Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and this city is loved by tourists from all around the globe. Amongst a large number of tourist attractions in the city, one of the major attractions is the vastly intricate network of canals that flow through the city.
What a lot of people don’t know is that these canals of the city also serve as a very unique area of residence for many people. You can easily find a wide range of colorful houseboats on the banks of the canals all around the city.
These houseboats are slowly gaining the status of an icon. They provide all the comfort to the residents, which a normal house on the ground can provide and in addition to the local residents of the city, these houseboats also provide an attractive accommodation option to the tourists who visit the city.
For all the residents as well as tourists who are planning to visit the country, we will tell you about some of the things to keep in mind when thinking about renting a houseboat in Amsterdam.
There are quite a few things that go into whether a houseboat is safe in Amsterdam or not but generally they are a safe place to stay. There might be some locations in the city where it isn’t the safest to stay there but that will be discussed below.
Just like there are areas in every town or city in the world that people will often avoid the same is true in Amsterdam. It is up to you to do your research in regards to how safe the area is.
Another thing that you should look at regarding safety is the age of the houseboat and how well it is maintained. Houseboats that are the exact same age can look a lot different depending on how well they are maintained so you will certainly want to look for a houseboat that has been kept up well.
The very first thing that you need to know before renting a houseboat in Amsterdam is the location of it. If you have not been on a houseboat ever before then you might not realize the importance of location but it is super important.
There is a possibility that your houseboat is in the center of the city or it could be in any remote area. Now, the location becomes good or bad depending on your preferences as well as depending on the area itself. Apart from that, there is a chance that your houseboat is stuck between other houseboats. If there are several other houseboats you might end up becoming their audio guide.
With all these points you must have realized by now how important it is to know the location of your houseboat before booking it.
History of the company
Isn’t this one of those things that we need to check before buying everything in our lives? Well, to check the history of a company means to check whether you can trust it or not.
When you are booking a houseboat the company’s policies and procedures as well as contract should be fully understood before coming to an agreement. You need to determine if you are getting clear options, a satisfactory contract, comfortable accommodations and the support of the entire team during your stay.
Now, you may be wondering how to check this before actually experiencing a houseboat rental with that company. Although it isn’t easy there are a couple of things that you can do.
First, go and read the company’s policies and procedures. Often you can tell how good or bad a company is by the policies that they have in place and whether they are designed to take advantage of you.
Next, after reading through the policies you will want to spend some time looking up reviews online. There are many websites that are dedicated to reviews of physical businesses and you can often find them by just searching for the company’s name and the word “reviews” or “scam”..
Booking a houseboat is very similar to booking a hotel. We are sure that you have definitely booked a hotel sometime in the past and if you have then you know how it gets when there is a particular festival or wedding season.
The houseboats too have a peak season for booking. When you are booking in a holiday season, it is going to be difficult for you to get the houseboat of your choice so easily. First, it will cost you considerably more advanced than the normal rates. Second, it might get quite chaotic which can easily turn a relaxing vacation south.
So, you need to first do good research and then decide the way you want to book your houseboat.
Always check on the height of the houseboat
Living in a houseboat is a once in a lifetime kind of experience but to have the best time when on board you must check the height of the ceiling of the houseboat before boarding the boat.
One very important thing that people need to remember is that these boats were made to provide a means of transportation and will likely not be as cozy and comfortable as a room in a luxury hotel. So, if you are a tall person then you should especially make sure that you check the height of the houseboat before renting it.
If you rent a houseboat with a short ceiling height, then there’s a chance that you’ll bump your head into the ceiling multiple times and this might lead to some kind of serious injury but it will certainly lead to a very annoying vacation.
The view from inside the houseboat
In our daily lives, it always happens that we make choices in our lives based on the outer looks of the thing. The same thing happens while renting a houseboat too. You’ll get to see a lot of pretty pictures of the exteriors of the houseboats but you should make sure not to get fooled by it. The important thing is what kind of view you are getting from the inside of the houseboat when looking out. Will you get to see the beautiful view of the canal or will you only get to see the walls of the neighboring houseboat? A large number of the older houseboats just have small portholes to give you a glimpse of the outer world.
If you are a lover of authenticity then you will be sure to love that kind of houseboats. Modern houseboats, on the contrary, have got large windows offering beautiful panoramic views to the residents. This helps you in enjoying the surroundings in which your houseboat is at.
Are houseboats in Amsterdam safe?
One of the most important questions which keeps lingering in the mind of many tourists who visit Amsterdam and plan to rent a houseboat is, “Arehouseboats in Amsterdam safe“?. Well, if we have to answer this question in the shortest word possible, then we will say yes. Houseboats in Amsterdam are completely safe to rent. The crime rate in the city is very low, so if we talk about most of the time, then houseboats are safe in Amsterdam.
Although there have been some incidents where houseboats have been broken into, such incidents are actually quite rare. So, you should remain just a little bit cautious and avoid carrying anything precious with you on your trip but that is a good idea anyway.
Conclusion
So, these are some of the things which you should keep in mind before renting a houseboat in the city of Amsterdam. The city has some really amazing and mesmerizing canals and experiencing the city through houseboats will be a truly memorable experience.
So, if you are planning a trip to Amsterdam anytime soon, make sure to spend some time in the houseboats of Amsterdam.
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