Located about 1:30 hours from Amsterdam, Wildeboer in Giethoorn of the Netherlands is a small but…read morefun and exciting village that features boat rentals that you can cruise through the lake view, beautiful village style homes, and even stop at local businesses to buy snacks and souvenirs. We rented 2 small self operated boats that were electrically powered so everything was very calm and quiet. We cruised through a large view of the lake along with some crops and flowers which was very beautiful. The route for the boats then took us towards a village not far from the original boat rental place, the small homes, little bridges, and gardens make everything look like a romance scene off of a movie. If you have the chance to visit the Netherlands and have time, I recommend driving out to this location and going on the boat to experience the amazing views!

This is the best place to rent a boat in Giethoorn. They have beautiful traditional oak boats, and…read morethey were by far the nicest we saw out on the water. We rented a boat for the afternoon and they provided us with seat cushions and blankets and we had them prepare us a beautiful picnic basket with tea to take on board. The food in the picnic basket was prepared by the nearby Lindenhof restaurant, but there is also a cheaper option to have it prepared directly by the the coffee/tea house onsite. You can rent the boats hourly for 25 per hour. They also provided us with a map and some marked routes so we wouldn't get lost. The coffee/tea house is wonderful. They have the friendliest service and delicious desserts and teas. There is even some gifts for sale. We bought a beautiful ornament for our garden at a very good price. Overall we were very impressed by WildeBoer, and I would not hesitate to return or recommend them to friends. We had a wonderful day boating around the picturesque village of Giethoorn and surrounding areas. I can't wait to go back!

I really enjoyed the experience of renting a motorboat from Vakantiepark Giethoorn. When I came up…read moreto rent a boat, the man doing the rentals exclaimed, "You don't look like a buyer!" which cracked me up because I work in sales and know what he means. I think people in sales tend to try and gage who is going to be a "buyer" and who's not before they even say whether they will be or not, and you can end up being pleasantly surprised a lot of the time. They don't require a boating license in order to rent their boats, which meant I was in for an adventure because I had never driven a motorboat before! But the entire experience has made me love boating. I got into my red motorboat and was given a map of the canals. Along the way I met others who were also renting the boats during the same five hours I was, so we got to share in the experience. Hilariously, I crashed multiple times into a large tour guide boat full of tourists, but I just laughed it out at the guy's frustration, given that this was my first time on a motorboat. The actual steering of the boat was pretty straightforward, but toward the end of my five hours I wasn't able to find the original guy from Vakantiepark who had rented the boat to me, so I simply left it on the side of the canal and hopped right out! He was happy to go fish it out for me. Overall I had a great time renting a motorboat from Vakantiepark and would definitely rent from them again.

From the owner: Vakantie vieren in het prachtige en beroemde waterdorp: Giethoorn - verblijf in chalet aan het…read morewater mét gratis gebruik elektrische sloep Eropuit in eigen land, waar kan dat nu beter dan in Giethoorn, het Venetië van het Noorden! Bekend om haar kenmerkende bruggetjes, dorpsgrachten en pittoreske huisjes. Waar u geen auto tegenkomt en alles dan ook ter voet, fiets of boot beleeft! Varen is de perfecte manier om de prachtige omgeving van Giethoorn te ontdekken. Vakantiepark Giethoorn ligt middenin het authentieke centrum van Giethoorn, wat de ideale uitvalbasis is om je vakantie te gaan vieren. De 4-, 6- en 12- persoons chalets zijn van alle gemakken voorzien. Het leukste aan dit vakantiepark is het gratis gebruik van een elektrische sloep bij je vakantie of weekendje weg (vanaf februari t/m oktober en type Tiny House en Lepelaar hotelchalet zijn uitgesloten)! Zo stap je vanuit je eigen tuin zo de boot in, klaar om de omgeving te verkennen. Op het park treft u een receptie waar u terecht kunt voor informatie of het park en omgeving, fietsverhuur, fiets- en wandelroutes en souvenirs. Verder is er een gezellig eetcafé met heerlijke lunchgerechten, broodjesservice en andere lekkernijen. Bij dit eetcafé bevindt zich ook een vernieuwde speelzolder en ook kunt u hier terecht voor een rondvaart, high tea of een ontdek een van de andere leuke activiteiten.

We had Captain Andy for our evening canal tour - awesome experience!! Super funny and good size…read moregroup. Definitely ask your tour guide questions, it makes the ride funnier and more interesting.

Andy was a fantastic captain for our afternoon canal cruise! We did the "Strangers are gross"…read moreprivate tour and it was the perfect blend of historic info and natural banter and conversation. It felt more like a friend taking us out than a tour. Would 100% recommend to anyone.

Skip those large canal boat rides and go with a small boat and personalized tour with a native of…read moreAmsterdam. Our guide Jan was a first-rate skipper, guide, and a great on board host. Filled with knowledge and unusual things to see along the way, Jan was as personal and friendly as you could ever hope for in a tour guide / skipper. This was truly one of the highlights of our time in Amsterdam. The boat was small, and comfortable for the 4 of us, we drank beer and wine while nibbling on small bites, as we toured Amsterdam from the water. I lived in Amsterdam for quite some time and had walked most of the canals Jan took us through, but I learned plenty on this boat tour. Jan is a native of Amsterdam, and skippers' tours every day. I would not hesitate to recommend Amsterdam Boat Center if you're looking for a unique way to see Amsterdam.

