Arriving in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, by boat takes you right to the heart of the city with multiple mooring locations on offer.
For CAptain’s Mate of the Month in June, we head to Amsterdam Marina, which is relatively new and the first marina you will come across if entering Amsterdam via the Noordzeekanaal. Located on the north bank, 3km before Central Station, it is conveniently almost opposite the Staande Masten Route entry and exit into Amsterdam Harbour.
CA member Nick Nottingham sums up his experience of Amsterdam Marina, saying, "Entrance was straightforward and I phoned ahead and was allocated a berth. Beware piles that separate the pontoons, to which you can tie if you wish, although there are cleats as normal. There was electricity, but not water on the pontoons. Ashore, security is by PIN code and there are very good facilities, including 2 washing machines and 2 dryers (tokens from reception). Berthing cost was 34 euros a night including electricity for my 12.5m yacht - not bad for central Amsterdam! There is a very well reputed restaurant in the marina block, which often requires reservation."
The marina is perfectly located to access central Amsterdam, as Nick continues, "The ferry to central Amsterdam is a 10 minute walk away around what is currently a building site. Aim for the Bothotel (ship with the letters written in huge orange letters above). The Central Station ferry is the left of the two and it takes 10 minutes and is free. They are every 25 minutes or so and there is a digital readout of the wait time. Once there, it's a short stroll into the city centre, with all its delights. Bikes are the way to go - Mac bike is a good option, at the east end of the station concourse: they have loads of bikes, and are very efficient, and not too costly."
Be aware that Amsterdam recently introduced a new scheme to reduce pollution and prevent overcrowding which now requires most boats transiting the city to purchase a vignette.
European Inland Waterways Cruising Guides
Members can download free of charge the 2023 EIWS Cruising Guides and Mooring Guides and non-members can buy print copies from the CA shop. The guides are written from expert first-hand experience, with two guides dedicated to the Netherlands, Through the Netherlands via the Standing Mast Routes and 50 Great Cruising Routes in the Netherlands. The EIWS Cruising Guides also include a 25% discount offer on the first year's CA membership to anyone purchasing one of the guides up until 31 December 2023.
About CAptain’s Mate
CAptain’s Mate was voted as the ‘Equipment Innovation of the Year’ at the 2022 British Yachting Awards. CAptain’s Mate app provides an unrivalled breadth of information and cruising reports covering 7,500+ locations in 100+ countries around the world, providing you with up to date, accurate and trusted location data on anchorages, marinas, ports, harbours, boatyards along with their facilities and amenities. Available on iOS, Android and web, CAptain’s Mate is exclusive to members. Discover more about CAptain's Mate.
CAptain’s Mate of the Month locations
Each month we feature a CAptain’s Mate location to inspire your cruising adventures and display the vast depth of information accessible on the app. So far in 2023 we have headed to Visby - Sweden in January, Seville, Spain in February, Antwerp, Belgium in March, Sassnitz, Germany in April and Tangier, Morocco in May.
2 June 2023