4 days in Amsterdam

Day by day

1. Day 1: Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum

   Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Vondelpark, then A'DAM Lookout in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Rijksmuseum

      Allow 3 hours (mid-priced). Head straight to the Gallery of Honour at opening, then explore the quieter medieval and 20th-century floors.

   2. Late morning

      Van Gogh Museum

      His letters to his brother Theo add a moving personal thread.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Stroopwafel

      Market stalls at the Albert Cuyp and Lindengracht markets make them to order.

   4. Afternoon

      Vondelpark

      Allow 1–2 hours (free). Pick up picnic supplies in Oud-West and head for the lawns by the central ponds.

   5. Evening

      A'DAM Lookout

      Take the free ferry from behind Centraal Station to Buiksloterweg, a five-minute crossing, and go up for sunset.

2. Day 2: Stedelijk Museum and Anne Frank House

   Stedelijk Museum, Anne Frank House and Canal Ring walk, then Leidseplein in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Stedelijk Museum

      The city's museum of modern art and design, a 19th-century building with a white extension nicknamed 'the bathtub', covers Mondrian, Malevich, Kandinsky, Karel Appel and the CoBrA group, Warhol and contemporary design.

   2. Late morning

      Anne Frank House

      Allow 1–1.5 hours (low cost). Check the museum's website for when tickets are released and book as soon as they appear; there are no tickets at the door.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Raw herring

      Herring carts and fish stalls across the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Canal Ring walk

      The Golden Bend of the Herengracht has the grandest mansions, and from the corner of Reguliersgracht and Herengracht you can see a row of arched bridges lined up one behind another.

   5. Evening

      Leidseplein

      Bars, the live-music venues Paradiso and Melkweg, and late-night cafés around the square.

3. Day 3: Canal cruise and The Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes)

   Canal cruise, The Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes) and The Jordaan, then Rembrandtplein in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Canal cruise

      Allow 1–1.5 hours (low cost). Choose a small open boat on a fine evening or a covered boat in winter, and compare operators rather than booking from touts at Centraal Station.

   2. Late morning

      The Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes)

      With bridges and canal views at every junction, they are among the city's most photogenic shopping streets.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bitterballen

      Brown cafés and pubs everywhere.

   4. Afternoon

      The Jordaan

      Allow Half a day (free). Visit on a Saturday morning for the Noordermarkt and the Lindengracht market, then sit outside a brown café.

   5. Evening

      Rembrandtplein

      Busy bars and clubs, with LGBTQ+ venues on nearby Reguliersdwarsstraat.

4. Day 4: Day trip to Haarlem

   About 15 minutes by train each way. Getting there: NS train from Centraal Station.

   1. Morning

      Travel to Haarlem

      About 15 minutes by train (NS train from Centraal Station); about 20 km.

   2. Day

      Haarlem

      A smaller, calmer Amsterdam with canals, almshouse courtyards and the Grote Markt dominated by St Bavo's Church, whose organ Mozart played as a boy. The Frans Hals Museum and the Teylers Museum, the oldest museum in the Netherlands, are the highlights.

   3. Evening

      Back in Amsterdam

      Dinner: try Kroket.

Before you go

Reserve timed tickets for Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House before you travel; the rest of this plan needs no advance booking.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 4 nights, Canal Ring (Grachtengordel) keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Jordaan ($$$) suits couples, food lovers, quiet stays and shopping. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 17–22 hours of visiting over 4 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 7.7 hours in December to 16.8 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Amsterdam
• 2 days in Amsterdam
• 3 days in Amsterdam
• 5 days in Amsterdam
• 7 days in Amsterdam

Questions travellers ask