Haarlem's Heart: 50-Min Breathtaking Historic Canal Cruise

The guide was well informed on historical events and shared the history in several languages. Experiencing Haarlem on a boat trip was exceptional and would highly recommend travelers to use this option to explore the town. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

On our first day in Haarlem, we took a canal cruise — and thoroughly enjoyed it! Not only did it give us a great overview of the city with a bit of history mixed in, but it was also a perfect way to enjoy the sunshine and relax on the water. Such a fun experience!

This boat tour is a great way to experience the city from a a different perspective. You will learn some of the city rich history and other places you would want to visit.

Great as always, full tour with audio in different languages. Friendly staff and toilets at the gift shop/ticket office. In the past there was more interaction with the skipper/captain, it would have been nice if there were some personal stories or comments about areas in between the recordings. The skipper nonetheless was very friendly and smooth with the boat.

We went with two people on board on Sunday 20 July 2025 at 2 pm. The captain did his best to explain the buildings and history of Haarlem but the sound system was not good. And his English translations left much to be desired; he frequently inserted Dutch words into the English text, the same for the German explanations. Furthermore a beautiful trip on river Spaarne. With a better sound system and better translations it would be an even better excurusion.

We enjoyed being in the open boat on a sunny day. It was a great way to see and understand the city and its development. The staff were friendly and the tour guide was in Dutch, English and German. You get to see the windmill in the city

This was an excellent experience. Very similar to an Amsterdam canal cruise, but without the hordes and the hassle! Good commentary in 3 languages.

Our guide was accommodating and attentive. The boat ride was smooth and the meeting place was easy to find. It was an enjoyable boat ride at a leisurely pace. It took us to some spots of the city that we would otherwise not have the opportunity to go to given the one day there.

Have been on the 50 minute boat trip several times but this one was different. On all previous trips we go upto the Catholic Cathedral and then we go back to the the large theatre.... but not on my last trip. Turn left at the theatre and straight home.

This was a lovely cruise. The pier is a great place to wait; there are restrooms and you can buy snacks and beverages to take on board (and souvenirs. The narration was in English and Dutch. The boat was very clean, and the staff were great. The 50-minute cruise loops around the historic district. We saw a lot more than we would have been able to see on our own during our one-day visit to Haarlem. Highly recommended.