Stromma Danmark A/S
is part of Stromma Turism & Sjöfart AB – one of the largest companies within tourism and excursions in Northern Europe with operations in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Stockholm, Uppsala, Gothenburg, Malmö, Visby, Helsinki, Oslo, Kristiansand, Olden, Stavanger, Bergen, Ålesund, Geiranger, and Berlin. Our mission is to create experiences. Experiences that entertains, educates and will result in lifelong memories.
Stromma has its roots in a Finnish company, Ångfartygs AB Bore, which was founded in 1897 by among others Fredric von Rettig. And to this day, Stromma is owned by the Hans von Rettig family.
It all started with Bore Lines; a company that acquired a large number of companies over the years, all focusing on tourism and shipping. Among the acquisitions you will find companies such as Stockholm Sightseeing, Stromma Skärgårdsbåtar, Stromma Kanalbolaget, and Paddan.
In 2011, Stromma expanded into Denmark today both Canal Tours, Copenhagen City Sightseeing, and Hop On-Hop Off is a part of the Stromma group.
The history of Canal Tours – in brief
Once upon a time ... A real adventure begins of course with 'Once upon a time'. This is also true for the history of Canal Tours. Once a upon a time there were four fine gentlemen who had the idea for the harbor cruise. A bank manager, a captain, a former vice president and a merchant. The first boat sailed in 1904 and initially, the harbor cruise as a waterbus between Christianshavn and Copenhagen for shipyard workers and local people.
The open skiffs had room for about 20 passengers. The boats were developed in step with the times and in 1930 a series of boats that seats up to 80 passengers were built, and Canal Tours was now not only a transport but an offer to the Danes and visitors in Copenhagen for summer excursions in port.
In 1948 Canal Tours could now offer guided tours of the so-called Langelinie boats, now equipped with speakers, so a guide could tell about sights along the way. The tours became very popular among both Danes and tourists and in the following years the business has grown and so have the number of boats.
Annually, over half a million people choose to experience Copenhagen from the inviting waterfront, and that makes Canal Tours to one of the country's biggest tourist attractions. And granted, the surroundings are grateful! But of course, we constantly do our best to keep us on our toes and respond to new needs. Along the way, we have updated the fleet, so that our boats today appear fully contemporary. Canal Tours now consists of 17 boats, including six covered, 2 restaurant boats and 2 electric boats. Especially the electric boats is something we are very proud of, since the environment is one of our priorities.
Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale heroes and heroines are all made of the right material and known all over the world, so what could be more natural than to call the fleet of the magnificent boats for Tin Soldier, Clumsy Hans, Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid and all the other lovable character names from the fairy tales. Led by experienced boatmen and guides, Canal Tours brings its passengers through Copenhagen and the city's hundreds of years of fascinating history - to the delight of both young and old.
Read more about the fleet here
