Fall in love with the Amsterdam canals in spring
21 March 2023
After the cold and dark winter months, brightened up by the Amsterdam Light Festival, spring brings life back to the Amsterdam canals. Almost all top things to do in Amsterdam in spring lists include taking a canal cruise and there is a good reason for that! Spring is the time of year to fall in love with the Amsterdam canals.
As the sun comes out from behind the clouds so do the people come out of their homes. The terraces along the canals will fill with people who are enjoying a drink while they people watch. As the trees along the canals grow their green leaves, more people will stroll under them or take a seat on the quayside with their feet dangling above the water.
In April, especially, you can feel spring all around you in Amsterdam. From the city squares, the its streets, bridges and canals all are decorated with hundreds of thousands of tulips for the annual Tulip Festival. And later in the month the tulips that have been planted in the ground will also come into bloom.
In summer, Amsterdam’s waterways can feel crowded but in spring you can enjoy that lovely sweet spot of a warm spring day and a calm city. The best way to enjoy the canals and get a true sense of them is, of course, with an Amsterdam canal cruise.
Spring canal cruises
Throughout the season there are several canal tours to choose between. The Semi-Open Boat Cruise is perfect for a sunny day even in early spring. With unobstructed views of the city, the sun can also reach your face as you sail through the canals. Don’t forget your sunscreen with a good SPF factor cause even in spring the sun can burn.
Do you prefer to travel through the canals in a smaller group? Than we recommend the open boats from the Cruise like a local canal cruise, which departs near the Anne Frank House. Because this canal cruise makes use of smaller boats, you will also reach those canals which cannot be cruised with the big canal boats.
Or book a canal cruise at sunset or in the evening. The colours of the setting sun on the canal houses make for gorgeous pictures. And in the evening you can marvel at the lights shining off the iconic gabled houses of the historic centre and the bridges lit up by thousands of lights, and simply let the evening ambiance sink into your bones.
You can also choose for the unique experience of enjoying a delicious New York Pizza as you cruise through the canals, with the New York Pizza by LOVERS cruise. It is the perfect combination of eating out and seeing the historic canals from a different perspective. You can choose between six different types of pizza and the drinks are included as well!
Other Amsterdam in spring attractions
After you have enjoyed your canal cruise, there is much more to make you fall in love with Amsterdam in spring. Discover the city the way the locals do with a bike tours, you can visit the new born animals at the zoo. Wear something orange on King’s Day and join the street parties, or visit one of the many festivals the city is host to in spring time.
