Lovely Cruises – 1 hour open boat canal tour review

From the moment you spot Lovely Cruises’ bright orange stand across from Central Station, you know you’re in for something relaxed and fun. You’re welcomed aboard with a smile, and the tone is set immediately for a laidback hour on the Amsterdam canals — the kind where you can settle into your seat, order a drink, and simply watch the city drift by.

Lovely Cruises is the latest kid on the block, having launched this year with a small fleet of brand-new, comfortable open boats. It’s actually a sister company of Lovers, one of the oldest canal cruise names in Amsterdam — but with this fresh brand, the focus is entirely on the open-boat experience. There are no private rentals here: you simply buy a ticket and hop on, which makes it an easy, spontaneous option whether you’re solo, as a couple, or with a small group.

Each boat is fully electric — so it’s quiet and emission-free — open to the elements, and seats a maximum of 30 passengers. The cruise always runs for one hour, and with an onboard bar and a host who genuinely loves a good story, it strikes a nice balance between sightseeing and simply having a good time. Check out our full review below!

The Lovely cruises depart opposite the main entrance of Amsterdam Central Station, as pictured above. Just watch for their bright orange brand colours!

One of the brand new open boats awaiting passengers to board at the dock

What to expect

Lovely Cruises has two departure points: one right by Amsterdam Central Station and another near the Anne Frank House. We took our tour from Central Station. The departure point is located across from the station’s main entrance, on the city-centre side, in front of the Victoria Hotel — a spot where several open-boat operators depart from. Lovely’s is easy to find thanks to their bright orange brand colour, so just look for the orange stand.

The boats are brand new, open, and fully electric, with a maximum capacity of 30 passengers, and every tour runs for one hour. The crew consists of two people: a captain, who handles the boat, and a host, who welcomes everyone aboard, takes care of the drinks, and narrates the tour with live commentary. The main commentary is in English, though the host may speak other languages too.

Ticket options

When it comes to tickets, you’ve got two options. You can join the cruise without drinks and pay per drink if you fancy one, or choose the all-inclusive cruise, where you can drink as much as you like for a fixed price. The all-inclusive option is a small amount on top of the standard ticket, so as a rough rule of thumb, it starts to pay off once you’ve had around two drinks — worth keeping in mind when you book. You can also still top up your canal tour with an unlimited drinks option at the very beginning of the cruise.

It’s advisable to book your cruise in advance, especially during the busy summer months, to make sure you get a spot on your preferred departure. The number of available tickets can be deceptive online, as many people also buy their tickets at the dock. However, as we missed our original cruise due to a delay with public transport, we had to rebook the cruise. Since we visited in the height of peak season (mid-July), we had to wait a bit as the next cruise was fully booked. Therefore, if you’re on a schedule, we definitely recommend booking in advance!

Lovers Cafe across the street

What’s good to know is that right across the street from the departure dock at Amsterdam Central Station, you’ll find the Lovers Cafe. This is a great go-to if you have to wait for your cruise to start or need a toilet before or after your boat tour. They have indoor and outdoor seating and restroom facilities. If you’re facing Central Station from the departure dock, you’ll find this on your left-hand side.

There are umbrellas available on board for shade or in case of a drizzle.

Awaiting departure at the dock in front of the Victoria Hotel

The route & highlights

One of the things we liked most is that the route isn’t set in stone. We could actually hear the crew discussing (in Dutch) which way to go, so it feels like the team has a bit more freedom to shape the cruise as they like — a little less fixed than the standard canal boats. That means there’s no guarantee of exactly which highlights you’ll see, but it also makes it the kind of cruise you could happily do more than once.

On our tour, we took the Singel route and then out onto the Amstel, returning through the Herengracht. Along the way we passed:

• The Singel and its monumental canal houses
• The Koepelkerk (Dome Church)
• The Poezenboot (the famous floating cat sanctuary)
• The Amstel River
• The dancing houses
• The Herengracht, including the popular “7 bridges” photo spot
• Brouwersgracht

Because the route can change from cruise to cruise, treat this as a taste of what’s possible rather than a fixed itinerary — part of the charm is not quite knowing where the hour will take you.

Our experience

Our hour aboard Lovely Cruises was relaxed, social, and genuinely entertaining. The host set the mood right from the start by asking passengers where they were from, which got everyone chatting and gave the whole boat a friendly, open vibe. Questions are welcome, and interaction between the crew and passengers is strongly encouraged.

The host was tested on his professionalism within minutes: a seagull decided to leave a little something right above the boat, which landed on one of the passengers. He handled it perfectly — helping the lady clean up, defusing the moment with a bit of humour, and then carrying on with his stories as if nothing had happened.

The host enthusiastically shares stories while passing the Koepelkerk

During the tour, the captain slowed down the boat to snap a picture at the popular 7 bridges photo spot.

And there were plenty of stories. The host clearly loves a bit of storytelling, mixing quirky facts with personal anecdotes and slices of history. It wasn’t always textbook-accurate, but it was warm, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable. One nice example: he explained the expression “steenrijk” (literally “stone-rich”) — a phrase echoed in other northern European languages like Danish and German — which comes from the days when only the wealthy could afford real stone such as marble, sourced from far away, while most buildings were built from locally made brick.

That flexibility we mentioned earlier really came through too. Because the crew seem to have some freedom over the route, the cruise felt a little more spontaneous and personal than the more scripted tours. By the time we returned to the dock, we were relaxed, well entertained, and would happily have stayed aboard a little longer.

If you like your canal cruises informal, sociable, and served with a drink and a good story, Lovely Cruises is a stellar new option — and, as the newest name on the water, one well worth keeping an eye on.

There’s a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and mixes available from the on-board bar, which can be paid for separately or with an all-inclusive arrangement.

One of the most popular passengers on board our boat tour was this little four-legged fella.