Leemstar Amsterdam image

Leemstar Amsterdam

Tour operator Tour agency Sightseeing tour agency Boat tour agency Boat rental service

👍👍 Amazing 90 minute tour by Floris, who was personable, witty and kind. He gave a great overview of Amsterdam's history and told us the stories of many famous landmarks we passed through. Was initially hesitant to pay a bit more compared to other canal rides but it was absolutely worth it. Definitely... People often mention Amsterdam, boat, tour, Leemstar, great, history, city, experience, recommend, cruise,


Address

Prinsengracht 587, 1016 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands

Website

www.leemstar.nl

Contact

+31 6 16616690

Rating on Google Maps

4.80 (307 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Friday: 9 AM to 9 PM
  • Saturday: 9 AM to 9 PM
  • Sunday: 9 AM to 9 PM
  • Monday: 9 AM to 9 PM
  • Tuesday: 9 AM to 9 PM
  • Wednesday: 9 AM to 9 PM
  • Thursday: 9 AM to 9 PM

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: Amsterdam (38) boat (35) tour (30) Leemstar (25) great (24) history (17) city (17) experience (16) recommend (16) cruise (15)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Abigail G. 1 year ago on Google
    Absolutely amazing tour! We did the 90 minute tour and loved every second of it! The captain was amazing and gave a wonderful history of Amsterdam and its canal system. The boat is small and only holds about 10 people so you get a much more personalized experience. Plus it’s a historic wooden boat from 1928! Cannot recommend this tour more!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Lee D. 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing 90 minute tour by Floris, who was personable, witty and kind. He gave a great overview of Amsterdam's history and told us the stories of many famous landmarks we passed through. Was initially hesitant to pay a bit more compared to other canal rides but it was absolutely worth it. Definitely would recommend.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Gregg C. 4 months ago on Google • 94 reviews
    Floris was an excellent, cheerful, well-informed captain and guide. We absolutely loved the tour.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mitch L. 5 years ago on Google
    We found Leemstar via google search. Did some quick research, looked good and saw the "we're on whatsapp" note. I was in Austria. Quickly added the number, found Arnout, had a great chat over dinner the night before and booked a sunset cruise for two people the following night. All in all, it was one of the best experiences we have had as a couple. Great conversation, got to see a bunch of cool stuff (sunset is the best time to go out), had some snacks and a glass of wine. I highly recommend Leemstar for your Amsterdam canal experience.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Adam B. 4 years ago on Google
    Great experience! Classic and beautiful boat from the 20's restored and with an electric engine! Our Capitan was fantastic and funny, giving us great history of the city as well as the sites from the canals. This is very much recommended!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 David H. 2 years ago on Google
    Tremendous way to spend an hour on a beautiful boat. The captain was both informative and amusing. Could happily have gone round a second time. Much nicer to go round the canals on a smaller boat than the big tour ones. Can highly recommend.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Michael P. 1 year ago on Google
    The best introduction to Amsterdam is always from the water and Leemstar do it best of all. Their canal trips show off the glories and absurdities and sometimes the horrors of the city's past as well as its present beauties, and they do all this with charm, real knowledge, a bit of wit, and a glass of wine in the elegant shelter of a 1920s cabin with the company you choose.. All the friends I've shown Amsterdam this way have been fascinated and entertained as well; they got answers to their questions, not just the amplified commentary on the louder, bigger tourist boats. Some of them were seeing Amsterdam for the first time, and I reckon they saw the city clearly from its strange sandy foundations to its towers and monuments, and they liked the jokes. And the prosecco, of course....
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Bertrand V. 1 month ago on Google • 24 reviews New
    Very good experience with Starlet ( small 6 persons, boat) our driver Floris is mastering the art of making you welcome on the boat and share very interesting knowledge on Amsterdam.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Melissa F. 2 months ago on Google • 11 reviews New
    Great evening canal boat tour with Floris. He provided interesting commentary, and it was a seamless experience. Highly recommend!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Leigh C. 4 months ago on Google • 9 reviews
    Best cruise ever! Very adventurous and educational. We luckily had the boat all to ourselves and got to ask a million annoying questions. The tour guide was super friendly, funny, and hospitable. Must see. Must do.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Andy P. 8 months ago on Google • 69 reviews
    Great cruise! Lovely boat, drinks & meat / cheese platter was really good. Our Captin (Floris) gave a great commentary on Amsterdam and was the perfect host! Well worth the cost of doing a private tour...

