1 day in Amsterdam: What to do?

If you want to know what to do in Amsterdam in a day, you’ve come to the right place. For a city as beautiful and historic as Amsterdam, famous for its canals and cafés, a day is a good amount of time to get a feel for the city.

Even if you have to choose between the many excellent museums on your 1-day trip to Amsterdam, your trip to this iconic Dutch city is sure to be peppered with lots of colorful sights (and lots of tulips!).

A Day in Amsterdam: Costs

Amsterdam is also a super versatile city in a day when you can visit some of the best museums in the world, take a relaxing boat ride, or learn more about the wonderful culture of the Dutch. We have compiled a small overview, with which budget you should travel to the capital and with which you can really save!

A day in Amsterdam: summary

For a worthwhile short trip to Amsterdam, you should try to make the most of the whole day, which means getting up early! A delicious breakfast, in a traditional Dutch café, lays the perfect foundation for enough energy for some of Amsterdam’s sights.

• Rijksmuseum
• Van Gogh Museum
• Canal Cruise
• Food halls
• Eat poffertjes
• Vondelpark
• Anne Frank House

A day in Amsterdam: The schedule in detail

Read on to see your one day in Amsterdam plan, with three outstanding restaurants and some activities you definitely shouldn’t miss!

1. 01

   Rijksmuseum

   Museum in Museumplein
   

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   The Rijksmuseum is visited by 2.2 million people annually, making it the most visited museum in the Netherlands. Located in the museum district “Museumsplein,” Rijksmuseum was designed by the Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers. The building alone is imposing and worth seeing. The Rijksmuseum is dedicated to the Netherlands’ arts, crafts, and history and contains over 8,000 objects. The focus of the museum is the Netherlands’ Golden Age. Here, you will find works by world-renowned artists, such as Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael, Jan Steen, and more. Among the great artistic highlights of the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is “The Night Watch.” This painting portrays a militia group in Amsterdam and is Rembrandt’s largest and most complex work. Even today, it is considered his most famous painting. This a unique opportunity for you to admire works up close that are among the most important in the world. Another great attraction of the Rijksmuseum is the Cuypers Library. It is considered the largest public research library on art history in Holland. It is surprising not only for its extraordinary number of books, journals, and research papers but also for its architecture. My highlight of the Rijksmuseum is the corridor that connects the various internal galleries. The atrium consists of two rooms connected by a tunnel under the passage, with an entrance in the passage. The original brick walls of the route have been replaced by large glass surfaces through which visitors can admire the internal courtyards. Finally, directly across from the Rijksmuseum, you’ll find another view of Amsterdam: The red and white sculpture “I AM STERDAM,” with which you should take a souvenir photo. Tickets for the Rijksmuseum are only sold online, not in person. Another important piece of information is that you can only visit the Rijksmuseum with a reserved time slot. Whether you bought your ticket individually or chose one of the Amsterdam Tour Pass options, you must choose your time slot to visit the Rijksmuseum.

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2. 02

   Van Gogh Museum

   Museum in Museumplein
   

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   The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is one of the most visited art museums in the world. It hosts the largest Dutch painter Van Gogh collection, totaling over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and hundreds of documents. My personal highlights of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam are the paintings “Vincent’s Bedroom in Arles” and “Self Portrait.” Unlike other art museums in Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum is smaller and more intimate. Here, you will find not only his works of art but also a lot of information about the painter’s life, who also influenced art history. Known worldwide as the painter who cut off his ear and who later killed himself, Van Gogh’s life traces back to a man who suffered greatly from depression and sold few works during his lifetime. Ironically, his works are now the most expensive in the world. Tickets for the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam are sold only online, not in person at the museum. The Amsterdam Digital Pass offers tickets to the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and a boat ride on the canals. With this option, you can save much more than buying each ticket separately. To find out how much you can save and which pass is best for your trip, use our Amsterdam Pass Advisor: Simple, Free, and Online. When purchasing tickets online, you only need to select a time slot for your visit to the Van Gogh Museum. This requirement applies to single tickets and the Amsterdam Digital Pass. It is possible to combine the Van Gogh Museum ticket with other attractions in Amsterdam, for example, the Van Gogh Museum ticket and a canal cruise. With this combination ticket, you can save money on your trip. The Van Gogh Museum is in Amsterdam’s museum district, “Museumsplein,” where you can also find other famous museums, such as the Rijksmuseum, the Diamond Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum. The Van Gogh Museum welcomes around 1.6 million visitors every year. No wonder a visit to the museum belongs to the list of the best Amsterdam things to do!

