The Wandering Adventurer

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There are cities that charm you, and then there is Amsterdam — a place that stops you in your tracks the moment you step off the train. Seventeen canals lacing through the city like ribbons of silver, centuries-old gabled townhouses leaning gracefully over the water, world-class museums tucked into historic buildings, and a spirit of openness and creativity that makes it one of the most captivating destinations in Europe. Whether you have two days or two weeks, Amsterdam rewards you endlessly — and this guide will help you make the very most of every hour.

This guide covers the top 10 things to do in Amsterdam — with Viator booking links for every experience so you can skip the queues and make the most of every precious hour in this extraordinary city.

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🎨 1. The Rijksmuseum

⏱ Allow: 2–3 hours  |  💵 Cost: ~$22 (€20) adults  |  🚇 Tram: Tram 2, 12 or 17 — Museumplein stop  |  📍 Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum is one of the greatest art museums in the world — a magnificent 19th-century building housing an extraordinary collection that spans 800 years of Dutch history and culture. Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, and hundreds of masterworks from the Dutch Golden Age are all here, displayed in vast, beautifully lit galleries that feel more like a palace than a museum. Even if you’re not usually a museum person, the Rijksmuseum will move you.

Plan for at least two to three hours — the collection is vast, and the building itself is as much of an attraction as the art inside. The museum’s iconic archway, through which cyclists stream constantly, is one of Amsterdam’s most photographed spots.

💡 Insider Tip: Book your timed entry ticket in advance — the Rijksmuseum sells out, especially in summer. Arriving for the first slot of the day means quieter galleries and better light for Rembrandt’s masterpieces.

🎟 Book Rijksmuseum Skip-the-Line Tickets via Viator

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📖 2. The Anne Frank House

⏱ Allow: 1.5–2 hours  |  💵 Cost: ~$20 (€16) adults; book with timed entry only  |  🚇 Tram: Tram 13, 17 or 19 — Westermarkt stop  |  📍 Westermarkt 20, 1016 GV Amsterdam

One of the most powerful and important sites in all of Europe, the Anne Frank House is where the young Jewish diarist and her family hid from the Nazi occupation for over two years during World War II. Walking through the secret annex — through the bookcase that concealed the entrance, into the small, dark rooms where eight people lived in hiding — is a profoundly moving experience that no visitor to Amsterdam should miss. The original diary is on display, and the surrounding exhibits are thoughtfully curated and deeply affecting.

💡 Insider Tip: This is the single hardest ticket to get in Amsterdam — book as far in advance as possible, ideally weeks ahead. Tickets are released on a rolling basis and sell out within minutes. A timed entry is absolutely essential.

🎟 Book Anne Frank Story walking tour through Amsterdam via Viator

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🚢 3. Amsterdam Canal Cruise

⏱ Allow: 1–1.5 hours  |  💵 Cost: From ~$22 (€17)  |  🚇 Getting there: Departs from multiple central piers near Centraal Station and Leidseplein  |  📍 Prins Hendrikkade (near Centraal), 1012 TW Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s canal ring — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010 — is best appreciated from the water. A canal cruise glides beneath the famous arched bridges, past the crooked and colourful gabled houses that line the Herengracht and Prinsengracht, and through the quiet, leafy stretches of water that give Amsterdam its uniquely dreamy atmosphere. In an hour or two on the water, you’ll understand exactly why this city is one of the most beloved in the world.

Evening cruises are especially magical — the houses light up, the bridges glow their golden reflections across the water, and the city takes on an almost fairy-tale quality.

💡 Insider Tip: Opt for a smaller, open boat over the larger glass-roofed tourist vessels — you get far better views, closer to the canal banks, and the experience feels much more authentic. Evening dinner cruises are a wonderful treat for a special night out.

🎟 Book an Amsterdam Canal Cruise via Viator

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🌻 4. The Van Gogh Museum

⏱ Allow: 2–3 hours  |  💵 Cost: ~$25 (€22) adults; timed entry required  |  🚇 Tram: Tram 2, 12 — Museumplein stop  |  📍 Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam

The Van Gogh Museum holds the largest collection of Van Gogh’s work in the world — over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 750 letters — telling the story of one of art history’s most extraordinary and tormented figures from his early dark Dutch canvases through to the blazing, swirling masterpieces of his final years in Arles and Saint-Rémy. Standing in front of The Bedroom, Almond Blossom, or Wheatfield with Crows in person is one of those experiences that stays with you for life.

