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Canal Hopper

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Carmen
Carmen
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5 out of 5
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The Best Way to See Amsterdam

  • April 27, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Carmen from Fairfax, Virginia
The Best Way to See Amsterdam

If you have a short layover in Amsterdam, or even if you’re visiting for a week, the best overview of the city that you could give yourself is a canal tour. These canals are the veins which Amsterdam’s life’s blood runs - the water from the Amstel River. More than 400 bridges span these canals, giving Amsterdam a charm and feel that few European cities have.

Thus, a canal tour becomes the perfect way to sit back and take it all in, letting the city come to you.

There are plenty of options, and you can chose which suits you best. However, I highly recommend the Canal Hopper, 22 Euros per person, kids under 4 free, under 12 11 Euro, and a 4 Euro discount if you book late in the afternoon (it operates until about 5:30 p.m.) The electric-powered boats run daily July -August, and in the off season on Friday, Saturday & Sunday (but not in the cold, sometimes water-freezing months of Dec-March.) If you are blessed with beautiful spring weather (rare for a city that experiences 300 days of rain per year) take advantage of the sunshine with this open-air boat. If the weather’s not so good - no worries, they raise a tarp to keep your head dry. Most of the other canal tour boats were closed in, and I’m all about getting up-close-and-personal for the great photo op.

The boat driver is also your tour guide, and interacts with you as much as you interact back. They tell interesting stories, point out the unique things that make Amsterdam, well AMSTERDAM! There are two routes, and you can stop at any of them to explore further, and then re-board for more canal fun. The prettiest route is the Historic Pleasures, or yellow, route. That takes you through the Red Light District, Anne Frank House and the Lieidseplein. However, don’t count out the orange, Hidden Treasures route, for breathtaking views of Central Station, the passenger terminal for cruise ships and past a windmill turned brewery - the only one in the Amsterdam city limits.

Springtime offered not only great canal views, but duck families with fuzzy babies in tow, swans-a-swimming, just-budding green trees and flowering plants.

The easiest stop to reach from the Dam Square is in the Spui district. Hop on the tram, it’s the next stop.

Undeniably the best pictures I took on the trip, and possibly the best experience I had in Amsterdam. I can’t say enough - hop on a Canal Hopper!

From journal Amster-DAM That Was Fun!

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