How To Spend A Wonderful Three Days In Amsterdam

You have three days in Amsterdam, what do you do!? 

There’s a lot to see and do in Amsterdam, but three days is surprisingly a decent amount of time to cover most of it.

Amsterdam is small and has a great public transport system to get you everywhere you need to go, and quickly! 

My 3 days Amsterdam itinerary has a mix of must-see and unique experiences in Amsterdam.  

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Planning A Three Day Trip To Amsterdam: Logistics

Before getting in to the three day itinerary, here are some Amsterdam logistics from hotel recommendations to getting around the city…

Need A Place To Stay: Amsterdam Hotel Recommendation

Before arriving for three days in Amsterdam, you need a place to stay. Unfortunately, the city isn’t exactly a cheap place to stay in.

We opted to stay a bit further outside the city centre at the CityHub Hostel – and loved it! It’s connected by 2 tram lines, and if we really wanted to, we could even have walked to the centre.  

This is not your typical hostel though. Instead of sharing a room with strangers, you sleep in a private pod! I don’t know about you, but I’d take a private pod over a room with strangers any day! See updated prices on Booking.com.

If staying in a small pod isn’t for you, I found some other hotel options in Amsterdam.

For the best location, you can live like a local at a canal house at Mokum Suites. You can’t get a better location than this in Amsterdam, Dam Square is only a 15 minute walk away and the nearest tram line is 250 metres, taking you anywhere you need to go! See room rates and availability on Booking.com.

Live in luxury in Amsterdam at Hotel V Nesplein, a boutique hotel where no two rooms are the same. See room rates and availability on Booking.com.

A more affordable boutique hotel option is stay closer to Vondelpark in Amsterdam at the De Ware Jacob Boutique Hotel. Every room is different and even offer larger family rooms to stay in! See room rates and availability on Booking.com.

Find other hotels in Amsterdam on Booking.com.

My Hotel Amazon Must-Haves

How To Get Around Amsterdam

Amsterdam is such a walking (and biking) friendly city. Because you’re only here for three days, you probably won’t have access to a bike the whole time, so that leaves walking and public transit. 

Instead of walking everywhere, which can be pretty tiring, the city has a wonderful tram system in place. The trams come so often, that you barely ever have to wait.

Another perk about taking the tram in Amsterdam are the info desks. I imagine these were set up because of the amount of tourists the city sees each year. Take advantage, they might give you some great local tips.

Plus, if you’re ever lost, you know where to find someone to ask for help, just jump on any tram!  

When you have three days in Amsterdam, do yourself a favour and buy the 3 day pass. It will make your life so much easier.

You can buy it when you arrive in the city, we bought ours at the train station. 

And don’t forget, you have to scan your tram ticket when you get on AND off the tram. 

If you are interested in biking everyday in Amsterdam, make that a priority when booking a hotel. Because biking is such a popular mode of transportation in Amsterdam, there are some hotels that you can directly rent a bike from, or even better, the rental may be included in your stay. 

For example, Mokum Suites and De Ware Jacob Boutique Hotel offers bike rentals at the hotel for an additional charge.

How To Make The Most Of Three Days In Amsterdam

Depending on how you’re arriving to Amsterdam, you want to try your best to have a FULL three days in Amsterdam. 

We were arriving by train from Brussels so booked the earliest possible train. That meant waking up at at 5:30 A.M. to get on a 7:00 A.M. train to Amsterdam. But it was worth it because we arrived before 10:00 A.M., giving us a full day to explore!  

I also booked the latest train back to Brussels 3 days later… only leaving the city at 8:00 P.M. Now is that three full days in Amsterdam or what!?

P.S. Stay organized when planning your trip to Amsterdam with my travel planner on Etsy, with space to research flights and hotel options, and plan out your itinerary.

Hotel Considerations For Three Days In Amsterdam

If you want to make the most of your three days in Amsterdam, you have to consider a few things when booking your hotel.

