Houseboat in Amsterdam

Q: I would love to spend a few nights on a houseboat in Amsterdam, moored in one of the old canals. Is it possible to rent a boat for a short-term stay and how much would it cost? - Rene Serfontein

A: Yes, there are some wonderful houseboats available for rental on the canals, right in the centre of the old city. While they are not cheap, a night in a houseboat will cost you about as much as a room in one of the hotels in the surrounding streets. Go to the website www.houseboathotel.nl to view a selection of the houseboats on offer. One that caught my eye is the rather blandly named House-Boat 045, which has a magnificent mooring near the Skinny Bridge on the Amstel River. The boat has three bedrooms, sleeping up to six people. It has a full kitchen, living room, two toilets and bathroom with a whirlpool bathtub and a separate rain shower. It is equipped with all the mod cons – air conditioning, a DVD, two TVs and a washing machine. The boat was being advertised this week for 252 Euros per day. On some boats you can rent a guestroom or suite, bringing the cost down to around 100 Euros per day. You can also try www.amsterdam-houseboats.co for canal boat and canal side apartment hire. (26 July 2009)