There are two wonderful cruising areas in the Netherlands: Heart of Holland (rivers and lakes in the triangle of Amsterdam, Rotterdam & Utrecht) and the lakes region of Friesland in the north. The densest network of waterways in Europe connects these areas to all of the cities and major towns. It is also recognized as the best place in Europe to buy a vessel and find a boatyard for renovations, or to custom-order a new canal cruiser. There are many highly respected boat builders and brokers here.
Waterways of the Netherlands
There are more than 150 waterways shown on this map; canals are in blue, rivers are in red.
EuroCanals Guide:Waterways of the Netherlands is available for download or as a printed book: Cruising the Canals & Rivers of the Netherlands. A completely new edition is available for 2023.
EuroCanals Guide:Netherlands to Burgundy is available for download.
They are all included, by subscription, in the EuroCanals Guides Online Library.
A season's cruise through all twelve provinces of the Netherlands on an 11-meter Dutch cruiser is described in "Cruising the Canals & Rivers of the Netherlands on Orion", available for download or in print.