Table of Contents
- Lovers Canal Cruises — Amsterdam's Oldest Big Fleet
- The Glass-Roof Fleet: André van Duin, Toon Hermans, Wim Kan & More
- Semi-Open Boats
- Stan Huygens
- Floating Dutchman
- What Guests Actually Say
- Frequently Asked Questions
Lovers Canal Cruises runs the biggest fleet on Amsterdam's canals — more than 45 vessels, most of them electric, all painted the same bright Dutch orange. The company has been sailing since the early 1950s, growing from a small family business into the operator most visitors picture when they think of an Amsterdam canal cruise.
This guide covers the boats behind Lovers' most popular cruises listed on Alle Travel, split the way Lovers itself splits them: a large glass-roofed rondvaartboot fleet, most of it named after Dutch entertainers, a newer generation of smaller semi-open boats built for photography and narrow canals, and a couple of unusual one-off vessels worth knowing about on their own.
Lovers Canal Cruises — Amsterdam's Oldest Big Fleet
Lovers began as a small family operation — the name comes from the founding family, not the English word, and per the company's own site it now runs "nearly 75 years" of experience, putting the founding somewhere around 1951; a separate account puts it at 1956. Either way, it's one of the oldest canal cruise companies still operating in the city. The Dutch Wikipedia entry for the company adds an odd footnote to that history: in 1996, Lovers briefly tried to break into Dutch rail transport with a service called Lovers Rail, running trains from Amsterdam to Haarlem, Lisse, and IJmuiden in direct competition with the national railway. It didn't work, and the trains stopped running in 1999 — Lovers went back to what it does best.
Today the fleet numbers more than 45 boats, according to the company's own event-industry profile, and has been steadily modernised toward energy-neutral operation, individual seating, and an audio system running in more than 19 languages — everything from Dutch and English to Hindi and Chinese. Boats depart from three main piers: right by Amsterdam Centraal Station (the main dock), next to the Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht, and a short walk from the Rijksmuseum, with Leidseplein also used for some departures.
The Glass-Roof Fleet: André van Duin, Toon Hermans, Wim Kan & More
Most of the classic Lovers rondvaartboten — the large, glass-topped, heated boats used on the standard sightseeing and dinner cruises — are named after well-known Dutch entertainers, and a few carry more surprising names. Per Amsterdam's own municipal register of licensed passenger vessels, the current glass-roof fleet includes:
| Boat | Licensed capacity | Named for / notes |
|---|---|---|
| André van Duin | 122 | Beloved Dutch comedian and entertainer, still active on Dutch TV |
| Toon Hermans | 122 | Cabaret pioneer (1916–2000), one of the "big three" of Dutch cabaret |
| Wim Kan | 122 | Cabaret pioneer, the second of the "big three" |
| Wim Sonneveld / Showboat | Large capacity, exact figure unconfirmed | Cabaret pioneer, the third of the "big three" |
| Pierre Janssen | 140 | Dutch art historian and TV presenter |
| Jannes Lovers | 122 | Named after Dutch levenslied singer Jannes |
| Flying Enterprise | 140 | Named after the 1951–52 shipwreck famous for its captain's refusal to abandon ship |
| Aimee | 80 | — |
| Anne Frank | 44 | Registered as a "museumboot"; sails near the Anne Frank House pier |
| BZN 2 / BZN 3 / BZN 4 | 90 / 102 / 119 | Named after BZN, the Dutch pop band from Volendam; also registered as "museumboot" class |
The André van Duin has a documented history that's more interesting than most: shipping records from De Binnenvaart, the Dutch inland-shipping registry, show she was built in 1979 at the Molenaar shipyard in Zaandam and originally launched under the name Wim Sonneveld, before later being renamed André van Duin — meaning two of the "big three" cabaret names have, at different points, applied to the very same hull. Her registered dimensions are 22.35 m long and 4.25 m wide, with a draft of 0.89 m, powered by a 165 hp DAF engine.
Pier: Amsterdam Centraal Station (main dock), Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, or Leidseplein, depending on the specific cruise.
Cruise types: Standard sightseeing cruises, evening cruises, wine and cheese cruises, dinner cruises, pizza cruises, combination tickets with museums and attractions.
Capacity: Roughly 50–80 guests per sailing in practice, according to third-party guides, though several boats carry municipal passenger licences well above that (up to 140).
Every boat in this fleet shares the same core features: an adjustable glass roof that opens in good weather and closes in rain or cold, on-board heating for winter sailings, a toilet, and the GPS-triggered audio guide in 19 languages. Seating is generally first-come, first-served.
- Operator: Lovers Canal Cruises (Rederij Lovers)
- Boat class: Rondvaartboot (glass-roofed sightseeing boat)
- Roof: Adjustable/retractable glass roof
- Heating: Yes
- Toilet: Yes
- Audio guide: 19 languages, GPS-triggered
- Wheelchair access: Not available on any Lovers boat
Water tours on the glass-roof fleet
Boats from this fleet are used on several popular Amsterdam cruises listed on Alle Travel:
- City Centre Canal Cruise Including Audioguide
- Amsterdam Dinner Cruise with 4-Course Menu
- New York Pizza Canal Cruise with Drinks Included
- Van Gogh Museum & Canal Cruise Combo
- Canal Cruise and Icebar Combo with 3 Free Drinks
- Amsterdam Wine and Cheese Evening Cruise
Note: as a large operator running dozens of daily departures, Lovers rotates several near-identical rondvaartboten across these routes, so the exact boat assigned can vary by sailing time.