💡 Insider Tip: Like the Rijksmuseum, timed entry tickets sell out well in advance — especially in peak season. Book at least two weeks ahead. The museum shop is also one of the best in Europe for art prints and gifts.

🎟 Book Van Gogh Museum Skip-the-Line Tickets via Viator

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🏘️ 5. The Jordaan Neighbourhood

⏱ Allow: 2–3 hours (or a full evening)  |  💵 Cost: Free to explore; food tour from ~$60 (€55) per person  |  🚇 Tram: Tram 13, 17 — Marnixstraat or Westermarkt stop  |  📍 Jordaan neighbourhood, central west Amsterdam

The Jordaan is Amsterdam at its most perfectly itself — a former working-class district that has evolved into a maze of narrow streets, independent boutiques, brown cafés (the cosy Dutch pub), art galleries, flower markets, and some of the city’s best restaurants. There are no major sights here as such; the Jordaan is simply a neighbourhood to get lost in, to duck into a café for a coffee and an apple pie (warm, with cream), to wander into a courtyard garden called a hofje, and to discover why Amsterdammers consider it the finest place to live in the world.

💡 Insider Tip: Visit on a Saturday morning when the Noordermarkt organic food and antiques market is in full swing — it’s one of the best street markets in the Netherlands. Then wander the Prinsengracht canal for the prettiest views in the whole city.

🎟 Book a Jordaan Neighbourhood Food Tour via Viator

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🍺 6. The Heineken Experience

⏱ Allow: 1.5–2 hours  |  💵 Cost: ~$25 (€23) online advance; higher at door  |  🚇 Tram: Tram 24 — Stadhouderskade stop  |  📍 Stadhouderskade 78, 1072 AE Amsterdam

Housed in Heineken’s original 1867 brewery building near the Rijksmuseum, the Heineken Experience is one of Amsterdam’s most popular attractions — an interactive self-guided tour that takes you through the history of the brand, the brewing process, and some genuinely entertaining multimedia experiences, ending (naturally) with fresh Heineken poured directly from the tank. It’s lively, fun, and a great option for a rainy afternoon or a night out starter.

💡 Insider Tip: Book online in advance for a discount and to guarantee your preferred time slot. The Friday and Saturday evening sessions have a great atmosphere. The gift shop also has some excellent Heineken-branded items if you’re looking for Dutch souvenirs with a twist.

🎟 Book Heineken Experience Tickets via Viator

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👑 7. The Royal Palace on Dam Square

⏱ Allow: 1–1.5 hours  |  💵 Cost: ~$12 (€10) adults  |  🚇 Tram: Tram 2, 12, 13, 17 — Dam stop  |  📍 Dam 1, 1012 JS Amsterdam

Standing magnificently on Dam Square — the historic heart of Amsterdam — the Royal Palace was built in the 17th century as Amsterdam’s City Hall during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, when Amsterdam was the richest and most powerful trading city in the world. The building’s opulent interior is a testament to that era of extraordinary wealth and ambition, with marble floors inlaid with world maps, a dazzling Citizens’ Hall, and furniture and artworks commissioned from the finest craftsmen in Europe. The Dutch Royal Family still uses it for state occasions.

💡 Insider Tip: The palace is occasionally closed for royal events — check ahead before visiting. The audio guide is excellent and highly recommended to fully appreciate the extraordinary history of every room. Combining a palace visit with a walk around Dam Square and the nearby Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) makes for a brilliant morning.

🎟 Book Royal Palace Amsterdam Tickets via Klook

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🌷 8. Keukenhof & the Tulip Fields (Spring)

⏱ Allow: Full day  |  💵 Cost: ~$22 (€19.50) garden entry; shuttle bus ~$10 (€9) return from Schiphol  |  🚌 Getting there: Shuttle bus from Schiphol/Amsterdam (~40 min); guided tours depart from central Amsterdam  |  📍 Stationsweg 166A, 2161 AM Lisse (Keukenhof)

If you’re visiting Amsterdam between late March and mid-May, a trip to Keukenhof — the world’s largest flower garden — is simply unmissable. Around 800 acres of parkland planted with over seven million tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other bulbs, all in bloom simultaneously, creating one of the most spectacular natural spectacles on earth. The fields of tulips stretching out across the Dutch countryside around the garden are equally breathtaking, and many tours include a bike ride through the blooms.

