Houseboat Museum in Amsterdam

The Houseboat Museum (Woonbootmuseum) is a unique and independent museum in the centre of Amsterdam showing what it’s like to live in a traditional Dutch houseboat. Book your Houseboat Museum tickets here

There are around 3,000 houseboats in Amsterdam though prices are somewhat similar to buying a standard house. Bear in mind that insurance and maintenance charges can be significant.

There are generally 2 types of houseboat in Amsterdam – the traditional iron freighter ships with holds converted into houseboats; or the more modern concrete-based rectangular houseboats which require less maintenance.

The houseboat museum is the Hendrika-Maria, a 25m (82 feet) vessel built in 1914 and originally used as a freighter transporting timber, sand and gravel. In 1967 it was converted into an 80m² houseboat and remained inhabited until 1997.

From then on it became exclusively a museum open to the public and in 2008 it underwent a major restoration.

In 2024 the Houseboat Museum changed ownership – new owners Robert and Carl have had the boat redecorated with a more funky 1970s vibe. It had been previously furnished in 1950s style.

To provide more insight there is a new self-guided audio tour. Languages available are English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese.

The tour starts at the stern of the boat at the Deckhouse. Here there are 2 very small bed compartments which amazingly used to sleep a family of 4!

You then head into the bright orange Kitchen space which used to be the cargo-hold of the ship and is now also used as the ticket desk.

You then step inside the cosy Living Room area with its wood burner and more orange and brown decor.

Continuing on around the partition wall you will encounter a sleeping nook with a double bed and the bathroom which includes toilet and shower – note, it is closed to visitors.

There is a wall with an illustrated history of the boat and there is further information about Amsterdam’s canals.

At the front of the ship you need to crouch down (watch your head) to enter the projector room which shows a continuous 3 minute presentation of houseboat images.

It has a window looking into the bow (fore-cabin area) where the anchor chain is stored and servant’s berth was located. Here you can see how the boat is constructed by riveted steel plates.

A standard visit takes about half an hour, though you can take a bit longer if you wish.

Due to its small size there are capacity limits to visitor numbers and you may have to wait a short time for people to leave.

Hot drink facilities are available on board and the museum has a small shop with houseboat themed books.

Note, the boat exterior and gangways are off-limits to visitors.

Overall, the houseboat museum is a unique piece of maritime heritage. With its 1970s facelift and new audio tour, it is a fun place to visit.

Houseboat Museum Essential Info

Last updated 21 February 2025. This article was first published in 2013 and has been regularly updated. Thanks to Robert and Carl for allowing access to update the photos.

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