What Are the 4 Ways to Visit the Amsterdam Light Festival?

  • Thomas van Loon
  • 🕐 6 min leestijd

There are four ways to visit the Amsterdam Light Festival: on foot along the light artworks, by bike through the illuminated streets, on a shared boat tour on the water, or on a private boat exclusively for your group. Which option suits you best depends on your group size, budget, and whether you want to make a full evening of it. Below we discuss all four options and answer the most frequently asked questions about the festival.

What are the 4 ways to visit the Amsterdam Light Festival?

The four ways to visit the Amsterdam Light Festival are: walking along the artworks, cycling through the illuminated routes, booking a shared boat tour, or hiring a private boat for your own group. Each option offers a different experience of the approximately 20 light artworks that are spread throughout the city each year.

1. Walking along the light artworks

The most accessible option is simply going on foot. The festival has an official walking route that guides you past the artworks. You walk at your own pace, can stop at a café or restaurant along the way, and have the freedom to stay as long as you like. This is ideal for couples or small groups who want flexibility.

2. Cycling through illuminated Amsterdam

By bike, you can cover a large part of the route in a short amount of time. Cycling suits people who want to see multiple artworks in one evening without spending too much time at each location. Do keep in mind: the city centre is busy during the festival, so riding slowly is the way to go.

3. Shared boat tour

A shared boat tour is a popular choice for individual visitors, couples, and small groups of up to 6 people. You board at a fixed location, sail along with other visitors, and a guide takes you past the water-based artworks. With us, Shared Tickets are available from €32 per person. The cruise lasts 75 minutes, follows the official route, and has an English-speaking guide. There are three departures per day and you can book directly online.

4. Private boat for your own group

A private boat is the most complete way to experience the festival, especially for groups. The boat is entirely for your own party, you choose your own catering and drinks, and you don’t need to consider other visitors. This is the most popular choice for corporate outings, Christmas drinks, and groups who want to make a real evening of it.

How does a private boat differ from a regular boat tour during the Light Festival?

The biggest difference is exclusivity. With a private boat, the entire boat is reserved for your group, whereas with a regular boat tour you share the boat with strangers. That sounds simple, but it makes a world of difference for the atmosphere, comfort, and possibilities on board.

With a shared boat tour, you follow a fixed route at a fixed time, with a guide who explains the artworks. That’s perfectly fine if you’re going individually or as a couple. But if you want to sail together with a group of 20 or 50 people, a shared boat is not an option. Then you need a private boat.

On a private boat, you can also decide for yourself what you eat and drink. Think of luxury canapés, a warm buffet, or even a three-course dinner with a chef on board. The historic salon boats we deploy are covered and heated, so you cruise comfortably even in winter. With more than 150 possible boarding locations in Amsterdam, you also choose where you board.

Want to know more about the private boat options during the Light Festival? There you’ll find a complete overview of what’s possible.

Why do companies choose a boat during the Amsterdam Light Festival?

Companies choose a boat during the Amsterdam Light Festival because it combines activity, food, drinks, and atmosphere in one location. You don’t need to book a separate restaurant, come up with a programme, or guide a group through the busy city centre. Everything is on the boat.

That’s exactly what HR managers and event managers are looking for when planning a Christmas drinks event or end-of-year party: a special venue that requires little organisation. A boat on the Amsterdam canals, illuminated by the festival’s artworks, is a setting that cannot be matched by a standard venue hire.

With us, there are two main options for companies:

  • Private Cruise Packages: fixed arrangements with a clear price per person, including boat hire, skipper, crew, and catering. Available from €47.50 per person with a minimum of 15 people. Ideal if you want to book quickly and easily without putting everything together yourself.
  • Custom Private Cruise: a fully tailor-made cruise, where you choose the boat, catering, drinks, timing, and boarding location yourself. From €250 per hour, minimum 2 hours. Suitable for larger groups or companies with specific wishes regarding entertainment or an extensive dinner.

Popular choices for corporate outings are the Drinks & Bites Cruise (1.5 hours, luxury canapés, from €47.50 pp), the Art & Lights Buffet (2 hours, hot and cold buffet, from €84.50 pp), and the Dinner Cruise (2 hours, three-course dinner with a chef on board, from €129.50 pp). Want to know more about the festival with a group? There you’ll find all options for companies and larger parties.

When is the Amsterdam Light Festival and how long does it last?

The Amsterdam Light Festival takes place every year from late November to late January, which amounts to a duration of approximately eight weeks. In 2026, the festival falls in the same winter period. The exact dates of the Amsterdam Light Festival are announced each year through the official festival channels.

The artworks can be seen in the evening once it gets dark, generally from around 5:00 PM. The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, which means popular evenings fill up quickly, especially on weekends and around the holidays. For companies planning a Christmas drinks event or end-of-year party, it is wise to book early.

How do you book a boat for the Amsterdam Light Festival?

Booking a boat for the Amsterdam Light Festival is easiest done as early as possible, preferably weeks to months in advance. The festival falls during a busy period and popular evenings fill up quickly, especially for private boats.

For a shared boat tour, you can book Shared Tickets directly online. For a private boat, it goes through a request, so we can properly tailor the boat, catering, and other wishes to your needs.

Keep the following in mind when booking:

  • A festival surcharge is added to the price for cruises during the Amsterdam Light Festival
  • A VMR entertainment tax applies and is calculated separately
  • The route may vary due to crowds, weather, and boarding location
  • With a Custom Private Cruise, you can choose your own boarding location from more than 150 locations in Amsterdam

How Rederij De Nederlanden helps with the Amsterdam Light Festival

We are an official partner of the Amsterdam Light Festival and offer three ways to experience the festival from the water. Whether you’re going as a couple or with a group of 100 people, we have a suitable option:

  • Shared Tickets: shared boat tour for individuals and small groups of up to 6 people, from €32 per person, bookable directly online
  • Private Cruise Packages: fixed arrangements with a clear price per person, boat exclusively for your group, including catering, from €47.50 per person
  • Custom Private Cruise: fully tailor-made, your own boat, your own catering and drinks, your own boarding location, from €250 per hour

Our historic salon boats are covered and heated, so you cruise dry and comfortably even in winter. The entire boat is always reserved exclusively for your party on a private cruise.

Would you like to book a boat trip during the Amsterdam Light Festival or find out more about the options for your group? Get in touch with us and we’ll quickly help you with a suitable proposal.

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