Een Amsterdamse Rondvaart (NL)

Amsterdam Canal Cruise: The World's Most Beautiful Trip Last year, 5.6 million people bought a ticket for an Amsterdam canal cruise—more than the annual number of visitors to the Grand Canyon. Tripadvisor even named a cruise through Amsterdam's canals the world's best travel experience. It's no surprise that canal cruises have become the Netherlands' most visited tourist attraction. But with the canals busier than ever, audio documentary maker Geert Vlieger wonders: can the city still cope with this growing tide of tourism? Over the course of one summer, Geert immerses himself in Amsterdam's canal belt and soon discovers a conflict unfolding on the water. Sometimes it's between skippers and cruise operators, but more often it's between the municipality and the canal cruise industry. For more than a decade, the city has tried to curb the growth of canal cruises, with only limited success. In 2013, around 300 licensed cruise boats operated on the canals; by the summer of 2024, that number had risen to 550. Geert joins skipper Leendert on a canal cruise to experience the city through the eyes of tourists, and speaks with architectural historian Sophie van Ginneken about the enduring appeal of Amsterdam's canal belt. He also interviews cruise company owners, who argue that there is still plenty of room on the water. Houseboat residents and recreational boaters, however, paint a very different picture. DOCS / NTR (45 min)