90-min Amsterdam Light Festival Tour
Description
On this special evening tour, you’ll see Amsterdam’s canals lit up with magical sculptures. From November 28 until January 19, light installations created by renowned artists will rise from the canals. These stunning artworks transform Amsterdam into an art lover’s paradise. This private tour departs from Prinsengracht 375, located in the heart of the canal district. During the 90-minute tour, you can kick back in luxury, get close to the sculptures, and enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks. Our retractable roof protects you from harsh winter elements, so no need to worry about being too chilly. We have blankets on board, and our boats feature heated seats to keep you extra cozy. This tour is the perfect way to experience the season’s festivities while avoiding noisy crowds and bad weather. It’s a seasonal tour that fills up fast, so don’t miss your chance! Book now to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This tour will show you Amsterdam from the water: the canal district, Jordaan area, Amstel river and also shows artistic light sculptures along the route. All of our tours are optimised for the season, time of day and customer wishes. Our tours cover many of the standard highlights, as well as provide insight about the unique Amsterdam way of life.
We will sail along the light sculpture route.
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
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately. Blankets and optional roof available.
Reviews(72)
It was a fantastic tour. The boat itself is very updated and quiet. With great amenities with complimentary drinks , blanket and heard seats. Paap is very knowledgeable about the city and gave great Information. Will do it again while visiting Amsterdam. Highly recommended
Thank you so much for this excellent review, we look forward to welcoming you onboard again in the future!
Paap is the best captain you can choose to show you around Amsterdam from the water ! We’ve been going with him for years - every time we have guests or to see the light festival with friends . We always learn something new ! Thanks again for a wonderful boat ride !
Thank you for your loyalty and kind words! We’re happy Paap makes each tour special for you and your guests. See you next time on the water!
Wonderful experience! Gezellig boat, great vibes, will definitely book again when family is in town. Best way to see the lights festival!
Lovely that you enjoyed the Light Festival so much! Thank you for booking with us and hope to see you on the canals again soon!
Wonderful tour with Paaps as our guide. We had such fun cruising the canals, enjoying the lights, and learning about the history and current day life in Amsterdam and the Netherlands!
Thank you for the lovely review and booking with us Stirling! Hope to see you on the canals again sometime!
Our guide Alex was helpful and flexibke. This was already the second time I went with Rederij Paping for Amsterdam Light Festival, last year I went with my family but with my friends it was also an enjoyable experience! Thanks for the service.
Thanks so much for the kind review and coming back to see the canals with us again! Hope we can make it even more enjoyable next time :)
Excellent experience. We were presently surprised that the cruise was a private one. The captain was very knowledgeable and personable. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the heated seats were a bonus. Wonderful experience!
Thank you for such a lovely review Mark! Glad you enjoyed those heated seats as much as we do ;) Hope to see you again sometime on the canals.
On a rainy evening my wife and I, along with three friends, boarded a small canal boat to see the 2025 Amsterdam Light Festival. Our captain for the cruise was Paap, the owner of Book a Tour Amsterdam. He made us feel very welcome (switching between Dutch and English seamlessly) and we felt special although he does this every night. After offering us drinks and chocolates (included in the very reasonable price), he expertly guided us through the canals and explained each light sculpture to us. But he always let us have our conversation, he never talked over us or went on too long about each one. A true pro. The weather was a bit chilly, but his heated seats were divine! He kept the sides covered because of the rain, and as it turned out, it actually made for a magical rainy evening on the canals in Amsterdam. So don’t let the weather put you off! His little canal boat can hold up to ten, but for our group of five it was just perfect. Paap is full of Amsterdam knowledge; one of his best lines of the night, given with a wink and smile, was EVERY DAY IS SCHOOL DAY! We have done many canal tours, and this one in the rain was near the top. Dankuwel Paap!
Thank you so much for this thorough and lovely review! We're happy you enjoyed yourselves even in the chilly rain. Hope to see you on the canals again sometime!
Good skipper Alex - punctual, helpful, on time and a good guide. Plenty of drinks and chocolates for the ride. That said, the boat wasn’t as clean as it should be, the windows were not wiped, there was water on the floor and we had to remind the skipper to turn on the seat heaters. We had a much better experience with other companies but this was less expensive.
Thank you for the review, and next time we'll have the seat heaters on and cleaned boat to earn back that extra star ;)
On the quay for rest. van Puffelen we were picked up by the skipper named Alex. On board was a bowl of chocolate balls as a welcome. Alex also offered us all kinds of drinks, even prosecco. The beers and the hot tea, which we chose, were delicious. Great explanation about the light objects. Plus heard fun tips and facts that were also new to our "Amsterdammers" (over 25 years). Because of the canopy and warm seats, no one has been cold. Highly recommended. Ank de Bra
Wat een mooie recensie! Hartelijk dank, we zijn blij dat jullie het naar jullie zin hebben gehad en iets hebben geleerd over onze mooie stad.
Had a great time. Boat was perfect for the cold night with roof, clear side coverings that didn’t fog and heated seats. Our family of 8 had the whole boat to ourselves and Skipper Paap was an excellent tour guide.
We're so happy you enjoyed yourselves and kept warm while seeing the installations and beautiful Amsterdam. Hope to welcome you and your family on the canals again sometime.
