St. Nicolaas Boat Club: a Different Way to View Amsterdam

A ride on Amsterdam's canals

For many, Amsterdam is notorious for its coffee shops and gritty red light district. The real attraction of Amsterdam however lies in the city’s layout of canals which gives Amsterdam its true charm. While visiting Amsterdam, there are two popular ways to view the city. One is by bike, which you will see thousands of as you walk through the streets. The other is by boat. From the point of view of locals and tour guides alike, there is nothing else like seeing Amsterdam by a canal ride. You see a whole new perspective of the city from the canals than you would by walking besides them.

Throughout the city there are a variety of tour boat companies that will take you through the canals.  The price for a canal tour can range anywhere between seven and fifty euros, depending what kind of boat ride you are looking for. However there is one canal ride in Amsterdam that is completely free and authentic.



Our boat, Athena



St. Nicolaas Boat Club and Canal Cruises offer tourists a free experience on an authentic restored canal boat from the 1920s. The boat club is a non-profit organization that rejects the monetary system and therefore does not charge for their services. They only ask that at the end of the tour that you make a donation (only if you want) to keep the boats in good condition. Each canal ride lasts between 90 and 120 minutes, depending on the weather and the driver. Unfortunately you cannot just show up for a canal ride but must reserve ahead of time, especially on the weekends. You can reserve spots on the boat at Boom Chicago, located in Leidseplein Square. Warning: Canal rides do not operate every day. Visit Boom Chicago when you first arrive in the city to check out the times and sign up.

Captain Miguel

The boat club currently has two restored tuindersvletten boats (garden flat boats) named Athena and Toine Rikke. These “garden flat boats” were originally used by merchants and farmers during the 1920s to transport produce and animals to market. On my canal ride with St. Nicholaas we took the Athena out, which fitted the ten people in the group quite comfortably. Our captain for the day was Miguel, a twenty-six year old film maker from Portugal, who has been living in Amsterdam for the past two years. Miguel is a very laid back guy and extremely knowledgeable about the city’s history and architecture that can be seen from the canals. I highly recommend that you ride with him if possible.



Orry taking the wheel, Miguel playing tour guide



During the first part of our tour Miguel took our crew through the main canal ring, telling us about St. Nicolaas Boat Club and pointing out sights along the canal such as the cat house (a canal house with black and white cats running up the side) and the intersection of the seven bridges. He then led us across the Amstel River, and into a more quiet part of the canal. Once we arrived in calmer waters, he asked if anyone would like to drive the boat. Being the adventurer that he is, my boyfriend Orry jumped at the opportunity. For the next 45 minutes Orry took the wheel as captain, while Miguel played tour guide. For Orry, this was unique life experience that he will never forget. If we had taken one of the big boat companies we would have never had this experience.





Lowest bridge in Amsterdam



After almost an hour, Miguel took the wheel back from Orry in order to take our group under the lowest bridge in Amsterdam. As we approached the dark tunnel we had to lower our heads for a safe passage. Again, a big boat that the tour companies use would never fit under this bridge.

After a few more sights, Miguel took our crew back into the main canal ring to end our tour. Overall, St. Nicholaas Boat Club and Canal Cruises offer a unique experience for visitors in Amsterdam. The captains take you places that you would not normally see with a big tour boat company, and even let you drive the boat! I highly recommend St. Nicholaas Boat Club to anyone visiting Amsterdam; it is a life experience that you certainly will not forget!

For more information please visit St. Nicolaas Boat Club's website: St. Nicolaas