VR Voyage boat tour

Step aboard, slip on a headset, and after a few minutes, you’re no longer cruising through modern Amsterdam, but gliding into the heart of the 17th century, when the Netherlands was a majorly influential nation due to its key role in global trade. VR Voyage doesn’t just tell you history – it drops you into it. With 17th-century canals springing to life in amazing detail, this immersive canal cruise puts the past in the present.

This thrilling VR boat ride in Amsterdam combines the charm of a traditional sightseeing canal ride with cutting-edge technology that takes you along the same waterways, hundreds of years back. Hop aboard, and read more about Amsterdam’s most technologically advanced boat ride, the VR Voyage.

During the VR Voyage boat tour, you will get to enjoy the best of both worlds; the most spectacular sights will be enjoyed in real life and the less exciting parts you’ll get to use the VR headset to travel back in time.

The VR Voyage boat

There’s a guidebook on each seat

The boat is comfortable and roomy

What you need to know

The VR Voyage boat leaves from Leidsekade 100, nearby Leidesplein. Tickets for this 75-minute ride can be bought in advance on the VR Voyage website. All cancellations, changes, or private cruise bookings must be arranged by email. Refunds and rebookings are processed promptly once your request is received.

Each boat has a restroom and is enclosed and heated during winter, ensuring comfort in cooler months. You’re not allowed to bring your own food and drinks, but you can buy refreshments onboard – the first drink is complimentary. Note that only card payments are accepted – cash isn’t accepted.

Pets are welcome (kindly ensure they don’t disturb others), and children of all ages are permitted onboard too. Wifi isn’t available onboard,

Each guest gets a sanitised VR headset, along with integrated spatial-audio earbuds. The headset’s adjustable straps ensure a snug fit, whether you wear glasses or not.

There is a short briefing about what to expect and how to put the VR set on and take it off. Even if you’ve never had a VR experience, you’re in good hands with the friendly team that makes you feel at ease.

Each VR segment lasts about two minutes and is followed by a short break. This makes the experience suitable for people who are new to experiencing VR, like me. It’s great that you also get to enjoy the sights in the real world, on top of the time travel with the VR headsets.

Large windows allow you to see the sights

Passing the luxury Amstel Hotel

With a covered boat, you can go on the VR ride any time of year

The majestic building of the National Maritime Museum

Realistic-looking scene of old Amsterdam

The scenes along with the sounds and narrative, make this a very real and immersive experience

The VR experience

What makes VR Voyage so immersive is its seamless coordination between virtual and physical worlds. As your boat glides through the canals, a GPS-linked system syncs precisely with your headset, triggering animations when you pass a landmark.

Adding another layer of realism is the thoughtful sequencing of time. The VR experience unfolds across morning, afternoon and evening, with virtual lighting that mirrors the real world.

Narration and sound design elevate the experience. A bilingual (Dutch-English) narrator guides you through Amsterdam’s past, weaving historical insights into each animated moment. You’ll hear the likes of creaking ship decks, bustling markets, people talking, and bells ringing, which make the experience of the 17th century even more realistic.

Highlights aboard VR Voyage

• Your voyage opens with a bustling morning market at the Herengacht, set in 1670 when Amsterdam was home to around 200,000 residents. In vivid animation, you’ll see vendors in period dress selling goods, while horse-drawn carts rattle over cobblestones.
• You’ll then be immersed in the city’s canal engineering. You’ll watch animated dockworkers hoisting barrels into warehouses using pulley systems that reveal just how purpose-built the canals were for trade. Meanwhile, subtle animations illustrate how water channels managed the soggy ground beneath the city’s growing footprint.
• As the tour moves into the maritime era, you’ll see Amsterdam’s shipbuilding prowess. By the mid-17th century, the Dutch had the world’s largest fleet – around 2,600 ships. VR Voyage brings this to life with digital reconstructions of iconic vessels, including the Batavia, the Fluitschip, and 10 other historically accurate ship types, with intricate rigging and hull designs.
• Cultural landmarks are shown with accuracy. ’The Schreierstoren is presented as once being the edge of the city after which the harbour began, the Hortus Botanicus as a centre for exotic plants, and the Portuguese Synagogue, once the largest in the world, highlights Amsterdam’s history of welcoming Jewish refugees. Each of these scenes is based on detailed sources like Google Maps, old architectural drawings and records from the City Archives.
• As evening starts, you’ll see a glowing version of Amsterdam’s 8-kilometre city wall and one of its eight historic gates.

One of the most striking parts of VR Voyage is how it lets you compare the past and present in real-time. You’ll often pass the modern version of a landmark, like the Hortus Botanicus, the H’art Museum (formerly Hermitage), right before or after seeing its historical VR version. At especially scenic spots, like where the Amstel River meets the canals, you can take off your headset, enjoy the present-day view, and take some photos.

Our experience

VR Voyage’s canal tour is more than a boat ride – it’s a living history museum on water. This way of history storytelling is so compelling and exciting, and you can see the care and detail that have gone into every animation, sound and fact.

Whether you’re a history buff, a VR fan or a tourist or resident wanting a unique look at Amsterdam’s past while experiencing today’s sights, then this is an unmissable cruise.

Another realistic old Amsterdam picture