Copenhagen Canal Tour: Which Boat Is Worth Booking?
4 min read
For most visitors the one-hour guided canal cruise from Ved Stranden is the right boat. It has 4.6 out of 5 from 13,194 reviews, and it costs €19.93 per person. The other three boats below only win if you care about group size, silence or a longer route.
The one-hour guided cruise
The cruise leaves from Ved Stranden 26, in the centre next to Christiansborg, and returns to Ved Stranden or Nyhavn. The operator is Stromma. The page lists the passing sights: Christiansborg Palace, the Opera House, the Little Mermaid, Amalienborg Palace, the Royal Library and the former Stock Exchange. A live guide speaks English and Danish, and the page lists a poncho for rain. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before. The page lists wheelchair users as not suitable for this cruise.
It is a classic sightseeing boat, so expect a mixed crowd rather than an intimate group. That is the trade-off for the larger boat.
The electric boat for a small group
The Exclusive Guided Boat Tour uses the same departure point but an electric boat with only 12 seats. It runs 1 hour to 65 minutes, costs €35.45 per person and has 4.8 out of 5 from 2,526 reviews. In winter the boat has heated seats and blankets. There are a few steps to get on board, and the page lists people with mobility impairments and wheelchair users as not suitable.
GoBoat: nine people and a blanket
The electric canal tour with a live guide is a shared trip for at most nine people, which makes it the smallest of the four. It starts at Islands Brygge 10, not in the centre. It lasts one hour, with a captain who doubles as guide, and it costs €26.62. Because the engine is silent, you can talk with the captain normally. Drinks are sold on arrival, and blankets are available. Plan the walk or ride to Islands Brygge into your day.
When an hour is not enough
The Classic Canal Tour & The Harbour runs 105 minutes from Ved Stranden 26 on a covered boat. It adds the Nordhavn district and the Genetically Modified Mermaid sculpture to the usual sights, at €33.31. Like the one-hour cruise, it is listed as not suitable for wheelchair users.
Which one to pick
- First visit, tight budget: the one-hour guided cruise.
- Couple or small family who dislike crowds: the 12-seat electric boat or GoBoat.
- You have seen the centre already: the 105-minute harbour tour.
Check the departure point on the booking page before you go: Ved Stranden 26 and Islands Brygge 10 lie on opposite sides of the inner harbour, roughly a kilometre apart. For other ways to see the city, see the canal and boat tours overview, or pair the water with a Tivoli visit.
Our recommendation
Book the one-hour guided canal cruise unless you specifically want fewer people on board. Choose the electric boat or GoBoat only if group size or silence matters more to you than the route.
