Here’s my suggested itinerary for Amsterdam in 1 week.
See my post on Amsterdam for more in-depth ideas and other options for your time in this amazing city!
| One Week in Amsterdam | |
| Day 1 | • Arrival and check-in • Self-Guided tour of downtown and area around apartment rental/hotel (see Amsterdam Post for a suggested route) • Visit grocery store for breakfast and snack supplies as needed • If you are not jet-lagged from North America, hop on a canal tour (but don’t do this if you have just arrived from North America! You will be lulled to sleep in no time!). Otherwise, if you still have energy but aren’t up for the canal tour, try the Amsterdam Museum on your tour of the Centrum |
| Day 2 | • Jordaan Food Tour (3.5 hours) • Shopping & wandering afternoon along Kalverstraat • Stop for French Fries at Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx and Stroopwafels at van Wonderen Stroopwafels • Evening visit to the Van Gogh Museum with pre-purchased tickets (check website for opening hours – hours may vary) |
| Day 3 | • Visit the Anne Frank Museum (be sure to purchase your tickets online ahead of time) • Wander around Noordermarkt (Mondays and Saturdays) • Pick any of the cute little cafés in the 9 Streets (De Negen Straatjes) for lunch • Wander around the 9 Streets, stopping in the shops and pausing for a coffee to people-watch • If shopping isn’t your “thing,” choose a canal tour if you didn’t do it on Day 1 – or the lovely Amsterdam Museum In the evening, dinner and a wander around the twinkling canals at night |
| Day 4 | • 4 hour Country Bike Tour with WeBikeAmsterdam • Canal Boat Tour (if you hadn’t done it already – admittedly, it is a nice event for the afternoon after the bike tour!) • Visit one of the museums: Our Lord in the Attic or Rembrandt House • Be forewarned that we were quite tired after this day and chose to order-in at the end of the day! |
| Day 5 | Day Trip! Most of these places are easily reached within an hour by train from Amsterdam Options: Delft, Keukenhof (in the spring), Zaanse Schans & Edam, Marken & Volendam, Leiden, or a beach day at Zandvoort Beach |
| Day 6 | • Rijksmuseum • Vondelpark • This afternoon you have time to add in any shopping, museums, restaurants or “wandering” that you’d like • Evening: Westergasfabriek – a new area of restaurants and shops in an old gas factory |
| Day 7 | • Pack up & Check-Out (ask to store bags until your flight or train departs) • Add anything in Amsterdam that you may have missed – including: OCO Museum – modern, contemporary and street art Stedelijk Museum – modern & contemporary art NEMO Science Museum De Hallen – a food hall and cultural centre Eye Film Museum – take a free 3 minute ferry to the north shore and walk to this museum with an (apparently) fabulous café A’Dam Lookout & Over The Edge Swing – also on the north side near the Eye Museum is an observation deck with the highest swing in Europe Wander around the De Pijp neighbourhood – cool cafés & shops OR… save some of these things for the next time since you’ll want to return to Amsterdam the minute you leave…! |
Want more details about this amazing city?
Check out my post with all of my Amsterdam trip tips!
