Floating Houses in Amsterdam

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Floating Houses in Amsterdam

If something characterizes Amsterdam, in addition to its canals, they are their houseboats. At present, more than 2500 floating homes are located on the canals of Amsterdam.

This curious form of lodging arose after World War II due to the scarcity of dwellings. Also contributing to this was the fact that in those years the Dutch fleet was modernized and hundreds of freighters were available to be used as housing.

At first the inhabitants of these makeshift canal houses were the hippies.

How much does a houseboat cost?

The prices of these houses are somewhat lower than those of traditional houses but carry more maintenance costs. Every three or four years the owners must take the boat to the shipyard for a complete overhaul, something that usually lasts about a week.

Apart from the maintenance costs, the inhabitants of the dwelling boats must pay a rent for the parking of the ship, some special taxes and insurance also more expensive than the one of normal house.

Not a hole

Currently Amsterdam's canals are completely saturated and although you want to buy a boat and park in them, there is no space left to settle. The only option is to buy an already established boat.

Houseboat Museum

To know how the space was distributed and to know some of the advantages and disadvantages of living in a houseboat you can visit this boat that was used as housing until 1997.

In this museum house you can walk through its large living room, imagine cooking or see the tiny beds where their former visitors slept. You will be given a brochure translated into Spanish, where you will find interesting facts about life in the canals.