First-Timer Guide
Low bridges, seats, guides and timings.
Book Your Experience
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
The Experience
A relaxed guide, the quiet canals of Christianshavn, soft drinks, coffee and chips on board, and a turn at the wheel if you want one.
A 75-minute small-boat tour: a short safety talk, then the canals and harbour with a guide who lets you steer.
Book from $42 per person with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The listing gives Gammel Strand 50 as the meeting point; follow the one on your voucher.
Your guide gives a short safety introduction before the boat heads into the harbour. Soft drinks, coffee, mineral water and chips are included.
The route takes in Christianshavn, Our Saviour's Church, the Circle Bridge, the Royal Library, Christiansborg, Gammel Strand, Børsen, Nyhavn, the Opera House and the Little Mermaid.
Guests may take turns steering the boat under the guide's supervision, while the guide tells stories about Copenhagen's history, architecture and everyday life.
Photo Gallery
Nyhavn, Christianshavn's canals and guests at the wheel.
What changes on board between a small guided boat, the big classic and a 9-guest electric boat.
| Feature | STEER THE BOAT Guided Boat Tour Through Beautiful Canals | Canal Cruise with Guide | GoBoat Electric Canal Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from (per person) | $42 | $24 | $31 |
| Rating | 4.8 (57 reviews) | 4.6 (12,933 reviews) | 4.7 (1,591 reviews) |
| Departs | Gammel Strand 50 (follow your voucher) | Ved Stranden 26 | Islands Brygge 10 |
| Length | 75 minutes | 1 hour | 60 minutes incl. safety briefing |
| Guide | ✓ Live, relaxed and unscripted | ✓ Mostly live, Danish and English; some audio | ✓ Live captain-guide, English and Danish |
| Included | Soft drinks, coffee, water, chips | Poncho if it rains | Life vest; drinks to buy |
| Little Mermaid | ✓ On the route | ✓ On the route | Not listed |
| Steer the boat | ✓ Under supervision | ✗ | ✗ The captain sails |
| Check Availability | See Canal Cruise | See GoBoat Tour |
Compare Tours
From a $31 small electric boat to a private boat for six.
Before You Board
Length, bridges, seats, guides, rain, kids, dogs and the sights you will pass.
Expect about an hour on the water, a guide speaking Danish and English, a few very low bridges where everyone stays seated, and the main sights from Christiansborg to the Opera House. Most boats are large, open in summer and covered in the cold months. For a smaller, more personal first tour, book the Guided Boat Tour Through Beautiful Canals, a 75-minute small-boat tour: from $42 per person on the dates we checked in October 2026, with soft drinks, coffee and chips included, and guests may take turns steering under the guide’s supervision.
Most canal tours last about an hour. Stromma’s classic is exactly 1 hour, and the longer harbour route adds Nordhavn.
| Tour | Length | Departs | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canal Cruise with Guide | 1 hour | Ved Stranden 26 | Mostly live in Danish and English; some audio |
| Classic Canal Tour & The Harbour | 1 hour 45 minutes | Ved Stranden 26 | Live in English and Danish |
| GoBoat Electric Canal Tour | 60 minutes, with a 5-minute safety briefing | Islands Brygge 10 | Live captain-guide, English and Danish |
| Sip & Sail Canal Cruise | About 1.5 hours | Ved Stranden 26 | None |
| Netto-Bådene (pay at the dock) | About 50 minutes | Nyhavn | Live in Danish, English and German |
| Private Guided Boat Tour | 1, 3 or 4 hours | Christians Brygge 28 | Captain-guide Oni |
The classic tour may finish at Ved Stranden or at Nyhavn, so check where you will step off. Our Nyhavn canal tour guide explains the departure points.
You stay seated, and that is all. Several canal bridges are very low and close to the water, and operators ask passengers to remain seated as the boat passes under. The lowest documented is Børnehusbroen in Christianshavns Kanal, with 1.9 metres of clearance at normal water level. Keep your hands inside the boat as you pass under.
Sit at the side for photos and under the roof if rain is likely. Stromma’s open boats seat 168; its covered boats seat 150, with 104 seats under the roof. Rain ponchos are provided, and in the colder months the boats are covered and heated. The Classic Canal Tour & The Harbour runs on a covered boat rain or shine, and the Exclusive Guided Boat Tour also sails in rain or shine, with heated seats and blankets in winter. On the private tour, a full refund is guaranteed if it rains. For the driest months and the best light, see our best time guide.
