Netherlands · LIGHT FESTIVAL & WINTER CRUISES
From late November the canals carry lit installations and every operator runs a route past them. These 15 cruises differ on heating, drinks and whether the boat has a roof, which matters more in January than the artwork does.
Amsterdam Light Festival electric canal cruise with blankets and optional unlimited drinks, 20 illuminated artworks, 75 minutes from Starboard Dock.
“It was very interesting such a cozy and lovely experience.”
75-minute Amsterdam Light Festival cruise from Central Station on a silent electric eco boat, with blankets, optional unlimited drinks, and a multilingual guide.
“This was an amazing boat trip, Captain and crew very interactive and informative. Captain Jean Paul, Crew member Fin were very knowledgeable with the artist's. Jade was a great host giving out the hot chocolates as part of a promotion for Chocomel.”
A warm 75-minute Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise with unlimited drinks, cozy seating, and guided stories of illuminated art and bridges.
“It was a wonderful time. The tour guides and the staff working there were so helpful, especially to my dad who is a wheelchair user. The staff helped to get my dad down the stairs and into the boat. For future reference, please add that this activity may not be suitable for wheelchair users. However, even though it wasn’t suitable, the staff made sure it was comfortable for my dad, and that means a lot! Thank you!”
A 75-minute heated canal cruise through Amsterdam Light Festival, with optional unlimited mulled wine and cozy winter snacks.
“Seeing the Light Festival from the canals completely changed my impression of Amsterdam at night. The reflections on the water, the quiet movement of the boat, and the contrast between historic buildings and modern light art created a very immersive experience. It felt calm, creative, and surprisingly intimate. A beautiful way to spend an evening in the city.”
75-minute Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise with unlimited drinks, Dutch snacks, and a guided route past top sights near Central Station.
“This was a brilliant tour, Jan Paul & Philip were great guides. Jan Paul especially gave a great & very knowledgeable commentary as we went along. We only booked this last minute but we're really lucky with the quality of the tour, would definitely recommend.”
Heated Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise with a cozy saloon boat, live English commentary, and hot chocolate plus mulled wine optional upgrade.
“The cruise was very enjoyable and the crew (Leire, Celia, Davian, Yoana) was very kind and helpful. The city is magical by night but the light festival was a bit disappointing.”
Cruise Amsterdam’s canals at night for the Light Festival, past the Amstel, Central Station, and NEMO, with warm unlimited drinks.
“Had a great evening cruise to see the lights. Our captain was Luc (I think) and forget our hosts name. It was 5pm on 1/12 if that helps determine who it was for the company. I did a canal cruise years ago. Learned a lot more on this cruise. The host did a great job sharing information about the city and the lights. She kept everyone engaged and tried to share facts that interested all ages. While doing that she also made sure everyone had full drinks the entire time. Really enjoyed this cruise. Thought I was doing it only for the lights, and learned a lot of new information…”
Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise with unlimited drinks, big windows, blankets, and English crew stories in 1 to 1.5 hours.
“The pictures are deceiving. I booked a boat that had seating at tables, and hard top and glass windows as shown in the pictures. The boat we got had seating around the edges that was very cramped, the bartender was tripping over the guests feet. The roof and windows were plastic that needed to be rolled up to see the light sculptures. We did not get the boat that was shown in the photos. The only reason I give this review 3 stars is that I thought the crew were excellent and very friendly.”
Heated Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise with unlimited gluhwein and hot drinks, plus light art from the water. 75 mins.
“Poor joining instructions/directions, chaos on the quayside. You’re crammed into massively overheated boats and because they’re covered you can’t see much. Nearly passed out from the heat and overcrowding. Don’t bother.”
75-min Amsterdam Light Festival cruise from Central Station with heated covered comfort, German audio guide, and unlimited drinks.
“It was OK, but unfortunately nothing more. Unfortunately there is no bar on the ship, so you have to order your drinks beforehand and you'll never get anything else. It's a bit of a shame.”
Covered Amsterdam canal cruise for the Amsterdam Light Festival, with live narration and optional hot drinks, beer, wine, and snacks.
“The boat had no shading. U.brellas didn't really work. Either couldn't hear or couldn't understand guides. Very little interesting points of what we were seeing.”
Heated Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise with live guide and skipper, covered boat, hot drinks, and optional unlimited drinks plus stroopwafel.
“The tour guide was lovely and did a great job. That is, once we got on a boat. We arrived in time for the tour to the location linked and depicted in our tickets We arrived in time for the tour and got in line. They loaded a couple of boats and stopped loading right as they got to us, for the next boat. We were ten minutes after our scheduled time. Several minutes later, the last boat showed up across the canal. It drove off after unloading its passengers. Not to us, but down the canal. No one noticed, of the staff. It was at least three minutes or…”
Heated Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise with unlimited drinks option, audio guide, and cozy views from the lounge deck.
“I have used. Viator many times and all of my experiences have been super exceptional for this one and it was terrible. Finding the correct boat was very difficult - I had to call for assistance. The unlimited wine included only one very small glass.”
Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise with a covered Flying Dutch Boats ride, live guide, and optional unlimited beer, mulled wine, and snacks.
“The tour guide was very informative and the drinks and all was fun but the boat itself was very bad. The place was so cramped up and the seats were opposite to windows, so instead of seeing outside we are seeing other people drinking 😕”
Cruise Amsterdam Light Festival by electric boat with blankets, hot drinks, and skipper stories, plus a QR guide in 8 languages.
“Fan-Tastic! Even tho the cold weather blankets kept us warm, the tour was very amusing! There was unlimited tea, mulled wine, beer, wine and soda, Me and my girlfriend had a very romantic and cozy tour with skipper Jakov, definitively a recommendation, also coming back in the weekend since Kinboat appearently also provides a floating jazz bar in the weekeind going throughout the Amsterdam light festival! The only closed boat with live music and fresh cocktails, sound like the dream to me! Thanks for today jakov! Hope you get a raise ❤️”
Every kind of Dutch day, and where each one leads.
