Canal houses with red shutters and barges on the Brouwersgracht in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam in 3 days

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

Three days let you see Amsterdam the way locals live it: with time to sit by a canal, hop across to Amsterdam North or get lost in a neighbourhood with no plan. We combine our three routes with museums, a garden, a viewpoint and the Jordaan. The pace is easy, perfect if you want to fall for the city rather than just tick it off a list.

Day 1The classics and the art

Day one is the classic. “The best of Amsterdam: from Anne Frank to The Night Watch” takes you from the Anne Frank House to the Rijksmuseum, past the Westerkerk, Dam Square and the Flower Market. Book Anne Frank early and set off first thing, because the Prinsengracht is much nicer without crowds. Have raw herring for lunch and save the afternoon for the Van Gogh Museum next door and Vondelpark. No rush: there is plenty of walking tomorrow too.

  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

Day 2Golden Age and the VOC

“Amsterdam, from Dam to Golden Age” fills the morning: from Dam Square to the Oude Kerk, the Schreierstoren and Rembrandt House, ending at the Portuguese Synagogue. There is a lot of history per square metre, so stop for bitterballen with mustard. In the afternoon, the Hortus Botanicus and the Maritime Museum are close by and both tell the story of the VOC. Finish with a stroll along the water before dinner.

  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 Bitterballen and kroketten at Café Hoppe. Spui 18-20

  3. Afternoon

    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

    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

Day 3Views, a district and legends

The last day mixes views and neighbourhood. Take the free ferry from Central Station to the A’DAM Lookout to see the city from above, then come back to get lost in the Jordaan. Have apple pie on a terrace by the canal. At dusk, “Severed heads, hidden churches and weeping women” takes you past the House with the Heads, the Begijnhof and the Waag. Close the trip with a toast of jenever, the Dutch spirit.

  1. Morning

    A’DAM Lookout

    A rooftop viewpoint on a tower in Amsterdam North, with 360-degree views over the canals and the harbour. You get there on the free ferry that leaves from behind Central Station, a crossing of just a few minutes. Best on a clear day.

    Directions

    The Jordaan

    A former working-class district of narrow lanes, small canals, galleries and brown cafés, a short walk from the Westerkerk. It is the quietest, most everyday Amsterdam. Wander without a map along Egelantiersgracht or Bloemgracht and, on a Saturday, drop by the Noordermarkt market.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

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

  3. 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

  4. Dinner

    Try Jenever at Wynand Fockink. Pijlsteeg 31

The map

Amsterdam in 3 days, on the map

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

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Amsterdam in 3 days

  • A museum pass only pays off if you plan to visit three or more; otherwise single tickets work out cheaper. Do the maths before you pay.
  • Many museums change their hours or close one day a week: check opening times before fixing the order of your days.
  • The free ferry to A’DAM leaves from behind Central Station. Bring a layer, because it gets windy at the top.

Questions

Amsterdam in 3 days: your questions

Is three days too long for Amsterdam?

Not if you like to go slowly. The city is small, but between the routes, a couple of museums and districts like the Jordaan, three days fill up nicely. If you only want the routes, two days is plenty.

Is the A’DAM Lookout worth it?

In good weather, yes: it is the best panorama of the harbour and the city, and the free ferry ride is a mini-outing in itself. In fog or rain, skip it and spend the morning in the Jordaan.

How far do you walk in three days?

The three routes add up to about 8.5 km, one a day (2.9, 2.6 and 3.0 km). On top of that come the walks between museums, parks and restaurants. It is a gentle, very manageable pace.

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