  • 5/5 Esmee 3 months ago on Google • 7 reviews New
    The experience with Leemstar was flawless. Captain Arnout was incredibly knowledgeable and considerate, catering the tour to our needs (taking special requests for places to see and being happy for my mum to bring some hot British tea). We left feeling super content, relaxed and with a great deal more knowledge of Amsterdam. Dankje, it was such a pleasure!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mike T. 1 month ago on Google • 5 reviews New
    Seeing Amsterdam from the water was great and from a classic 1920s boat with a very knowledgeable and witty captain made it the best. The beer and wine added to the trip. Forget the touristy big boat canal trips and take the Leemstar cruise. Get all of your questions about the city answered. Highly recommended!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Victoria T. 2 months ago on Google • 4 reviews New
    This tour was AMAZING!! This is one of the smaller companies running tours of the canals and I couldn’t recommend them more. Our guide was funny, extremely knowledgeable, and gave recommendations for some of the best food I’ve had in Amsterdam. The boats are also smaller so the tour is very cozy and intimate. Go Leemstar!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nancy F. 3 months ago on Google • 3 reviews New
    Terrific, interesting and informative.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Dennis R. 2 months ago on Google • 3 reviews New
    Had a very nice boat trip with Floris who explains the history and origins of the city in scent and color with full enthusiasm and makes it a great experience. Highly recommended!!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Michael F. 2 years ago on Google
    Floris was an amazing host and knowledgeable guide. He was funny and provided a lot of great history about the city. Do yourself a favor and skip the big boat tours and book this intimate and amazing tour with Leemstar.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Maria M. 1 year ago on Google
    Such a cool and fun way to experience the canals! Smaller boat means more personal touch, as you are able to chat with the captain (if you want) and other visitors. We ordered the bar option as additional, and were served to full glasses of wine during the 90 minute excursion. Highly recommended, better than the usual, bigger tourist boats.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Austin K. 2 years ago on Google
    Very personable and knowledgeable captain / your guide. We were a small group of 3 joined by another couple and enjoyed learning a bit of Amsterdam history mixed with sightseeing. Definitely recommended!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Hailey C. 1 year ago on Google
    This is a MUST have experience if you want to see all of Amsterdam’s beauty and history! Our Tour guide, Leem was knowledgeable, funny, witty, gracious, and skilled. The boat is gorgeous and small and cozy making for a perfect personable experience. I learned so much of the history and took some amazing photos of leaning buildings, floating restaurants, wildlife and so much more. Book this tour! 😁
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Amy B. 2 years ago on Google
    Had a great cruise with Floris. The boat is amazing itself and I learned a lot even though I already live in Amsterdam. The customer service of Leemstar is amazing- they are so easily contactable via WhatsApp and normally reply within the hour. Highly recommend!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jennifer D. 1 year ago on Google
    Highly recommended. Not your typical tourist show of just places. The skipper presents great historical info showing Amsterdam in its earliest days and all the changes in between. He has perspective on the current culture of Amsterdam which is also so very interesting. I came away with a much greater understanding of this city. The size of the boat is intimate, 8-10 people and opportunity for questions and dialogue. Highly recommended.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ed C. 2 years ago on Google
    What a fantastic boat tour and experience. Super knowledgeable about the history of Amsterdam, canals and the city. Thank you so much ☺️ 🥃👊🍷🎁
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Rebecca H. 6 years ago on Google
    Our sunset cruise was the highlight of our trip to Amsterdam. Arnout had so much knowledge to share about Amsterdam and the canals. The cruise was relaxed, intimate and cozy inside the cabin. You can even bring your own wine (which we of course did). We also got to take some amazing photos of the canals and the city while on board.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ilona D. 5 years ago on Google
    Amsterdam has over 100 km of canals on which you can travel on boat. Of course you can choose from so many canal cruises. We decided to go with Leemstar and that was great decision. Small boat (not huge commercial ships) with very friendly and super knowledgeable captain (guide). He was born and live in Amsterdam all his live, so he can tell you many great stories. Of course you can find a cheaper canal cruises, but trust me. Extra few dollars will make a whole different. You’ll be happy with you decision.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Innes M. 4 years ago on Google
    Perfect moment... Booked last minute but super easy.. Lovely boat, super trip.. 12 max so unlike some of the mega boats where you feel like sardines... Brilliant host and great information, highly recommended!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Michelle Berg, C. 5 months ago on Google • 16 reviews
    We had an incredible time with our tour guide who was funny, very knowledgeable, and was even good at the political satire. The boat was intimate, wine selection was great, and blankets on board were a welcome addition. It was lovely to see Amsterdam from the waters perspective and areas we wouldn’t have gone to by foot or bike.