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3. 03

   A classical Canalcruise

   Boat tour in Amsterdam
   

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   This low-cost canal cruise in Amsterdam is similar to the 60-minute round-trip option. Both take place during the day and show you the city’s highlights. The difference is that this boat tour is about 15 minutes long, a little more budget-friendly, and you have a live guide on board. The English-speaking guide tells you all sorts of interesting facts and is also available for questions, but many visitors from other countries feel more comfortable with an audio guide in your native language: Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian. On board a beautiful boat in Amsterdam nothing stands in your way to enjoy a canal tour!

   Tip: This Amsterdam Canal Cruise option is included in both Go City Pass options: Amsterdam All-Inclusive & Amsterdam Explorer Pass

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4. 04

   Stroll through the De 9 Straatjes

   Neighborhood in Amsterdam-Centrum
   

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   Stop by the historic 9 Streets district (De 9 Straatjes) to make the most of your one-day trip to Amsterdam. With nine Instagram-worthy shopping alleys filled with art galleries, gardens, bars, and restaurants, you’ll find plenty of great reasons to stop, chat, snack, and take photos.

   Plus, you can pick up a souvenir for yourself or your loved ones. There are chic stores with vintage clothing, shoes, bags, antiques, housewares, and much more. And with over 400 years of history reflected in the architecture alone, just walking through the neighborhood is the perfect way to discover Amsterdam.
5. 05

   Vondelpark

   Park in Amsterdam Oud-West

   Our highlight
   

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   The most famous park in Amsterdam is undoubtedly Vondelpark. More than 10 million visitors walk through Vondelpark every year, picnicking on the lush green grass or take a stroll along the many ponds.
   Whether Amsterdamers or visitors, everyone who can use some relaxation from the hustle and bustle comes here. Numerous green spaces invite you for a picnic, a beautiful rose garden is perfect for a relaxing walk, and several cafes and restaurants offer delicious refreshments. But even those longing for more than a pause will find what they seek. Vondelpark is a venue for sporting and cultural events during the summer months. Summer concerts on the open-air stage are quite popular among locals and tourists alike.
   By the way, the green oasis was named after Joost van den Vondel, one of the most important Dutch poets of the Golden Age. In his honor, you will find a monument in the eastern part of the park.
   This is a particularly beautiful park, making a walk through the Vondelpark a shoo-in on the ‘things to do in Amsterdam’ best list.
6. 06

