Boat tour in Bruges: price, boarding points and when the boats run
TL;DR
- A boat tour on the Bruges canals costs € 15 for adults in 2026 and € 9 for children aged 4 to 11. Up to age 3 it’s free.
- You board at one of the five landing stages in the centre. All operators follow the same route and charge the same price.
- The tour lasts half an hour, without stops, between Jan van Eyckplein and the Beguinage.
- From March to October the boats run every day from 10:00 to 18:00. In winter at least one landing stage is open every day.
- Individual visitors can’t book in advance, you buy your ticket at the landing stage.
Half an hour on the water is the easiest way to see Bruges if you only have one day. You glide under low bridges, past the Rozenhoedkaai to the Beguinage, and the skipper tells you what you’re seeing along the way. With children, half an hour is just long enough. This is what you need to know before you join the queue.
Where do you board?
There are five operators, each with one landing stage in the centre:
- Katelijnestraat 4
- Nieuwstraat 11
- Wollestraat 32
- Rozenhoedkaai
- Huidenvettersplein 13
You leave from and return to the same landing stage. You can’t get off along the way. Since all operators follow the same route and charge the same fares, simply pick the landing stage with the shortest queue.
What do you see from the water?
The route runs from Jan van Eyckplein, the old harbour quarter with the Poortersloge, to the entrance gate of the Beguinage. On the way you sail along the Groenerei and past the Rozenhoedkaai, with a view of the Belfry. On the Dijver you see the tower of the Church of Our Lady, the tallest in the city. Then come the Gruuthuse bridge, the widest bridge in Bruges, the Bonifacius bridge and the medieval St John’s Hospital.
At the Bakkersrei, next to the Beguinage, there are often lots of swans. It’s the only feeding place in the city centre. Around a hundred swans live on the canals. In winter the city takes them out of the water to a covered winter shelter.
How much does a boat tour cost in 2026?
Adults pay € 15, children aged 4 to 11 € 9, and children up to age 3 go free. The City of Bruges sets the prices, which apply until 31 December 2026. A family with two adults and two children aged 6 and 9 therefore pays € 48.
You can book a private boat in advance with one of the operators. You then pay 30 times the adult fare. That’s currently € 450, however many of you there are. Booking a regular tour is only possible for groups of 20 or more. The full list of operators and their phone numbers is on the Visit Bruges page.
When do the boats run?
From March to October the boats are guaranteed to run every day from 10:00 to 18:00, with the last departure half an hour before closing, although the operators may deviate from this in bad weather or when it’s quiet.
Winter is different. From November to February at least one landing stage is open every day, on a rota. The other operators decide for themselves whether and when they sail. If you come for the Christmas market in December, you can still take a boat, just not from every landing stage.
And if it rains?
The boats are open. In a shower the skippers hand out umbrellas. If it rains long and hard, the operators may decide to stop or not sail at all.
On a day like that you’re better off indoors. Which museums are open and what they cost, you can read in our guide to the Bruges museums.
Fitting the boat tour into your day
After half an hour you’re back where you started, so a canal tour fits easily into a walk through the centre of Bruges. The skipper explains things in the languages of the people on board, and most speak Dutch, French and English.
If you come by car, the Pandreitje car park is the nearest one to the landing stage on Huidenvettersplein. How to park for less and what changes in February 2027 is in our article about parking in Bruges. From Den Eenink the bus takes you to the centre in 25 minutes. Our calendar shows which dates are still free.
Frequently asked questions
Half an hour, without stops. There are no longer tours on the canals.
As an individual visitor you buy your ticket on the spot at the landing stage. Groups of 20 or more and anyone who wants a private boat book in advance with one of the five operators.
Yes. From November to February at least one landing stage is open every day, on a rota. From March to October they run every day from 10:00 to 18:00.
It depends on who’s on board. At departure the skipper asks which languages the passengers speak. Most skippers speak Dutch, French and English fluently.
There’s no separate children’s tour and the commentary is aimed at adults. Half an hour is just long enough for children though, and they enjoy the swans and ducking under the low bridges. Up to age 3 they go free, from 4 to 11 they pay € 9.
Bruges from the water, sleep in Zedelgem
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