Pure Boats - Amsterdam Canal Cruises — Local services in Amsterdam

My wife, Tanya, and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary in Amsterdam this summer. We stayed in a townhouse on a canal. We watched the canal boats coming by all day and decided we would take a tour of Amsterdam by canal. Many of the boats were huge and packed with nearly a hundred people. The larger they are the cheaper they are. We wanted something more intimate. We walked the canals often touring the city. We stumbled across a small canal tour boat crew talking next to a small canal boat. It was PureBoats. I began talking with them and they explained the tours they offer. One option was a private tour. Bingo. That's what we wanted. We arrived at the same location the next day for our private tour. A pretty wood-finished boat named Lucy was prepared for us. We traveled around Amsterdam in the back of Lucy, just the 2 of us, with our driver up front moving us around. It was very intimate. It was very private and very quiet. There was a bathroom on the boat with food and drinks. We mostly sat in the back of Lucy taking in Amsterdam and snapping off pictures. Our guide was polite and drove the boat without issues. He was very accommodating. I asked our driver to take us around to a few spots we wanted to see. He smiled and obliged. We saw all we wanted to see of Amsterdam from the water. It was awesome. We both loved it. Lucy was clean and a really nice boat. It was very quiet and very smooth. We moved a little slower than most of the other canal boats when we could and that was fine by me. I highly recommend this service if you want a private tour of...

Pure Boats is hands-down the best canal cruise experience in Amsterdam. Their entire staff, from office support to ship captain to onboard crew, is professional, friendly, and 100% committed to you enjoying your cruise.

We took two separate cruises with Pure Boats, a nighttime cruise to see the Amsterdam Light Festival and a daytime cruise to see the amazing architecture.

The Amsterdam Light Festival cruise was a perfect way to see the lights, with a warm mug of gluhwijn in hand, a knowledgeable guide providing insights about Amsterdam, the light installations, and the history of the Light Festival, and a yummy selection of snacks to nosh on while gliding through the canals. They keep the tour groups small so you get the chance to know each other a bit without feeling cramped.

The daytime Historic Highlights cruise was every bit as wonderful as the Light Festival cruise. Our captain, John, is a historian who has a passion for the history of the city, and it comes across in his lively commentary. What a treat to experience the city with such a knowledgeable guide! We once again had a cooler full of refreshments available to us, along with fresh-baked apple pie to stave off any late morning hunger. The small group onboard made the experience feel personal and intimate. Thanks for a wonderful trip, John!

Definitely add a canal cruise with Pure Boats to your Amsterdam itinerary. They offer the best...

We so enjoyed our cruise with Pure Boats recently that we felt compelled to shout about how good this service is, so more people can benefit from what is an exceptional experience. From the warm welcome, the relaxed manor and top notch snacks on board, to the quality of the drinks provided and well measured commentary during the cruise from James, the whole experience was simply great and exactly what we wanted from an evening cruise on the canals. Highlighting our experience was the view of others passing by on board the long boats so familiar on the canals, with their peering faces through the windows, they all look so sad. By contrast the eight of us on board Geertje were enjoying a relaxed evening of drinks and a good mix of company, experiencing the setting sun, into the evening and the beautifully lit canals that we couldn’t have wished for more from our cruise. All communications with Pure Boats were responded to swiftly and completely (Geertje keeps a keen eye on the inbox apparently), fully answering all of our enquiries, down to providing a map link to the pick up point, just in case... They may be small and relatively new, but if they keep this level of service up, then they will be around for along time to come, deservedly so, but hurry and book your place, there’s only room for a few and that’s what makes it special!! Worth every...