You want to choose a hotel that is relatively close to the city centre. You don’t be spending too much of your limited time on public transit getting to and from your hotel everyday.

And you want to make sure you’re able to store your luggage before and after check-in. We arrived way before check-in and left several hours after check-out. But at the the CityHub Hostel we were able to store our luggage for as long as we needed to!

Amsterdam Itinerary Day 1: Main Attractions

The first day in any new city is all about getting your bearings and seeing the must sees, and Amsterdam is no exception.

 So your first day in Amsterdam should focus on a walking tour and visiting the Anne Frank House.

Three Days In Amsterdam Must-See: Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House is an absolute must-do in Amsterdam.

Anne Frank was only 15 years old when she died in Auschwitz in 1945. But, she left behind her diary where she journaled her time in hiding in an annex in Amsterdam. That annex, where Anne and her family lived for 3 years, is open for visitors.  

Visiting the Annex is an incredibly emotional experience. The museum is very beautifully presented, it will take you about an hour to go through.  

P.S. If you haven’t already, read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (available on Amazon) before your visit.

You’ll have to plan a bit in advance to visit the Anne Frank House, because tickets sell out, especially if you’re travelling during high season.

Tickets go on sale six weeks in advance, so be ready when they do! You’ll also have to choose your preferred time slot.

If your date is already booked, they keep some tickets reserved for sale on the day of, but that’s always risky…

If you’re interested in finding out more about Anne Frank, and WWII in Amsterdam, book this organized tour through the Jewish Quarter from Viator.

Pop By The Cheese Museum For Free!

Across the canal from Anne Frank House is a small cheese shop.

And what’s more Dutch than cheese!? They have cheese samples to try, and a mini (totally free!) museum all about cheese in the basement to visit! 

This is a quick pit stop where you can also refuel before or after visiting Anne Frank House!

Go On A Walking Tour Around Amsterdam

I always recommend going on a walking tour to get your bearings, learn a bit of history, and find all the local hang out spots in a new city. 

I booked a free walking tour of Amsterdam with Sandeman’s New Europe, and unfortunately cannot recommend it… Although I’ve loved this tour company in the past, their Amsterdam tour was NOT my favourite.

Instead, book this Introduction to Amsterdam Walking Tour on Viator, they seem to cover a lot more. Or since you are in Amsterdam, you could also opt for a biking tour instead!

The point of the tour is that it takes you to all the main points of interest throughout the city and gives you some background information. The tour stops at Dam Square with the Royal Palace, the Red Light District, and the prettiest canals in the city!

Get A Skyline View of Amsterdam (NOT The A’DAM Lookout)

When you’re looking for skyline views of Amsterdam you’ll most likely come across the A’DAM Lookout.

My opinion: skip the A’DAM Lookout and go to the SkyLounge at the DoubleTree hotel for views instead.

May 2024 Update: SkyLounge is closed and they have rebranded as LuminAir. The views haven’t changed though, just the name!

LuminAir is 100% free to walk in and see the view.

LuminAir is also a lot closer than the A’DAM lookout swing. Not only is being closer better for skyline views, but you don’t have to get a ferry to cross the river to Amsterdam Noord. Plus, the swing only lasts a few seconds, you can stay at the SkyLounge all night if you wanted to.  

Sit at a table, comfortably admiring the view for as long as you want, and enjoy some some local Dutch food (I recommend the bitterballen, they’re delicious – well used to be, now I’m not sure!).

Stop For A Photo Op At The Gingerbread Houses

On your way back from the SkyLounge (now LuminAir), stop at the gingerbread houses of Amsterdam!

Just a little heads up, we almost missed these as they weren’t what we was expecting from the pictures… In fact, we stopped here for a photo op, and then continued on our quest to find them… without realizing we had already seen them.  

The gingerbread houses are tall, narrow buildings, directly on the water, which at night shows their reflection. Unfortunately, there were a lot of boats docked on the canal when we visited, so it didn’t look the same.

