We are so lucky to have gotten a lot of visitors from family and friends visiting! I think after about 20+ visitors we have the itinerary of visiting pretty planned out. This is a traditional itinerary of what we do with friends and family when they visit so feel free to share with others on their upcoming trip to Amsterdam. Also, before planning your trip I suggest that you start with this article to get your tips before your trip!
I am assuming when people come to Amsterdam that they will spend about 3 days here. This itinerary is the best that you can do in 3 days. Of course, there are tons of other things to do in Amsterdam and lots of day trips that you can take as well if you have more time. This also assumes good weather all days which in the Netherlands is quite the assumption. This also does include any particular time of year you are visiting. So for example, if you come in the Spring I suggest that you take a day to go and visit the tulip fields.
Day 1: Welcome to Amsterdam!!
Morning: Assuming you got in the night before and are well rested. For your first day I suggest that you get a lay of the land in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Amsterdam-the Jordaan. This neighborhood is so fun to walk through. Here you can really get a feel for Amsterdam. Wander aimlessly, take pictures, and stop for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. I also suggest shopping/wandering through the 9 streets which is the adjacent neighborhood.
Afternoon: In the afternoon, I suggest that you get tickets to the Anne Frank Museum. They go on sale on the first Tuesday the month before and often sell out- especially during peak season so make sure you get them in advance!
Late Afternoon: In the late afternoon, I suggest that you get a boat tour! Seeing Amsterdam from the water is the best way to see the city. We tend to rent boats ourselves as we live here, but there are many tours that you can take that are also very fun. I suggest going with Those Damn Boat Guys or Flagship boats for a better experience. I think both boat tour companies allow you to bring on your own food and drink with it very fun. These companies are also more casual vs boat rides that are very touristy.
Evening: For the evening, I suggest that you go to a bar and have some traditional Dutch snacks and a beer. The Dutch aren’t super well-known for their food. For example, have you ever been to a Dutch restaurant? What they are known for are their fried bar snacks such as kas suffles, bitterballen, and of course fries with mayo. Take a look at my suggestions here for restaurants/bars.
Day 2:
Morning: To start the day I suggest stopping by the Van Gogh museum. This is a great museum and worth stopping by in my opinion. Amsterdam has many great museums so I suggest looking up what interests you the most, but personally I think Van Gogh is one of the best!
Afternoon: In the afternoon I suggest walking to the De Pijp neighborhood. This is a very fun and trendy neighborhood with lots of good restaurants. One of the most popular things to do in this neighborhood is to go to the Albert Cuypt market. This is my favorite place to go to get the BEST stroopwafels in Amsterdam. I suggest going to Rudy’s (stand 143) for the best stroopwafels. I also think it is a fairly good place to get scarfs, souvenirs, etc.
Evening Late: In the later afternoon I suggest finding a place to eat outside or check out one of my restaurant suggestions. Then, to end the day I suggest walking through the center during the evening so you can enjoy all of the lights on the canal. I truly think it is magical and so romantic. I suggest the canal belt area or the Jordaan neighborhood. Bonus activity if you want to also check out the red light district. Not required, but some people are of course intrigued when they come to Amsterdam
Day 3:
Morning: In addition to the Van Gogh museum, my other favorite museum is the canal museum. This is really cool to learn the history of how Amsterdam was built and it also fairly interactive with videos and is more like an experience that reading a bunch of stuff. It is also fairly quick with the entire museum visit about a hour long.
Late Morning:/Afternoon For the last day in Amsterdam I suggest renting bikes and getting outside of the city. It is so fun to enjoy the countryside and see what it is like just a few miles from Amsterdam. Once you rent bikes from the city. I suggest you bike to the town called “Ouderkerk aan de Amstel” and stop there to have a coffee. There is a cute bakery called “bakkerij out B.V.” which is fun to stop at. Along this route you will go down the Amstel river and stop by 2 windmills on the way which is fun to see! Please be careful with biking through Amsterdam and only bike if you feel prepared to do so as it can be a bit busy.
Afternoon: After you are done with your bike ride I suggest stopped in Zuid which is the southern part of Amsterdam and sitting outside and enjoying a beer.