💡 Insider Tip: Keukenhof is only open for about eight weeks each year. Visit on a weekday morning to avoid the biggest weekend crowds. Booking a guided day tour from Amsterdam that includes transport is the easiest way to go — the garden is about 40 minutes from the city centre.

🎟 Book a Keukenhof & Tulip Fields Day Tour via Viator

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🔬 9. NEMO Science Museum

⏱ Allow: 2–3 hours  |  💵 Cost: ~$20 (€17.50) adults; rooftop terrace free in summer  |  🚇 Bus: Bus 22 or 48 — Kadijksplein stop; or 15-min walk from Centraal Station  |  📍 Oosterdok 2, 1011 VX Amsterdam

Designed by the celebrated architect Renzo Piano in the shape of a ship’s prow rising above the Eastern Docklands, NEMO is one of the most visually striking buildings in Amsterdam — and one of the most fun attractions in the city for visitors of all ages. The interactive science museum spreads across five floors of hands-on experiments, demonstrations, and exhibits covering everything from chemistry and physics to the human body and digital technology. The rooftop terrace offers some of the best panoramic views across Amsterdam’s harbour and skyline.

💡 Insider Tip: Even if you skip the museum itself, the rooftop terrace is free to access in summer and delivers one of the best free views in the city — a sweeping panorama over the harbour, the old city, and the modern waterfront. In summer it hosts a rooftop beach with deck chairs and a bar.

🎟 Book NEMO Science Museum Tickets via Viator

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🌳 10. Vondelpark & the Museum Quarter

⏱ Allow: 1–3 hours  |  💵 Cost: Free  |  🚇 Tram: Tram 1, 11 — Leidseplein stop; or Tram 2, 12 — Museumplein stop  |  📍 Vondelpark, 1071 Amsterdam (main entrance off Stadhouderskade)

Amsterdam’s most beloved park, Vondelpark is the green lung of the city — 47 hectares of lawns, ponds, cycle paths, open-air theatre, and café terraces that draw Amsterdammers of every age and background. On a sunny day, the park is an absolute joy: street musicians play, cyclists weave through the crowds, children feed the ducks, and everyone sprawls on the grass with a coffee from one of the park’s excellent cafés. It’s the perfect place to decompress between museums, or simply to watch the city go about its wonderfully relaxed daily life.

The park sits right in the heart of the Museum Quarter, making it easy to combine a morning at the Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum with an afternoon stroll through the park followed by dinner in one of the excellent restaurants on Overtoom or Leidseplein nearby.

💡 Insider Tip: In summer, the Vondelpark open-air theatre (Openluchttheater) hosts free concerts, dance performances, and children’s shows almost every day — check the schedule before you visit. It’s one of the most charming free experiences Amsterdam has to offer.

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💡 Practical Tips for Amsterdam

• Get an OV-chipkaart: Amsterdam’s public transport card works on trams, buses, and the metro — tap in and out at every journey. Most visitors find the tram network covers everything they need.
• Rent a bike: Amsterdam is the world’s most bike-friendly city, and cycling is genuinely the best way to explore. Dozens of rental shops are near Centraal Station — just remember to lock up carefully and follow the cycle lanes.
• Book the big three in advance: The Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and Anne Frank House all sell out — especially in spring and summer. Book weeks ahead, not days.
• Best time to visit: April–May for tulip season is magical but busy. June–August is peak summer. September–October offers great weather with thinner crowds. December’s Christmas markets are a hidden gem.
• Watch your step: Amsterdam’s cyclists are everywhere and move fast. Always check both ways before stepping into a cycle lane — they have right of way over pedestrians!

🎟 Short on time? Book a Private Amsterdam Highlights Tour via Viator — the best way to see all the major sights with an expert local guide included.

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This post contains affiliate links. The Wandering Adventurer may earn a small commission if you book through our links, at no extra cost to you.