BoatNow's sailing tips

BoatNow's tips for a fantastic sailing trip

Sailing the Amsterdam canals is a great outing. Tripadvisor rated such a trip 'the best activity in the world'.

You can start your trip by boarding a traditional canal cruise boat where you buy a ticket and spend an hour with a large number of other passengers along the standard highlights and listening to a standard tape. For relatively little money you can quickly get an impression of what the Amsterdam canals have to offer.

Another possibility is to rent a boat yourself. In the last 10 years, a number of companies have started renting out small electric boats that can accommodate up to 12 people. See our 'self drive' page for more information. Are you well known in Amsterdam and are you an experienced skipper that is certainly recommended, but if not, then you may miss the most beautiful spots and you end up in trouble on the sometimes crowded canals. You will be a nuisance to the other boats or the local residents or you will have trouble finding the right route (back). 

A third possibility is to rent a boat with skipper via BoatNow. Such a private cruise, with a snack, a drink and with an experienced skipper provides the ultimate Amsterdam canals experience. You and your company will get an explanation of what can be seen in the immediate vicinity and you will also learn something about the history of Amsterdam, sometimes spiced up by personal stories of someone who has been sailing on the canals for years. And all this without having to worry about giving way or not speeding along the houseboats. 

Of course you pay more than when you buy a ticket for a standard canal cruise, but as soon as you sail with a larger group (more than 10) the prices become competitive.

We have dozens of sloops and salon boats available for every occasion or composition of your group. Popular boats on our website are for example the Lautta, Max, Vastberaden, the Apsara, the Nassau and the Havana. Popular saloon boats are for example the Berhardine, Sarah, the Dauphine or the larger Old Queen. You can also request extra products from us, including a delicious lunch, extensive dinners, barbecues and more! View our lunch and dinner packages here.

BoatNow: reserve the ideal boat with a few simple clicks

BoatNow is an innovative and independent online platform where you can book private tours in Amsterdam. Via a specially developed mobile application or via the website you can rent a boat for any occasion and that fits your needs exactly.

On the BoatNow website, which is fully mobile-friendly, you can choose from over 100 available boats. After you specify your preferences (time, preferred boat(s), pick-up location, etc.), the selected boat owners will be notified immediately. They will then send you a quote as soon as possible, after which you can communicate with the boat owner via our chat system. If you want to sail immediately, the boat owner will, of course, contact you immediately, and your preferred boat will often already be on its way.

For direct booking, we recommend downloading our app, available for iOS and Android devices. It will show your location and all nearby pick-up locations. Select your pick-up location and the desired boat type. Within 60 minutes, you can be enjoying the Amsterdam canals and everything else that makes this city so special.

We can pick you up almost anywhere in the city: see our map of available Pickup locations

Largest offer

Most of the Amsterdam shipping companies are connected to us with a total of more than 100 boats. This means that we have boats suitable for a fun day out with friends and family or romantic trips for smaller groups, but also larger boats for company outings, bachelor parties and weddings.