If you head over to the River Voyages home page and browse through the deals we’ve got for the Danube, the Rhine and so on, you’ll find that many of them are cruises from Amsterdam. It seems to be a really popular city to use as a starting point for river holidays, even when many of the ports are as far away as Vienna and Budapest.

So it got me wondering – what are the major benefits to cruises from Amsterdam, and why do so many of the packages offered by river cruise lines begin here? I think there are a few reasons, so here are my suggestions, but you might have more of your own to add. If you do then you know where the comments section is by now.

Cruises from Amsterdam

Firstly, the location. It’s one of the most convenient cities to reach in the whole of Europe. It has a major airport, Schiphol, along with great rail access. And of course thinking from a UK perspective, it’s extremely quick to get there. So that’s a major plus point for all travellers.

And the transport network within the city itself to get you to your ship is truly excellent. I’ve been to Amsterdam before, and I actually stayed a few miles outside the city centre, so every time I wanted to see the sights I had to jump in a mini bus and then get the metro.

And the metro was clean, it was fast and it was never late. This is just one example of the network that helps the city. Feel free to disagree if you’ve had other experiences though!

Of course another major reason is how simple it is for ships to navigate for cruises from Amsterdam. Whether you’re in for a longer cruise along the Rhine and then the Danube, or you’re simply exploring the waterways of the Netherlands and Belgium to see the stunning tulip gardens, the design of the city around the canals helps to make everything easy.

And finally cruises from Amsterdam will often include ample time to explore the city itself before you set sail. We’ve covered the attractions of the city before in a separate blog. But it’s another reason behind the prominence of the city as an embarkation port. Tour the museums, wander the canals and soak in the unique atmosphere.

So that’s my reasons why there are so many cruises from Amsterdam, but pick me up on it if I’ve missed any. Comments are always welcome.

By Ian Lewis
Google