Pure Boats

Operator and location

Pure Boats is a canal cruise company in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that runs its own boats with its own captains. Every cruise on the site is on Amsterdam's canals, most of them leaving from a dock on Keizersgracht 106, and the office for offline bookings is at Keizersgracht 92h, 1015 CV Amsterdam. The about page says the company was founded in Amsterdam in 2017 by three young entrepreneurs, James, Nick and Geertje, with backgrounds in superyacht design, marketing and customer service, and that the first boat, Geertje, made its maiden voyage on the 1st of July 2017. The site describes the approach as "a unique and effortless chique style: providing impeccable service aboard bespoke boats, with a pure and personal approach," and the about page carries the line "We see each cruise not simply as the opportunity for a beautiful boat trip, but as a means to create remarkable events together with our guests." The homepage calls the boats "luxurious electric boats," and the site says they were upcycled from scrap into fully electric canal boats as part of a sustainability focus.

The fleet and tour options

The boat menu lists Classic Boat Schollevaar, a renovated salon boat from 1912 for a maximum of 12 guests; Luxury Boat Pure Spirit, maximum 20; Small Open Boat Geertje, a classic sloep for a maximum of 10; Boutique Boat Danique, "a heritage vessel with a modern soul," maximum 20; Iconic Boat Stan Huygens, billed as "the superyacht of the canals," maximum 36; and Private Boat Lucy, maximum 6, marketed as elegant and romantic. Private hire of each boat is listed from €330 (Geertje) up to €630 (Stan Huygens), with Lucy from €375, Schollevaar from €360 and Pure Spirit and Danique from €420.

Shared cruises come in several formats. The Semi-Private Premium Cruise is a 1.5-hour trip aboard Stan Huygens from Hotel De L'Europe, from €62.50. The Spectacular Shared Evening Canal Cruise is a 1.5-hour evening trip with a cheese platter and 3 drinks, from €56. The Ultimate Canal Cruise, flagged as the bestseller, is a 2-hour cruise with an open bar and snacks, from €69. The Iconic 1 Hour Canal Cruise comes with a drink of choice and an optional grazing box, from €42.50. The Highlights of Amsterdam Cruise is a 90-minute morning cruise with apple pie and two drinks, from €52, and the shared Morning Canal Cruise and the heated Winter Canal Cruise are both listed from €39. For the Amsterdam Light Festival, which the site dates from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027, there is a small-group cruise in 90-minute and 2-hour versions from €64 and a private 2-hour festival boat tour from €430.

Private cruises are sold as morning, afternoon and evening trips, each from €330. The Private Morning Cruise page gives the details: a choice of 90 minutes, 2 hours or 3 hours, hosted in English or Dutch, with the captain acting as the tour guide, and an open bar, snacks, a cheese platter or brunch as add-ons in the booking system. Themed private options include a high tea cruise from €400, a pizza cruise with wood-oven pizzas, a lunch cruise from €330, a brunch boat from €400, a dinner cruise, corporate and company cruises, and a proposal cruise for which the company prepares champagne and rose petals and can arrange a professional photographer. The site also mentions King's Day as a special event it caters for.

On the day

The FAQ says most cruises leave from the dock on Keizersgracht 106, while Stan Huygens uses Herengracht 128, and asks guests to arrive 5 minutes before departure; on small-group tours it warns that the boat cannot wait for late arrivals. The site says all cruises carry live commentary from the captain or host, and that every shared cruise is conducted in English, with other languages possibly available on request for private tours.

Group sizes are stated clearly. Shared cruises take a maximum of 24 guests, of whom 6 may come from the same party; larger parties are pointed to private tours. Private cruises take from 2 to 36 guests depending on the boat. The company picks the boat for shared cruises according to weather, group size and route, and says it usually sails Pure Spirit and Stan Huygens.

On children and ages, the FAQ lists the Morning Canal Cruise and the Highlights of Amsterdam cruise as family cruises suitable for all ages and says children's life vests can be requested in advance, while the Ultimate Canal Cruise and the Spectacular Evening Cruise are reserved for adults (18+). Pets are not allowed on shared cruises but are welcome on private ones. Pure Spirit, Lucy, Schollevaar and Stan Huygens have toilets on board; Geertje does not, and the office near the dock has restrooms. In rain, Geertje and Pure Spirit have pop-up canopies, Schollevaar has an indoor saloon, and Lucy and Stan Huygens have enclosed, heated saloons; the FAQ says the boats are partly covered and heated in winter and that in extreme weather the company will look into rescheduling.

The onboard bar, per the FAQ, stocks local craft beers, European wines, soft drinks and juices. Food such as a borrel box or a Dutch cheese platter has to be pre-ordered. Private guests may bring their own food, and bringing your own drinks carries a corkage fee of €15 per person.

Booking and support

Bookings run through the website, where each cruise has a booking menu for date, time, boat and extras, and private cruises also have an inquiry form. The homepage has a last-minute availability section and says the company is often fully booked because capacity is limited. Prices on the shared and private pages are quoted excluding "a small booking fee." Questions go to cruise@pureboats.com or +31 20 2157420, and the office at Keizersgracht 92h handles offline bookings. The about page says the company is top rated on Airbnb Experiences and TripAdvisor and names a Prestige Award for Unique Boat Tour of the Year 2019.

What the site does not settle

The cancellation question in the FAQ only links to the terms and conditions, so the refund window and any deposit are not spelled out on the cruise pages. The size of the booking fee is not given. The site does not say anything about wheelchair access or step-free boarding at either dock. Menus for the dinner cruise and the pizza cruise are not described in detail, and dietary options are not addressed. The fleet size is described differently across pages (four boats on the shared-cruise page, five on the private-cruise page, while the boat menu shows more), so a guest who wants a specific boat on a shared cruise cannot count on it; the site says boat choice is only guaranteed on private trips.

Who this suits

Pure Boats suits couples, families and small groups who want a smaller boat with a drink or food included rather than a large glass-roofed tour boat, and parties who want to choose their own boat, route and extras on a private cruise. The shared-cruise page says outright that people looking for a larger boat and heavy drinking should look at other providers. Families should pick the cruises the FAQ names as family friendly, since two of the evening and open-bar cruises are adults only. The combination of stated group caps, named docks, clear per-boat capacities and prices shown for each cruise makes it easy to compare options before booking.