A relaxing canal tour in Amsterdam is a must do when visiting the city. It’s a great way to see Amsterdam from a different angle on a slow moving leisurely boat.

Meet our captain and tour guide Jan pronounced Yan

Our boat was 100 years old as Jan our captain proudly told us. He has been the captain and tour guide for the boat for over 10 years and loves his job. Jan is a history buff and knew everything there is to know about the history of Amsterdam and the surrounding cities! Wish I had recorded him as he was full of historical tit bits.

Floating past numerous bridges and charming neighborhoods

A canal boat ride is a great way to see the city of Amsterdam in short span of time. In an hour and half you get a great view of the city from the water.

We sailed past Anne Frank House, the Mayor’s residence, and even a home that was lived in by John Adams (one of our founding Father’s)!

Wonder what these potted planters are doing in the water?

As it turns out the retaining walls on the canals are eroding in areas and as a temporary fix the city has placed giant water resistant planters to hold the retaining walls in place, until a better solution can be found.

Rather than have giant concrete containers holding the retaining wall in place, the city decided to use them as planters where plants can be grown providing a green backdrop to the canals.

In the spring these planters are filled with tulip blooms!!

Does the city ever get flooded?

Of course the potential is very high with so many canals that the city might get flooded. To address this the city has constructed dikes that control the level of water in the canals.

These dikes are controlled by a municipal agency that is constantly monitoring the water levels to make sure it’s not too low or too high.

For a relaxing tour of the Amsterdam get on a canal tour for a leisurely time in the city

A canal tour is a must do in Amsterdam. It’s a relaxing respite from sightseeing, when on a slow moving boat all you do is sit and relax and let the boat take you on pretty tour of the city.