Rijksmuseum
Museumplein · 150 min
Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the year; booking a start time is required, Museumkaart or not, so take 9 a.m. The Gallery of Honour and The Night Watch first, the Asian pavilion once the groups arrive.
€25
Amsterdam · Netherlands · 3 days
3 days in Amsterdam
Three days on foot and by free ferry: the two big museums, the park and De Pijp; Anne Frank and the Jordaan; then across the IJ to Noord's film museum and the NDSM wharf. Book the Van Gogh slot and the Anne Frank release before anything else.
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Checked October 10, 2026. That’s the day we last confirmed the hours, prices and closed days.
- 3 days
- 20 stops
- 7 with a ticket
- from €90 a day
When to go
Late March to mid-May for the tulips and the long light, with Easter and King's Day (April 27) the crowded days. June to September is warm and busy; October is calm and golden. It rains in every month, so pack for it. December and January are dark by 4:45 p.m. but the canals are lit for the light festival.
Where to base yourself
The Jordaan or the western canal ring for the lanes and the brown cafés on foot; De Pijp for the market and cheaper rooms ten minutes from the museums; Oud-West for Vondelpark and the Foodhallen. Noord is a free three-minute ferry from Centraal and often half the price. Avoid the Damrak and the Red Light streets for sleep.
Getting around
Walk; the center is three kilometers across. Trams fill the gaps: tap in and out with a contactless card or phone (OVpay) at €1.16 plus €0.217 a kilometer, and GVB Max caps a day on GVB at €10.50. The ferries behind Centraal are free. Rent a bike only if you ride at home; the lanes are fast and locals do not brake for hesitation.
Day 1
Museumplein, Vondelpark and De Pijp
- FromYour hotel in Jordaan
- 1
- 21 min · walk
- 2
Vondelpark
Oud-West · 60 min
Ten minutes from the museums. In at the Van Baerlestraat gate, loop past the rose garden and the Blauwe Theehuis; stay off the bike paths.
- 15 min · walk
- 3
Foodhallen
Oud-West · 75 min
An old tram depot on Bellamyplein with twenty counters, open daily noon to 11 p.m. Bitterballen from De Ballenbar and a bao, or the Vietnamese rolls; cards only at most stands.
- 22 min · walk
- 4
Van Gogh Museum
Museumplein · 120 min
Tickets are online only, timed, and sell out days or weeks ahead from March to October; book the slot the day you book the flights. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., most Fridays to 9 p.m.; a late Friday slot is the quiet one.
€25 to €27
- 14 min · walk
- 5
De Pijp and the Albert Cuypmarkt
De Pijp · 60 min
Ten minutes south. The market runs Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and never on Sunday; catch its last quarter hour for a hot stroopwafel, then the streets around Sarphatipark.
- Next door
- 6
Bazar, Albert Cuypstraat
De Pijp · 90 min
Mezze and grilled lamb under the lamps of a converted church; walk in early. Café Binnen Buiten on the Ruysdaelkade for a canal-side terrace if the evening is warm.
Day 2
Anne Frank, the Jordaan and the canal ring
- FromYour hotel in Jordaan
- 1
Anne Frank House
Prinsengracht · 90 min
Online only, no door sales: every Tuesday at 10 a.m. Amsterdam time the whole week six weeks ahead goes on sale and the good slots are gone in minutes. Open daily 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the audio tour takes about an hour.
€16.50
- Next door
- 2
Westerkerk and the Jordaan lanes
Jordaan · 75 min
Rembrandt's church next door, then the small canals west of it: Bloemgracht, Egelantiersgracht, and the Karthuizerhof courtyard if its gate is open.
- 9 min · walk
- 3
Noordermarkt and Winkel 43
Jordaan · 75 min
Apple pie with cream at the corner café (around €6, open from 8 a.m.), or a proper plate from the lunch card. On Saturday the farmers' market fills the square; Monday morning it is a flea market.
- 26 min · walk
- 4
The canal ring: Brouwersgracht to the Golden Bend
Grachtengordel · 90 min
Brouwersgracht east, then down the Herengracht past the double-width houses of the Golden Bend to the Negen Straatjes. Museum Van Loon if you want one interior.
- 14 min · walk
- 5
Canal cruise or the Begijnhof
Centrum · 75 min
A one-hour open boat from the Prinsengracht or Rokin stands, around €20 online, is the cheapest way to see the houses from the water. If you would rather walk, the Begijnhof courtyard off Spui is free and quiet.
around €20
- 15 min · walk
- 6
Café 't Smalle
Jordaan · 60 min
Egelantiersgracht 12, a 1786 distillery tasting room with a deck on the water; open from 2 p.m. on weekdays and from noon at weekends. A jenever or a Brouwerij 't IJ beer with bitterballen.