  • 5/5 Jeannette P. 7 months ago on Google • 6 reviews
    We rented the boat for our family (party of 5) and it was the best decision ever! We had the boat to ourselves and Skip, our captain, was very knowledgeable and transmitted Amsterdam’s history with pride and passion! We only got the bar drinking option, would have definelty included the cheese platter since we were hungry after a day of touring, lesson learned for next time. We really enjoyed it and really recommend it!

  • 5/5 Kevin O. 1 year ago on Google
    The captain Flors (not sure if I’m spelling that correctly) was a super awesome host. He was very knowledgeable and fun during the tour. It was great to see the city from a different perspective and to hear a bunch of interesting history about the city in a causal environment. I’d highly recommend this relatively intimate experience to anyone traveling to Amsterdam

  • 5/5 Molly G. 5 months ago on Google
    Floris was the best guide! We learned a lot about historical & modern-day Amsterdam on the boat tour and got some good laughs along the way.

  • 5/5 Tom M. 9 months ago on Google
    We highly recommend this cruise. The Skipper is an excellent guide, full of interesting information about the City and has an excellent sense of humor. It’s a longer cruise than most (1.5 hrs) but goes to more unusual and interesting places. Beautiful, comfortable, and quiet boat.

  • 5/5 Michael T. 11 months ago on Google
    We booked Leemstar on recommendation of one of our neighbors here in Amsterdam and had a great time on the tour with my family, who were visiting from the States. The ride was smooth, the explanations were historical and hilarious. We'll be booking again when other guests come to see us.

  • 5/5 Bob E. 11 months ago on Google
    We saw one of the Leemstar boats go by us on the canal and when we saw about 8 people on board drinking a glass of wine and compared that to the huge tour boats also going by we, decided to try and book Leemstar. We were lucky enough to get a canal cruise the next day. We are so glad we did! It was excellent! What a civilized way to spend an hour and a half! Our Captain, Floris, was incredibly knowledgeable about Amsterdam’s history and an excellent boat handler. Couple that with a great sense of humour and that’s why we gave Leemstar a 5 star rating. Would definitely recommend this to both family and friends!

  • 5/5 Maura V. 1 year ago on Google
    The Leemstar is elegant, comfortable and provides a fantastic canal cruise experience. Floris shared information in a comprehensive and accessible way. I especially appreciated that the focus was not only on the past but also Amsterdam of today. And he was very funny.

  • 5/5 Alive on Cloud 9 L. 1 year ago on Google
    The best cruise to take in Amsterdam. Instead of jostling with twenty or thirty over travelers, on the Leemstar you’ll enjoy a cruise for six. Our captain set the tone with a relaxed atmosphere. Drinks are provided. With the winter weather, there’s no reason to suffer in the cold. The inside cabin affords great views and is toasty. Highly recommend.

