I did the Canal Tour thing

... and it didn't suck!

Before I left for the Netherlands on a 2 week trip, I did a ton of research and pre-booked all my museum tickets as the Van Gogh Museum is sold out months in advance.

I thought it might be a good idea to see the city by boat. I usually resist doing touristy things like this, but in this case it made so much sense. I found a canal tour on Airbnb Experiences: “Cruise like a Local with Captain Dave.”

Well, okay. That sounds good.

The more I read about the tour, the more I knew this was the One and I booked it.

The boat itself has a fancy name: The Royal Jonckvrouw.

And look at it! It’s GORGEOUS. Golden wood interior. Elegant. The energy of this tour was chill. Quiet. Not someone with a bullhorn and a script. Believe me, I saw 100 of those tours as I biked around the city. I get it, you want to do the canal tour thing, but you can do it in a way that is not like going to Vegas.

And then I read this:

“We will be cruising the canals in a very special boat; a former Dutch government boat from 1928, which was used by heads of state, mayors and our own Dutch Royal Family. The boat is intimate and wonderfully comfortable; 100% electric, sliding windows, open deck, heating and on-board toilet (a luxury). And our tours are non-scripted and therefore never boring.” 

OK! 100% electric. I love that. It sounds fancy. I’m in.
And not boring? OK, where do I sign up?

It ended up being a super chill way to see the city and hear some really interesting stories about the past and the present. 

Captain Jasper knew all the other boat captains, and they would blow their horns at each other and tell jokes as we passed by. I loved the vibe.

He said he’s been freelancing for years and has seen it all. There are Weed Canal Cruises, boats with stripper poles and strippers, obnoxious tech bro boats… you name it. It can turn into a real circus if you choose just any old canal tour.

Plus, you get to be a bit of a voyeur. I could not help but to peek into the interiors of houseboats parked along the canal as we cruised by. People did not seem to mind.

Fun fact: The Dutch do not seem to believe in curtains. They value natural light. So, as a result, I saw so many tricked out houseboats with Eames furniture like this one. 

Captain Jasper (who was also our tour guide) was very laid back and shared interesting information like what it costs just to secure a spot and dock a houseboat in the prime City Center area.

The prices are as crazy as real estate is in the Bay Area. (1M up to 2.2 M) And that is just to secure the space to park your boat.

It depends on the neighborhood of course because I saw tons of houseboats that looked very lived in and super homey and folks were doing rooftop gardening, like this one.

Captain Jasper was really cool. He filled us in on the 17 Families that ran Amsterdam for almost a entire century. As we cruised by many of the canal houses he would say… “Oh… see that entire block? That’s where the De Graeffs and the Trip families used to live. Now it’s the PULITZER hotel.”

The “Dutch Golden Age” was roughly the 17th century, spanning from about 1588 to 1672. These 17 families basically ran the City. Amsterdam was the wealthiest city in Europe back then. If you are interested in understanding WHY Amsterdam became one of the most liberal cities in the world, it’s all about going back to this time period, and even before that.

I highly recommend listening to Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto, who writes for the New York Times. I listened to it before I traveled and while I was there. It’s a really interesting lens to look through.

It was relaxing seeing the city this way. It’s intimate. They won’t book more than 8 people. Drinks are provided, and you can bring your own special libations if you wish. I must take a moment here to say that Amsterdam is “overtouristed” if that is even a word. But it is a thing. I don’t think it’s fun to live there. I bet it feels sometimes like there are more tourists there than residents in certain neighborhoods. I spent a lot of time looking at people biking, walking, shopping, picking up their kids. I chose to be in low key neighborhoods and did do a few things to give back in my stealthy way. More about that in future posts.

There was something very civilized about this boat trip, as boat trips go. I did not think I would do a tour like this, but it turns out that I loved it and wished I could spend an entire day on the water just cruising around.

About Amsterdam Stories

I have lots of stories I plan to share here. Feel free to subscribe, so that when I add new stories you will get an email. I will include lots of photos and links for your future reference in case you are planning to visit Amsterdam. I covered a lot of ground in 2 weeks!

Planning to visit Amsterdam one day?
If you want a non traditional, unscripted kinda tour I recommend booking directly with them, instead of through Airbnb. It’s cheaper: 42 Euros for adults. The Jordaan neighborhood where you board the boat is really upscale and there are a million shops and restaurants to explore before your trip and after. I walked around after we docked and got lost, but in a good way.

Cruise like a local with Captain Dave —— Visit their site »»