Trip highlights
- 1Anne Frank House — harrowing and essential
- 2Rijksmuseum — Rembrandt's Night Watch
- 3Van Gogh Museum entire collection
- 4Canal boat tour at golden hour
- 5Jordaan neighbourhood Sunday morning
Daily spend
Want this for your exact dates?
Live hotel prices, real-time flights, and weather for when you're going.
Been before? Re-book the same trip instantly with current prices.
Day-by-day plan
Arrival & Canals
Saturday, April 10
Est. spend
$160
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Schiphol (AMS) is one of Europe's best airports — directly connected to Amsterdam Centraal by train (17 minutes, €4.70). Trains run every 10–15 minutes. Uber to the centre costs €35–50. The train wins on speed, price, and experience.
Buy an OV-chipkaart (Dutch transit card) at Schiphol — €7.50 plus credit. Works on all trains, trams, buses, and ferries in the Netherlands. Much cheaper than buying individual tickets.
☀️ Afternoon
Bike rental and first canal tour by bike
MacBike, Stationsplein 5, Amsterdam Centraal
Amsterdam without a bike is like Bali without a scooter — technically possible but missing the point. Rent from MacBike (€14/day) or Star Bikes Rental and cycle the canal ring. The UNESCO-listed canal ring (Grachtengordel) is best experienced from the saddle. The Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht are the three main canals.
Dutch cycling rules: stay in the bike lane, signal with your arm, and give priority to cyclists coming from the right. Traffic lights apply to cyclists. Do NOT walk in the cycle lane — it's the number one way to irritate Amsterdammers.
Canal boat — Rederij Lampedusa evening cruise
Stadhouderskade 550, Amsterdam
A 75-minute open canal boat tour at golden hour gives the most beautiful view of the 17th-century houses and their reflections. The Herengracht corner (Gouden Bocht — Golden Bend) is the architectural highlight. Evening cruises depart at 5:30pm and 7pm from near the Rijksmuseum.
Private hire or small-group boat is better than the large tourist ferries. Rederij Lampedusa runs boats of 12 people max. Or hire a pedalo from Wetlands Safari for DIY canal navigation.
🌙 Evening
Leidseplein and dinner in Jordaan
Leidseplein and Jordaan, Amsterdam
Leidseplein square is Amsterdam's main nightlife hub — busy café terraces with heaters, buskers, and the classic Dutch brown café (bruine kroeg) culture. The Jordaan neighbourhood is where to eat.
🍽️ Meals
Brouwerij 't IJ
Dutch/Brewery · $20 · Craft brewery inside an old windmill on the east side. Their IPA, Natte, and Zatte are outstanding. Tour the windmill while drinking.
Restaurant Breda
Modern Dutch · $60 · Gezellig (Dutch for a word untranslatable in English, roughly: warm, cosy, convivial). The tasting menu changes weekly. In the Jordaan, naturally.
Anne Frank & Rijksmuseum
Sunday, April 11
Est. spend
$185
per person
🌅 Morning
Anne Frank House
Westermarkt 20, Amsterdam
The hidden annex where Anne Frank and seven others hid from the Nazis for 2 years before betrayal and capture in 1944. The house is preserved exactly as it was left — including the growth marks on the doorframe where Otto Frank measured the children's height. One of the most affecting experiences in Europe. Entry €16 — book online at annefrank.org 2–4 weeks ahead.
The online booking opens 2 months ahead at midnight — for the popular April–October period they sell out within hours. First-entry slots (9am) are less crowded. The audio guide (included) is essential context.
☀️ Afternoon
Rijksmuseum — full afternoon
Museumstraat 1, Amsterdam
The Netherlands' national museum contains one of the greatest collections in the world — Rembrandt's Night Watch (the largest painting in the collection, and the most technically astonishing), Vermeer's The Milkmaid, Jan Steen's comedy paintings, and 800 years of Dutch art and history. Allow 3 hours minimum. Entry €22.50.
Book online at rijksmuseum.nl — long queues at the door in peak season. The Night Watch is in Gallery 2.9 on the second floor — go there first before the room fills. The Asian Pavilion (a separate building) has extraordinary East India Company period artefacts.
🌙 Evening
Museum Quarter terrace and dinner
Museumplein, Amsterdam
The Museumplein lawn between the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and Stedelijk is Amsterdam's most beautiful open space. Evening drinks at the Cobra Café terrace, then dinner in the Oud-Zuid neighbourhood.
