Canal houses with red shutters and barges on the Brouwersgracht in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 8.5 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days let you separate postcard Amsterdam from historic Amsterdam and add one art stop and one green stop without watching the clock. It is the best-balanced plan: a comfortable pace, sit-down meals and an evening of legends. It suits first-timers who want the highlights without burning out, with about 8.5 km of routes in total.

Day 1Anne Frank, Van Gogh and legends

Begin with “The best of Amsterdam: from Anne Frank to The Night Watch”, which starts at the Anne Frank House (book your ticket) and passes the Westerkerk, Dam Square and the Begijnhof. Eat raw herring by the canal. The afternoon goes to the Van Gogh Museum and Vondelpark, a short stroll from the Rijksmuseum where the route ends. At dusk, head back to the centre for “Severed heads, hidden churches and weeping women”, with the House with the Heads and Torensluis Bridge, and have bitterballen for dinner in a brown café.

  1. Morning

    The best of Amsterdam: from Anne Frank to The Night Watch

    Mixed · 2.9 km · 2 h 15 min

    1. Anne Frank HouseThe canal house where eight people hid for two years and a girl wrote the most widely read diary in the world.
    2. WesterkerkAmsterdam's tallest tower, crowned with an emperor's crown, and Rembrandt's lost grave.
    3. Dam SquareThe city's living room: a palace, the church of royal inaugurations and the monument where the nation falls silent every 4 May.
    4. BegijnhofA secret courtyard in the middle of the city, with Amsterdam's most famous wooden house.
    5. Flower MarketA flower market on barges along the canal, and a tower that minted coins during a war.
    6. RijksmuseumThe palace of Dutch art, with a cycle tunnel and The Night Watch at the end of the gallery.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Raw herring (haring) at Stubbe's Haring. Singel, Haarlemmersluis

  3. Afternoon

    Van Gogh Museum

    The world’s largest Van Gogh collection, with self-portraits, landscapes and the painter’s letters, on Museumplein right next to the Rijksmuseum. Allow one to two hours. Tickets are timed, so book a few days ahead.

    Directions

    Vondelpark

    The city’s great park, with ponds, lawns and paths made for unhurried strolling. It is a few minutes from Museumplein, so it is the perfect breather after the museums. Grab a café terrace or a patch of grass and watch the cyclists glide by.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Severed heads, hidden churches and weeping women

    Mysteries & legends · 3 km · 2 h 15 min

    1. House with the HeadsSix heads on a façade, and the maid who, legend says, beheaded six burglars.
    2. Torensluis BridgeA bridge as wide as a square, hiding the dungeons of a vanished tower.
    3. BegijnhofA beguine who asked to be buried in the street, and a hidden chapel that keeps the memory of a miracle.
    4. Our Lord in the AtticAn entire Catholic church hidden under the roof of a merchant's house.
    5. Schreierstoren, the Weeping TowerDid sailors' wives weep here, or is it all a five-hundred-year-old misunderstanding?
    6. The WaagA city gate turned weigh house and theatre for dissecting corpses.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Bitterballen and kroketten at Café Hoppe. Spui 18-20

Day 2Merchants and gardens

Today is “Amsterdam, from Dam to Golden Age”, which leaves Dam Square and drops down through the Oude Kerk, the Schreierstoren and Rembrandt House to the Portuguese Synagogue. It ends near the old Jewish Quarter, so at lunchtime look for apple pie with whipped cream in any café. The afternoon heads east: the Maritime Museum covers the same merchant world you have just walked through, and the Hortus Botanicus slows the pace before you say goodbye.

  1. Morning

    Amsterdam, from Dam to Golden Age

    History · 2.6 km · 2 h

    1. Dam Square and the Royal PalaceThe dam that gave the city its name, and the town hall hailed as the eighth wonder of the world.
    2. Oude KerkAmsterdam's oldest building, with a floor made of graves and the Red Light District on its doorstep.
    3. SchreierstorenThe city-wall tower from which Henry Hudson set sail towards what would become New York.
    4. East India HouseHeadquarters of the VOC, the first great multinational in history, now part of a university.
    5. Rembrandt HouseThe house Rembrandt bought at the height of his fame and lost in ruin.
    6. Portuguese SynagogueThe temple of the Sephardic Jews who found in Amsterdam the freedom Iberia had denied them.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Dutch apple pie (appeltaart) at Café 't Papeneiland. Prinsengracht 2

  3. Afternoon

    Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum)

    Housed in a former naval storehouse from 1656, it tells how the sea made the city rich. A replica VOC ship is moored outside, a nice echo of what you saw at the Oost-Indisch Huis. A good choice on a rainy afternoon.

    Directions

    Hortus Botanicus

    One of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, founded in 1638 as a medicinal herb garden. Its greenhouses and tropical garden are a green retreat near the old Jewish Quarter and Rembrandt House. Allow a quiet hour.

    Directions

The map

Amsterdam in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Amsterdam in 2 days

  • Book the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum several days ahead: those are the tickets that sell out first.
  • Get around on foot and by tram. Cycling has its own rules and the bike traffic is overwhelming at first; over two days it is not worth it.
  • If it rains, swap Vondelpark for more time in the Rijksmuseum. Dutch weather changes several times a day, so pack a light rain jacket.

Questions

Amsterdam in 2 days: your questions

Is two days enough for Amsterdam?

Yes, for a first visit. In two days you can do all three routes, two museums and a bit of greenery without rushing. Markets and farther-flung districts will wait, but you will leave with a clear picture of the city.

How much do you walk in two days?

About 5.9 km of routes on day one and about 2.6 km on day two, plus the trips to museums and meals. Day two is much lighter, a good chance to rest your legs.

Do you need to book tickets in advance?

For the Anne Frank House, yes: tickets are sold online and well ahead. The Van Gogh Museum is worth booking too, as entry is timed. Other places usually leave more room to decide at short notice.

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