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Things to do in Grachtengordel

Our most recommended things to do in Grachtengordel

Amsterdam: Classic Boat Cruise with Cheese & Wine Option

1. Amsterdam: Classic Boat Cruise with Cheese & Wine Option

Relax on a canal cruise through the UNESCO Heritage listed Golden Age Canals of Amsterdam. View city highlights like the Skinny Bridge, the Red Light District, and the Old Harbor. Have the option to choose standard tour or a tour with unlimited delicious Dutch cheese, wine, and other drinks. Board the ship and let your local skipper tell you about local history as you sail past sights in the Jordaan district and the Skinny Bridge on the the Amstel River. Admire views of parts of the Red Light District, the former city locks, and Old Harbor. Capture pictures of the stately architecture of the Maritime Museum and the prestigious Gold Bend neighborhood. See pieces of history as you sail by places like the Anne Frank House. Ask your guide questions about the city and get recommendations for things to do and places to eat.

Amsterdam: City Canal Cruise

2. Amsterdam: City Canal Cruise

Enjoy the center of Amsterdam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on this canal tour in Amsterdam. Be amazed by the gorgeous 17th century canal houses, old merchant houses from the Dutch Golden Age, charming bridges, and the Dutch cyclists. Hop aboard a comfortable boat and pass by the Anne Frank House and the Westerkerk. Glide by more than just old buildings, as you admire new architectural masterpieces have been built along the Piet Heinkade on the IJ river. During your cruise, uncover everything the Dutch capital has to offer in 75 minutes. Keep your camera close by to snap some enviable shots. Book your canal tour in Amsterdam now and board one of the famous blue boats. Take in highlights of Amsterdam and experience the city the way it really is. Soak up sights like the Golden Bend, Overhoeks (the city’s newest quarter), the Music Building in the harbor, and the impressive replica of a VOC ship outside the Maritime Museum.

Amsterdam: Life of Anne Frank and World War II Walking Tour

3. Amsterdam: Life of Anne Frank and World War II Walking Tour

Find out more about Anne Frank on a small-group or private guided walking tour of Amsterdam, led by an expert guide. Discover the city’s centuries-old Jewish Quarter in a small group setting while your guide weaves in anecdotes about Anne Frank's life and World War II. You will hear all about Anne Frank’s family dynamics, their move from Germany, their time in hiding, and her father’s life after the war. Start the tour outside the Portuguese Synagogue, a 17th-century Sephardic construction that still functions as a synagogue today. Find out about the background of the original Jewish neighborhood and how it developed over the centuries. Your guide will share stories of Anne Frank’s love of writing, the conditions she lived through in 1930s and 1940s Amsterdam, and how her diary became so famous. You will also hear about the Dutch Resistance during the Second World War and see where secret hiding places were located. Over the course of the tour, you will walk by the Jewish Historical Museum, stop at the Auschwitz Monument and see the outside of the Anne Frank House façade. Finish the tour with a small surprise at a local Dutch cafe.

Amsterdam: Evening Canal Cruise

4. Amsterdam: Evening Canal Cruise

Discover the unique beauty of Amsterdam at night on an evening cruise. Admire the lights, bridges, and canal houses and see a new side of the city. Board your cruise and begin your tour. Watch the stately 17th-century warehouses of the Dutch capital glide by. Admire the hundreds of bridges and iconic buildings alongside the canals as you cruise through the city and marvel at the illuminated Skinny Bridge. Enjoy the beautiful views and listen to an audio guide with information about the city. See the best Amsterdam has to offer and immerse yourself in the city at night while enjoying the charm of a cruise with a family-run business. Experience a different atmosphere in the city under the night sky. Add a snack box to your booking and enjoy some snacks and drinks as you cruise. Nibble on chips, popcorn, stroopwafels, and salted peanuts with a soft drink, beer, or glass of wine as you sail through Amsterdam's canals.

Amsterdam: 1-Hour Canal Cruise with GPS Audio Guide

5. Amsterdam: 1-Hour Canal Cruise with GPS Audio Guide

Embark on a cruise takes you through the unique UNESCO World Heritage-listed canal district of Amsterdam. Enjoy the opportunity to take in many of the historic sights of the city center. Depart from Central Station and discover the historic buildings and canals of the city. Admire the elegant merchant houses that date back to the Dutch Golden Age. See stunning gables, beautiful churches, the iconic Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge), and many other top attractions.  During the cruise, listen to the recorded audio commentary in your choice of 19 languages. See merchant buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries, Amsterdam’s Golden Age, when trade flourished and was reflected in elaborately decorated facades. Arrive back at Central Station to finish the tour.

Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum Ticket and City Canal Cruise

6. Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum Ticket and City Canal Cruise

This unique combo ticket saves you both time and money as you explore Amsterdam's scenery by canal and enter the world-famous Van Gogh Museum. Purchase a combined ticket to the Van Gogh Museum and a leisurely cruise along Amsterdam’s canals, and enjoy 2 of the city’s must-see attractions with 1 ticket. You are free to decide which part of the ticket you would like to use first. Relax and admire beautiful, traditional merchant houses, numerous bridges, and typical houseboats as you soak up the unique vibe of Amsterdam on a 75-minute canal cruise.   Then, explore the legendary Van Gogh Museum’s exhibits at your own pace. The ticket will save you time and money on individual purchases. The 2-in-1 ticket will give you access to both the Van Gogh Museum and to a wonderful city canal cruise.