On the big boats you usually get a live guide. Stromma says most of its Classic Canal Tours are live-guided in Danish and English, with audio guides in German, French, Spanish and Italian. The small boats are all live: GoBoat’s captain guides in English and Danish for up to 9 guests, the 12-seat Exclusive Guided Boat Tour is live in English and Danish, and on the Guided Boat Tour Through Beautiful Canals your guide tells stories in a relaxed, unscripted way. The Sip & Sail Canal Cruise has no commentary at all.
Kids, yes; prams, no. On Stromma’s boats children aged 6 to 15 pay about half price and under-6s ride free. Netto-Bådene charges DKK 40 for children aged 3 to 14, and Hey Captain charges children the adult fare, with babies under 12 months free. The kayak tour is not suitable for children under 12.
Stromma does not allow prams or strollers on board and does not accommodate non-folding wheelchairs. A folding wheelchair or walker is accepted if the guest can board unaided and sit in a regular seat, at the captain’s discretion. None of the one-hour boat tours we checked is fully wheelchair accessible.
Dogs up to 5 kg may sail with Stromma if they stay on your lap. A self-drive GoBoat welcomes dogs at no extra cost ($90 per boat for an hour), but the Exclusive Guided Boat Tour does not allow them, and Sip & Sail allows only assistance dogs.
Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early; GoBoat asks for 15 minutes before departure. Copenhagen Card holders must book a slot in person at the Ved Stranden box office, so allow longer; our Copenhagen Card guide explains how.
On the water you pass Christiansborg Palace, the Black Diamond library, Nyhavn’s painted houses, the Playhouse and the Opera House. Børsen, the Old Stock Exchange, is a building site: fire destroyed about half of it and its dragon-tail spire on 16 April 2024, and rebuilding is targeted for 2029. The Little Mermaid is just 1.25 metres tall. The Canal Cruise with Guide passes her, as does the Guided Boat Tour Through Beautiful Canals, but the private tour’s 1-hour route does not. Our route guide maps each tour stop by stop.
Compare every boat on the homepage comparison, or browse all Copenhagen boat tours.
Guest Reviews
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"Our canal boat tour was fantastic. We got a real sense of the shape of the city and its history. The boat was comfortable - and offered a welcome chance to sit down after walking miles during the day! Our guide, Muhib, was warm, friendly and very knowledgeable."
"The canal cruise was excellent. Our guide, Muhib, was terrific."
"Amazing. The guide was fantastic and the scenery/history unparalleled. Highly recommend!"
"Super friendly guide. great tour. you can see the best spots from the water. No stress and thousands of people - pure relaxation. thank you for the great time!"
"Muhib was very nice and entertaining. Seeing Copenhagen from the water is a great experience."
"musif made the boat ride very special...informative, communicative and willing to do the extra bit to suit us. Thoroughly enjoyed..."
"I enjoyed the easy pace of the ride. There was plenty of time to take pictures and ask questions."
"Guide was competent, nice and funny. He made the tour unique and pleasant. Could have told a bit more about the history, but over all would definetly recommend."
Read all 57 verified reviews
See All ReviewsFrom $42 per person for 75 minutes, with soft drinks, coffee and chips included and a chance to steer. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from $42 per person.
Check Availability & BookCan't Make These Dates?
Other boats and times in Copenhagen. Each listing shows its own cancellation policy.
Length, bridges, guides, accessibility, kids and dogs, answered before you board.
Most last about an hour. Stromma's Canal Cruise with Guide is 1 hour, the Classic Canal Tour & The Harbour is 1 hour 45 minutes, and the Netto boats take about 50 minutes. See the Canal Cruise with Guide breakdown.
You stay seated. Some canal bridges are very low and close to the water, and operators ask passengers to remain seated underneath. The lowest documented, Børnehusbroen in Christianshavns Kanal, has 1.9 metres of clearance.
Yes. Stromma's classic tour is mostly live-guided in Danish and English, with audio guides in German, French, Spanish and Italian. GoBoat's harbour tour and the 12-seat Exclusive Guided Boat Tour are live in English and Danish.
Stromma does not allow prams and does not accommodate non-folding wheelchairs; folding ones are accepted if the guest can board unaided and sit in a regular seat. None of the one-hour boat tours we checked is fully wheelchair accessible.
Stromma takes dogs up to 5 kg if they stay on your lap, and GoBoat's self-drive boats welcome dogs at no extra cost. The Exclusive Guided Boat Tour does not allow dogs. See our GoBoat guide.
Not on Stromma, where children aged 6 to 15 pay about half and under-6s ride free. Netto-Bådene charges DKK 40 for ages 3 to 14. Hey Captain charges the adult fare. See our canal tour prices guide.
Still have questions? Email us at info@copenhagencanaltour.com
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