Amsterdam, Netherlands 5 Day Itinerary

Amsterdam has more canals than Venice and more bicycles than residents. Its 17th-century canal ring was built in a single 50-year burst of expansion during the Dutch Golden Age, when the city controlled much of the world’s spice trade from a stretch of marshland that had no business becoming a world capital. Five days lets you move past the surface layer.

Getting In

Schiphol Airport sits 18 km southwest of the city and has its own train station directly below the terminal. Trains to Amsterdam Centraal run eight times per hour and take 16 to 18 minutes. A single second-class ticket costs around 7 euros including a disposable OV-chipkaart; check the NS website for current pricing. Taxis from Schiphol to the centre run 45 to 60 euros. The train is the right call unless you have significant luggage.

A note before starting: Anne Frank House tickets are released every Tuesday at 10:00 Amsterdam time for a date six weeks later, only via annefrank.org. If you want a specific date, set an alarm. Third-party resellers offer fake tickets at inflated prices. Do not buy them.

Day 1 - The Canal Ring and Museumplein

Walk to the Rijksmuseum from Centraal Station along the Prinsengracht, one of the three main concentric canals of the 17th-century ring. The Rijksmuseum holds Rembrandt’s Night Watch at roughly 3.5 metres tall, which almost always surprises people who have only seen reproductions; the context of the full hall around it is part of the experience. Tickets cost around 22.50 euros for adults; book online to avoid queuing at the entrance. Give it three hours.

The Van Gogh Museum next door on Museumplein has the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh paintings and his personal letters, which are worth reading for what they reveal about how he thought about his own work. Book ahead here too; it regularly sells out.

Dinner in De Pijp, the neighbourhood immediately east of Museumplein. Samuel’s on Gerard Doustraat is a French brasserie with Dutch sensibilities: omelettes, tartare, and a short wine list, nothing pretentious, reliably good for around 35 to 50 euros per person. The Albert Cuyp Market running through the middle of De Pijp closes at 17:00 on weekdays and is worth a walk through on your way.

Day 2 - Anne Frank House and Jordaan

The Anne Frank House entry window is 15 minutes; if you miss it, you lose your ticket. There is no refund. Arrive early and allow time to navigate the narrow streets of the Jordaan around it. The building is intentionally sparse inside, which makes it more affecting than a museum with extensive displays. Count on 90 minutes to two hours including the queue at the exit shop.

Spend the rest of the morning in Jordaan, the neighbourhood immediately around the house. The area north of Westermarkt is the best part: independent bookshops, a cheese shop that is not a tourist trap (De Kaaskamer on Runstraat, bought by locals), brown cafes with outdoor tables. Winkel 43 on Noordermarkt makes apple pie that is genuinely the best argument for staying an extra hour in the neighbourhood.

For dinner, Toscanini on Lindengracht has been a Jordaan institution since 1985. Regional Italian cooking from an open kitchen, seasonal ingredients, pasta made in house. Expect to pay 25 to 35 euros per main; book well in advance.

Day 3 - Cycling East

Rent a bicycle. Every rental shop will brief you on rules; pay attention, because Amsterdam cyclists are not forgiving of tourists weaving across bike lanes. The fundamental rule: do not walk in the red-painted lanes running parallel to the road. The penalty for ignoring this is being hit by a commuter going at speed, which happens regularly.

Cycle east along the IJ waterfront past Amsterdam Centraal to the NDSM Wharf, a former shipbuilding yard that has become a creative district with street art, studios, and the free ferry crossing from behind Centraal that takes four minutes. Pllek restaurant here is built from reclaimed shipping containers on a floating pontoon and serves good food without the price premium of central Amsterdam. Budget 20 to 35 euros per person for lunch.

From NDSM take the ferry back and cycle south through the Plantage district to Artis Royal Zoo, Amsterdam’s 19th-century zoo, or to the Hortus Botanicus botanical garden immediately beside it, which is quieter and has a 300-year-old Eastern Cape cycad inside its greenhouse that the garden claims is the oldest potted plant in the world.

In the evening, the area around Nieuwmarkt is calmer than Leidseplein or Rembrandtplein and has better food. The squares around Dam, Leidseplein, and Rembrandtplein are almost entirely tourist traps with menus priced accordingly. Locals actively avoid them.

Day 4 - Zaanse Schans and De Kas

Zaanse Schans, 15 km northwest of Amsterdam, has the highest concentration of surviving 18th-century windmills in the Netherlands and is genuinely impressive even accounting for the crowds. Go early: the site opens at 08:00 and tour groups arrive by bus from 10:00 onward. By afternoon it is very busy. The site is free to enter; individual attractions charge separately. Allow three hours.

Volendam, the fishing village 20 km further north, is picturesque and completely overrun with souvenir shops selling the same items. Worth 30 minutes as a contrast to Zaanse Schans if you have a car; otherwise not worth the detour.

Return to Amsterdam for dinner at De Kas, a restaurant set inside a 1920s greenhouse in the Frankendael park in eastern Amsterdam. The chefs grow herbs and vegetables in the greenhouse itself and in the nursery attached to it. The set menu changes with what is available. Budget 65 to 85 euros per person. Book at least two weeks in advance.

Day 5 - The Jordaan Market, Foam, and Departure

The Noordermarkt on Westerstraat runs on Saturdays (organic produce) and Mondays (antiques and second-hand); plan accordingly. If you are leaving on a weekday, the Foodhallen in the former tram depot in Oud-West is the best indoor food market in the city, open daily, with serious food stalls rather than tourist-oriented snack vendors.

Foam, the photography museum on Keizersgracht, is consistently the best temporary exhibition space in Amsterdam and is almost never as crowded as the major art museums. Entry is around 14 euros. Programme changes regularly; check before visiting.

For a final lunch, the Foodhallen or Little Collins in De Pijp for Australian-inflected brunch that has built a devoted following among the neighbourhood’s international crowd. Budget 15 to 22 euros.

Allow 90 minutes from Centraal to the airport on a weekday morning to account for any train delays and check-in queues.

Practical Notes

The I amsterdam City Card covers most museum entries and unlimited public transport; worth calculating against your planned itinerary before buying. A single GVB tram or metro ride costs around 3.40 euros, or 8.50 euros for a day pass. The tram network covers most tourist areas; the metro is mainly useful for the eastern suburbs and connections to Schiphol.

The tulip bulb stalls at the Bloemenmarkt on Singel sell bulbs out of season year-round, and blue tulips are sold as authentic varieties. Neither is true: quality bulbs need to be bought in autumn for planting, and genuine blue tulips do not exist. Buy cheese at local markets and delis rather than the golden-facade shops near Dam Square where prices can be double the standard rate.

October and early November bring overcast skies and fewer crowds than summer; spring from mid-April to May has the best light and the tulip fields in full bloom at Keukenhof, 30 km from the city.