Same canals, no roof, and a bar at the back of the boat. This is the cruise for people who would rather have the wind and a drink in hand than a glass ceiling and a recorded voice — an hour on an open Flagship boat with a live guide who answers questions, from €18,82. It rates 4.6 out of 5 on Tiqets, the highest score of any shared cruise in the city.
What an open boat cruise is
An open boat cruise is an hour through the canal belt on a low boat with no roof over your head — or a roof that folds away when the weather allows. There is a bar on board, a skipper at the wheel and a live guide who talks to the boat rather than into a recording.
The boats belong to Flagship Amsterdam and Starboard Boats, two smaller operators that run the sleek varnished sloops you see on the canals in summer, decorated with flowers and rarely carrying more than a few dozen people. It is a different kind of hour from the big saloon boats: smaller, slower, and considerably more sociable.
This ticket covers all of it. You choose your departure point and the exact boat at checkout, and the price starts at €18,82 — about six euro more than the classic covered cruise, which buys you the open deck, the bar and a guide who is actually on board.
| Open boat cruise with onboard bar | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 hour |
| Boat | Open boat, low and small, roof only if the weather turns |
| Guide | Live guide on board, in English |
| Bar | Yes — drinks bought on board, or unlimited drinks as a checkout option |
| Departures | Roughly 10:00 to 18:00 |
| Departure points | Central Station, the Anne Frank House and the Rijksmuseum |
| Price | from €18,82 per person |
| Rating on Tiqets | 4.6 out of 5 across 531 reviews |
| Operators | Flagship Amsterdam and Starboard Boats |
Check today’s times and book the open boat cruise
The four departures you can choose
One ticket, four options. You pick at checkout, and the choice decides both where you start and whether drinks are included.
Open boat from Central Station
The most convenient start if you have just arrived or are staying in the old centre. You leave the harbour side behind within minutes and spend most of the hour in the canal belt.
Canal cruise from the Anne Frank House
On the Prinsengracht beside the Westerkerk, in the middle of the seventeenth-century canals. The prettiest first ten minutes of any departure in the city.
Open boat from the Rijksmuseum
The museum quarter start, a short walk from the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, and the quietest of the three piers.
Guided cruise with optional unlimited drinks
The same hour, with a drinks package added at checkout. Worth the sum if you expect to have more than two; otherwise pay at the bar as you go.
Open boat or covered boat?
The open boat is the better boat when the weather is on your side, and that is not a small caveat in the Netherlands. With no glass between you and the city, the photographs are sharper, the sound of the water and the bicycles reaches you, and the low gunwale puts you almost at canal level — you look up at the houses the way the boats have always seen them.
When it rains, the crew raises a roof and you are dry but you have effectively bought a covered cruise at a higher price. If the forecast is bad and the drink does not matter to you, the classic covered cruise is the more honest choice.
The boats are also small. Where a big saloon boat takes over a hundred people, these carry a few dozen — which is why the guide can answer a question rather than read a script.
What the bar on board means
The bar sits at the back of the boat and is properly stocked: beer, wine, soft drinks and cocktails, mixed on board. In summer the boats are dressed with orange flowers and the bar is part of the point rather than an afterthought.
You can buy as you go, or add the unlimited drinks package at checkout. The maths is simple: the package pays for itself from roughly the third drink. If you are sailing at the end of a long afternoon of museums, that is often the right call; if you are sailing at eleven in the morning, it is not.
Dutch law applies on the water as it does on land — no alcohol under 18, and the crew will decline to serve anyone who has already had enough. The skipper is working.
How it compares with the classic cruise
The two shared one-hour cruises side by side, so you can see exactly what the extra six euro buys:
| Classic covered cruise | Open boat with bar | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | from €12,14 | from €18,82 |
| Boat | Covered saloon boat, glass roof, heated | Open boat, roof only when needed |
| Guide | Audio guide in 19 languages | Live guide on board, English |
| Drinks | None | Bar on board, unlimited package optional |
| Boat size | Over a hundred passengers | A few dozen |
| Rating on Tiqets | 4.2 out of 5 (3,531 reviews) | 4.6 out of 5 (531 reviews) |
| Best in | Rain, winter, tight budget, many languages | Dry weather, sociable groups, photographs |
When to take this one
Choose the open boat when:
- The weather is good. It is the single biggest factor, and it is the reason this cruise rates higher than any other shared cruise in the city.
- You want a drink in your hand. Not an afterthought here — the bar is the reason the boat exists.
- You have questions. A live guide on a small boat will answer them; an audio guide will not.
- You are photographing. No glass, no reflections, and the low deck gives you the angle you want.
- You are with friends rather than on a schedule. The small boat makes for an hour that feels like an outing, not a transfer.
Practical points
- Be at the pier fifteen minutes early and check the address on your ticket — the three piers are spread across the centre.
- Bring a layer. Open boat, water, wind. Even in July the last half hour of an evening sailing is cooler than you expect.
- Decide on the drinks package before you check out. It cannot be added on board.
- Check the forecast the morning of. If it has turned, the classic covered cruise is a better hour for less money.
- The boats are small, which also means they sell out sooner than the big saloon boats. Book ahead in summer.
Not sure this is the right boat? Compare all twenty of them in our guide to Amsterdam canal cruises, or read about the traditional one-hour cruise and the evening cruise.
Frequently asked questions
From €18,82 per person for one hour, with a live guide and a bar on board. An unlimited drinks package can be added at checkout for an extra fee.
Yes. The boats carry a stocked bar with beer, wine, soft drinks and cocktails. You can pay per drink on board, or add an unlimited drinks package when you book.
The crew raises a roof and the cruise sails as normal, so you stay dry. You lose the open-deck view, though — if the forecast is poor, the classic covered cruise costs less for a similar hour.
From three piers: Central Station, the Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht, and the Rijksmuseum. You choose your departure point when you book; the price is the same.
Yes. Unlike the big saloon boats, which use an audio guide, these boats carry a guide who speaks English and answers questions during the cruise.
It depends on the weather and on what you want. The open boat rates higher — 4.6 against 4.2 on Tiqets — and gives you a live guide, a bar and an unobstructed view. The classic cruise costs about six euro less, runs on a covered heated boat and has an audio guide in nineteen languages.
A few dozen, rather than the hundred-plus a large saloon boat carries. That is what makes a live guide practical.
Yes, on boats with a bar licence such as these. Dutch law applies: no alcohol under 18, and the crew stops serving anyone who has had enough.