My family and I very much enjoyed our Amsterdam Boat Center canal tour earlier in August. There…read moreare many canal tour companies in the area to pick from and while this one is on the pricier side, it was a very nice experience and lasted 90 minutes. The boat itself is very authentic and was very comfortable to sit in. We cruised through numerous canals around the city while the captain (who also acted as our guide) talked about the canals, history of Amsterdam, and the buildings flanking the canals. The only drawback was the lack of microphone because the captain/guide was difficult to hear at times if you were sitting in the back and other passengers were talking.

Highly highly recommend if you're looking to do a canal cruise in Amsterdam. I found Mokumboot…read morethrough the I Amsterdam Card (the cruise is included in the card) and decided to book because it was the only company on the card with an open boat. Making reservations was easy online and the boat was easy to find. We essentially had a semi private tour because there were only 3 other guests on board. Mike and our Captain made it such a fun, safe, and enjoyable experience. Because it was an open boat we got to take amazing pictures and even got to touch the underside of the bridges for good luck. It sprinkled lightly for a few minutes during our tour but they have plenty of clear umbrellas on board. Check out Mokumboot! You won't regret it!

Highest possible recommendation and THANK YOU to the lovely Mike and Mariah for yesterday's canal…read morecruise. This open boat - the ONLY way to do this experience - carried us down the Amsterdam canals and it was the perfect way to wrap my trip to Amsterdam. Mike and Mariah are knowledgeable, courteous guides and they made the trip that much more pleasurable with their history lessons. Drinks are available and the first one is on the house (boat)! Will I ever have the chance again to sip white wine while cruising the Amsterdam canals? Maybe not, but thank goodness I got to do it once. Recommend using your I Amsterdam card for this experience (20 euro otherwise) and, don't worry, there's not a bad seat on the boat. Thank you very much, Mike and Mariah!

Rode my bike over to ROEIcentrum - the "Rowing Center" to learn how to row a boat on the Amstel…read more Was with a group of lady friends and we all gathered together while Pablo showed us how to get in and out of the boat (I didn't know you could step right through the bottom of the boat if you step in the wrong place), and the correct way to hold the oar and row in synch. The "in synch" part is critical - otherwise, you're going around in circles and hooting in fear. After some instruction inside in the tank, we were out on the river four to a boat, with an instructor up front telling us why our skinny little boat wouldn't topple over and when to "go." I focused on rowing in synch with the person up front, and making sure I didn't drag my oar - which did all kinds of crazy things to the boat's stability and made us all shriek. And after awhile, I got into the rhythm of it and didn't think of anything but the sun at my back and rowing. I'm going back in early July to take lessons - which are tres reasonable (just EU 100 for 7 weeks). Additional bonus: the female instructor who headed up our boat had the most beautifully toned arms....surely, if I keep rowing this will happen to me!

This place is just too damn fun! Lessons are very reasonably priced and all of the instructors I've…read morehad are very supportive and kind. It's also a nice and inexpensive place to grab a glass of wine or a beer, especially when the weather is good. I'm looking forward to more classes here.

Had an unreal evening with Cap't Dominic tonight. He killed it on our tour. Like so impressed. Grew…read moreup in the Netherlands, loves his country, has been navigating the canals since he was 14 and loves his job. What an amazing person to be around for 3 hours. The tour is pricey. But you are getting an unreal meal as good as any 1/2/3 star Michelin restaurant. They have a great bar selection. And a ride around the entire city with an amazing tour guide. 1st Course: I had salmon with dill tops. My wife had prawns. 2nd course: my wife had a Scottish steak + croquettes and I had the surf and turf. 3rd corse / dessert: my wife gas cre me brûlée and I had a cheese plate. Live the tour of the city. Amazing doing it mid August as you start the tour in the light and then it is dark by the end.

On the 20 year anniversary of returning to this wonderful city, my husband and finally got to take…read morea canal tour which we would not have appreciated as teenagers! After reading the great reviews, I booked the last tour of the day and hoped to catch a little bit of sunset. It turned out that our walking skills were better than we anticipated and we got to the boat 39 minutes early. We were excited to find out that we could use our tickets on a boat that left a half and hour earlier. Thanks for the flexibility! Chris and Carrie were excellent hosts. They offered drinks for a nominal fee, colorful commentary about the history of the city and even let me drive the boat! Yeah, crazy right? Chris was such a great Captain that he even helped me steer straight through the canals like nobody's business. If you want to get a guided tour of Amsterdam without the mass tourist crowd and a completely open boat to take photos, this tour is for you. They will answer any questions you have and make sure you enjoy the trip. Thank you for the awesome experience!

Amazing Canal experience! Captain Duke is excellent with communication and his staff were…read moreexceptional! Very fun and informative, hands down the best choice after reviewing other cruises. After the cruise we went to meet up with friends that reside in Amsterdam and taught them a few lessons about the Dam that they didn't even know. See you August Flying Dutch Crew!!!