🍽️ Meals
Buffet van Odette
Dutch/Café · $22 · Best lunch spot near the Jordaan. Simple Dutch lunch — open sandwiches (broodjes), soup, and proper coffee.
MOMO
Pan-Asian · $65 · Elegant Oud-Zuid restaurant. The duck with sticky rice and the tuna tartare are the standout dishes. Reserve ahead.
Van Gogh Museum & De Pijp
Monday, April 12
Est. spend
$150
per person
🌅 Morning
Van Gogh Museum
Museumplein 6, Amsterdam
The largest collection of Van Gogh's work in the world — 200 paintings and 500 drawings, arranged chronologically to trace his entire career from dark Dutch religious paintings to the blazing Provençal yellows of Arles. The Sunflowers, Bedroom in Arles, and the Almond Blossom are here. Entry €22 — book online at vangoghmuseum.nl (sells out 2–3 weeks ahead in spring).
The audio guide is one of the best museum audio experiences in Europe — it follows the chronological hang perfectly and includes letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo about specific paintings.
☀️ Afternoon
De Pijp neighbourhood — Albert Cuypmarkt
Albert Cuypstraat, De Pijp, Amsterdam
De Pijp ('The Pipe') is Amsterdam's most vibrant neighbourhood — a working-class district gentrified by students, artists, and restaurants. The Albert Cuypmarkt (Monday–Saturday) is the longest street market in the Netherlands — 300 stalls of fresh produce, Dutch cheese, stroopwafels, herring, and falafel.
Dutch raw herring (haringbroodje) eaten from a stall is the defining Amsterdam street food — a whole herring with raw onion and pickles. Try it at the proper herring stalls, not tourist shops.
Heineken Experience
Stadhouderskade 78, Amsterdam
The original 1867 Heineken brewery converted into an interactive visitor experience — the full production story, 19th-century brewing equipment, and beer tastings included. Entry €23.
Book online to avoid queues. The tasting room at the end has unlimited Heineken for 20 minutes. The VIP Experience adds extra exclusive tastings.
🌙 Evening
Leidseplein brown café evening
Leidseplein area, Amsterdam
The Dutch brown café (bruine kroeg) tradition — dark wood interiors, flickering candles, Amstel or Heineken on tap, jenever (Dutch gin) shots, and hours of conversation. De Zotte and Café de Wetering are both excellent.
Order a vaasje (small glass) not a pint — Dutch beer culture is about quantity of glasses not size. With jenever on the side. Proost.
🍽️ Meals
CT Coffee & Coconuts
International/Café · $22 · Converted cinema in De Pijp. Açaí bowls, avocado toast, Dutch pancakes. Always a queue — arrive at opening (9am) or expect 30 minutes.
Haarlem Day Trip & Jordaan
Tuesday, April 13
Est. spend
$130
per person
🌅 Morning
Train to Haarlem
Amsterdam Centraal → Haarlem Station
Haarlem is 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal (€4 each way) and a completely different experience — smaller, quieter, and with Frans Hals Museum (portraits from the Dutch Golden Age) and the magnificent Great Church (Grote Kerk). The town centre is walkable from the train station.
In tulip season (mid-April to mid-May) Haarlem station sells bike rental for the Bulb Region — cycling route through Keukenhof gardens and tulip fields for €18.
Grote Kerk van Haarlem and town walk
Grote Markt, Haarlem
The 15th-century cathedral with the famous Christian Müller organ (1738) that both Handel and Mozart played. The central Grote Markt is one of the most beautiful market squares in the Netherlands. The Frans Hals Museum (€20) has the most important collection of Dutch Golden Age portraiture outside the Rijksmuseum.
The Jopenkerk (brewery in a former church) on Gedempte Voldersgracht is the best beer stop in Haarlem — the Malle Babbe (named after a Frans Hals painting) is excellent.
☀️ Afternoon
Return to Amsterdam — Jordaan deep walk
Jordaan, Amsterdam
The Jordaan is Amsterdam's most beautiful neighbourhood — a 17th-century workers' district now filled with galleries, antique dealers, cheese shops, and flower stalls. The Sunday Noordermarkt (farmers market) and the Westerkerk (where Rembrandt is buried) are the anchors.
The Westerkerk tower (Westertoren) offers the best view of the canal ring — 85 metres, 186 steps, €10. Open April–October. Anne Frank could hear the Westertoren bells from the annex.
🌙 Evening
Prinsengracht dinner — Dutch cheese fondue
Prinsengracht/Jordaan area, Amsterdam
The Prinsengracht canal at dusk, lined with house barges and tulips, with the Westerkerk lit behind. The Restaurant As in the Vondelpark or De Bolhoed (vegan Dutch) in Jordaan for dinner.
