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Amsterdam is littered with canal, 165 in
all. It has even more canal bridges than
Venice, a total of 1,400. As a tourist a
trip on Amsterdam's canals is a must-do, the
only question is which trip(s) to take.
Private hire boats are no longer allowed
so you have three options. Least probable
but definitely the best is to befriend a
boat-owning local and have them take you
round those parts of the canals that the big
tour boats cannot reach. An unlikely option
for the busy tourist but you never know your
luck. The second option is to hire one of
the four-seater pedalo boats known as Canal
Bikes. These are fun but hard work and very
pricey for anything but a hour or two. If
it's raining, don't even consider this
option! |
Canal Bikes feature on the website,
www.canal.nl for
detailed information. Roughly speaking the canal
bikes cost €7.50 per person per hour. On top of that
ridiculously high price you need to leave a €50
deposit. Pick them up at any one of these four
locations:
Opposite the Rijksmuseum on Singelgracht
Near the Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht
Leidsestraat on Keizersgracht
At the rear of Leidseplein
You can leave the canal bike at any of the above
locations regardless of where you picked it up.
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The third option is to use the services of
one of the canal tour / bus companies. The
best option is the Canal Bus (see
www.canal.nl for complete details). They
operate three different circular routes
which take between 75 to minutes. You have
unlimited access to all three routes and can
get on and off the Canal Bus at any of the
16 stops. The routes have stops near most
of the popular tourist attractions including
the major museums, Anne Frank's House, Nemo,
the zoo and several others. A trip is not
only fun in its own right but an excellent
way to get round Amsterdam |
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INSERT PIC of CANAL BUS ROUTES |
The boats have covered and uncovered
seating areas and in warm, dry weather the
roof is taken off. The seats are comfortable
with lots of legroom and most have tables.
In peak season the boats depart form each of
the stops roughly every 20 to 30 minutes.
The boat engines run on Natural Gas, very
eco-friendly. Prices for a 24 hour (a real
24 hour) unlimited pass is €20 for adults,
€10 for children (5 - 12) and free for
toddlers. A 24 hour family pass is €55 for 2
adults and 2 children. If you purchase an
extra day's pass, the second day is half
price. Carefully read the brochure they give
you, it contains some useful discounts. Free
brochures are available at the tourist
office outside Centraal Station. |
There are competitors to the Canal
Bus and they can be found on the canals outside
Centraal Station. None offer the convenience,
comfort and value for money of the Canal Bus.
For specific tours including day
time and night time meals, live music and the like,
call into the Tourist Office outside Centraal
Station. They are pricey but if money is no object
they are very enjoyable. Night time cruise are
particularly interesting if the weather is warm.
Many of the bridges are lit up at night time.
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The canals are probably best seen by
boat but if you are on a budget then explore
them by foot. That way you get to walk over
the bridges (see the famous Skinny Bridge on
the left) rather than go under them. You
stand a good chance of being entertained by
a musical artist (see picture on the right)
on the canal. A small donation will be asked
for at the end of the performance but it is
not obligatory. See the video below for this
man's unbelievably good performance. |
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INSERT MUSICIAN VIDEO (MVI 259)
HERE
OPENING TIMES AND DIRECTIONS:
Opening Times: The Canal Bus
operates from 09.15 to about 19.00 on a daily basis.
Times differ slightly outside of the peak season so
consult the brochure or the website above if timing
is crucial.
Location: From and to most
tourist attractions
Entrance Prices: See main
text above
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