Join Our
AMSTERDAM
Early Morning
Canal Cruise

On a cold wet morning, cruising around the canals on Captain Dave’s beautiful boat was the perfect way to see the city whilst staying warm and dry. Well worth it.

Such a cosy and beautiful boat. Really glad we chose to do this instead of a going on a larger more commercial canal tour. Great host too. Highly recommend

I would highly recommend this experience to any of my friends visiting Amsterdam. We did not have Captain Dave and instead were hosted by Captain Jan. He is meant for this job with a perfect balance of knowledge, charisma, and humor! The boat itself feels cozy and seats about 12 people, which made it much more personable as compared to some of the larger tour boats we passed on the waters. I learned a lot about the history of Amsterdam on this tour and was also able to ask a few questions in the moment. Captain Dave's contribution of sugar bread from a city 1.5 hours away was a nice added touch!

This was my second time cruising with captain Dave. I went in 2018 with friends and it was the highlight of our trip. Our 2024 cruise was absolutely magical. The views that you get from the boat are stunning and unlike any other. Don't fall for the big boat tours that are an hour. Captain Dave provides a much more personalized experience and can navigate the smaller canals in his boat. I highly recommend this experience if there is space.

Dave is an excellent host! His boat is very comfortable. The tour is the perfect length. A morning tour is especially nice because the canals are less crowded.

What a unique, local-feeling, and perfect morning cruise! Our guide wad extremely personable and friendly. Seeing the canals as the sun rises is a special sight!

Hopped on the early morning cruise and wow…what a great way to see the sights! The coffee, juices, tea and sugar bread were a special touch! Thanks again!

Outstanding experience. My wife persuaded me to book the Captain Dave boat tour in Amsterdam, which was slightly more expensive than other providers. It was absolutely worth it. Captain Jan was a very attentive and knowledgeable guide. Highly recommended!!!

We had a wonderful early morning boat tour with Captain Jan. He had a lot of insider knowledge about the history of Amsterdam and was very engaging. The canals are so magical, quiet and peaceful in the early morning!! We 100% recommend doing this early small tour over the big ones with dozens of people that we saw later in the day. It was definitely our favorite experience during our short Amsterdam trip. Don’t hesitate, just book this!

This is a must-do experience for all first time visitors to Amsterdam! Even though it was cloudy during my trip, the sights from the canal were still magnificent, and the storytelling was top notch. We appreciated all the drinks and snacks provided to us as well. Next time I visit, I’m definitely doing this again!

Dave was nice and very funny, very real, the tour was very informative, the food was good 🙂 everything went smoothly and the whole experience of cruising Amsterdam canals in the early morning is precious. Recommended.

Hassan gave the most amazing tour! Very knowledgeable on Dutch history and European history in general. Additionally, he is a great storyteller with a good sense of humor. I would recommend this tour for anyone wanting to do a canal tour. Had an absolute blast and would do it again on my next visit! 10/10

Had such a wonderful morning boat ride with Hassan. Top bloke, super charming, friendly, knowledgeable, resourceful and very good with remembering names. We were only 5 so it was such a personalized tour. Would do it again and again.

This was a magical experience! My mom and I joined Captain Hassan and a small group for a beautiful morning cruise. We traveled in October, so it was still dark when we arrived at the boat, but the sun quickly rose, making for gorgeous photos on the canal.
Captain Hassan was a great host! He shared many stories about the history of the boat, the city and even shared dining recommendations for the rest of our trip. The sugar bread and coffee on board was delicious! This was a great way to see the city and I highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Amsterdam soon!

Varm velkomst og sådan en fin og intim båd. Super god og vidende kaptajn og han var meget imødekommende overfor spørgsmål. Kan kun varmt anbefale denne tur🤩

Highly recommend! Boat was stunning and the tour was fun but informative and didn’t take itself too seriously. Sugar bread was a highlight!

Unser Kapitän Hassan hat die Rundfahrt unvergesslich gemacht. Mit kompetenten Wissen und viel Humor sowie leckeren Drinks und Snacks hat er die Tour zu einem Highlight unseres Aufenthalts gemacht! Seine Tipps für Museen, Bistros und Bars haben wir gleich umgesetzt und waren begeistert! Danke, Hassan!!

Second time on this beautiful boat and fabulous canal cruise. First time we had Captain Dave. This time we had Jan. Both times we loved the history and stories. Both different and both wonderful. And the special bread was delicious 🙂

We loved this experience! Captain Dave is a wonderful guide, and a true local. Beautiful historic boat. So glad we did this and got to see Amsterdam from the canals. What a magical city.

