Amsterdam
EN

City guide · 2026 edition

Amsterdam,
your way.

Canals, the Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank and brown cafés. Build your itinerary, see how far it is to walk, and add dinner and a night out.

Plan your perfect trip

How long are you staying?
Who are you travelling with?
First time here?
What do you want to do?
Your budget?
or start from our suggested plan below
01

Itinerary

Your schedule

Day 1

  1. 09:30 Dam Square – The historic heart of the city, with the Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk and the National Monument.
  2. 10:00 Royal Palace Amsterdam – A 17th-century city hall turned royal palace, with marble state rooms and an audio guide.
  3. 11:30 Begijnhof – A hidden courtyard of 14th-century almshouses, with the oldest wooden house in the city.
  4. 12:00 De Negen Straatjes (Nine Streets) – Nine small streets between the canals, full of boutiques, vintage shops, cafés and galleries.
  5. 15:30 Anne Frank House – The canal-side hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her diary; book a timed ticket weeks ahead.
  6. 17:00 Jordaan – Former working-class quarter with narrow streets, hidden courtyards, brown cafés and small galleries.

Day 2

  1. 09:30 Rijksmuseum – The national museum, home to Rembrandt’s Night Watch and Vermeer’s Milkmaid.
  2. 13:30 Van Gogh Museum – The world’s largest collection of Van Gogh paintings, drawings and letters.
  3. 15:15 Vondelpark – The city’s biggest park, with ponds, lawns, a rose garden and open-air terraces.

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02

Eat & drink

Restaurants near your stops

Book your meals into your day. Every day has a breakfast slot (avg. 45m, or mark it as at your hotel), a lunch slot (avg. 1h 15m) and a dinner slot (avg. 1h 30m). Use “＋ Add to schedule” on any place below, or pick one straight from a slot in your schedule.

  • Haesje Claes (Dutch · €€ · Centre)
  • d'Vijff Vlieghen (Dutch · €€€ · Centre)
  • Kantjil & de Tijger (Indonesian · €€ · Centre)
  • Café Luxembourg (Brasserie · €€ · Centre)
  • The Seafood Bar (Brasserie · €€€ · Centre)
  • Pannenkoeken Upstairs (Pancakes · € · Centre)
  • Café de Jaren (Brown café · €€ · Centre)
  • Tempo Doeloe (Indonesian · €€€ · Plantage & East)
  • Indrapura (Indonesian · €€ · Centre)
  • Sluizer (Brasserie · €€€ · Plantage & East)
  • Nam Kee (World · € · Centre)
  • Hoi Tin (World · €€ · Centre)
  • De Hemelse Modder (Brasserie · €€€ · Centre)
  • In de Waag (Modern European · €€€ · Centre)
  • De Bakkerswinkel Warmoesstraat (Café · € · Centre)
  • Cannibale Royale (Burgers · €€ · Centre)
  • Café de Reiger (Brown café · €€ · Canal Belt & Jordaan)
  • Caffè Toscanini (Italian · €€€ · Canal Belt & Jordaan)
  • Pancakes Amsterdam (Pancakes · € · Canal Belt & Jordaan)
  • Brasserie Ambassade (Brasserie · €€€ · Canal Belt & Jordaan)
03

After dark

Amsterdam by night

04

Good to know

Practical info & fares

Pickpockets and bike theft

  • Pickpockets work Centraal Station, Dam Square, the Red Light District, Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein, crowded trams (lines 2, 14, 24) and museum queues
  • Keep your phone in a front pocket, bag zipped and in front of you, and never leave a phone or wallet on a café table or hanging on a chair
  • Bike theft is common: if you rent a bike, lock it to something fixed with two locks, never leave it on a bridge or railing that is not marked for bikes, and report a theft to the police
  • Be wary of people who start a fuss or ask for help around a ticket machine, and of fake officials offering a fine to pay in cash

Book ahead

  • Anne Frank House tickets are online only: they are released every Tuesday at 10:00 for six weeks later, and sell out in minutes (€16.50 adult, €7 ages 10–17, €1 under 10, booking fee included)
  • Rijksmuseum (€25, under 19 free) and the Van Gogh Museum need a booked start time: tickets sold online only, often sold out days ahead
  • Book Heineken Experience, A'DAM Lookout, ARTIS and canal cruises online: you often save money and skip the queue
  • Evening canal cruises and the Concertgebouw also sell out on weekends: book ahead in busy months

Bikes and bike lanes

  • The red-tinted lanes are bike lanes: do not stop or walk in them; bikes are fast and rarely stop for pedestrians
  • Trams have priority over everything: look and listen at the crossings, and do not walk on the tram rails
  • Look both ways before crossing any street, even a one-way: many bikes, scooters and e-bikes come from every direction, also on pavements and in pedestrian streets
  • Cycling is the fastest way across the centre, but a rented bike with your luggage is a clear target for thieves: use a hotel or secure parking

Cards, not cash

  • Amsterdam is very card-friendly: most shops, cafés, trams and museums take contactless payments (Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  • Some places are pin-only or take debit cards only: Maestro and V Pay were phased out in the Netherlands, and Dutch banks are replacing them with Debit Mastercard/Visa Debit by the end of 2026
  • A few smaller places and market stalls do not accept credit cards or foreign cards; keep €20–50 in cash for markets and small bars
  • Cash is not accepted in some museums, on GVB vehicles and in some cafés: pay by card or with a ticket

City rules for visitors

  • Cannabis smoking is banned on the street in the Red Light District (De Wallen), around Dam Square and Nieuwmarkt (fine around €100); you can still smoke on a coffeeshop terrace
  • Drinking alcohol on the street is banned in parts of the centre, with a fine of about €95–150: drink on a terrace instead
  • Photographing sex workers is forbidden (also in the windows): phones and cameras can be taken or you can be fined or attacked
  • Tourist tax: 12.5% of the room price (excluding VAT) in 2026, added to your hotel bill; the city has announced increases in the next years

Getting in from Schiphol

  • The train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal takes about 16 minutes and costs about €5.50 (2nd class e-ticket); it runs every few minutes
  • Bus 397 goes straight to Museumplein, Leidseplein and Elandsgracht in about 30 minutes for about €6.50: handy for the Museum Quarter
  • The Amsterdam Travel Ticket (€20, 27 or 34) includes a Schiphol transfer plus unlimited GVB for 1 to 3 days
  • A taxi is metered and slow at rush hour: take the train unless you have a lot of luggage

Shops, water and crowd days

  • Tap water is safe and good: refill your bottle anywhere; public toilets are scarce and usually cost about €0.50–1, so use a café or museum
  • Sundays and Mondays: most shops open from 12:00 or 13:00 on Sunday, many smaller shops close on Monday morning, and many restaurants close on Monday
  • King's Day (27 April) floods the city with a huge street party in orange; Liberation Day (5 May) is quieter and not a general day off in 2026
  • Other busy days: Pride (early August), the Tulip season (April–May), Christmas lights and Amsterdam Light Festival (December–January), Koningsnacht and Dutch holidays
05

Local life

Markets

Markets run on set days, so they are info only and not part of your schedule.

All markets, with a full guide →