What you will see From the Cruise?
Amsterdam Canal Cruise Route Highlights
A canal cruise in Amsterdam is the ultimate way to get to know historic Amsterdam, with its ancient canals and many of the city’s famous landmarks, bridges, and monuments that you can see up close during the cruise. Although each cruise company offers its own route, the vast majority of cruises pass by the same well-known and iconic landmarks. Here is everything you can see during a standard canal cruise in Amsterdam.
The Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge)
The Skinny Bridge is an old wooden bridge from the 17th century, considered one of the most famous landmarks on Amsterdam’s canals and a very well-known tourist attraction. Its name comes from the fact that in the beginning it was especially narrow. Over the years it has been rebuilt and renovated, but its name has not changed. There is hardly a canal cruise that does not pass by the bridge.
Amstel River
The Amstel River is a main river within Amsterdam’s canals, and most canal cruises pass through it. The river connects the canal belts with other central sites in the city, and along its banks you can find well-known buildings such as the Carré Theatre, the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam Hotel, and the Magere Brug.
Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House is the hiding place where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II, and today it is considered one of the most famous museums in the Netherlands and indeed in the world. The building is located on the Prinsengracht canal and overlooks the nearby Westerkerk church.
Westerkerk
Westerkerk is a famous church in Amsterdam and one of the city’s landmarks. You can see its tall bell tower from any canal cruise you choose. The bells in the tower still ring to this day. The tower is located opposite the Anne Frank House, and its chimes were even mentioned in her famous diary.
Herengracht and the Gouden Bocht
The Herengracht Canal is one of the three main canals in Amsterdam’s canal belt. It was dug at the beginning of the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age and was mainly used as a residential area for the elite, such as wealthy merchants, bankers, and senior officials in the city. The most famous part of the canal is the Gouden Bocht (“the Golden Bend”) – a curved section between Vijzelstraat and Leidsestraat.
Prinsengracht
Prinsengracht is the second and longest of the three main canals of Amsterdam’s historic canal ring, and most cruises also pass through it. Along its banks you can find the Anne Frank House, the Westerkerk, and the Jordaan district.
Keizersgrach
Keizersgracht is the third and widest canal in Amsterdam’s historic canal ring. Every standard canal cruise passes through the canal, allowing you to see up close the famous merchants’ houses from Amsterdam’s Golden Age.
Seven Bridges View - Reguliersgracht
Reguliersgracht is a picturesque canal in Amsterdam that crosses the central canal ring, with its most famous part being the point where a straight line of bridges is formed, offering a rare view of seven bridges one after another. Not all cruises pass through it, but many do.
Jordaan
The Jordaan is one of the most famous districts in Amsterdam and an area that many cruise companies include in their routes. It is a picturesque and charming neighborhood where you can take plenty of great photos.