We enjoyed doing this tour our first morning in Amsterdam! It made our whole trip that much better after this wonderful tour. We felt more connected to the city and loved knowing the history as we later walked the streets. It was a fantastic way to start our trip!

This was so fun and interesting! Captain Dave was super friendly and knowledgeable. Learned so much about the history of the city and the canals in particular of course. This was one of my favorite experiences in my trip to Amsterdam!

Captain Dave's tour was fantastic! We enjoyed the information he shared about what we were passing. We loved that the tour was a small group of people. The boat was very nice! Comfy seats, covered if it rained, and had plenty of areas for great photos!

I thought it would give me my bearings… just confused me more. Oh well… that is Amsterdam. Great ride around the canals in any case.

Captain Dave has put together a fantastic experience for anyone wanting a canal tour that is unique and comfortable. So nice to be able to have some beverages and sugar bread on the boat while we learn about the history of the city. This is the canal tour to go on in Amsterdam!

This is a brilliant trip which I would recommend to anyone who wants to get a flavour of the life on the Amsterdam canals. Dave is an excellent captain and host who is clearly passionate about his job and enjoys sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with everyone on board. He has a great sense of humour and makes everyone feel at ease. The fact that it is a small, beautiful boat means that the experience is more personalised. I have learnt so much about the canals and housing along them, and will look at the buildings differently from now on. Thank you Dave!

This tour was incredible- Dave made sure all the guests felt welcome with his interesting and funny stories, complimentary drinks and Dutch cake. We are so glad we booked with Dave, couldn’t recommend more.

My husband and I had a great time on this boat tour! We did the really informational ones in the past and enjoyed it but much preferred this early morning cruise. It felt more like being in a friends living room (on the water) with gorgeous views, great sugar bread, and nice company. I would highly recommend this boat tour!

We really enjoyed this morning tour on this beautiful small boat with a great history. Information provided was insightful and interesting featuring many valuable insights in everyday dutch life as well as a good glimpse of Amsterdam history. Big thanks to Jan!

Absolutely worth it! We did it our first morning and it was an awesome way to get the lay of the land & recommendations from the Captain

Capt Dave is great! The tour was a great value as you get to see Amsterdam from a different perspective. There are many tour boats on the canals but this one is more personal and intimate. We brought our kids (9&12) on the tour and Dave allowed them to drive the boat while he told stories. Snacks and drinks are also provided which was a huge plus. Thank you for a great experience.

Eine interessante Tour mit einem sehr gut informierten und Kapitän, sehr humorvoll und mit vielen Details auch für Menschen, die Amsterdam nicht zum ersten Mal besuchen. Vielen Dank für einen kurzweiligen Vormittag!

Seeing the city from the water is magical. I took the morning cruise and the city was just starting to move. Captain was fun and lively.

Tony was an amazing captain, he was so knowledgeable about the history of Amsterdam! Didn’t expect to learn as much as I did. Would highly recommend!

The highlight of our week in Amsterdam! I would highly recommend starting out your trip with this tour. Its a great way to learn some history of the city. Captain Dave is a knowledgeable storyteller and kept the group engaged. There is also something really magical about floating through the city early in the morning.

Exceeded all my expectations. The city is quiet and peaceful in the morning and this tour is a great way to start the day. I’m happy we chose to do a smaller boat tour rather than a large boat; it was much more personal, wonderful food and drink, and we had a great time with Captain Dave and the other guests. We only had a short time in Amsterdam and this was definitely the highlight.

Our captain Tony was fantastic — connected personally with each of us, easy to listen to, told interesting stories, made the whole experience welcoming and enjoyable — the early start time was so unique, quiet and peaceful, the city just waking up — highly recommended.

What a wonderful way to get to know the story of Amsterdam! Tony was an expert guide, really bringing the history of this fascinating city to life. A must-do on any visit to Amsterdam.

What a great way to start the day in Amsterdam! The waterways were super calm and Captain Dave was an excellent guide keeping us entertained the whole 90 minutes. He kept the whole group engaged, including my 6 and 8 year old. I would definitely recommend this experience

We had a wonderful morning on the canal cruise with Captain Dave and the other guests on the boat! A little history lesson, a lot of humor and warmth, delightful provisions, exceptional boat with a storied past, a lot of local pro-tips from Dave, and though the children on the boat were not with us, it was fun to see him interact and involve them in the ride. Can't recommend this experience enough!

Captain Dave was friendly and funny. The small boat was a much better option than the large cruises we saw. None of those people looked happy, while we were all laughing.
The sugar bread and drinks were a great addition.

Great option for a canal tour. Comfortable boat with just a small group was a great way to see and learn modern about the city.

We had a different pilot than captain dave. Unfortunately I cannot remember his name. But the tour was great, coffee and bathroom were nice additions.
Great storytelling and a good way to get an introduction to the city.

