Amsterdam Canal Cruise: Historic Salon Boat

Join Captain Jack on an all-inclusive Amsterdam canal cruise with a maximum of 8 guests. Enjoy luxury, drinks, snacks, and intimate conversations while exploring the city’s canals.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Amsterdam Canal Ring - All cruises are personally captained by the owner of the Drift Away.
    Departures are from Singel no.7, and the cruise concludes at the same location.
    There is no fixed route; the cruise is customized based on guests’ preferences.
    The unique design of the Drift Away allows access to Amsterdam’s narrowest canals and the ability…
What's Included
  • Snacks
  • Extensive open bar
  • Local beers, top shelf liquors, soft drinks, hot drinks
  • Specialty G&T with local gin
Additional Information

Discover the iconic canals of Amsterdam on a delightful cruise aboard the historic salon boat, Sophie, established in 1911. This intimate experience, limited to 12 guests, offers a cozy and personalized journey.
Your host and guide for six days a week is Amsterdam native Boudewijn Metzelaar, affectionately known as “Captain Bow.” On Saturdays, one of his…

Location
Singel 5
Singel
Singel 5 is an adres. “Hotel Canal View” is located here. The departure point is INFRONT of this adres marked with 6 black morning poles with white caps along the canal. !!There is NO SIGN at the departure point itself at the moment due to zoning restrictions!!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(509 Ratings)
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1 star
Katiecl6045dp
Mar 29, 2026
Incredible! - I can't overstate how wonderful this cruise was. We did a lot of things during our family's 9 day trip to Amsterdam, but we all (two parents, kids 17 and 11) agree that this was THE BEST. John was our captain, and the background he gave us into Amsterdam was incredible. He was fun and knowledgeable. The boat (and we know boats) was spectacular; everything was better than could possibly be expected. It was great for newcomers to Amsterdam without feeling touristy. Thank you, John!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Accountantdj
Mar 29, 2026
Cruising around the canals of Amsterdam. - A very enjoyable and informative cruise around the canals with our captain John. Friendly, fun and fact-filled, seeing the city from the water was a great way to understand the history of Amsterdam. And the gin and tonic was a lovely accompaniment! Would certainly recommend this cruise, 💯. Thanks John
Review provided by Tripadvisor
654deannd
Mar 29, 2026
Locally owned & fabulous!! - This was one of the highlights of our trip! Our captain was Fokko and he was fantastic. He grew up on these canals and knows the city. The architecture of the houses, history and fun stories were told by someone who truly lives this city. We were on board with another family and had a great time. Great variety of cocktails, drinks, & snacks. SKIP the bigger boat tours, and go with a locally owned small group. It was personalized, and we really felt like we got to know the city and the people. The boat was a beautifully restored wooden boat from the early 1900s, it doesn’t get more perfect than that. We liked the day tour so much, we signed up for the night tour, which was equally beautiful! Thank you Fokko for 2 beautiful cruises! Cris & Dee from Texas.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bridget
Mar 22, 2026
Must Do - So much better than the large circling canal boats that are everywhere. First of all, this is a stunning boat, meticulously maintained. Because of its size, you are able to go into the smaller canals are really get the perspective of how Amsterdam was developed. John our Captain is also a historian so his narrative was particularly educational. He tracked our travels through the canal and pointed out many sites of interest that you would have missed otherwise. The ability to ask questions as we traveled really enhanced the experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ericwf7790fw
Mar 17, 2026
Friendly, personalized and knowledgeable. - Really enjoyed our canal tour on the Sophie and would highly recommend it. Small group, extremely knowledgeable captain, personalized experience and very attentive to the passengers. We've done several canal tours over the years and far and away this was the best. We'll be back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X7495kxzacharyb
Mar 2, 2026
Amazing Tour! - Our small group tour was amazing with Bow's Journey's! We had the pleasure of getting Bow himself as our captain and he did not disappoint! He was very knowledgable and knew the answer to all of our questions! He took great care of us, even at the end when we had gotten a little drunk from the open bar!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelecc4816uk
Feb 14, 2026
Tour with drinks and snacks buffet - Great Amsterdam canal tour, we really enjoyed Bow's character and presentation
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Navigate59978913036
Jan 25, 2026
Perfect Tour - We loved the experience! We were 4 and had a wonderful walk. The captain was very helpful and knew a lot of the area, we loved all the stories. A big thanks from the Portuguese group.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jmartin2001
Jan 6, 2026
Amazing Amsterdam canal tour with Bow! - This small group tour was suggested by our concierge. Bow was very hospitable and gave us a great history tour of Amsterdam by water. We met two other couples on the boat and we all ended up going to a pub afterwards. Very fun afternoon!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thisana_v
Jan 1, 2026
The tour was very... - The tour was very impressive and informative. Captain Fokko is very freindly and service minded. As the group was small, the boat was not crowned and we could clearly hear story told by the captain. We took the boat on 30th December. It's during Amsterdam Light Festival, so we could enjoy the impressive night view with the beautiful lighting along the canal.
Review provided by Viator
From $68
up to 8 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).