Splashtours

Splashtours is a Rotterdam-based tour operator best known for its amphibious bus-boat, which gives visitors a combined city tour and river cruise. The company operates from a location at the Parkhaven, opposite the Euromast, and its signature tour lasts roughly 60 minutes: about 40 minutes driving through Rotterdam's streets and about 20 minutes sailing on the Nieuwe Maas. The first tour took place in 2010, making Splashtours one of the city's more unusual sightseeing attractions. The experience is built around a custom-designed amphibious vehicle. Splashtours designed the bus itself, building it on a bare Volvo chassis and sealing the underside with a stainless-steel tub. The vehicle is 12.80 metres long, 2.55 metres wide, has a draught of 1.29 metres and is powered by a Volvo Penta engine producing 418 hp. It is certified to carry 45 passengers. A live guide accompanies each tour, telling stories and anecdotes about Rotterdam and its landmarks as the bus drives past notable sights before making its dramatic 'splash' into the Maas and continuing as a seaworthy boat along the city's skyline. Splashtours markets itself as 'the most splashing way to see Rotterdam' and sells tickets online, with adult tickets starting from around €29.50 and children's tickets from around €19.50. The company also offers combination tickets, such as Splashtours & Pizza Cruise and Splashtours & Pannenkoekenboot, pairing the amphibious tour with a river cruise and food experience. Exclusive Splashtours can be booked for private groups. Around 2018, roughly 40,000 people per year took part in about 1,200 trips. The company has two buses: Splashtours 1 and the Floating Dutchman. The Floating Dutchman was originally designed by Splashtours in 2011 for the Amsterdam shipping company Lovers, which used it for canal cruises in Amsterdam. That operation was not a success and Lovers set the bus aside; Splashtours took it over in 2018 with the intention of running its own Amsterdam cruises in 2019. Because the bus lacked electric propulsion, it was not allowed to sail the canals and had to divert to the IJ, and Splashtours also stopped its Amsterdam cruises. As a passenger vessel carrying more than 12 passengers, the amphibious bus is not considered a 'small ship' despite being under 20 metres long. Under the Binnenvaartpolitiereglement, a sailing passenger ship with a hull length under 20 metres must display a yellow diamond by day; Splashtours therefore mounts a small mast with a standing yellow diamond alongside the navigation lights so that other vessels can identify it as a passenger ship with the associated right-of-way rules.

Splashtours began operating in Rotterdam in 2010, when its first amphibious bus tour took place. The company was founded to offer a novel way of seeing the city, using a vehicle that could both drive on public roads and sail on the Nieuwe Maas. It operates from a base at the Parkhaven, opposite the Euromast, and its standard tour lasts about 60 minutes, split into roughly 40 minutes on land and 20 minutes on water. The amphibious bus was designed in-house by Splashtours and built on a bare Volvo chassis. The underside is fully sealed with a stainless-steel tub to make the vehicle watertight. It measures 12.80 metres in length, 2.55 metres in width and has a draught of 1.29 metres, with propulsion provided by a Volvo Penta engine rated at 418 hp. The bus is certified to carry 45 passengers. In 2011, Splashtours also designed a similar bus for the Amsterdam shipping company Lovers, which deployed it as the Floating Dutchman for canal cruises in Amsterdam. That operation was not a success, and Lovers took the bus out of service. In 2018, Splashtours acquired the bus from Lovers with the aim of running its own cruises in Amsterdam in 2019. However, because the bus did not have electric propulsion, it was not permitted to sail in the canals and had to be diverted to the IJ. Splashtours ultimately also stopped its Amsterdam cruises. By around 2018, Splashtours was carrying approximately 40,000 passengers per year on roughly 1,200 trips. The company operates two buses: Splashtours 1 and the Floating Dutchman. As a passenger vessel certified for more than 12 passengers, the bus is treated as a large ship under the Binnenvaartpolitiereglement despite being under 20 metres long. To make this clear to other traffic, Splashtours mounts a small mast with a standing yellow diamond next to the navigation lights, signalling its status as a passenger ship with the corresponding right-of-way rules.

• 2019

  Planned Amsterdam cruises are curtailed because the bus lacks electric propulsion and cannot sail the canals; it is diverted to the IJ, and Splashtours stops its Amsterdam cruises.

• 2018

  Splashtours acquires the Floating Dutchman bus from Lovers, intending to run Amsterdam cruises in 2019; around this time the company carries about 40,000 passengers per year on roughly 1,200 trips.

• 2011

  Splashtours designs a similar amphibious bus for Amsterdam shipping company Lovers, deployed as the Floating Dutchman.

• 2010

  First Splashtours amphibious bus tour takes place in Rotterdam.

A unique, family-friendly sightseeing experience combining a city bus tour with a river cruise aboard a custom amphibious vehicle.

• Splashtours Rotterdam amphibious city tour

  A roughly 60-minute tour with about 40 minutes on land and 20 minutes on the Nieuwe Maas, accompanied by a live guide.

• Splashtours & Pizza Cruise

  Combines the Splashtour with a river cruise including antipasti, unlimited freshly baked pizzas and an Italian dessert.

• Splashtours & Pannenkoekenboot

  Combines the Splashtour with a cruise on the Maas including unlimited pancakes.

• Exclusive Splashtour for groups

  A private Splashtour booked exclusively for a group.

1. 1Splashtours – The most splashing way to see Rotterdam!splashtours.nl
2. 2Splashtoursnl.wikipedia.org
3. 3Splashtourswikidata.org