Check out these beautiful boating routes along the hotspots in and around the historic canal city of Utrecht. Go boating past the best spots in this historic canal city. Pass by the cozy outdoor seating areas at the wharf cellars along the Oudegracht, go boating under the dozens of little bridges on the fairytale-like Nieuwegracht (you can only go boating here in an electric Greenjoy boat!) or enjoy the peaceful natural scenery on the Kromme Rijn toward Rhijnauwen.

Boating routes in Utrecht

For short bookings, we recommend staying in the city. There’s so much to see in the bustling city center, and there are some really fun routes that will give you exactly 2 hours of boating enjoyment. For example, go boating from the Greenjoy boarding location toward the Weerdsluis and turn into the Oudegracht there, passing by the many outdoor cafes. At Ledig Erf, you’ll rejoin the Singel; keep to the left. After about 200 meters, just before the bridge, you can turn left into the Nieuwegracht, where you’ll go boating under dozens of bridges and feel as if you’ve traveled back hundreds of years in time. When you exit the Nieuwegracht, turn right, and after a few hundred meters, you’ll find our boarding location again! (Please note: Unfortunately, the Nieuwegracht is closed due to maintenance. In that case, you can still keep left at Ledig Erf and follow the Singel, which will automatically bring you back to our Boarding location.)

Starting September 12, 2020, the Catharijnesingel is open again! Go boating on the Utrecht loop, which hasn’t been possible for about 50 years. If you have enough time, combine the tour along the Catharijnesingel with the Oudegracht. That way, you’ll have seen (almost) all of Utrecht’s beautiful spots in a single tour.

By the way, if you have plenty of time, here’s a fun extra suggestion: at Weerdsluis, take a quick trip up and down the Catharijnesingel, half of which has already been dredged—and in a few years, you’ll even be able to take a full loop there! For now, the route ends at the new TivoliVredeburg, so from there you’ll have to turn around and head back to Weerdsluis, where you can go boating on the Oudegracht. Plan on at least an extra half hour for this detour.

If you’re planning to go boating for at least 4 hours and would rather get out into nature for a bit, you can go boating up the Kromme Rijn at Ledig Erf (note: this is not the Wester-/Oosterkade, which runs parallel to the Oudegracht). You’ll then naturally enter the Rhijnauwen nature reserve, where only electric boats are permitted. You can take a nice little break at the famous Rhijnauwen Tea House for a light snack and then go boating back to the city. Please note: Due to the current, you should allow two hours to reach the Rhijnauwen Tea House and one hour for the return trip on the Kromme Rijn.

If you want to combine both routes (city and nature), you should plan for a sailing time of at least 5 hours, not including breaks.

Below are some great boating routes in Utrecht. Click on the menu in the upper-left corner of the map for more information.

Note: Every Greenjoy boat comes equipped with a map of the city center—which is really handy!