The Ultimate Amsterdam Itinerary: What To Do In Dam

The Netherlands (Amsterdam) is typically high up on many people's bucket lists and rightly so! The Netherlands is full of tulip fields in spring, wonky tall narrow houses and many canals and windmills. Amsterdam is the place tourists typically opt for and to be honest, we think that is the wrong choice. Hence why we have not created a specific itinerary for you.

Yes, Amsterdam is a cool place to go but between the months of March and October, it is full of other tourists which generally spoil the experience. So many Amsterdam tourists in fact, with a large chunk indulging in the legal marijuana, that the country cannot cope with the amount of tourism and have had many discussions around limiting the amount of tourists entering the country. One of the rumoured tactics is increasing flight fares and stopping the Eurostar. See our travel guide about travelling to and from the Netherlands for more information.

We love the Netherlands so much that between October 2023 and earlier this year, we called it our dear home. There are many more interesting places to visit in the Netherlands that will give you a true Dutch experience which Amsterdam cannot. Such as: Utrecht, Den Haag, Groningen, Gouda, Rotterdam, and Maastricht.

Nonetheless, Amsterdam is still worth visiting for a day or two and so here is our Ultimate Guide to Amsterdam to make sure you see the best of the city!

Language: Dutch

Population: 1,182,000

Currency: Euro €

Average price of a coffee: €3,65

HOW TO USE THE MAP

Tap the icons on the map to learn more about each point of interest. To save this map for later, click the star next to its title to add it to your Google account. Then, open the Google Maps app, go to ‘Saved’, and select ‘Maps’. You’ll now see this map listed under its title.

When to visit Amsterdam?

Unfortunately, you cannot be so prepared when planning a trip to the Netherlands, the UK too for that matter. Statistically, it rains every other day. Summer, winter, autumn, spring, it doesn't really matter so much because it really is that unpredictable. Think about what you want to see in the Netherlands and that will determine the best time for your trip.

Tulip season: March-April

Best weather: July & August

Oktoberfest: late September - October (it changes each year)

Christmas markets: November & December

How to use this itinerary

Instead of a step-by-step hour-by-hour itinerary that we usually create for you, such as 3 Perfect Days in Brussels, we have given you all of the awesome things that you can do whilst you're in Amsterdam. You can choose which activities you wish to do and which sites you want to see and create your own itinerary. A little bit like pick n mix sweets!

Max Verstappen's Red Bull F1 Racing Car, Heineken Experience

1. Boat trip along the canals

We might be slightly biased in our opinion as we absolutely love a boat trip but they are extremely popular with tourists. You can book your boat trip through a local guide or Get Your Guide and explore Amsterdam in the best spot - on the canal. You can do various boat trips, ones with unlimited cheese and wine for example, and those that are visiting Amsterdam for alternative reasons, Marijuana boat trips.

The tour guides are amazing and will point out some of the most beautiful spots to take pictures as well as the history of the once biggest trading city, Amsterdam.

Booking: book in advance, a couple days out of season, a few weeks before peak season.

2. Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House is a must-do activity in Amsterdam. Feeling first hand the effects of World War II to us, should be mandatory education and visiting her secret hiding place truly is a must. Tickets sell out months in advance and it is so worth it. We would recommend you book the option where you have a 30-minute introduction first.

Timings: Allow 2 hours to visit.

Booking: tickets are released every Tuesday at 10am CET for 6 weeks later, so set your alarms, particularly during peak season. Note: We have tried to go in March, April, July, and November and they have been sold out 2-3 weeks in advance at the least, particularly weekend spots.

Link: https://www.annefrank.org/en/museum/tickets/choose-your-ticket/

3. Heineken Experience

Visiting the Heineken Experience really is a fun couple of hours, even if you're not a beer drinker. It is an interactive experience where you learn the importance of Heineken within Dutch culture as well as the history of how it is made. Heineken have done an incredible job at establishing themselves as one of the most widely drank beers globally. The experience is fun and at the end you get 2 x half pints to enjoy! There are 3 options of Heineken to choose from, including a non-alcoholic version.

Here in the experience you can also see the real F1 car of Max Verstappen and a couple of his trophies.

Timing: Allow 2-3 hours.

Booking: Get your tickets a couple weeks in advance as they can sell out.

