Small Group Boutique All-Inclusive Tour (max 12 p) With Captain
Description
Explore Amsterdam's iconic canals on our charming cruise aboard the historic salon boat, Sophie (est 1911). With a maximum of 12 guests, this small-group experience ensures a cozy and personalized journey. Your host and guide for six days a week is Amsterdam native Boudewijn Metzelaar, also known as "Captain Bow." On Saturdays, one of his trusted friends will step in to guide you. Whether you want to seat indoors or outdoors, you’ll be well-prepared to enjoy the cruise, rain or shine, in true Dutch style. Indulge in a variety of (alcoholic) drinks and delicious nibbles as you relax and enjoy the view. With a WC on board, your comfort is fully catered to throughout the experience. Captain Bow’s deep connection to Amsterdam and his unique perspective, shaped by his diverse upbringing, promise insightful stories and engaging conversations. The small group size fosters a warm and friendly atmosphere, making this cruise a truly special way to discover the heart of Amsterdam.
Tour Options
Itinerary
All cruises are captained by myself as the captain/owner of the Drift Away. We depart from the Singel no.7 and we will return to this location at the end of the cruise. I do not offer a fixed route, depending on your wishes as guests I will tailor the cruise to you specifically. Due to the custom design of the Drift Away we have access to even the narrowest canals of Amsterdam and are able to pass even the lowest of bridges. If you do not have any preferences I will put together a route which will give you an overview of the canal belt, a few of the small less travelled canals, the Amstel river and the eastern maritime area. As a born and raised ¨Amsterdammer¨ I have a wealth of knowledge about Amsterdams history, culture and the Dutch way of life in general. I love sharing with you about my hometown in an easy going manner, with a good sense of humor and the typical Dutch straight forwardness!
We will pass through the pitoresque district the Jordaan. The name of the Jordaan finds its origin in the French word Jardin, meaning garden. Many of the streets in the district are named after flowers.
The former warehouse of the Admiralty of Amsterdam features the Maritime Museum. We will also pass by ¨De Amsterdam¨ an enormous replica East India Trading Company ship.
Former tower part of the defense wall surrounding Amsterdam, converted in the 1600 to a clock tower. Features also in a painting by Rembrant van Rijn
We will pass the most famous prostitution district in the world, you will learn the practical features of the usage of red light in the world of prostitution.
The most famous bridge out of the thousands Amsterdam features, why is it famous and who build it?
Tax used to be based on the width of your residence facade. We will pass the smallest house in Amsterdam to show you the builders disdain for paying tax.
One of the oldest canals where all beer was brewed back in the golden age
Old tower which was briefly used as the republics mint.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(578)
The captain was wonderful. Our tour ended up encountering rain but the captain was very knowledgeable and very kind and still made it a great experience. Would absolutely recommend this tour
A great experience! Beautiful and comfortable boat! Our captain was John and he was fantastic! He treated us like family. He was very knowledgeable and a great story teller about Amsterdam history. The tour covered all of the major canals and points of interest. Thank you John for making our canal cruise such a delightful and enlightening experience!
I would HIGHLY recommend Bow’s Journeys! John was our captain for the cruise and he was amazing. He was so nice and was very knowledgeable about all of Amsterdams history. We got lucky and it was only 4 people total on the boat. There were free drinks and snacks and it was perfect. It was an hour and a half and it was totally worth it. Go book and ask for John!!
Highly recommend. Lots of fun. We went at 9:00 pm. The water, the skyline, the beginning of the shift from evening to night was beautiful. Captain John was informative, engaging and you could tell he wanted to make sure everyone was having a good time and safe, especially getting on and off the boat.
Now was a fabulous host and knew lots of interesting facts about Amsterdam.
We had an amazing time with Captain John on our evening cruise. He was very knowledgeable explaining all the sites we passed. We rebooked this same cruise in previous year and thoroughly enjoyed it then.
The captain was knowledgeable and friendly. Drinks and snacks available on boat. Best canal cruise ever. Small group made it enjoyable and peaceful.
It was a wonderful experience on the Sophie with Captain Fokker. He is extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. Fokker made the tour a lot of fun, I highly recommend booking a tour with him.
Captain Fonz was welcoming, knowledgeable, funny, entertaining, and he showed us so much during our 90 minute ride. He made us a drink from the bar before we started and then encouraged us to enjoy additional drinks as well as bar snacks. Highly recommend! Next.
What a wonderful hour and a half with Bow's Journeys on the Sofie with our Captain Fons. My wife and I thoroughly loved this to finish off our day in Amsterdam. Snacks and open bar (with many alcohol and non-alcohol options) to help ourselves to during the canal cruise. When we come back to Amsterdam, we would absolutely do this again. Highlight of our trip! Fons had great history, stories and commentary to share and was a genuinely nice man. Thanks! My only complaint is that the 1.5 hours went too fast. I would love to take a 3 hr cruise with them someday.if they ever had that option.
