Bootjes en Broodjes

Who they are

Bootjes en Broodjes (Little Boats and Sandwiches) is a Leiden boat company with its own shop at Prinsessekade 3, next to the Blauwpoortsbrug jetty. There they sell the tickets, coffee, drinks to take on board and souvenirs.

The company began in 2008 in the old bridge-keeper's hut at the Blauwpoortsbrug, which is still its office, and its owner is Tinus Jacobs. All its boats, both the tour boats and the hire boats, are electric and silent. The newest, the Volta, is a large boat for groups designed to pass under the low bridges of the Leiden canals, with a roof that unfolds while under way.

How they work

Their regular tour of the canals lasts 50 minutes and runs all year, in an open or covered and heated boat depending on the weather. They also hire boats with a skipper for groups, around Leiden and on the Kagerplassen lakes, with a minimum of an hour and a half, and prepare sandwiches and drinks that you order when you book.

The route passes the historic harbour, the Rembrandt bridge, the botanical garden and the observatory, the Rapenburg, the Zijlpoort, the Burcht and the Waag, among other points. The skipper acts as guide and tells the history of the city in Dutch and English; for other languages there is an audio app for your phone, also in Spanish, which activates itself at each point of the route and afterwards serves as a map for walking. Prices: €13.50 for adults, €12.50 for over-65s and €8.50 for ages 3 to 12; under-3s do not pay, and groups of more than eight people get a 10% discount.

Boats without a skipper

Anyone who prefers to take the helm can hire an electric boat for 6, 8 or 12 people, without a licence, from €105, €120 and €180 respectively. The person in charge must be at least 21 and have an identity document, and before setting off the staff explain how to handle it, the rules and the routes. You can sail on the Leiden canals, the Kagerplassen lakes and the Vlietlanden; for the lakes they suggest at least three hours. You must be at the shop a quarter of an hour early and leave a €150 deposit, in cash or by card.

Rules, accessibility and cancellation

You can bring your own food and drink, but not amplified music. Dogs may board, at most two per tour, and between the owner's knees. They lend life jackets for children in various sizes. To board you have to go down about ten steps and negotiate a small step, so it is worth considering if walking is difficult; wheelchairs and pushchairs are kept in a locked store. The boats are covered and heated, and only cancelled for a storm or ice on the canals. In the shop there are toilets for customers.

Tickets can be bought online right up to departure. They can be cancelled or changed up to 24 hours before by replying to the confirmation email, with a charge of 20% (minimum €5). For hire boats, in rain or strong wind you can cancel free of charge on the same day. The shop is five minutes' walk from Leiden Centraal station, along the Stationsweg and the Steenstraat. The website is in Dutch, English and German.