News Every Day | 17 April 2024, 23:18

I stayed in a $700-a-night houseboat in Amsterdam. It was surprisingly spacious and worth every penny.

amsterdam house boat — The outside of my houseboat.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I stayed in a houseboat in Amsterdam for four nights.
The houseboat cost $2,802.55 after taxes and fees, or roughly $700 per night on Airbnb.
Even though it was on the pricier side, it was worth it to live like a local for a few days.

One of the first things you notice about Amsterdam when you visit is that there are canals everywhere — and in many of those canals are houseboats.

When I took a trip in April 2024 with my parents to visit my brother studying abroad, I knew I wanted to stay in a houseboat for at least part of our trip since houseboats are so distinctly Dutch.

The Dutch have lived on boats as early as the 17th century. As the Washington Post noted, the Netherlands is "waterlogged" — one-third of the country is below sea level, and efforts to drain water from the land date back to the Middle Ages.

The New York Times reported there are about 10,000 houseboats in the Netherlands, and 2,500 of them are in Amsterdam. The space in an Amsterdam canal alone — that is, without a boat — costs nearly $500,000.

And houseboats themselves are only getting more expensive. Real-estate agent Jon Kok told the Times in 2019 that the prices of houseboats had increased between 30 and 40 percent in the five years prior.

Over the course of 10 days in Amsterdam, I stayed in two Airbnbs. Our first was inside an apartment on land, and our second was a houseboat that came to around $700 a night after taxes, cleaning, and service fees.

Our first Airbnb, which we stayed in for five nights, cost $2,442 in total. It was nice but not too different from the many other Airbnbs I've stayed in.

While more expensive, the houseboat was a completely new experience for the four nights. I've never taken a cruise, so this was the first time I've ever slept on the water. I was nervous about potentially getting seasick but decided the uniqueness of staying on a houseboat outweighed the potential nausea, which I thankfully didn't experience.

Here's what it was like to stay in an Amsterdammer's houseboat.

Our houseboat was located on a canal filled with others just like it.

houseboat in amsterdam exterior — The exterior of our houseboat.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

To reach the boat, I had to walk down stairs, which had railings and anti-slip mats. At night, I used a flashlight to see where I was going.

When I walked in, I made a right turn down a hallway to the main living space. It was split between a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room.

kitchen of houseboat airbnb amsterdam — The main living space.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The kitchen may look simple, but it was packed with space-efficient appliances. It reminded me of a tiny home.

kitchen appliances houseboat — The kitchen appliances.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The washing machine/dryer was hidden in the first cabinet. It wasn't big, but since I was there for just a few days, I didn't have much laundry.

combined washer/dryer in the houseboat kitchen — The washing machine.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Next to it was the dishwasher, which was also compact, but got the job done.

dishwasher at amsterdam house boat — The dishwasher.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

And finally, there was the mini-fridge, which was a good size for leftovers. On the other side was the oven.

fridge at the amsterdam house boat — The mini-fridge.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Next to the kitchen area was this large table, which was directly in front of the huge windows that looked out onto the canal and other boats.

dining area at amsterdam house boat — The dining area.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

One of the boats across the canal had a back patio, and one of its inhabitants waved to me through the window in the morning.

view out the window of houseboat in amsterdam — The view.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I also got to say hello to some local wildlife, which swam up to the window. You can see a ladder as well — my host said swimming in the canal was possible, but it wasn't warm enough yet.

swans in amsterdam — Swans outside our window.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This houseboat had two real bedrooms, but the host lives in the boat full-time, so his room was off-limits. Instead, I slept next to the dining area.

second bed area of houseboat airbnb in amsterdam — A sleeping area.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

It meant my "bedroom" doubled as the living room, with a couch at my feet. I couldn't complain, though — the space was large.

living room in amstrdam houseboat — The living room.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

At first, the boat felt so steady that I couldn't believe it was actually on the water. But over the weekend, I felt it gently moving up and down. It might not suit a person who gets seasick.

houseboat living room — The couch.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

A hallway led to the rest of the boat. The first door is the primary bathroom.

houseboat hallway amsterdam — The hallway.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The bathroom had a tub, shower, and large vanity. It would've been roomy for a house, let alone a boat.

bigger bathroom houseboat — The primary bathroom.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I appreciated the double sinks and huge mirror.

bathroom on the houseboat amsterdam — The vanity.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There was also a skylight in the ceiling for some natural light.

skylight in houseboat — The skylight.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The host warned that the bathroom could get steamy and recommended opening this porthole to let some air in.

porthole in amsterdam bathroom — A porthole in the bathroom.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There were also built-in shelves for linens.

linen closet amsterdam house boat — The linen shelves inside the bathroom.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Next to the bathroom was the other bedroom. It also had huge windows overlooking the canal.

bedroom in amsterdam — One of the bedrooms.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The bedroom had a wardrobe and a dresser for storage.

closet and dresser in houseboat — The dresser and wardrobe.
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One of the windows in the bedroom was practically on top of the neighboring boat. As a result, my parents usually kept the shades down.

view from houseboat bedroom — The view outside the bedroom.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

You might have noticed something was missing from the bathroom: a toilet. It was in a separate bathroom on the opposite end of the boat.

2nd bathroom in houseboat — The other bathroom.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This bathroom had just a sink, mirror, and toilet, but it meant someone could use the toilet while someone else was showering.

2nd bathroom in houseboat amsterdam — The mirror inside the bathroom.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Here's the view of the back of our boat. You can really see how long it is and how close it is to other boats. They look like horizontal apartments.

the exterior of the houseboat — The back view of the houseboat.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This houseboat was deceptively large and made me feel connected to the water.

view from the back of the boat — The view from the houseboat's living room window.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I recommend staying on a houseboat, even if for only a night or two. It was a brand-new experience for me and made me appreciate Amsterdam's canals in a new way.