How To Spend A Wonderful Three Days In Amsterdam

So you have three days in Amsterdam!? 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. My 3 days Amsterdam itinerary has a mix of unique experiences while still visiting some typical tourist must sees in Amsterdam.  

Also heads up, the third day on my Amsterdam itinerary is primarily outside. Make sure to check the weather forecast before your trip, you may want to rearrange some activities.

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!

Hotel Recommendation: CityHub Hostel

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.

There are a few hostels to stay at in the city at a cheaper rate. 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 walk 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.

More Amsterdam Hotel Recommendations

Best Location: Live like a local at a canal house at Mokum Suites. Each room is designed with you in mind, and 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.

Luxury Hotel: Live in luxury in Amsterdam at Hotel V Nesplein – a boutique hotel where no two rooms are the same. See room rates and availability.

Affordable Boutique Hotel: For a more affordable hotel option, stay closer to Vondelpark in Amsterdam at the De Ware Jacob Boutique Hotel. Every room is different and even offer family rooms to stay in! See room rates and availability.

Find other hotels to stay at in Amsterdam, click here.

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 also 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 on each tram. 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 lost, you know where to find someone to ask for help!  

For your 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. Don’t forget, you have to scan when you get on AND off the tram. 

If you are interested in biking everyday, make that a priority when booking a hotel. There are some hotels/ hostels that you can directly rent a bike from, or even better, the rental may be included in your stay. 

Make The Most Of Your Three Days In Amsterdam

Depending on how you’re arriving to the city, you want to try your best to make the most of the time you have. You want to be able to have a FULL three days in Amsterdam. 

We were arriving by train from Brussels so booked the earliest possible train. We woke up at 5:30 A.M. to get on a 7:00 A.M. train to the city. It was worth it because we arrived before 10:00 A.M. in Amsterdam.  

Keep in mind, if you are arriving this early, you most likely won’t be able to check into your hotel. So before you book a place, make sure they have luggage storage options. We were able to drop off our bags and had almost an entire day to tour and explore.

With that in mind, you also don’t want to book a hotel that’s too far outside the city centre, it should be fairly easy, and quick to get to. We did the same thing on our way back. After checkout we put our bags in storage at the hostel and had an entire day before leaving the city at 8:00 P.M. Is that three full days in Amsterdam or what!?

Three Days In Amsterdam What To Do

Amsterdam Itinerary Day 1: Arrive & Explore

Our first day in any new city is all about getting our bearings and seeing the must sees in Amsterdam.  So, our first day in Amsterdam we went on a walking tour and visited the Anne Frank House.

Three Days In Amsterdam Must-See: Anne Frank House

It doesn’t matter when you do this during your three days in Amsterdam, just as long as you do visit the Anne Frank House. This was at the top of my list for visiting Amsterdam so it was one of the first things I made sure to do. 

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 with her family in an annex in Amsterdam. That annex, where the 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.  

You have to book your tickets at least two months in advance, especially if you’re travelling during high season. If your date is already booked, they reserve a few for walk-ins the day of, but you will have to wait in line. Sometimes you can also grab some last minute ones online as well.

Pop By The Cheese Museum For Free!

Across the canal from Anne Frank House is a small cheese shop. What’s more Dutch than cheese!? They have cheese samples to try, and a mini (totally free!) museum all about cheese in the basement! 

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

Go On A Walking Tour: 3 Days Amsterdam Itinerary

I typically go on a walking tour right away when I first arrive in any new city. I always recommend gong on one to get your bearings, learn a bit of history, and find all the local hang out spots. The timing didn’t work out to go as soon as we arrived, so I booked a free walking tour at 3:00 P.M. in the afternoon with Sandeman’s. 

The tour is about 3 hours, but they take you to all the important must sees in Amsterdam. They’ll show you Dam Square with the Royal Palace, the Red Light District, Anne Frank’s House, and the prettiest canals in the city!

Get A Skyline View of Amsterdam

When you’re looking for skyline views of Amsterdam you’ll most likely come across the A’DAM Lookout. My opinion – skip it and go to the SkyLounge at the DoubleTree hotel for views instead.  Why? 

Well, the SkyLounge os 100% free to walk in and see the view. But you can also grab a table and admire the view for as long as you want. I recommend trying some local Dutch food, bitterballen, it’s DELICIOUS! You can make this experience as cheap or as expensive as you want! 

It’s also way 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.  

The SkyLounge also isn’t a bad spot to come if you’re looking for coffee with a view. Their cappuccino is a whopping €8.00, but they give you a free refill!

Stop For A Photo Op At The Gingerbread Houses

On your way back from the SkyLounge, stop at the gingerbread houses! Just a little heads up, we almost missed these as they weren’t what we was expecting from the pictures I’d seen. In fact, we stopped here for a photo op, and then continued on our quest to find them… without realizing we already had.  

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. 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 two 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.

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. 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. The museum is actually Rembrandt’s house, so you see his bed, and his studio on top of his paintings. They’ll also give you a demonstration on how he did his work, and why it was so revolutionary for the times.

Shopping Time in Amsterdam!

You can’t visit a new city and not leave time for some necessary local shopping. There are several markets you can visit in the city. The most famous is Albert Cuyp Market for their giant Stroopwafels at Rudi’s. This is also good spot to go for souvenir shopping! 

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 here that you can bring home to plant.  You don’t need to spend too much time at these, but they’re fun to walk through and who knows what you might find! 

If you aren’t interested in market shopping, go 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, plus you can get Heineken beer pretty much everywhere nowadays. 

So instead of visiting the Heineken Experience, visit a microbrewery. These beers are unique to the Netherlands and definitely won’t find them back home. Plus, FYI they don’t even brew beer at the Heineken factory anymore. If you’re interested in learning about the brewing process, wait to go to Belgium to visit a brewery.  

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: Outdoor Adventures

The last two days were all about enjoying the canal views, museums, and shopping, now it’s time to get out. Your third day in Amsterdam is all about exploring the outskirts of the city.  

As I mentioned, keep an eye on the weather for your three days in Amsterdam. If your first day there is the nicest one, I recommend swapping the days around. You’re going to want to have the nicest weather possible for this day.  

I say that now, but the weather is really hard to plan for in Amsterdam (we learned that the hard way). 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 some of this Amsterdam culture at least once during your 3 days in Amsterdam.  

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

Visit Vondelpark

Vondelpark is Amsterdam’s Central Park. If biking to the windmills is too far for you, this is a good option to bike through.  

If you don’t get a chance to bike through the park, I highly recommend spending some time walking through. It’s the perfect city break! There are 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. In my mind, it was so much more worth it because I’d never done it before – go on an actual houseboat at the Houseboat Museum.  I thought it was pretty cool! And a 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.

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: The old city gates, now a restaurant.
• Montelbaanstoren, what’s left of 16th century defensive walls. It’s near the floating flower market.
• Molen De Otter: A windmill from 1631. It’s a bit passed the Cheese Museum and Anne Frank House, on the outskirts of the city.
• Wake Me Up When I’m Famous: This is outdoor art is a favourite instagram photo spot! Walk by when you visit Albert Cuyp Market, or if you go to the Heineken Experience. 
• Rembrandtplein if you want to see a large Rembrandt statue.

Is 3 Days Enough In Amsterdam?

Is 3 days enough in Amsterdam – I don’t like being too go-go-go on vacation and it never felt like I was. I’d say that three days in Amsterdam was the perfect amount of time.

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. 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 some more time that just three days in Amsterdam.

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Last update on 2024-05-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API