   Anne Frank House

   Museum in Jordaan
   

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   The touching Anne Frank House is located in more than just any building. Instead, it’s a building of refuge: The former hiding place of the Frank family during WWII. This is where she wrote her diaries, now known worldwide, and the pieces of information that allowed readers to learn about her life and fate during the Nazi era. During the Anne Frank House tour, visitors can explore the house alone. They’ll see the house was divided into three sections by Otto Frank, Anne’s father. The tour of the Anne Frank House begins with the entrance and the goods shipping area, followed by the spice mill room, and then the warehouse where the goods were packed for distribution on the first floor in the back. A staircase leads to the second floor where Otto and his employees worked. Photos from the time, testimonies, and selections from the book fill the empty rooms. Otto Frank left these elements intentionally so that all who pass by there share the same pain, feelings, and experiences they had in the house. During the visit to Anne Frank’s house, the small door leads to the hidden annex, a 46 m2 space divided into two rooms with a kitchen, toilet, and attic, inhabited by two families, eight people in total. There is silence in the rooms as if guests relive the daily life of the house’s inhabitants. The tension, anxiety, concern about not making noise during the day, and the fear of being discovered are in the air. Here, life occurs behind the dark windows so as not to arouse suspicion. In the room where Anne slept with her sister Margot, newspaper and magazine clippings reveal the dreamy, childlike side of the girl who wanted to be a journalist. After visiting the other areas of the Anne Frank House, photos and video statements add to the story. They tell how the families received help from colleagues, what happened after the Nazis invaded the hiding place, and how Otto obtained his daughter’s diary. The elements also share how he made it not only one of the world’s best-selling and most-translated books but also an icon of one of humanity’s saddest times. Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam is visited by 1.3 million people every year. If you want to visit the house at a less crowded time, you should book your visit starting at 6 p.m. Tickets to visit the Anne Frank House can only be purchased through the official website and are not included in the Amsterdam Sightseeing Passes. 100% of tickets go on sale 6 weeks in advance and sell out quickly. There is no option to buy tickets at the museum door. Every Tuesday at 10 a.m., all tickets for the next six weeks will be available for purchase. You can choose between visiting the Anne Frank Museum on your own or with an introductory program. You will not have access to the museum on any of the Anne Frank-themed walking tours. The guided tours walk you through the city, explaining in detail the story of Anne Frank and about the events that occurred, especially those in the area. However, we have participated in a few Anne Frank walking tours and can say that it is a great way to connect with the story and learn more about the political decisions that led to this little girl becoming a worldwide symbol.

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To make the most of one day in Amsterdam, you will need as much energy as possible – there is no other way to get it than to try all the delicious restaurants and cafés throughout the city. We will show you our personal favorites near the best sights of Amsterdam.

7. 07

   De Foodhallen

   Food Market in Amsterdam Canal Belt
   

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   A 1-day tour of Amsterdam should be about getting to know as much of the city as possible, and the food halls are a great place to enjoy the variety of Dutch cuisine.In a former streetcar depot, you can enjoy croquette-like bitterballen (De Ballenbar), sweet tarts (Le Petit Gâteau), local sausages, burgers, and more.

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8. 08

   Try the best Pannenkoeken

   Restaurant in Jordaan
   

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   A day of Dutch sightseeing should start with a delicious breakfast. At Pancakes Amsterdam, you can feast on an Amsterdam classic. You can try traditional Dutch pancakes, French clafoutis, American pancakes, and more with your choice of fillings and toppings. Best of all, they come in a variety of flavors. As a plus, Pancakes has vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free options!

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9. 09

   Barneys Places in Amsterdam

   Café in Amsterdam Canal Belt
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   If you want to stop by a traditional café while in Amsterdam, you should pay a visit to Barney’s Amsterdam. The small family of cafés and smoke stores includes a coffee shop and two smoker-friendly bars, Barney’s Farm (Haarlemmerstraat 98) and Barney’s Uptown (Haarlemmerstraat 105).The Barney’s Uptown is located in a 500-year-old pharmacy-style building and is an absolute secret tip.

A Day in Amsterdam: Tips

• Amsterdam is arguably the bike city and is designed to be explored entirely by bike. There are rental bikes everywhere, or you can join a bike tour with a local!
• Be sure to try the gravy on classic fries at De Foodhallen – you won’t regret it!
• Look for a hotel in the center, so you have the must-see sights right on your doorstep!
• Book your tickets in advance, because Amsterdam is one of the most popular cities in Europe and you can expect long queues during peak hours. Especially the Van Gogh Museum is booked up superfast.

Is one day Amsterdam worth it?

Amsterdam is stunning and the best is, that you can see the beauty of the Dutch city in either a whole week or one day in Amsterdam. You will have so much fun in the lively city while partying in the red-light district or just cruising around on the canals.