Floating Homes in Amsterdam

Floating homes in Amsterdam where residents live in houses built on top of boats. As a kid I was fascinated about houseboats in canals in Amsterdam; guess I still am.

There is no place left on the ground to live. I wonder if they coined the phrase “whatever floats your boat” that can mean to do whatever works best. In Amsterdam’s case it works best to live in a floating home.

House Hunters International has done several episodes with buyers looking for floating homes in Amsterdam. The episode that sticks in my mind (that I can’t find) is about a couple who settle on a houseboat that had parts they could not completely stand up in. I could not believe it! Whatever floats your boat.

Amsterdam is the capital and largest city in the Netherlands. The city’s very name means “a dam in the river Amstel.

Living in a floating home or canal houseboat offers the ability to live like a real Amsterdammer; moored on a scenic canal. Canals are smack dab in the heart of the city making visiting famous places just outside your houseboat door.

RENT A HOUSEBOAT IN AMSTERDAM

I found several floating homes in Amsterdam for sale. I found a lot more to rent. The high demand for houseboat, floating home living, has turned cargo vessels into houseboats and and other boats built specifically for this purpose.

The thing to do is rent a houseboat while visiting.

Here’s Ben’s Boat and Breakfast. Many floating homes in Amsterdam are B&Bs.

Houseboat rental Amsterdam

Jordaan Houseboat rental Amsterdam

Not a B&B, Jordaan houseboat offers “the Dutch experience of sleeping in a boat.”

TOURISM

Amsteram has a mad tourist business with more than 4.6 million international visitor a year not even including one day visits. Attractions include of course canal boats giving tours of the city. Retail is a huge draw. But wait, they have legalized prostitution in what is called the Red Light District, and reported as a major tourist attraction.

SEE THE CANAL AND FLOATING HOMES