Restaurants in Amsterdam:
As linked a few places above, here is my list of restaurants I suggest in Amsterdam. As you can tell it is a lot of brunch/coffee places and breweries haha. I guess those are typically the places that we visit and tend to cook more of our dinners at home. I suggest book marking it and then when you are wandering around you can open it to find nearby places when you get hungry. .
Bonus content:
Of course there are endless things to do in the Netherlands that are very close to Amsterdam. I will break this list down into my favorite additional activities to do in Amsterdam and then as day trips from outside of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam
Vondel Park: This is a nice park in Amsterdam. It is nice to walk through if it a nice day. Nothing particularly special if you are a tourist visiting, but as a local I enjoy going on bike rides through here or meeting up with friends and enjoying beers on a blanket.
SUPing: If you are in Amsterdam in the summer one fun thing to do is to go stand up paddle boarding on the canals. We have done this before and it is a great time if you have good weather and it is nice out.
IJ Brewery in a Windmill: This is a fun spot if it rains on you as you can hang out in a brewery that is in a windmill. It is a bit further from city center, but very fun. One of my favorite beers is the IJ Wit beer.
Boom Chicago: Not as much of a tourist thing, but more of a local hangout spot. We really like this place for their improv shows and it is a nice evening activity if you have extra time.
Heineken Experience: Personally a bit overrated, but I know that this is very popular stop in Amsterdam. Keep in mind that it is more of a experience with lots of photo ops vs a real true brewery tour.
Rijks Museum: I feel like I should put this on here because it is the most popular museum in Amsterdam. Personally, it isn’t as much for me and I prefer the Van Gogh and the Canal museum as they are more interesting to me. If you are a bit museum person though of course change this itinerary to customize to your liking. I will say my favorite part of the Rijks is the library which is pretty cool.
Coffee Shop: As you should have read in my article about what you should know before you visit Amsterdam you will find that weed dispensaries are called “coffee shops.” Adding this to other optional activities to do in Amsterdam if you so choose.
MOCO Museum: I personally can’t speak to this because I haven’t been before. I would say that I have heard it is a bit expensive for what you get and be crowded. So for me I don’t think it is a “must-see” unless you are really into this type of art.
A’dam lookout: This is a attraction in Noord which is North Amsterdam where you can go on swings that have nice views of Amsterdam on the rooftop. I am not one for thrill seeking so I haven’t done this, but it is quite popular.
The Netherlands Day Trip Bonus Content
Below lists out a few day trip suggestions from Amsterdam if you have additional time. I am sure that you will ask about well if I can only do one day trip which one is BEST. That is a bit difficult though as it depends on your preferences. For example, if you really want to see windmills and wooden shoes then Zaanse Schans is great. If you have never been to a castle than Muiderslot or Haar Castle are really fun. Do you just want to sip on a cocktail on the beach and the weather is nice then going to Zaanvort is really nice. Most of the places I suggest below link to a previous blog post that gives more details about the day trip.
Leiden
Utrecht
Harleem
Zaanse Schans with recommended short shop in Zandaam
Giethoorn (need a car)
Muiderslot Castle
Zandvoort (Beach)
Volemdam
Haar Castle
Delft
Bike through the Tulip Fields (April/May)
Keukenhof Flower Garden
Where to stay in Amsterdam
I am sure as you are planning your trip to the Netherlands that you are curious what is the best neighborhood to stay in. First off, let me say that there are no “bad” neighborhoods in Amsterdam. It is a very safe area and totally fine to walk around at night as a woman so I wouldn’t worry about that. Additionally, compared to a lot of other European cities, Amsterdam is very walkable. You can mostly walk across the main touristy part of town in about 30 minutes which isn’t bad at all. Honestly, I would suggest staying anywhere in the yellow below as it is going to be the closest to the main tourist activities. Although hotels in Amsterdam can be quite expensive so don’t worry too much if you can’t get a hotel in the yellow highlights- it just means that you will probably have to use more public transportation to get around. Additionally, if prices are really outrageous you can stay in Haarlem or Utrecht which are towns outside of Amsterdam (see day trip ideas), but only like 30 minutes away from Amsterdam central train station.
I hope you enjoy your trip to the Netherlands and love it as much as I do ❤
Melanie
Smiles from Miles Away 