If you have ever been to Amsterdam as a tourist, then you have probably taken one of the many canal boat “rondvaart” trips. Seeing Amsterdam from its canals is quite simply one of the best ways to experience the city.
Local Dutch journalists recently took several of these trips to verify whether information provided by the tour guides was factually correct.
As it turns out, large parts of the narration are wrong. Details like when the city was founded, how many bridges span the canals and how many boats are in operation were wrong.
When the boat operators were contacted, none really seemed to care that they have been providing incorrect information to millions of tourists.
So, next time a question about Amsterdam pops up in Trivial Pursuit, don’t immediately assume you know the answer.