playbook
Evening Canal Cruise in Amsterdam
One hour before sunset, push off from the dock. The city looks different from the water, especially once the bridges light up.
3u
duration
β¬ 40β80
budget
Ground
pace
The Amsterdam canals on a normal day are a kind of fairground. Tourists with beer, tour boats with loudspeakers, bikes nearly falling into the water. On a weekday evening, an hour before dark, they go quiet. The tourists are eating by then, the tour boats are on the Amstel. You have the Brouwersgracht to yourself.
The trick is to get on the water at the right time. The magic lives in that one half hour when the sun shines through the bridges and the water turns golden. Ten minutes later the bridge lamps come on and the city suddenly looks like a film set. After that it's just dark and cold. Don't linger, you can't make the magic last by waiting for it.
Checklist
0 of 5
Boot geboekt voor anderhalf uur
Tijd gepland rond zonsondergang
Check apps zoals SunCalc
Deken en muts
Wijn in plastic of blik
Geen glas op het water
Powerbank voor de camera
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Check when the sun sets. Book a boat that starts an hour earlier, lasts an hour and a half, and gets you back to the dock before it's truly dark.
55Suggestion: In June that's around 21:30, in October around 18:30.Bring wine (in plastic or a can), cheese, a blanket and a hat. Nothing more. A big bag gets awkward on a boat.
15Depart from the Westerdok or the Brouwersgracht, not from the centre. The canals are calmer from there.
Westerdok, AmsterdamSpend the first ten minutes without music or talking. Let the sounds of the city come in off the water. A tram in the distance, a bicycle bell, water against the bow.
At some point, usually around a bend in a canal, the sun shines exactly under a bridge. The whole canal turns gold. Don't reach for your camera straight away. Just look first.
Half an hour after sunset the bridge lamps come on. That's the moment to sail through the Reguliersgracht, the most photogenic spot.
ReguliersgrachtHead back to the dock. Don't put it off, as it gets dark and cold quickly, and you don't want to be mooring in the dark at an unfamiliar spot.
The city you walk or cycle through every day feels different from the water. One metre below street level, the houses look bigger. That's not an accident, that's physics.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- Book in May or September, not July. The canals are packed with boats then.
- Pack a blanket and a hat, especially after mid-September.
- Wine and plastic cups are allowed, glass is not, as it's dangerous if you fall.
- Avoid the Rembrandtplein area, that's where all the rowdiness is.
Variations
- - Met fles wijn en kaas: een floating-picknick met twee mensen werkt het best.
- - Solo: leen een kano of SUP, dat is goedkoper en stiller.
- - In de winter: niet doen, kano en sloep zijn dan koud en gevaarlijk bij regen.