Hop On, Hop Off Canal Bus Cruise in Amsterdam

The canal bus is the ideal transport between the canals. You can see all the highlights of the city. The beauty of the Hop On, Hop Off Canal Bus is that you can hop on and hop off on at as many stops as you like. You can get a day ticket, which costs 22. 00 euros and 11. 00 euros for children 4-12 years old, there is a 24 hours ticket, which costs slightly more: it’s 24/00 euros and 12. 00 euros for children. And then there is a 48 hours ticket, which costs 34. 00 euros for adults and 17. 00 euros for children. The canal bus works daily from 10:00 to 18:00.

Here are the list of sites in Amsterdam that you can see with this canal bus:

• Maritime Museum
• Hermitage
• Heineken Experience
• Albert Cuyp market
• Rijksmuseum
• Van Gogh Museum
• Leidseplein
• Vondelpark
• Amsterdam Museum
• Het Grachtenhuis
• Dam Square
• Anne Frank House
• Jordaan
• Gassan Diamonds
• Nemo
• Rembrandtplein

There are three lines of canal bus: red, green and orange. Each of them goes in different directions, but the red and green ones are particularly the same with only a small difference, while the orange line goes mainly around the Old Town and you can see Anne Frank House and Jordaan District with a stop at Rembrandtplein.

With the red line the spots are: central station east, Passenger Terminal, Maritime Museum, Artis Zoo, Hermitage, City Hall, Heineken Experience, Albert Cuyp Market, Rijsmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Leidseplein, Vondelpark, Amsterdam Museum, Het grochtenhuis, Dam Square, Anne Frank House, central station west.

And the green line spots: central station west, Eye Film, Anne Frank House, Jordaan, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Leidseplein, Vondelpark, Hermitage, City Hall, Rembrandt House, Gassan Diamonds, Nemo, central station east.

Now about some sites that you will see on this cruise!

First of all, let me tell you about the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum! This site is situated in the center of the city of Amsterdam. It is somewhere south-east or something like that from the Old Town and the very place those two museums are located is called Museumplein (or Museum Square, if you will). You’ll find Amsterdam’s finest museums around the Museumplein. Visit the famous Rijksmuseum or marvel at the sunflowers at the Van Gogh Museum, and there is a large picture of Van Gogh’s flowers on a wall near the museum and you can take pictures all you want there! Oh, and another thing, _ don’t forget to take your picture with the famous “I Amsterdam” letters before you enter a world of fine art and antiques at the Spiegelkwartier. Afterwards, you can sit back and enjoy a drink at the Leidseplein. As I have already told you, this Leidseplein is a square, where there are lots of things to do. There are many cafes, bars. There is a DeLaMar Theater there and this is a well-known place, where street performers perform almost every time, and you can see some acrobatic breakdance or freestyle or even some modernized ballet performances... Leidseplein is a busy square of Amsterdam. It’s located on the Leidsestraat, which was the main road to the town of Leiden. Today you will see many tram lines intersecting there and, trust me, they are plenty! I couldn't take another step without stepping on some tram line. So, don’t be surprised when you see all these trams moving around and these tram lines everywhere on the ground!

Now about the Anne Frank House and Jordaan District. This is a great place, where you can get into the history of Amsterdam, somehow, if you know what I mean. Visiting charming Jordaan district, you will experience the authentic feeling of Old Amsterdam, will be a memorable visit in your Amsterdam tour. Gaze upon the highest church spire in the city _ it’s the Westerkerk! And the view is fantastic! Just a stone’s throw away lies the Anne Frank House, where you can find out how she lived in Annex, _ in secrecy. The building is a place, where she and her family and some others were hiding during the wartime. And it has been made into a museum, I have told you about it in another article, where I wrote about this particular Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. From the Anne Frank House, one can easily walk towards the Dam Square, where there are popular and famous wax workd museum _ Madame Tussaud’s Amsterdam, Royal Palace (Koninklijk Palace), National Monument, the New Church (Nieuwe Kerk), Beurs van Berlage, an old Stock Exchange building, which is now used as a concert hall and an exhibition space. This is a great place. And, probably, this Dam Square is the most famous place in Amsterdam, well, of course after the Red Light District, I guess. Everyone goes there and you can just walk there from the Centraal Station.

Another sites are the Maritime Museum and Artis Zoo. You can relive the Golden Age at the Maritime Museum and visit the replica of the three-masted “Amsterdam”, a large vessel of the Dutch East India Company. You can learn how Amsterdam gained control of global economics by trading overseas and smart engineering. Artis Zoo or Natura Artis Magistra (“Nature is the teacher of art and science”) is just around the corner. Even before you walk through the gates, it shows its historical character. This is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands. It was established in 1838 and has 900 number of species. It also includes an aquarium and planetarium, and, trust me, if you love animals, plants, etc. you must visit this zoo. Or if you just love visiting zoos, just go there, have fun, be amazed and enjoy!

The last, but not the least, I want to mention the Hermitage and the City Hall. These are on Rembrandtplein, or somewhere very near. There you can enter the Rembrandt House, the home of one of the most influential painters of the 17th century. And, I must say, that for years he has been my favourite painter, and, I guess, he still is after all this time. “_After all this time? _Always! ” (For those, who didn't get it, I will tell you, that this is a small dialogue from the world’s famous book series _ “Harry Potter”, and, well, I would be really surprised if there are still people who do not know this phrase, because it has become so popular, that about once in a week I bump into it). Okay, so, let’s continue. On Rembrandtplein, you can witness the fascinating craftsmanship of the Gassan Diamonds factory while they offer free demonstrations on diamond cutting. Pretty cool, ha? Then you can cross the Skinny Bridge and visit the Hermitage Amsterdam, a branch of the famous Hermitage Museum _ the one that is in Saint Petersburg. And I can say, that it is very popular one here in Georgia, because during the time of us being part of the Soviet Union people even went on excursions there in Saint Petersburg and visited the Hermitage, and my family members have also been there and they say it was really cool to see so many world-famous things there in one place.

And now, in the end, I want to tell you about Amsterdam Light Festival. Well, I’m going to tell you about it in another article, but I will tell you just a little bit about this festival, referring to this Hop On, Hop Off Canal Bus cruise. “Best seen from the water! ” _ so they say. And, I think, this is totally true. Going on a canal bus cruise on the day (or that period of time, when this Light Festival takes place) of the Amsterdam Light Festival is a fantastic idea.

While you enjoy your trip through those canals on this cruise, you can watch the festival from there, at the same time. This is a perfect combination, if you ask me. And, so, if you consider this option, think about the prices, too. The canal cruise does not cost much and it’s pretty comfortable, as you have your own seat, or you can stand, do whatever you want and nobody will mess with your Light Festival performance. And, of course, this canal bus won’t be overcrowded, or even crowded, because it has a limit on the number of people getting on board. So, just think about it. This is a great opportunity for everyone, I think. Amsterdam Light Festival is something like a winter festival, and so every year from about the end of November till about the end of January many artists get involved to make this time special for residents of Amsterdam and its visitors, too.

So, as you can see, there are lots of things you can see in Amsterdam and canal trips are really good for doing it.

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