Amsterdam Light Festival Private Boat with Dinner option
✨ Amsterdam Light Festival Private Boat with Dinner Options
Experience the Light Festival from a heated, luxury saloon boat.
🛥️ Classic Amsterdam Light Festival Tour (No Dinner)
Perfect for private groups focused purely on the artworks and the festival experience.
90-Minute Private Cruise
- 🕒 Cruise Duration: 1.5 hours (90 min)
- 💰 Flat Rate (Up to 4 Persons): €360,-
- 👥 Group Surcharge: €15,- p.p. (for groups > 4)
- Included: Welcome Drink, Tax, and ALF fees.
- Benefit: Ultimate privacy and flexibility for smaller groups.
🍽️ Amsterdam Light Festival Dinner Cruise: Start times & Duration
2-Course Dinner (Compact)
- 🕒 Cruise Duration: From 2.5 hours
- 💰 Boat Charter (Start): From €520,-
- 🍴 Dinner Cost (p.p.): Average €45,-
- Drink Options: Minibar available onboard (for purchase); Cocktails via restaurant.
- Includes: Welcome bubbly, VAT, and all ALF fees.
3-Course Dinner (Extended)
- 🕒 Cruise Duration: From 3 hours
- 💰 Boat Charter (Start): From €610,-
- 🍴 Dinner Cost (p.p.): Average €60,-
- Drink Options: Minibar available onboard (for purchase); Cocktails via restaurant.
- Benefit: More time to enjoy the route and the culinary arrangement.
🧑🍳 Most Suitable Restaurants (Route Optimization)
The following restaurants are selected based on their location along the optimal ALF route and their quality, ensuring efficient 'Dine & Cruise' logistics.
Important:
Combinations with other restaurants and specific menu requests are always possible by arrangement. We are happy to create a custom package tailored to your needs!
Dietary Requirements:
We are happy to accommodate dietary requirements, including vegan, vegetarian, and a variety of allergies. Please contact us directly to discuss the available options.
During the dark winter months, Amsterdam transforms into a fairytale city full of light and art. The Amsterdam Light Festival is an annual light festival in Amsterdam’s city center. The Amsterdam Light Festival 2025/2026 offers a unique way to experience this enchantment: a cruise through the illuminated canals on a comfortable canal cruise or boat. The Amsterdam Light Festival cruise lasts approximately 90 minutes, giving you plenty of time to admire everything. The Amsterdam Light Festival takes place in the center of Amsterdam, where visitors can admire the light artworks from the water. The 14th edition of the festival runs from November 27, 2025, to January 18, 2026. Climb aboard one of our luxurious, heated, and covered canal cruise boats and enjoy an unforgettable evening full of breathtaking light artworks by international artists.
A 1.5-hour private Amsterdam Light Festival cruise, including a welcome drink, VAT, and fees, starts at €360. You can book directly through our booking system. Curious what other options we can offer? Check our budget calculator to see what cruises are available based on your budget.
This unique cruise departs from the festival basin, the central meeting point of the event. Our unique cruise offers you the chance to admire the light artworks from the boat and experience each one up close. Cruise past the impressive installations and enjoy the atmospheric canals. This cruise is a special way to experience the festival. Several cruises are available, so you can enjoy the magic at different times. On board, you can enjoy a drink while admiring the artworks. You need a ticket to participate; therefore, book well in advance to guarantee a spot on the cruise.
About the Light Festival
The Amsterdam Light Festival has become one of the city’s most enchanting events, transforming Amsterdam’s canals into a dazzling display of light and art each year. During this 14th edition, themed “Legacy,” international artists unleash their creativity and share their visions of what we will leave behind for future generations. The city transforms into an open-air museum, where you can admire the most beautiful light artworks during a boat tour.
The Amsterdam Light Festival tours are the perfect way to experience the festival. While the boats depart from near Central Station and other central locations, you’ll enjoy an unforgettable evening on the water. The illuminated canals, hot chocolate, and unlimited drinks on board create a unique atmosphere that appeals to all ages. Whether you choose a private cruise or a tour with other festival-goers, you’ll experience the Amsterdam Light Festival in the most beautiful way: sailing past breathtaking light artworks designed especially for this festival.
