Canal Boat Tours, Amsterdam

Time warp with me if you will to 1991…It was my first time in Amsterdam and then boyfriend and I were given two free tickets for a float-down-the-canal trip. So we ducked over to the side and lit up a fatty. However, by this time we knew exactly how much to smoke before it was too much. But I, being the bad ass that I am, dared us to not to just take ONE PUFF off the joint but TWO!

And that did it. It was Fear and Loathing in Amsterdam, I freaked out. I climbed in the canal boat, sat down and looked at said boyfriend in the face and firmly told him I was going to die, and that my heart was exploding. I put my head in my lap and cried. And off we went….

Unique Suggestions: Then just like that! Snap. I was floating… calm waters, beautiful views, slow and serine. I was going to live! I sat up and smiled, thinking, “Close call.” And just then, tour conductor lady started talking. She informed everyone that we would be on the little boat for an hour and a half and we were on a special tour of Gables. “WHAT!” I shouted out loud to the dismay of tour conductor lady. “WHAT” having two parts to it. Why! WHY so long? And: What the *** is a Gable? Well, an hour and a half later I knew. They are the stupid things that stick out of the tops of the buildings in order to haul furniture into the thin Dutch houses.

I still have the photo the tour company takes of everyone on that trip. At the end of the tour, all the photos are stuck up on this board. I saw mine and took it. I realized later that we had to buy them (dumb ass me) but the Dutch are too cool to go running down the street after some idiot American high on grass, lucky for me.

Fun Alternatives: I still have the photo the tour company takes of everyone on that trip. At the end of the tour, all the photos are stuck up on this board. I saw mine and took it. I realized later that we had to buy them (dumb ass me) but the Dutch are too cool to go running down the street after some idiot American high on grass, lucky for me.

We had a bad surprise when we were about to have our tourist trip through the canals by boat. I went to the ticket posting to ask for two tickets and of course i just said "2 tickets please". After typing something the young lady on the office told me that it would cost me 32 euros, i stopped for a while but i couldnt pose any disagreement as the place was foul of crowd and i had to move. I took the tickets and after having our ride and went back to the hotel i heard something that didnt sound strange. The ordinary ticket costs 8 euros and the ride cannot endure more than 1 hour. the 16 euros ticket is used for those who wish to have several rides within a day.The lady on the ticket post didnt inform me about this difference so she charged me some 16 euros more than ordinary. Of course we couldnt take the bus again within the day as we were following the group's schedule.Sometimes dutch people gave me the impression that they could do anything for some more money from tourists..

Unique Suggestions: Well, just ask for the ticket that you are interested in because if not you will probably waste some money.

If I had to pick one, I would choose the canal cruises (tours). While very beautiful, they give you a lot of useless information. I found out that two houses, with identical gables where called, the twins. I still fail to see the importance of that. The fares are cheap though and it is nice to see the city from the water. So it's a toss up...

Unique Suggestions: Enjoy the trip through the canal. It's not everywhere you can explore a city via it's waterways.

Fun Alternatives: Rent a bike and try peddling your way around.

We went on a canal tour on our second day in Amsterdam but it really was a bit of a tourist trap. It covered the main sights (Anne Frank huis, Centraal Station,etc) but otherwise offered little of interest. I was hoping for some pointers on things that were not in every guidebook. More on this later...

Unique Suggestions: Maybe make it one of the first things you do in Amsterdam as you will most likely have covered the same route on foot otherwise.

Fun Alternatives: Perhaps rent a pedal boat and explore the canals yourself.

yet there are many outthere who will no doubt disagree with me.

Unique Suggestions: forget all the people around you and try and get a place where you can stand up and stick your head out

Fun Alternatives: become friends with a local from Amsterdam who owns his/her own boat! far more fun!

The only local person you will find on a canal cruise is the guide. Its completely for the tourists. But it is worth your time and is not that expensive. You get to travel the canals and go out to the harbor. The scenery is beautiful.

once you exit central station you will see all the canal tours on your left hand side. there are many to choose from, but don't forget that these are just some of the canal tours to choose from there are many others located throughout the city. we choose one near central station because we had other plans in that area later on. it was pretty

Unique Suggestions: pick one that suits you, are you the romantic type? then maybe an evening candlelight dinner cruise is up your alley, or maybe your an adventurist then you'd rent your own boat. but at some point you need to take a trip around amsterdam's many canals via some form of boat it's very beautiful.

Fun Alternatives: there are even smoke friendly canal tours available check out the dolphins coffeeshop for details on they're canal cruise.

Canal ride tours: there are plenty of these boats that carry the tourists along the canals of the city. I am not sure whether it is a tourist trap. Indeed you can see the city from another perspective. Provided you do not mind to do such 'touristic' things.