Get the Most from Haarlem — Rent a Boat at Greenjoy!

As 98% of Dutch people can swim and sailing a boat is an easy task even for a kid. An untrained expat also can manage it after fifteen minutes of shame. If you don’t have a driving licence, no worries, it is not required if the boat is less than 15 meters in length and can not speed up over 20 km/h. For exclusive member discount, read on!

 I’ve been living in Haarlem for over three years and never had such an experience before. So this Thursday, when it was lovely +26, I rented a boat at the Greenjoy, called my friends, bought some products at the Albert Heijn and was ready for a journey.

I picked Greenjoy company based on one important thing — their boats work on electricity, not fuel, and are safe for the environment.  Greenjoy boats are easy to book — go to the website, enter your details, pick up the date (the price might be higher on a sunny day). When you book the boat, be ready to pay 150 euros as a deposit. The company return the money the next day after you rented the boat.

Greenjoy is a wholly automated company: when you book the boat, you receive a confirmation email with your boat number. At the place you pick up the right boat, unplug it from the chargers, and you are ready for a ride. Before the start, you have to send a message “Sloep# uit”  +31635250034, where # is the number of your boat.

We followed the suggested routes and read suitable maps to get the most from the trip and explore Haarlem from the water. The experience was unforgettable, I have to say. Things, I never noticed, biking around the city are entirely different from the boat. Haarlem was deep in sunset lights, and birds were swimming around us, the town was vibrating with summer joy. We had a great two hours with friends and a baby.

By the way, if you live in Haarlem and want to rent a boat, use the 20% discount from Greenjoy. To get it you have to like ExpatsHaarlem Facebook page and group. Then write to arianna@expatsHaarlem.nl she will check your membership and send the discount code. The discount is valid until the end of the season. There are only 25 discounts available, op=op!