- Next door
- 7
Moeders or Café de Reiger
Jordaan · 90 min
Moeders on the Rozengracht serves stamppot and hutspot under a wall of mothers' photographs; book a few days ahead. Café de Reiger on the Nieuwe Leliestraat is the walk-in alternative.
Day 3
Across the IJ to Noord, or a day trip
- FromYour hotel in Jordaan
- 1
Ferry F3 from Centraal to Buiksloterweg
IJ · 15 min
Behind the station. The F3 is free, runs round the clock every few minutes and takes three minutes; stand at the front with the bikes.
- 7 min · walk
- 2
Eye Filmmuseum
Noord · 90 min
The white building on the water. The exhibition is €16.50, Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Monday; the bar's view of the IJ comes with a coffee.
€16.50
- Next door
- 3
A'DAM Lookout
Noord · 45 min
Next door: the twentieth-floor deck over the harbor and the swing over the edge (extra). €16.50 online, €18.50 at the door; skip it in low cloud.
€16.50
- 1.8 km · transit or taxi
- 4
Pllek, NDSM
NDSM · 90 min
Bus 391 from the ferry stop or thirty minutes on foot along the water to the NDSM wharf. Containers on a beach, open from 9:30 a.m. with the kitchen to 10 p.m.; the daily special or the fish.
- 6 min · walk
- 5
STRAAT Museum
NDSM · 90 min
Street art at mural scale in a shipbuilding hall: €21.50, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, from noon on Monday. Then the wharf itself: the slipway, the hangars, the IJ-Hallen flea market one weekend a month.
€21.50
- 3 min · walk
- 6
NDSM wharf and the F4 ferry back
NDSM · 45 min
Walk the painted sheds, then the F4 to Centraal: free, fifteen minutes, every fifteen to thirty minutes until around midnight.
- 3.0 km · transit or taxi
- 7
Nam Kee, Zeedijk
Chinatown · 90 min
Zeedijk 111 in Chinatown, since 1981: oysters in black bean sauce and the roast duck. Open from noon, kitchen to 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday); no booking.
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Pins are approximate. Tap one for the stop; the directions links open Google Maps.
The practical bits
From the airport
From Schiphol, the train to Amsterdam Centraal takes 15 to 20 minutes, runs every ten minutes or so by day and hourly at night, and costs about €6 one way; tap in and out with the same contactless card you will use on the trams. A taxi is several times the price and no faster.
What a day costs
About €90 to €130 a day per person. The big museums are €16.50 to €27 each, a market lunch or food hall plate is €10 to €15, dinner €30 to €45, and transit is capped at €10.50 a day on GVB.
Where to stay
Got a day to spare?
Worth knowing
- Tap the same contactless card or phone in and out on every tram, bus and metro. Forget to tap out and OVpay charges the €4 boarding fee for the ride.
- Bike lanes are not sidewalks. Stop in one and you will hear a bell; cross them like roads, looking both ways, and never stand on the red asphalt for a photo.
- The Museumkaart is €75 and visitors buy a temporary one at the first museum, valid 31 days or five visits. It pays once you have four museums on the list; the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh still need a timed slot with it.
- Many cafés and supermarkets take debit cards only: no cash, and often no credit card. Carry a debit card with a chip and a little cash for the markets.
- Mondays close the Eye's exhibition and halve STRAAT's hours; Sundays close the Albert Cuypmarkt. Put Noord on a weekday and De Pijp on a Saturday if you can.
Things you can ask once it’s in the app
Plans change. Ask Chat and it proposes a reshuffled day you can apply, or just answers the question.
Anne Frank House is sold out for our dates, what replaces it on day 2?Move the Van Gogh slot to Friday evening and rework day 1Is the Museumkaart worth it for the two of us?Rain on day 3, swap Noord for something insideHow do we get from Centraal to Haarlem and back with OVpay?
Questions
Which day works in the rain?
Day 1: two museums and a covered food hall, with Vondelpark the only outdoor stretch. Waystop's rain plan is a second version of the day you can switch to, so nothing is lost.
Do I need the Museumkaart or the I amsterdam card?
Neither is automatic. The Museumkaart pays with four museums in 31 days; the city card bundles transit and a cruise, so price it against your actual list. Anne Frank House tickets are €16.50 regardless.
Can I pay for the tram with my phone?
Yes. Any contactless bank card or phone wallet checks in and out; GVB Max caps the day at €10.50, a little over a €10 paper day ticket, but you only pay for the rides you take.
Does the Zaanse Schans charge an entrance fee now?
Not as of fall 2026: a €17.50 village fee was approved for 2026 and then stalled, so walking in is free. The windmills and museums charge, or an all-in ticket is €29.50; go before 10 a.m.
Before you go
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Add your dates, your hotel and who’s coming, then ask Chat to change anything: it proposes the edit and you tap Apply. Want a long lunch instead of a museum? Just ask. Every place is checked against Google Maps before it lands on your day, and Chat can tell you when to leave for the next stop. Going on to another city? Build a multi-city trip.