Stories · Netherlands
5 days in Amsterdam
Not a list: a thread to follow, at your own pace.
Amsterdam is visited by bike or not at all. The canals, the leaning houses, museums among the finest in Europe: it all fits in a circle you cross in twenty minutes. The rest is the art of sitting by the water with a coffee, watching the boats go by.
Day 1 · Museums and culture
To start, head to Rijksmuseum. The Night Watch, Vermeer, and the library. Enter at opening, head for the Gallery of Honour, then wander. Two full hours. 4.7 out of 5 across 116,695 reviews: few places are this unanimous. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
Around noon, it’s Blue girl street art. I always pick two or three rooms rather than seeing everything. You walk out light. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
After lunch, meet me at Rembrandts Amsterdam Experience. The audio guides are worth it; otherwise, follow a group and steal three anecdotes on the way. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (2,180 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. Amsterdam is a city that tells itself better at night.
Day 2 · Fresh air
Early in the morning, I make my way to Vondelpark. By bike, on a Sunday, between joggers and picnics: the city’s lung and its mirror. 4.7 out of 5 across 61,606 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Getting there: here is the route by public transport. To get a feel for it: travellers’ reviews.
Then, head to Museumplein. Go late in the afternoon: the heat drops, the light softens and the photos take themselves. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (1,904 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: how to get there · travellers’ reviews.
Lunch without a plan: the first noisy room you pass is often the right one.
Later, it’s Hans Snoekfontein. It’s the kind of place that makes you go quiet for a moment, even when you thought you knew it all. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or go through Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Amsterdam does the rest.
Day 3 · Day trip
In the morning, I make my way to Zaanse Schans. Twenty minutes by train and windmills turning by the water, green houses, a cheese farm. An unapologetic postcard, a successful morning. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise go through Tiqets.
Late morning, meet me at Keukenhof. Late March to mid-May only: seven million tulips. If your dates fall within, it is the excursion not to miss. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
Day 4 · Museums and culture
Early in the morning, meet me at Anne Frank House. Tickets are sold online weeks in advance, and only online. The annex is small, the silence total, and you come out changed. 4.5 out of 5 across 76,754 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
Around noon, I make my way to Amsterdam Interactive City Tour - Jordaan. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
In the afternoon, it’s Embassy of the Free Mind. Give it a good two hours, and leave before you are full: that is the secret to wanting to come back. 4.5 out of 5 across 268 reviews: few places are this unanimous. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Amsterdam does the rest.
Day 5 · The icons
Early in the morning, it’s WONDR Experience. The kids will still be talking about it weeks later. So will the adults, though they admit it less. Travellers give it 4.8 out of 5 (23,267 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
Late morning, I make my way to This is Holland. You’ve seen it a hundred times in pictures; in person it is bigger, closer, more alive. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (12,129 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: the public-transport route; skip-the-line book your visit, otherwise go through Tiqets.
Lunch without a plan: the first noisy room you pass is often the right one.
In the afternoon, I make my way to A'DAM Lookout. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. 4.6 out of 5 across 31,095 reviews: few places are this unanimous. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise go through Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Amsterdam does the rest.
If you’re still hungry
I still have a few up my sleeve: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam Forest, Book Now - Amsterdam Evening Canal Cruise, Muiderslot, Jordaan and the Nine Streets and Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder. Your call.
My advice
Rent a bike from day one, but stay on the lanes and signal your turns: Amsterdammers do not joke.
Museums are booked online with a time slot; without a ticket you stay outside.
A brown café, a glass of lager and bitterballen: the perfect late afternoon.
Safe travels. And get lost at least once; that is where Amsterdam begins.
A Triovol story · written by someone who would go back tomorrow
Opening hours, prices and closures change: a quick look at the venue’s website before you go avoids bad surprises.