Amsterdam in 3 Days:
The Complete Itinerary

Start here. The Rijksmuseum is one of the greatest art and history museums in the world — Rembrandt's Night Watch, Vermeer's Milkmaid, Dutch Golden Age masterworks. Give it 2.5–3 hours minimum. Aim for the 9am opening slot to beat the tour groups that pile in from 10am.

Café Cobra on Museumplein is a reliable sit-down option with a terrace facing the I Amsterdam letters. In good weather, grab a broodje (Dutch sandwich) from a nearby Albert Heijn and eat on the grass — Museumplein has a large open lawn perfect for it.

A 10-minute walk from the Rijksmuseum. The world's largest Van Gogh collection — 200 paintings, 500 drawings, tracing his development from dark early works to the luminous late period. Allow 1.5–2 hours. The audio guide is excellent and included.

Amsterdam's beloved city park is a 5-minute walk from the museums. Stroll through, grab a coffee at the Vondelpark Pavilion, and decompress after the museum intensity. In summer the park fills with locals, street musicians, and free outdoor performances at the open-air theatre. In winter it's quieter and beautiful. Free to enter.

Leidseplein is a lively square a short walk from Vondelpark with a good range of restaurants. Brasserie Blazer (Dutch comfort food) and Café de Tuin (classic Amsterdam brown café) are both solid choices. This area is also where many of the live music venues are if you want a late drink.

One of the most visited and most important sites in Amsterdam. The hidden annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during the Nazi occupation, now a museum preserving her diary, photographs, and the rooms where they lived. Deeply affecting — allow 1.5–2 hours. Tickets must be booked in advance: timed entry slots open 2 months ahead and sell out within minutes.

The Anne Frank House is at the edge of the Jordaan, Amsterdam's most charming neighbourhood — narrow streets, independent boutiques, brown cafés, and 17th-century canal houses. Walk south through the Jordaan without a plan: pop into Noordermarkt (Saturday only) or Lindengracht market (Saturday), browse the vintage shops on Westerstraat, and stop for a coffee at Lot Sixty One (one of Amsterdam's best specialty cafés, Kinkerstraat 112).

Broodje Bert (Elandsgracht) does excellent Dutch-style sandwiches at good prices. Festina Lente (Looiersgracht) is a classic brown café with good food and a canal-side terrace. Winkel 43 (Noordermarkt) has the famous apple pie — worth the queue.

An Amsterdam canal boat tour is the single best way to see the city and understand its shape. The UNESCO-listed canal ring looks completely different from the water — you see the gabled rooftops, houseboats, and 17th-century merchant warehouses at the right angle. A standard 1-hour tour loops through the main canals and is genuinely lovely. Hop-on hop-off boats exist but the 1-hour fixed tour is better value. Take a tour from the docks near Rembrandtplein or the Prinsengracht area.

The largest outdoor market in the Netherlands, running Monday–Saturday. Fresh stroopwafels, herring stands, Indonesian food stalls, cheap clothing, flowers and household goods. Wander south from the canal ring — it's about a 20-minute walk from the city centre, or a 5-minute tram. De Pijp is a great neighbourhood for an early dinner.

De Pijp has the best restaurant density in Amsterdam outside the city centre. Restaurant Bazar (Middle Eastern, generous portions, good value) and Bar Fisk (seafood, great natural wine list) are both standouts. The neighbourhood is also the best in Amsterdam for a casual evening drink in a local bar rather than a tourist-facing one.

One of Amsterdam's most peaceful and least-visited spots — a hidden medieval courtyard tucked off busy Spui square, containing a ring of historic almshouses around a garden. The oldest wooden house in Amsterdam is here. Enter through an unmarked door on Gedempte Begijnensloot — no signs outside. Free entry but quiet and respectful behaviour is expected. Arrive before 10am to have it mostly to yourself.

Dam Square is Amsterdam's central square and one of its oldest, with the Royal Palace (free to visit on many days — check opening times), the Nieuwe Kerk (free exterior), and the National Monument. It's busy and touristy but worth a brief visit. From Dam Square, walk down Kalverstraat for shopping or east toward Rembrandtplein for more interesting architecture. The Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes) between the main canals is the best area for independent boutiques — a 10-minute walk west of Dam Square.

Try a broodje haring (raw herring with onions and pickles) from a street stall near the Bloemenmarkt — this is genuinely the authentic Amsterdam fast food experience. If herring isn't for you, Café Hoppe on Spui (est. 1670) is a classic brown café with good food and an extraordinary history.

The rooftop terrace of NEMO Science Museum is one of Amsterdam's best free viewpoints — sweeping views across the harbour, the old city, and the canal ring. You don't need a museum ticket to access the rooftop (free). Take the free IJ ferry from Centraal Station to the Buiksloterweg stop for a bonus water crossing — the IJ ferries are free, run 24/7, and give you the view of Centraal Station from the water that most tourists miss.

Cross back over the IJ on the ferry to Amsterdam Noord — the city's post-industrial creative quarter. The EYE Film Museum (stunning architecture, free to enter the building, exhibitions extra) and ADAM Tower (observation deck, panoramic views) are both here. The neighbourhood around Tolhuistuin and NDSM Wharf has a rough-edged, authentic vibe very different from the tourist centre. Good for a late afternoon wander and an early dinner at one of the Noord restaurants before catching your flight.