Can a taxi drop me off at an apartment on the canals in Amsterdam?
Yes, normally at the door: under article 23 of the Dutch traffic code a car may stop just long enough for passengers to get out and bags to be unloaded, even where parking is not allowed, unless the spot has a no-stopping sign, a solid yellow line, a crossing or a cycle lane. The quay roads along the main canals are open to cars, so the questions are only which side of the water your number is on and which way the one-way quay runs.
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Same fixed price to a canal house as to any Amsterdam address
| Option | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Business Class, Schiphol → a canal-ring address | €90 | E-Class, EQE, EQE SUV, BMW i5, BMW 5 Series · up to 3 passengers, 3 bags |
| Van Class, Schiphol → a canal-ring address | €125 | V-Class, EQV · up to 7 passengers, 7 bags |
| First Class, Schiphol → a canal-ring address | €140 | S-Class, EQS, EQS SUV, BMW i7 · up to 3 passengers, 3 bags |
| Mercedes-Maybach (Ultra), Schiphol → a canal-ring address | €250 | Maybach S-Class · up to 2 passengers, 2 bags · confirmed by dispatch, not instant |
The return to Schiphol from the same address is €80 in Business Class. Prices are per car, not per person, with 9% Dutch VAT included, and the same day and night. Booked less than 12 hours before pickup: +10%. At Schiphol the first 60 minutes of waiting are free, elsewhere 15 minutes; after that waiting is charged per minute at the class's hourly rate (Business €65 an hour). Free cancellation up to 1 hour before pickup.
Where a car may and may not stop to unload (Dutch traffic code, RVV 1990)
| At the spot… | Stopping to let you out and unload |
|---|---|
| Along the quay, no signs | Allowed — unloading passengers or luggage is not “parking” |
| A no-parking sign (E1) | Allowed — the sign forbids parking, not a brief stop to unload |
| A no-stopping sign (E2) or a solid yellow line | Not allowed |
| On an intersection or within 5 meters of a crossing | Not allowed |
| On or next to a cycle lane | Not allowed |
Article 1 defines parking as standing still longer than needed to let passengers in or out or to load and unload; article 23 lists where even stopping is prohibited.
Getting the drop-off right
- Give the full address. Canal, house number and any letter or suffix after it, plus the name of the apartment or host.
- Tell us about the luggage. The number of cases decides the car class; a canal house has no parking to wait in while bags are sorted.
- Have your host ready. If someone meets you with the key, a message from the car a few minutes out avoids standing on the quay.
- Out, bags out, done. The stop takes as long as unloading takes, which is what the rules allow.
Related questions
Is it legal for a taxi to stop in the street on a canal to unload?
Yes, for as long as unloading takes. Dutch law does not count letting passengers out or unloading goods as parking, so it is allowed where parking is not — just not at the prohibited spots in article 23.
Does an address on the canals cost more from Schiphol?
No. Every Amsterdam address has the same fixed price: €90 in Business Class from Schiphol, per car.
What if my apartment is on a street closed to cars?
Then the car stops at the nearest point it can legally reach and the last stretch is on foot; tell us the address when you book and we will say where that is.
Sources
- Dutch traffic rules RVV 1990 (wetten.overheid.nl), article 1 (“parkeren”) and article 23 (where stopping is not allowed) (checked September 24, 2026)
- OpenStreetMap — street data for Herengracht, Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht and Singel (one-way sections, 30 km/h) (checked September 24, 2026)
Book it, or ask dispatch first
Book online in a few minutes (no account, no app), or send your flight number and address on WhatsApp and dispatch replies in English, 24 hours a day.