🍽️ Meals
Jopenkerk, Haarlem
Dutch/Beer café · $22 · Church-brewery with nave seating. Craft beer and Dutch bitterballen (fried beef ragout balls) — the mandatory Dutch bar snack.
Vondelpark, Markets & Departure
Wednesday, April 14
Est. spend
$75
per person
🌅 Morning
Vondelpark morning walk
Vondelpark, Amsterdam
Amsterdam's equivalent of Central Park — 47 hectares of English landscape garden with rose gardens, the open-air theatre, and the Vondelpark Pavilion (now a stylish restaurant). On warm mornings the park fills with cyclists, roller-skaters, and dogs. The most pleasant way to start a last morning.
The Vondelpark open-air theatre (Openluchttheater) runs free performances from May–September on Wednesday, Thursday, and weekends. Jazz, theatre, and dance.
Bloemenmarkt — floating flower market
Singel between Koningsplein and Muntplein, Amsterdam
The only floating flower market in the world — stalls on barges along the Singel canal since 1862. Tulip bulbs, seeds, and dried flowers to take home. The tulip bulbs are vacuum-sealed for air travel compliance. The experience is more fragrant than commercial.
Buy tulip bulbs in net bags for your home garden — the Dutch grow the best tulips in the world and home-grown Dutch tulips are genuinely superior to supermarket versions.
☀️ Afternoon
Schiphol Airport — direct train from Centraal
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Allow 2 hours before departure. Train from Amsterdam Centraal takes 17 minutes. The airport is excellent — pre-security Rijksmuseum satellite gallery, good food, and Dutch Jenever at the Heineken outlet.
The Rijksmuseum has a permanent gallery in Schiphol airside — actual Golden Age Dutch paintings on display between gates. Free access with a boarding pass.
🍽️ Meals
Winkel 43, Jordaan
Dutch/Café · $15 · The best appeltaart (Dutch apple pie) in Amsterdam. Warm, with a thick cream layer, served at outdoor tables overlooking the Noordermarkt. The queue is always worth it.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
April–May for tulips and relatively mild weather. June–August is warm but peak crowds — the Anne Frank House and Rijksmuseum queues are at maximum. September–October has beautiful canal light and fewer tourists. December has Christmas markets and ice skating on the canals (in cold years).
🛂 Visas
Schengen Zone. No visa for US (90 days), UK (90 days in 180), EU, Australian, Canadian citizens. Standard Schengen rules apply for other nationalities.
💱 Currency
Euro. Amsterdam is one of Europe's more expensive cities — budget €100–150/day per person for comfortable mid-range travel. The Dutch are almost entirely cashless; contactless payment works everywhere. OV-chipkaart for all public transport.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 0900-8844
ambulance: 112
european emergency: 112
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Always use the designated bike lane (fietspad) and follow cycling rules — cyclists take right of way and speed seriously. Tourists walking in cycle lanes is a daily source of frustration.
- 'Gezelligheid' (gezellig is the adjective) is the untranslatable Dutch concept of cosiness, warmth, and good company. A gezellig evening in a bruine kroeg with a vaasje of Heineken is more valuable than any museum visit.
- The Dutch directness is not rudeness — 'that's not possible' actually means 'that's not possible', not a negotiating position. Planning and booking ahead eliminates most problems.
- Supermarkets (Albert Heijn) are everywhere and open until 10pm. Excellent Dutch cheeses (old Gouda, Edam), stroopwafels, and drop (liquorice, the national candy) for cheap and authentic Dutch shopping.
- Cycling in the rain is normal in Amsterdam and expected. Locals have rain gear for bikes; rental shops can provide covers for luggage.
One thing worth not skipping
A 5-day trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands without insurance is a gamble. Medical emergencies, cancelled flights, lost luggage — cover yourself before you leave.
Comprehensive cover for 150+ adventure activities, medical evacuation, trip cancellation, and baggage. Recommended for most travellers.
Subscription-based travel medical insurance. Best for longer trips, digital nomads, or frequent travellers. Renews weekly or monthly.
Tripzeeker earns a small commission when you purchase — at no extra cost to you.
Was this useful?
Your rating helps us improve and tells other travellers what to trust.
How useful was this itinerary?
You might also like
More trips like Amsterdam, Netherlands in your inbox
Weekly hand-crafted itineraries, hidden gems, and travel tips. Unsubscribe anytime.