Amsterdam Boatboys is the festival’s official partner and offers private luxury saloon boats and private cruises, complete with live guides that provide commentary about the artworks and artists along the way. Thanks to the heated and covered boats, you can enjoy the festival in comfort, even on the coldest winter evenings. All boats are equipped with double pane windows – that means the windows don’t get foggy like in all other private or shared historic boats. The cruises are suitable for all ages and offer an ideal way to experience the magic of the light festival with family, friends, or colleagues.
The Amsterdam Light Festival is not only a visual spectacle but also a cultural highlight during the dark winter months. Besides the boat tours, the city hosts numerous other events, such as Christmas markets and ice skating rinks, that will complete your visit to Amsterdam. Whether you book individual tickets or opt for an exclusive private boat tour, the festival offers something for everyone. Don’t wait too long to book, as the boats fill up quickly. Experience this edition of the Amsterdam Light Festival and be amazed by the beautiful artworks, the warm atmosphere, and the unforgettable evenings on the water.
Dinner with Amsterdam Light Festival Private Tour
During the Amsterdam Light Festival we offer also the options for Dinner cruises with a variety of exclusive Dinner Restaurants like Omber, Johannes, Nim and Red. You can upgrade the Light Festival Cruise with a multicourse fine dining experience or choose for casual food (like Burgers or Shared Dining) and kid-friendly options. The dinner is served on board and we just make a short stop to get the food on board from the restaurants located near the Light Festival route. The tables are set up in classic white table clothes and dimmed cabin lightening – the perfect dining experience during the light festival.
Enjoy clear views during your Amsterdam Light Festival Dinner Cruise
We are happy to share that all our saloon boats have double pane windows, which give the clearest view on the light objects during your private light festival dinner tour.
Wine or Champagne pairing during your Light Festival Dinner Tour
Our on board minibar has a selected choice of local red and white wines (Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling).
We also do offer special Champagne in our online system when booking (like Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot, Dom Perignon Vintage) if you like to make your light festival dining experience extra festive or have something to toast on. Specialty wines or other Champagne brands can be arranged upon request.
Sailing Route and Highlights of the Light Festival Cruise Amsterdam
Our cruises depart near Central Station, at Oosterdokskade 8. This is an ideal and easily accessible location. During the approximately 90-minute trip, you’ll sail past the most beautiful artworks specially designed for the Amsterdam Light Festival. The Amsterdam Light Festival 2025-2026 takes place from November 27, 2025, to January 18, 2026. You’ll admire more than twenty light artworks illuminating the canals and city of Amsterdam. Each artwork tells its own story, fitting this edition’s theme of “Legacy,” which focuses on what we leave behind for future generations. The festival’s light installations tell stories of legacy and personal memories.
Amsterdam Light Festival Tours
In addition to private cruises, we also offer Amsterdam Light Festival tours for smaller groups or individual visitors. Public cruises are ideal for solo travelers or those who prefer the atmosphere of a larger group. These tours are semi-covered and heated, with comfortable seating and a professional skipper who will guide you past all the festival highlights. The cruise often includes an audio tour or live commentary explaining the artworks and the theme. On board, you can enjoy unlimited coffee/tea and a welcome drink, including hot and cold options, so you’ll have everything you need.
Book tickets and Light Tour boat tour
Book your tickets now for the Amsterdam Light Festival canal cruise and secure your spot on board during this popular winter event. Amsterdam Light Festival cruises depart from Oosterdokskade 8, near Central Station. Whether you choose a private boat with your group or one of our fun tours, you’re guaranteed a unique way to admire Amsterdam and its magnificent light artworks. Cruises depart daily from December through January, allowing you to fully enjoy the dark winter months in our beautiful city.
Why Choose Boatboys Private Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise?
- Heated and covered boats for optimal comfort
- Double-pane windows (they dont get foggy for perfect views)
- Welcome drink at the start of the tour
- Hot drinks (coffee/tea) included
- Upgrade option to a Amsterdam Light Festival Dinner Cruise available
- Additional drinks available on board from the minibar
- Private classic and luxury saloon boats
- Professional skippers with local knowledge about the light installations and city
- Route along more than twenty light artworks by international artists
- Easily accessible from Central Station (5min walk to pick up point Oosterdokskade 8)
- Unlike other cruise operators, we cruise always for around 90 min and not just 75 min.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience the Amsterdam Light Festival 2025/2026 in a unique and atmospheric way.
The light artworks will be presented on bridges, along the canals, and in the water.
Book your Boatboys light festival cruise today and be enchanted by the magic of the illuminated canals!
