recommended this company for being close and the great tours, I would like to agree. While I did not listed the descriptions, I was too busy taking photos, I did get to see the canals in a totally different way. Spectacular! read more

See all

The captain of the 8:30pm from central was not at all likeable. Restroom was disgusting. All else ok.

Our group of four booked the Dinner Cruise at 7:30pm on 10 Feb 2024. the Captain was very welcoming. this is where it went down hill. The sink in the bathroom did not work. We were not told until we were under way. The crew stated that there would be sanitary wipes and there was not any provided then the toilet became clogged and the crew did nothing to rectify. The cruise was full with approximately 70 passengers. The service was good to begin with but deteriorated as the cruise wore on. I asked for an another bottle of water with our main course and was told they would bring it later. After 10min I stood up and went to the crew to get one. You should be aware that the conversation got to the point where we could not hear each other. This is not something the crew can manage but it is a fact when there are 70 people in a small space all drinking wine. The food was good was above average. Based on this single experience I cannot recommend this cruise read more

For the narrated 1 hour cruise I choose Lovers Cruise solely for the following reason: 1. It was at the dock and ready to leave 2. there wasn't a crowd 3. Price. It was only 16 euro 4. To cross off an item on my Amsterdam bucket list The cruise itself is canned. It is a preset route with narration that plays as you cruise. Earphones are provided, and you can chose from a number of languages (19 in total). They provided a city map that you could follow along the route with. The boat was partially open aired with the top off in the back rows. In terms of seating, there are tables that can seat at least 6 people and in the back row of seats. **Tip- There are 2 steps that you must navigate to get in and out of the boat, so those with sever mobility issues may not be able to take the tour. read more

We took the 1 hr Day Canal Cruise. It was neat to see the city from the canals, but for the price of €16 per person I was excepting much more. While on the tour, they have a pre-recorded audio guide that you can listen to with provided headphones. I guess the benefit is that they offer the audio guide in many languages, so anyone can go on any boat and listen to the tour narration. However, I found the audio guide to be impersonal. If the tour was significantly cheaper, I would have been ok with the pre-recorded guide. Lover's does a good job of taking you throughout the different areas of Amsterdam on the canals. The tour also gives some good background information and history on Amsterdam. I would recommend doing the tour but just know the quality of tour you will be getting. read more

See all

It's okay. One hour tour. The audio tour was redundant and the seats uncomfortable (for me). We did get to see some historical buildings and learn about life on the canal. Over 2,000 houseboats that i covet. I would so live on one. Seems you cant stick another houseboat on the canals and buying a berth mostly impossible () Next time i would either peddle my way across the canals or do the "hop off hop on" cruise read more

See all

We went on the nighttime cheese and wine tour. Seating is very tight, windows are dirty so you can't get good pictures, and fluorescent lighting inside the boat makes reflection on windows so pictures are nearly impossible. Cheese and wine were average at best. Doing this trip on a boat is the best way to see this beautiful city for what's it's worth just don't expect good food or wine and you'll be fine! read more

See all

We did the basic 16 euro one hour canal tour in an open boat. That looks like the going rate for most of these tours. This one seems like the most popular one and runs every 30 mins. Our boat was half full on a Sunday evening. It was a pleasant ride. You get earphones to choose whichever language you need and the boar cruises around the canals. Yes this is touristy but locals just have their own smaller version of a boat to ride around and drink on. You're just on a more commercial version compared to them without the alcohol. This is a must do as it's a fun way to see all the buildings from a different angle. Boat was clean and staff were nice. Just to central station and walk outside and you will see these tours. read more

See all

Pretty disappointed in this canal cruise, I gotta say. I've been on many a boat tour, in various cities, and even the most basic are typically pretty decent for a relaxing excursion. This cruise, however, costing a whopping €16 per person, was below average. The captain did not provide a fun tour, as some of the other reviewers experienced. Rather, he sat quietly behind the wheel, while the passengers listened to some info about the city on headphones. The info was sparse, and pretty boring. It was also off the mark of the landmarks it was talking about... so everyone on the boat was spending more time looking around for the landmark, and not at all listening to the info about it. As a matter of fact, I'm not even listening to the info right now! I'm writing this review instead. Which is far more entertaining. I give this cruise a 2 star rating because, even though I don't think it's worth the money, it was at least something to do on a rainy day, and the seats were comfortable. read more

Lovers Canal Cruise - Bored. - Tours Near Me - Amsterdam, DR

A dear friend recommended we take a candlelight cruise on our 30th anniversary trip to Amsterdam. We booked this cruise through our hotel. I'd read some reviews on other cruises - limited amount of food/wine - so I was not expecting more than a couple of glasses of wine... I was happily surprised to find glasses of champagne on arrival w/mixes nuts, followed soon by our choice of red or white wine (w/many refills). We were also served two types of sliced sausage/salami, two cheeses, pickled onions, pickles, olives & offered more several times. Our captain was Flip who did a great job w/sailing through the tiny canals in a Long canal boat. He was very friendly & entertaining as well as our guide and our server, Kieran (sp?). Highly recommend this cruise & company. We had honeymooner & birthday celebrations that the captain made a point to recognize. read more

See all

typical tourist attraction...dnt let the ad fool you...everyone gets cramped into a boat for same cruise on murky stinky waters... its more of cruising the canals..lol! however, a must try...after a long day of walking...sitting on the boat is a good rest time! happy travels!! read more

See all