If you’re interested in more photo opportunities, stop at Herengracht, Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht canals. They’re apparently the prettiest canals in the city but to be honest, they all kind of looked the same to me (all picture perfect!). I don’t really know how these three were singled out as the prettiest.

Experience The Red Light District At Night

Quintessential Amsterdam is the Red Light District at night. You have to walk through it at least one night out of your two in Amsterdam. 

Our tour guide brought us through during the day and kind of freaked us out to walk through it at night. She mentioned that even a slight glance at a woman can warrant payment. So every time we walked through we mostly kept our heads down. 

But, you can’t experience this anywhere else. So, it’s worthwhile walking through, at least once.

Day Two In Amsterdam: Museums & Markets

Day 2 on your 3 days Amsterdam itinerary is all about visiting the different museums and getting in some local shopping, maybe even go on the hunt to find the perfect souvenir!

Best Breakfast Spot: The Smallest Teahouse in Amsterdam

Start your day off right by going to The Smallest Teahouse in Amsterdam. This was the highlight of our three days in Amsterdam. We came here for a traditional Dutch breakfast but you can also stop by for some afternoon tea and a slice of homemade apple pie.

Unfortunately, they no longer offer a traditional Dutch breakfast. You can still come here if you want to to do a tea tasting at the smallest house in Amsterdam and pick up some local blends.

But you still need breakfast. My favourite part about the breakfast at the Smallest Teahouse in Amsterdam was actually the chocolate sprinkles, Hagelslag, which you can make yourself.

Head to the grocery store and pick up some bread, butter, and Hagelslag (my brand of choice is de Ruijter, but there are a lot of options!). We went to X for a quick pick breakfast in the morning. I

Related

The Best Places To Eat In Amsterdam You Won’t Want To Miss!

Visit One Of The Many Museums In Amsterdam

After a good traditional Dutch breakfast, visit one of the many museums in Amsterdam. There are countless museums that you have your fair share of options to choose from.  

Amsterdam’s most popular art museums are Rijksmuseum, and Van Gogh Museum. But you can also visit Moco for modern and surrealist art or FOAM for photography.

The Van Gogh Museum can be pretty popular during high season, book a guided tour with skip the line entry.

If you’re looking for off the beaten path museums, Amsterdam also has something for you… 

For starters, you can delve into Amsterdam culture at the Cannabis or Red Light Musuem (good ones to visit at night). Visit Our Lord in the Attic, a 17th century canal house with a church in the attic. Or KattinKabinet, if you’re a real cat lover! 

We opted to visit Rembrandt House, based off of several recommendations from locals in the city. The museum is actually in Rembrandt’s house! So not only do you see his artwork, but also where he lived and studio. There’s also a demonstration on how he did his work, and why it was so revolutionary for the times.

Visit A Market Amsterdam!

There are several markets to visit in Amsterdam, and they aren’t just for souvenir shopping (although they are good for that too!).

The most famous is Albert Cuyp Market for the giant Stroopwafels at Rudi’s.

But you should also visit the Waterplooin Market for some one of a kind finds.

And of course, you come to Amsterdam and not stop by the floating flower market (the Bloemenmarkt). They mostly sell tulip bulbs that you can bring home to plant.

P.S. If you aren’t interested in market shopping, but still want to visit some local shops, head to De 9 Straatjes (The 9 Streets) and the Jordaan neighbourhood. These areas are the best place for antique, vintage finds in Amsterdam.

Skip Heineken, Go To A Local Brewery Instead

The Dutch beer scene is so much more than Heineken, although I’ll admit it’s better in Amsterdam, just because it’s on tap!

But not only you can get Heineken beer pretty much anywhere nowadays, but they also don’t even brew beer at the Heineken factory anymore.

So instead of visiting the Heineken Experience, visit a microbrewery.

A microbrewery in Amsterdam is unique to Amsterdam, you definitely won’t find these beers back home.

P.S. Elevate your tasting at a microbrewery in Amsterdam with my digital beer tasting guide on Etsy!

