Evening cruise or dinner cruise: the difference
An evening canal cruise takes you along the water after dark. A dinner cruise adds a meal, and the group example below lasts 2 hours. Do not assume that an evening cruise includes food. Some evening boats offer drinks as an option, and a full dinner is a separate product.
The prices below are for 2026. Check what the ticket includes, the departure point and the check-in time before you pay.
Our picks: evening and dinner cruises
A covered evening cruise, a sunset trip on an electric boat and a dinner on board. Take the dinner cruise if the meal is the point; the other two are for the lit canals.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Dinner cruise with a four-course menu
- Four-course menu
- Unlimited drinks
Meal and canal cruise in one booking, over about two hours. The menu offers a fish, meat or vegetarian choice.
Check availability →
90-minute evening canal cruise
- Audio guide in 20+ languages
- Covered boat
- Panoramic windows
An evening trip past the lit canal houses in a covered boat, so the weather matters less. Commentary comes from an audio guide.
Check availability →Evening (sunset) canal cruise on an electric boat
- Local skipper
- Digital guide in several languages
A quiet electric boat that is open or partly covered, depending on the weather, with a local skipper at the helm.
Check availability →Amsterdam evening and dinner cruises
Evening boats, night cruises and dinner on the water, with live prices and availability.
Amsterdam dinner cruise: what is included
Group offers and single tickets differ.
A 2026 group offer describes a dinner cruise of 2 hours with service and the drinks named in the offer. Buffet examples start from €72.50 per person when the group has at least 35 guests, and rise to €102.50 per person for at least 25 guests. The city levy of €2.70 is added to each. These are charter prices that depend on group size. They are not tickets for a single guest and do not show what a couple pays.
There is no general dinner price for two, no single standard menu and no fixed departure point. Look at the exact product: how many courses, which drinks, and whether the table is assigned. Do not read a dinner price as the price of an evening cruise.
Amsterdam canal cruise night: practical details
One example evening cruise lasts 60 minutes and runs usually every day between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Check-in is 15 minutes before departure, so plan to arrive early. A longer example of 90 minutes starts from €20.80, plus €2.70 for the city levy. Adults from 12 years pay €23.50 in total, children aged 5 to 11 pay €19.00 and children from 0 to 4 years pay €0, and the levy shown for them is also €0. Age limits differ by cruise.
At night the city requires proper boat lighting. That is a safety rule for all boats and does not tell you when the bridges or houses are lit. No fixed lighting time is promised for the bridges, so do not plan a photo around a precise hour. The bridges page covers the Magere Brug and the Blauwbrug.
Winter evenings and the Light Festival
Heated boats, open boats and festival dates.
In winter the type of boat matters more than the time of day. The Light Festival separates heated covered boats from open boats with blankets. That does not mean that every evening cruise is heated. Ask before you book if warmth is important.
Dates
The next edition runs from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. The light is on every day from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. On 31 December it ends at 9 p.m.
Boat route
The boat route takes about 75 minutes. The walking route is 4.5 km, and an app is available from the middle of November.
Ways to go
Covered heated trips, open boats, trips with drinks and group trips are all offered. Private groups can also add dinner. The festival is not one standard boat product.
The full dates and routes are on the Light Festival page. For the daytime boats, see canal cruises.
Evening options compared
Prices from 2026.
| Option | Length | Example price in 2026 | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evening cruise | 60 minutes | Check the offer | Usually daily 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., check-in 15 minutes before |
| Evening cruise | 90 minutes | From €20.80 plus €2.70 | Children 5 to 11 from €16.30, 0 to 4 free |
| Group dinner cruise | 2 hours | From €72.50 per person for at least 35 guests, from €102.50 for at least 25 guests, plus €2.70 | Charter, with service and the drinks named in the offer |
| Light Festival boat | About 75 minutes | Check the offer | 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027 |
For most visitors, the 90-minute evening cruise is the simplest choice for lit canals without a set meal. Choose the dinner format only if you travel as a group and want service and a meal on board, and book the festival boat if you visit between 26 November and 17 January.
Plan the rest of your trip
Where the evening fits.
Evening and dinner cruises: frequently asked questions
Does an evening cruise include dinner?
No, not by default. Dinner is a separate product. An evening cruise may offer drinks as an option, so read the ticket.
How long is an evening canal cruise?
Evening cruises run 60 or 90 minutes, and a group dinner lasts 2 hours.
What does an evening cruise cost?
An example of 90 minutes starts from €20.80 in 2026, plus €2.70 for the city levy, so €23.50 for adults from 12 years. Children aged 5 to 11 pay €19.00 in total.
What does a dinner cruise cost?
Group buffet examples start from €72.50 per person for at least 35 guests and from €102.50 per person for at least 25 guests, plus €2.70 each. There is no general dinner price for two.
Are evening boats heated?
Some are. Covered heated boats and open boats with blankets both exist, so check the boat type before you book.