  • 5/5 Lucas R. 1 year ago on Google
    Had a great time exploring Amsterdam's canals with Leemstar. We stumbled upon them on a whim zooming into the area surrounding our hotel. All the praise is warranted. The boat is cool and historical. It is covered but also with an open back. You can get up and walk around during the tour. The guide provides funny commentary, conversation, and interesting history call outs. We opted to add drinks and enjoyed the offerings. Would recommend to anyone looking to support a smaller business and have a more intimate experience!

  • 5/5 Alyssa S. 1 year ago on Google
    What a lovely way to spend part of an afternoon in Amsterdam. We did a 60 minute tour, it was a great way to view the city after days of seeing it on foot. Floris was personable, knowledgeable, and gave a great mix of history and interesting facts. Booking was fast and convenient, the boat was beautiful, all in all we were so pleased with Leemstar

  • 5/5 jannaonajaunt 1 year ago on Google
    One of the highlights of our trip to Amsterdam and Europe in general. Easy to book online and they are very accommodating! We had to reschedule our tour and talked to them on whatsapp and just like that, super easy and no rescheduling fee! Martin was our captain and he was very kind, knowledgable and funny! He told us it was his first day doing the tour but we wouldn’t have known because he was very professional and made us at ease. I highly recommend this company and Martin (if you have privilege of having him as your captain) when you visit Amsterdam. Such a relaxing way to spend the afternoon sightseeing and learning about this wonderful city.

  • 5/5 Jaclyn C. 2 years ago on Google
    We had an amazing time touring canals of Amsterdam. Great tour of the city with great information. The drinks onboard were also great. It was a lovely time and a must do whilst in Amsterdam!!

  • 4/5 Akshay 2 years ago on Google
    Had an amazing experience with the tour for the canal ride. The guide briefly informed about the history of the canals, places, bridge. It was very nice to know.

  • 5/5 Megan L. 2 months ago on Google • 1 review New
    We booked an evening canal cruise with Leemstar and loved it! It wasn’t too crowded but still lively and fun. The captain/tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and had a great sense of humor. The boat was also so beautiful but especially lit up with candles!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Trudy M. 10 months ago on Google • 2 reviews
    Absolutely one of the highlights from our trip! Learned a lot about the history and architecture of the city. Captain was a joy and loved his witty commentary. We also loved that we did this canal tour after already having walked around the city for a day, so we knew the sites and layout of the city a bit before hand. Would highly recommend!

  • 5/5 Jeremiah K. 7 months ago on Google • 1 review
    We booked the Leemstar on a bit of a whim. It was a rainy set of days in Amsterdam and we wanted something to do that would be memorable but not just default to wandering museums with our son (13 years old). I spoke to the gentleman who owns/runs Leemstar - a local Amsterdammer who lives close to the Leemstar dock. When I called to check availability on the first rainy day he was incredibly helpful, even suggesting other tour boats for us, since there were no bookings available. Instead, we decided to book with Leemstar for the next day. <<Point here is that their customer service level was an A+>>. The next day we went down in the early afternoon and boarded Leemstar. It's a gorgeous boat. Old Amsterdam in just the right way. We also had a relatively new captain to the Leemstar fleet - Skip - who was absolutely fantastic. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Amsterdam, easy going, and had our son co-pilot with him to keep him engaged and interested. This boat is absolutely perfect for small groups or private parties. We floated through the historic core of Amsterdam and learned more on this tour than in the guide books. Would I go again? Yes, without even a second thought. <<FWIW: It's taken me about a month to get this review up . . . but I wanted to make sure to do it because others should enjoy what Leemstar is. An absolutely A+ experience.>>

  • 5/5 Jill Y. 9 months ago on Google • 1 review
    We had a wonderful time seeing Amsterdam from the canals. What a beautiful, enchanting city! Our boat cruise was full of so much information. From historical to pop culture, our boat driver was fascinating! Highly recommend!


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