The very first thing to do in Amsterdam? Why, that’s to take a ride along the canals and into the harbor of Amsterdam, in one of the many glass-sided canal boats that operate throughout the year in Amsterdam. No better way exists to see all the essential features of the city, and to see them in only an hour and a quarter of time.
The boats pass alongside the facades of old patrician homes on the Herengracht and other canals; they go by the bawdy Zeedijk district, and point out the famous 15th Century Weepers’ Tower (“Schreier-storen”), where the tearful wives of Dutch sailors used to wave goodbye to their men; they show you the picturesque “Skinny Bridge” (Magere Brug) on the Amstel, and the furniture hooks on top of the canal houses; they pass dozens of other important sites; and finally, they sail out into the vast harbor of Amsterdam, past freighters from exotic lands, and past drydocks where gigantic ships have been lifted from the waters for cleaning and repairs. Throughout, the pretty-and-witty girl guides (or the learned male guides) keep up a running commentary on the attractions you pass along the way.
The departure docks of the several companies that run these tours can be spotted by a sign reading “Rondvaart” (round-trip), which you’ll see displayed at several waterside locations in town. All offer departures throughout the day, generally at half-hour intervals; all run essentially the same tour; and all of the following companies can be counted on for an excellent hour-and-a-quarter ride: Bergmann, whose boats leave from the bottom tip of the Damrak, just opposite the Centraal Station, and which offers departures almost every ten minutes in summer.
Reederij Plas, also on the Damrak, a bit further up from the Station; P. Kooij, on the Rokin, near the Spui, and just a block away from the Mint Tower (here they take snapshots of you as you enter the boat, and have the finished photos ready for your inspection—and possible purchase—at the end of the 114-hour trip); Reederij Boekel, 380 Nassaukade, near the Centraal Hotel (a one-minute walk across the bridge from the Leidseplein, and two short blocks up); several other similar companies. In the summer, beginning around June 15, the “rondvaart” companies run nighttime canal tours as well, so that you can see the city’s 17th Century canal houses in their illuminated state—one of the great sights of Europe.
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