We went to Brouwerij De Prael which is in the city centre. If you’re willing to travel a bit outside the city, there’s Brouwerij ‘t IJ where you can see De Gooyer windmill.

Day 3 In Amsterdam Itinerary: An Outdoor Adventure

The last two days were all about enjoying the canal views, museums, and shopping in the city centre. Now it’s time to live like a local and bike!

Your third day in Amsterdam is all about exploring the outskirts of the city.  

You’ll want to keep an eye on the weather during your three days in Amsterdam to choose the best possible day for your bike ride.

Keep in mind though, the weather in Amsterdam is kind of unpredictable as I know now from experience.

So even if the forecast is sunny, I recommend playing it safe and always bringing a packable rain jacket with you.

Must-Do Activity: Bike In Amsterdam

It doesn’t matter where you go, just as long as you rent a bike and experience biking for at least a bit in Amsterdam.  

You can bike around the bike paths at your own pace, or book a guided bike tour of Amsterdam.

If you aren’t comfortable biking in the city, head to Vondelpark or leave the city to see some windmills. 

We actually left the city and biked along the Amstel River to see TWO traditional Dutch windmills and a bit of the Amsterdam countryside. 

The bike ride was about 3 hours, so it’s a good half day activity. You can turn it into an entire day by biking to Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, a small town.

If you aren’t comfortable biking on your own, book an organized bike tour to the countryside instead.

Visit Vondelpark

Vondelpark is Amsterdam’s Central Park.

If biking to the windmills is too far for you, this is a good option for biking, but you can also just spend some time walking through it.  

It’s the perfect city break! There are even a few restaurants to stop for lunch in the park as well!

Skip A Canal Tour Instead Visit The Houseboat Museum

I haven’t mentioned going on a canal tour yet in our three day Amsterdam itinerary, and that’s because we didn’t go on one.

Canal tours are perfect for a different perspective of the city, but I’d prefer walking tours to get more information about the city. 

I tried to find a good tour company, but felt they were all over-priced just because they can be. I’ve been on canal tours in Belgium, for half the price, and I’d rather spend my money on something else here.  

So I found an amazing alternative: The Houseboat Museum.

In my mind, it was so much more worth it because I’d never done it before – go on an actual houseboat, and see what life would be like on water. 

I thought it was a pretty cool unique experience that I can’t get anywhere else… unlike the canal tour. They give you information about life on a houseboat, and you get see and feel what it would be like to actually live on one.

But if you are still interested in a canal tour, this Canal Cruise seems quite popular and has a live guide!

Extra Things To Do Three Days In Amsterdam!

While spending three days in Amsterdam, you may want to also walk by some of these historical landmarks, or points of interest. 

De Wag was the old city gates, but it’s now a restaurant.

Montelbaanstoren is what’s left of 16th century defensive walls, it’s a worthwhile point of interested if you’re at the floating flower market.

If you want to see a windmill in Amsterdam, Molen De Otter (from 1631) is a bit passed the Cheese Museum and Anne Frank House on the outskirts of the city.

A popular photo stop for Instagram is the Wake Me Up When I’m Famous sign. Walk by when you visit Albert Cuyp Market or if you go to the Heineken Experience. 

If you want to see a large Rembrandt statue, head to Rembrandtplein.

So Is 3 Days Enough In Amsterdam?

Is 3 days enough in Amsterdam, that’s up to you and how much you actually want to see and do in Amsterdam.

For me, it was perfect. I don’t like being too go-go-go on vacation and it never felt like I was.

We had more than enough time to wander the streets and not feel like we had to go straight from one activity to the other.

Bit that being said, we didn’t visit all the museums that Amsterdam has to offer. If you’re more of a museum goer than we are, you might feel like you want more time that just three days in Amsterdam.

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Related Posts

• Unique Places To Eat in Amsterdam
• How To Bike To A Windmill From Amsterdam
• Where To Stay In Amsterdam CityHub Hostel Review

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Last update on 2024-11-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API