Amsterdam Festival of Lights Cruise by Captain Dave

Overview

Available languages

English

1 hour 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Don’t miss out on the annual canal boat tour event! During the Amsterdam FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS (from November 27 to January 18, 2026), the city is illuminated by international light artists displaying their artwork throughout the city center.

Come and join us on this adventure. Get a first-class view and see the historic center of Amsterdam transforming into an open-air light art exhibition. All to be seen by boat.

The Festival of Light is one of the top 10 winter festivals in Europe

—The Guardian

We sail in a heated boat from 1928 with a silent electric motor. The ideal boat for exploring the canals of Amsterdam. The boat has heating, a toilet (a luxury), sunroof, sliding windows and outer deck. Want to sit outside, make sure you wear (warmer) clothes suitable for the weather.

Book direct for the best experience. Come and join us!

Captain Dave Amsterdam

#captaindaveamsterdam

Additional Info

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Not recommened for travelers with acute intestinal problems

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Personable non-scripted guide, host and fully licensed captain in-one

Included Mulled Wine and Hot Chocolate

We cruise in a saloon boat with sliding windows, a sunroof and open aft deck

Heated boat and warm blankets

Toilet on board (light use only!)

90-minutes cruise with 1st class view of the open air exhibition 'Amsterdam Light Festival'

Boat tour by Award Winner— recognized by Airbnb and Tripadvisor Amsterdam!

Gratuities

What To Expect

Herengracht

We depart from Herengracht 124-128 where we will also end the cruise

Admission Not Applicable

Options

Light Festival Tour— 6:30 PM

Light Festival Tour— 6:30 PM
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Drinks included: Mulled wine and hot chocolate
Light Tour with first-class view: We stick to a fixed route to see the best of the Amsterdam Light Festival. Boat tour with lively and personal guidance.
Saloon boat from 1928: We cruise in a heated saloon boat with sliding windows, sunroof, and open aft deck. Toilet on board. Rain or Shine!
Amsterdam Light Festival : Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise —a beautiful cruise with first-class view on the artworks. Departure time: 6:30pm

Light Festival Tour— 8:30PM

Light Festival Tour— 8:30 PM
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Drinks included: Mulled wine and hot chocolate
Light Tour with first-class view: We stick to a fixed route to see the best of the Amsterdam Light Festival. Boat tour with lively and personal guidance.
Saloon boat from 1928: We cruise in a heated saloon boat with sliding windows, sunroof, and outer deck. Toilet on board. Rain or Shine!
Amsterdam Light Festival : Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise —a beautiful cruise with first-class view on the artworks. Departure time: 8:30pm

Light Festival Tour— 4:30 PM

Light Festival Tour— 4:30 PM
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Drinks included: Mulled wine and hot chocolate
First-class view Light Tour: We stick to a fixed route to see the best of the Amsterdam Light Festival. Boat tour with lively and personal guidance.
Saloon boat from 1928: We cruise in a heated saloon boat with sliding windows, sunroof, and open aft deck. Toilet on board. Rain or Shine!
Amsterdam Light Festival : Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise —a beautiful cruise with first-class view on the artworks. Departure time: 4:30 pm

Reviews

4.93

96 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Captain Dave Experience is a must
brianladd1960,
Oct 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Fantastic canal cruise. Only 5 of us plus our Captain for the evening. This was our 1st evening in Amsterdam and Kareem was a great captain. Funny, informative, and everything was relaxed. We all laughed and really had a great time. Other boats were jam packed with people who looked bored as we past by them. Perfect way to see Amsterdam and I highly recommend you go at sunset. Free beer and wine, and soft drinks, too.
Fantastic!
Daydream47561431629,
Sep 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Took the 8 am tour. Absolutely amazing. We had beautiful weather and Gisela, our guide, was engaging and provided a wealth of information. We highly recommend Captain Dave’s. A great way to start our Amsterdam adventure.
Just had a great experience
peterkT5365QS,
Jun 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
What an experience it was super cozy it was The captain knows a lot about Amsterdam and its history Very nice and we will definitely go again!!👊😘
A great evening on the canals
Caitlin O,
Jan 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Captain Jack put a lot of energy into the evening. It was a lot of fun and an interesting way to see the sights of Amsterdam. He bonded us as a group, was entertaining and informative. The group was a good vibe.
Cheers Captain Dave!
Jeremy S,
Jan 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great time on board with Jan! Very knowledgeable about all things Amsterdam, and was a great snapshot of the city via the canals. Comfy & cozy way to enjoy a couple of hours in Amsterdam.
Do it.
Longaim,
Jan 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Booked based on other reviews, would advise others to do the same. I managed somehow to mess up the booking but Dave kindly put on another boat in the evening for us, and by the sounds of it let another couple off the hook as well so we only had 4 people on the boat. I wanted a cruise where we could see the sites, have a drink but it wouldn't be full of people that just wanted a booze cruise. Our host was informative, fun and engaging throughout. Lots of local facts, history and personalisation of the story throughout. Warm inside, mulled wine, some bottles of beer, wine and snacks. I was hoping the night lights would be a little more interesting, but that's not on Captain Dave! It's still worth going regardless as the majority is about seeing Amsterdam at night and the conversation.
The light of our lives
Jonathan C,
Jan 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We all were a little surprised this wasn’t the real Dave. But Jan was the most astonishing alternative replacement. His knowledge, humour especially his experience made this one of the most unforgettable moments of our entire trip.
Perfect way to spend our last night in Amsterdam!
kimwW9993SL,
Jan 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It was a fun way to spend our last night in Amsterdam. Boat was lovely, host made sure we had everything we needed! Though it was chilly, we decided to sit outside and had the back of the boat to ourselves. It was a perfect place to view all of the lights. The blankets they provided kept us nice & warm.
Lovely lights and a great host
Jaylin K,
Jan 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
My mom and I had a great time with Tony! The boat was cozy and comfortable with the mulled wine and beer and other drinks flowing. We loved the Dutch gingerbread. My favorite part was how well Tony described the history of the canals and of Amsterdam in general. He showed us a great time and the lights were wonderful.
Fun, informative and beautiful evening on Captain Dave's boat
Leslie B,
Dec 30, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
We learned a lot about Amsterdam from a local that you won't typically learn. Captain Dave's excursion was informative and fun. Of course, we loved seeing the sights by night and the Light Festival was beautiful.