Amsterdam: Anne Frank Walking Tour in German

7. Amsterdam: Anne Frank Walking Tour in German

Get to know one of the most important facets of the city and immerse yourself in the history, current affairs and culture of the Jews of Amsterdam with an experienced German-speaking guide. The Jews, expelled by the Spanish Inquisition, transformed Amsterdam into one of the wealthiest commercial cities in Europe and thereby influenced the cityscape significantly. This is how the Jodenbuurt was founded with its most well-known part the Jewish Triangle.  The tour will take you through this area with interesting stories and illustrate why it was especially this piece of land that the Jews wanted to inhabit. Not only Jews settled here. Non-Jews like the famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn also had their domicile in the middle of the Jewish quarter.  But even in Amsterdam, Jewish history is not just about success and good life. The strong discrimination experienced by the Jews by the Nazi Germans also ended in Amsterdam with the Holocaust.  Learn about the young and courageous Anne Frank, who was one of the Jews hiding not to get deported. While hiding she wrote her famous diary. Her diary will accompany the tour and exemplify the grief the Jewish community had to undergo.Thousands of people were deported and hardly anyone came back. But not all Amsterdammers wanted to accept this. Learn about the February Strike in 1941, but above all: learn of the courageous resistance by Jews and non-Jews, who saved many lives while endangering their own.  Pass by the Portuguese synagogue on the tour and see important testimonies such as Stolpersteine, the gate of the old plague cemetery and monuments commemorating the courageous resistance of the Third Reich.  Also, discover how the Jewish community lives today in multicultural Amsterdam. Join this tour to explore the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam and enjoy an unforgettable experience.

Amsterdam: Luxury Canal Cruise with Onboard Bar

8. Amsterdam: Luxury Canal Cruise with Onboard Bar

Admire Amsterdam’s picturesque waterside landmarks on a 100% electric cruise. Take in incredible views of the city’s famous landmarks from an open boat and experience a relaxing way to sightsee, free of traffic. Learn informative and entertaining insights about the sites along the route. See the 17th-century buildings lining the famous canals, as well as new stylish buildings showcasing the influential 21st-century city that Amsterdam has become. Sail by the Hermitage Museum, then glide past the Skinny Bridge, the posh Amstel Hotel, and the charming neighborhood of Grachtengordel. Enjoy an open-air boat experience on a sunny day or stay warm with a protective covering on cooler days. In the winter months, relax on an enclosed boat to keep you warm. Benefit from the flexibility of a one-use ticket that can be used on any one of the cruises departing within the hour you booked.

Amsterdam: City Canal Cruise and Rijksmuseum

9. Amsterdam: City Canal Cruise and Rijksmuseum

Take in Amsterdam on a 75-minute canal cruise that offers stunning views of the 17th-century buildings lining the city canals. Uncover 21st-century city that Amsterdam has become as you pass by new architecture and bridges. Visit the Rijksmuseum for 800 years of Dutch art and history. Hop onboard a comfortable boat while listening to your personal audio system. This offers audio commentary in a choice of 19 languages (free earphones are supplied). Pick the option with the snack box to enjoy chips, popcorn, stroopwafels, salted peanuts and a drink of your choice (soft drink, beer or wine) as you glide through the city. Use your ticket to Rijksmuseum's internationally revered collections which features some of the nation’s most famous works, including historic art by Vermeer, Frans Hals, and perhaps most notably Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch ’w hich takes pride of place in a beautifully lit hall. Enjoy 800 years of Dutch art and history through 8,000 objects in 80 galleries and see world-famous masterpieces by Dutch masters like Vermeer, Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Jan Steen in the Gallery of Honor. Admire the Rijksmuseum’s expansive, evocative collection that also includes Delftware, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, clothing, Asian art, prints, items from Dutch maritime history, and many other culturally significant items.

Amsterdam: Evening Canal Cruise

10. Amsterdam: Evening Canal Cruise

Experience Amsterdam from a different perspective with a boat cruise along the city's canals at night. Discover picturesque canal houses, colorful neighborhoods, and historic monuments as you cruise through the city center. Sit back and relax as you tour through the historic canal district and admire the beauty of Amsterdam. Learn about the city with an onboard audio commentary available in 19 different languages. Enjoy advantageous views from inside the boat with sliding windows and panoramic rooftops so you don’t miss a single thing. Have your camera ready as you travel through the famous canals, which are part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list. Watch as the streets are lit up and lively, the buildings illuminated by warm, bright lights and the little terraces packed with people unwinding after a day’s work. The cruise lasts around 1 hour and takes you past some of the city’s most fascinating sites.

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What people are saying about Grachtengordel

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

based on 54,943 reviews

We left on time and were pleased to see a bucket of beers and soft drinks waiting for us on our assigned table. We really enjoyed the night time cruise, seeing all of the canals and buildings lit up was spectacular. The pizza was served soon into the cruise, we had a whole pizza each which was perfect and an ice cream cup for dessert. The staff were diligently walking back and forth serving drinks. Overall we were very happy with our experience and would recommend it!

We enjoyed the views of the canal houses and had a good tasting of wine and proper Gouda cheese (information on whether this was included in the price or not, could be more clear). Timing could not have been better (had the 6pm tour) for the mix of daylight and nighttime experience. Tourguides did a good job as well.

Joao is a brilliant guide. We loved the Tour and the perfekt guiding and personality of him.

Very interesting visit and excellent guide (Kiran)!! All family loved it!

amazing experience staff were friendly and informative