Link: https://www.heinekenexperience.com/en/discover-our-tours/heineken-tour/

4. Sexmuseum

The Sexmuseum in Amsterdam is a really interesting place if you're not shy of some vulgar images and history of the importance of brothels in the red light district in Amsterdam history. It is also quite funny to walk around, particularly if you go with someone who doesn't know what they're getting themselves in for! Just like Emmy's Nan, who thought the whole experience was a nightmare but did see the funny side.

Timings: Allow 45-minutes to an hour.

Bookings: On the door, cash only.

5. Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is a big beautiful building that hosts amazing art from Rembrandt to the girl with the pearl earring. If you're an art lover - go for it. If you don't want to enter, still go and see the outside and walk through the underpass to the gardens.

Timings: Allow 1 hour if you're going inside, 30 minutes if you're not.

Booking: Book in advance via the official website. If you're going to explore many museums in Amsterdam, purchasing a Netherlands Museum Pass might be worth your money.

Link: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/tickets/articles & https://www.museum.nl/en/museumpass

6. Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum is located on the other side of the Rijksmuseum and if you're interested in his art, this is a great option for you. If you're not a Van Gogh fanatic, it might not be worth your time, considering the Starry Night painting is actually in Tate Modern, London. You can find the Bedroom painting in here as well as some other similar artists from other times.

Timing: Allow 1-2 hours.

Booking: Tickets in advance - be warned, no luggage or even tiny bags with wheels are allowed. They are very strict on the door. Tickets included in Netherlands Museum Kaart.

Ticket link: https://tickets.vangoghmuseum.com/en/tickets

7. Tony's Chocolate Shop

Here you can buy all of the flavours of the delicious Tony's Chocolate as well as create your own bar! It's well worth doing if you're a chocolate fan. We had one made in honour of our then recent engagement.

8. Red Light District

The red light district is one of the most famous parts of Amsterdam and partly what it is known for worldwide. The red light district currently operates as a street filled with brothels with some opportunities to watch live sex shows. This part of Amsterdam is a very unique place that oddly attracts many tourists. It is really quite interesting to take a walk down the street (find on interactive map above) with all the big red lights and beautiful canals. If you're not interested in taking a walk down in the evening when the brothel windows are full then go in the afternoon. You might find a couple of ladies in the windows but it is rare in the day time.

Please note: you must be respectful of the women and not take photos of them. These women rely on customers for work and are not there to pose for your touristic photos. Further, there are many charities working alongside these women for sex trafficking aid and support.

Timing: 20 mins for a walk and longer if you would like to stop for a service (no judgement here!) or grab a drink in the red-lit bars.

Booking: free

Street name: Oudezijds Voorburgwal

9. Upside Down Museum

The museum is in the south of Amsterdam and makes for a fun afternoon if the weather is poor or you have always wanted to know what it might feel like to be topsy-turvy or inside out. There are a couple of opportunities to stop for some stereotypical Dutch pictures.

Allow: 90 minutes, great activity with kids

Booking: a few weeks in advance during popular seasons

Link: https://tickets.the-upsidedown.com/en/tickets

10. Canals and Crooked Houses

The best thing to do in Amsterdam is walk along the canals. There are so many you can stroll down and snap some pictures of the millions of bikes lining the streets. Particularly, there is a street called 'Reguliersgracht' where you can go to see all of the bridges form across the canals. We are yet to go here!

Walking along the canals you will also spot the wonky and crooked houses. The houses are sinking as the foundations are not stable in the naturally mushy marsh that lines beneath them.

11. Dam Square

Dam Square is the main square in Amsterdam. You can stop here to view the architecture.

12. Tulips/Keukenhof

Between March and early May you can go and see the famous tulip garden called Keukenhof. There are various places you can be collected from, particularly in Amsterdam, click here for more information.

Seeing the tulips is a wonderful experience but you can also see them all the way through the Netherlands during the season! Our honest opinion is that Keukenhof is not worth the money on its own and instead search on Get Your Guide or local tours for cycling tours through tulip fields. I can imagine this is a much better experience.

However if your pockets are quite shallow, you can walk around Amsterdam to see the flower beds dotted all around the city.

Timing: Half a day

Booking: In advance, particularly during weekends

Link: https://keukenhof.nl/nl/

13. Xtra Cold Ice Bar Amsterdam

The ice bar is a really interesting experience for those that like to do cool and random things. The ice bar is essentially a bar set in a freezer. You drink from ice cups and sit on ice chairs. Sound like an activity for you?