Amsterdam has gone electric on the water, and that's mostly great news: quiet boats, clean canals, and since April 2025 a city centre that's an emission-free zone. But it raises a practical question on a long day out: where do you top up? Here's how charging and fuel actually work in and around the city.
Most boats are electric now
If you're renting, your boat is almost certainly electric, and a full charge usually lasts a relaxed day of cruising. The things to watch:
- Start full and keep an eye on the battery, especially with a heavy load or against the current.
- Plan your range around the day you want, not the maximum on paper.
- Know your boat's connector before you go looking for a point.
The public charging points
The city runs public charging points for pleasure craft, spread across Oost, Zuid, and Centrum, and the network is growing fast towards a point within roughly ten minutes of sailing. A few rules are worth knowing before you rely on one:
- They're for pleasure craft only: rental boats and tour or canal-cruise boats may not use them.
- Two boats can charge at one point at once, for a maximum of 24 hours.
- A mooring ban applies at charge points, so you may only tie up there to charge.
- Pay through an app: plug in, then open the app to pay. The cost is around €0.69 per kWh including VAT.
Filter the map to charging to see canal-side points with notes on access. The City's electric-boating page has the live detail and the app to use.
The car-charger caveat
Dedicated boat-charging infrastructure is still catching up, so some of the charging points you'll see near the water are actually car charging stations on the quayside. They can work for a boat, but you may need a conversion adapter and a safe way to run the cable, so check compatibility before you count on one. On the map, we flag which points are real boat chargers and which are car stations that need an adapter.
Fuel: for the few who need it
If you're running a fuel boat, options are more limited, and the emission-free zone keeps combustion craft to the through-routes around the centre. There's a proper boat bunker station on the water, while most other stations near the canals are car stations, meaning you'd carry fuel in a jerry can rather than pulling up to a pump. Plan ahead and don't leave it to the last bar of range. Filter to fuel to see what's near the water and which spots are actually set up for boats.
Owner tip: set your power type
If you own a boat, choose "I own one" when you open Floating Today and set your power type to Electric or Fuel. The map then puts the right top-up spots front and centre for you. Where you can and can't go under combustion power is covered in our canal rules guide. And if you're still running fuel, whether your boat has to go electric, and by when is the one to read next.
Find charging and fuel on the map.
Check before you count on it
Availability, access, connectors, and prices change, and a spot on the map is a suggestion, not a guarantee. Always confirm on site and follow local rules. Floating Today is a curated guide, not an official source. See our Terms.