Amazing experience! I would give this experience a 6 out of 5 stars if I could. It is a great way to start your trip and familiarize yourself with the city! Unfortunately I don’t know how to spell the Tour guides name, it was a nice man who works with Dave. The tour was elegant but not stiff. The music was perfect. We did a morning tour and there was only 9 people total on the boat. Great coffee and treats. The knowledge and recommendations alone are worth going on the tour. It was a beautiful experience. ( I loved the partially enclosed boat, because you can still see everything yet you stay warm in the chill morning).

The boat trip was amazing. It started right on time, and the Capitan managed the trip beautifully with amazing storytelling, jokes and insights. The calmness of the morning just added to the experience. Would recommend 10/10

Highly recommend!! The boat tour was a lovely way to see Amsterdam from a canal perceptive with lots of unknown knowledge presented to us. The sugar bread was incredible. !!!!

Incredible experience for our family on the boat with Captain Dave! One of a kind trip on the canals of Amsterdam on the most beautiful & historic boat! Having an early start time made for a quiet and calm ride on the canals. Dave is an exceptional story teller and makes connections with all participants! Having sweet bread and a variety of drinks made it extra special! Highly recommended!

Jan, hope I spelled it correctly, was awesome! Very entertaining while also giving us a great history of Amsterdam. Would do it all over again. Definitely recommend the early cruise as the canals were so peaceful.

Captain Dave was very friendly and gave a great tour around Amsterdam. His boat is very comfortable. The tour group was small and manageable. I would recommend this tour to everyone who visits Amsterdam 🙂

The tour was just what we needed & then some. Plenty of history, nice views from the canal, and Captain Dave was comedically more entertaining than we could have hoped for.

I learned a lot and laughed a lot during this 90 minute canal tour. Tony was our guide and he generously shared his own personal stories and favourite places, having grown up and lived in Jordaan. He was skillful at navigating some of the smaller canals that the big boat tours could never get to, and entertaining throughout. It was the best way to start my days in Amsterdam and to combat the jet lag lethargy… I left the tour excited to check out some of Tony’s recommendations!

Our experience was top notch. It wasn’t Dave but our personal blonde hair Dutch captain was wonderful. We have already recommended this tour to other tourists. The coffee and sweet bread was an added bonus. It was great all around. Much thanks.

Beautiful and comfortable canal cruise, went in the morning and enjoyed the light onboard breakfast offered. Appreciated hearing about Amsterdam history from the captain.

The tour was very personalized and included many wonderful beverages and snacks. Our guide was Tony and he was so knowledgeable and friendly. He truly made the experience and was so willing to share local recs. The canals were beautiful and the boat was very comfortable. Would recommend to anyone who wants to do an authentic canal tour.

Dave was amazing and it was so nice to leave the “boating” to someone else so we could take in all the sights.

Our tour with Captain Klaas was such a perfect way to start off our trip to Amsterdam. The boat was comfortable and offered incredible views, Klaas gave us such a great tour with incredible history, delicious food and drinks (we're totally hooked on sugar bread now), and great jokes. I think this will be the most memorable part of our trip. Can't thank you enough for the great memories.

It was a relaxed, comfortable morning tour. Our guide was personable, knowledgeable and had great stories and insights. I especially loved the laminated maps that he used to show the changes that the city has gone through. There was a quiet cabin to here the stories or we could sit outside and enjoy a coffee while taking in the view.

Easy going 90+ minute tour with nice on-board amenities including a restroom, a selection of beverages and snacks, as well as a very historic boat. Price was all-inclusive, no additional charges or fees. I was on a later morning cruise, as the early was booked out.
Overall a nice overview of the massive canal system and the history that accompanies their relationship to the architecture of the city. Nice fellow passengers representing a number of nations, one of my favorite aspects of ABNB experiences. A few of the other guests were called upon to steer the boat as the host checked in on the other passengers.
Captain Dave was engaging, personable and was quick with any number of anecdotes. I can imagine the earlier boat enjoys a slightly different experience it’s just quieter and calmer throughout the city at that time.

We had a great experience, Captain Dave gave us so much interesting information about the canals and houses and we saw some fabulous sights. It was a highlight of our visit!

Amazing experience! Highly recommend doing the morning cruise tour with captain Dave. The experience was personalized, welcoming, and insightful. Captain Dave actively made an effort to make everyone feel welcome, and even allowed us to feed ducks! This tour was a highlight of my trip; highly recommend doing this when in Amsterdam.

Tony is a good story teller and has a wonderful attitude! He went out of the way to Make our trip special ! The lovely coffee and baked goods added to the atmosphere on a cool morning cruise.