Semi-Open Boats
Alongside the classic glass-roof rondvaartboten, Lovers runs a newer generation of semi-open boats — smaller, nimbler vessels built to slip into narrower residential canals the big boats can't reach. According to Lovers' own product page, these boats run entirely on solar power, which sets them apart from the rest of the fleet's general electric propulsion. The roof is a retractable canopy: fully open for photography on a sunny day, quickly closed if it starts to rain, while the sides stay open regardless.
Pier: Amsterdam Centraal Station.
Cruise types: Standard sightseeing cruises, seasonal cruises (including Amsterdam Light Festival sailings in winter).
Capacity: Smaller than the glass-roof rondvaartboten; exact per-boat figures aren't published, but the boats are noticeably more intimate than the 50–80-guest standard cruisers.
The trade-off with a semi-open boat is straightforward: better photos and fresh air on a good day, in exchange for windows and panels that make photography trickier if it's cold or wet, and — as with the rest of the fleet — no drinks service unless the specific cruise includes it.
- Operator: Lovers Canal Cruises
- Boat class: Semi-open sightseeing boat
- Propulsion: Solar-powered electric
- Roof: Retractable canopy, open sides
- Audio guide: 19 languages
- Best for: Photography, narrower canals, sunny-day cruising
Water tours on the semi-open boats
You can sail on a Lovers semi-open boat on the following cruise listed on Alle Travel:
Stan Huygens
Type: VIP boat
The Stan Huygens stands apart from the rest of the fleet by design: rather than a standard rondvaartboot, Amsterdam's municipal vessel register lists her specifically as a "VIP boot," licensed for a much smaller 25 passengers — a fraction of the capacity of her glass-roof fleet-mates. That makes her Lovers' answer to a private, higher-end charter rather than a shared sightseeing run.
Pier: Confirmed at time of booking for private charters.
Cruise types: Private VIP charters, small-group events.
Capacity: Up to 25 passengers.
- Operator: Lovers Canal Cruises
- Boat class: VIP boat
- Capacity: 25 max — the smallest licensed capacity in the named Lovers fleet
- Best for: Private charters and small exclusive groups
Floating Dutchman
Type: Amphibious vehicle (not a conventional boat)
The Floating Dutchman is the odd one out in the Lovers fleet — Amsterdam's municipal register classifies her not as a rondvaartboot but as an "amfibiebus," an amphibious bus that drives on regular roads before rolling straight down a ramp into the canal and continuing as a boat. Licensed for 46 passengers, she's a genuine novelty rather than a like-for-like alternative to the sightseeing fleet, and worth knowing about separately so it isn't confused with a standard cruise boat when researching the fleet.
- Operator: Lovers Canal Cruises
- Vehicle class: Amphibious bus (amfibiebus)
- Capacity: 46 max
What Guests Actually Say
Reviews of Lovers cruises consistently mention individual captains and guides by name — Duco, André, Tony, Leon, and others come up repeatedly for good local knowledge and a friendly manner, and several reviewers specifically praise staff who went out of their way to help guests with mobility issues get settled, despite the boats themselves not being wheelchair accessible. The audio guide draws mixed feedback: most guests find the 19-language commentary genuinely useful, though a handful note the narration doesn't always sync perfectly with what's passing outside, or gets briefly drowned out by the engine. Complaints are relatively rare given the volume of daily departures, and tend to focus on one-off service issues — an unhelpful staff member, a departure that ran later than expected — rather than the boats or routes themselves.
Lovers is only one of several operators running boats on Amsterdam's canals. For other fleets and options, see Alle Travel's guides to Starboard Boats Amsterdam, Eco Boats Amsterdam, and Flagship Amsterdam Boats, or browse the most popular boats in Amsterdam across all operators. For the full range of Amsterdam canal cruises available through Alle Travel, see the canal cruise catalogue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a glass-roof boat and a semi-open boat? The glass-roof rondvaartboten are Lovers' larger, heated, all-weather boats, generally carrying 50–80 guests and best for winter or rainy-day sailings. Semi-open boats are smaller, solar-powered, and built with a retractable canopy rather than a fixed glass roof — better for photography and sunny days, and able to reach narrower canals.
Are Lovers boats wheelchair accessible? No. Lovers' own materials confirm that none of its vessels are currently wheelchair accessible, and boats are not pram or stroller-friendly either — these need to be left at the dock.
Why are so many Lovers boats named after Dutch celebrities? It's a long-standing naming tradition at Lovers — several boats honour major figures in Dutch entertainment, especially the "big three" of Dutch cabaret: Wim Kan, Wim Sonneveld, and Toon Hermans. Others, like Pierre Janssen and Jannes, reference a TV art historian and a levenslied singer respectively. Not every name follows the pattern — the Flying Enterprise is named after a famous 1950s shipwreck, and the Floating Dutchman isn't a boat at all, but an amphibious bus.
Can I choose which boat I sail on? On shared sightseeing cruises, no — Lovers assigns the boat on the day based on scheduling and group sizes, and staff have been known to let guests switch between an open and closed boat depending on the weather and availability. Private charters, such as on the Stan Huygens, generally allow more control over the specific vessel.
What languages does the audio guide cover? Lovers' GPS-triggered audio guide runs in 19 languages, including Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, and several others.
Is there a cancellation policy? Lovers offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure on standard tickets; some combination tickets (bundled with museum entry, for example) cannot be cancelled or rescheduled.