From Tulip Fields to Canals: The Perfect 3 Day Amsterdam Itinerary

This spring I went on a Viking river cruise with my mom. Our cruise started in Amsterdam, and since neither of us had been there before, we decided to arrive a few days early to explore. Naturally, I set out to create the ultimate Amsterdam itinerary. (Viking does offer a pre or post-cruise extension in Amsterdam, but I am a control freak and wanted to plan this on my own.)

To make this Amsterdam itinerary, I worked backwards. We had to be on our cruise ship by 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Thanks to a Virgin Atlantic transfer bonus, I found a good deal on a flight that left on Tuesday and arrived early Wednesday morning. That gave us 3 days to see everything the capital of the Netherlands had to offer.

I spent months building and tweaking this 3 day Amsterdam itinerary. And I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I think it’s pretty close to perfect given the time constraints. It’s also approved (and survived!) by my 70-something year old mom. So whether you’re arriving early to go on a European river cruise or visiting for the first time, this 3 day Amsterdam itinerary will help you see the city’s most famous attractions.

Amsterdam Itinerary Day 1

Go on a Free Amsterdam Walking Tour

Tours daily, rain or shine
Tickets: €2 booking fee

The best way to get familiar with a new city is to take a walking tour on your first day, and that’s exactly what we did.

There are many companies in Amsterdam that offer free walking tours. Based on our schedule, I ended up booking with Free Amsterdam Walking Tours. They offer a couple of different tours, but since this was our first time in Amsterdam, I went with The Classic Tour.

The tour lasts two hours and each guide has their own route. On our Amsterdam walking tour we stopped at the Royal Palace, De Nieuwe Kurk (new church), the Financial District, the Red Light District and the Canal Belt.

Overall our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of Amsterdam (he was born and raised in Amsterdam) and I learned a lot. My only complaint is how much time we spent in one of the drug shops. Since it was warm inside, I wasn’t that mad about it. But with so many things to see in Amsterdam, I just think there were more interesting places to go.

Visit Our Lord in the Attic Museum

Open daily 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: €16.95

You know how every trip has an activity that was an unexpected hit? For me, it was Our Lord in the Attic Museum. I really didn’t know much about it, but I saw it mentioned a couple of times. I ended up adding it to my Amsterdam itinerary and I’m so glad I did. (I say this as someone who isn’t religious.)

Located across from the infamous Red Light District, Our Lord in the Attic museum is a 17th century canal house with a hidden Catholic church in the attic. There used to be many more of these hidden churches in Amsterdam, but this is the most complete and well-preserved one.

The included audio guide takes you through each room of the house with the tour culminating in the attic church. To get there, you have to climb some of the most treacherous stairs I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m not kidding when I say some of the steps were so narrow that half my foot hung off the back of them. I learned to walk on the outside edge of the stairs pretty quick.

If you have any sort of mobility issues, you’ll probably want to skip this one. My 70-something mom doesn’t have any mobility issues, but these stairs scared her at times. (By the end of our time in the Netherlands, she refused to climb any more small stairs.)

However, the climb was worth it. When I reached the top of the Dutch “Stairway to Heaven,” all I could say was, “Wow.” The details are incredible and for a brief moment you forget you’re standing in the attic of a house someone lived in.

The website suggests buying tickets ahead of time, but we were able to walk in and purchase tickets without any issues.

Experience a Rijsttafel

If you’re looking for an authentic Dutch food experience, a Rijstaffel is a must. What is a Rijsttafel? Dutch for rice table, it’s a meal that features a variety of Indonesian dishes.

I had never had Indonesian food before, and I couldn’t think of a better place to try it than Amsterdam. While meat dishes are common, most restaurants offer vegetarian Rijsttafel options. We ate at Long Pura, which came recommended from one of the Viking Facebook groups and our hotel. It’s located in Jordaan and close to the Anne Frank House. 

We ordered the vegetarian rice table, which included: tofu betawi (tofu with sweet and spicy soy sauce, sate tahu (tempeh with peanut sauce), tumis sayur (fresh sauteed veggies), sayur lodeh (vegetables in coconut sauce), terong belado (eggplant in spicy chili sauce), atjar ketimun (cucumbers in sweet and sour sauce) and gado gado. It comes with a bowl of white rice as well.

If you are vegan, let them know when you order! One of the dishes had egg, so I let the waiter know that we were vegan and they gave us a second dish of gado gado. They also offered krupuk or shrimp chips as an appetizer, but we were able to get plain.

I really liked each dish, especially the spicy ones. My mom isn’t the most adventurous eater, but she tried pretty much everything and liked most of the dishes. Her favorite though was the peanut dipping sauce and she put it on pretty much everything.

I highly suggest making a reservation. Our hotel called a few hours before and we were able to get in at 6:15 p.m. However, the restaurant filled up quickly and there weren’t many tables left by 7:00 p.m.

Amsterdam Itinerary Day 2

See the Tulips at the Keukenhof

March and April, 7:30 a.m. or 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $183 + Keukenhof entrance fee

If you will be in Amsterdam during tulip season, visiting the Keukenhof Gardens is a must. (Note: The Keukenhof is only open for 6 to 8 weeks out of the year, usually from late March to early May.)

There are different Keukenhof Gardens tours that will take you to the gardens. But if you want the best Keukenhof Gardens tour and experience, book the Million Tulips and Windmill Tour. (Shout out to Wheatless and Wanderlust for the recommendation!)

Our 5.5 hour Keukenhof small group tour started at 7:30 a.m. (Not an early bird? There’s also an afternoon option.) We met Chris, our tour guide, at a cafe near Centraal Station. He then drove us to the Keukenhof Gardens where we arrived a little after 8:00 a.m. (This was by design to beat the packed tour buses. By the time we left, it was absolutely packed.)

Once inside Chris gave us a map with a recommended route to avoid the crowds and we were free to roam around the gardens for about 2-2.5 hours. (He also provided umbrellas because it was raining off and on. A nice touch, if you ask me.) The photos don’t really do it justice, but the tulips, and all the flowers, were stunning.

This Keukenhof Tour is more than just a walk through the gardens. You also stop by a tulip field for a photo op and visit Zaanse Schans to explore the different windmills and enjoy authentic Dutch hot chocolate. Chris even found me a vegan option!

I really can’t say enough about Chris and this tour. Not only is he a great guide, but he’s also super funny and went out of his way to make sure everyone was having a good time.

My mom talked about the tulips, and this tour, practically every day of our trip. And if it gets mom’s approval, you know it’s good.

Chris offers his Million Tulips and Windmill Tour in March and April. Because there are only six spots available on each tour, you will want to book early. I booked in October 2024 for our late-April 2025 trip and some of the dates were already sold out.

View the Most Famous Dutch Paintings at the RijksMuseum

Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tickets: €25

If you Google “What to do in Amsterdam” every list will recommend visiting the RijksMuseum. This iconic art museum is the largest museum in the Netherlands. It’s also home to the most famous Dutch artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer.

With over 8,000 pieces of Dutch art and history pieces, you could easily spend hours, if not days inside. But if you’re short on time and don’t want to spend hours aimlessly wandering around the Rijks, book the Best of the RijksMuseum Tour.

The one hour guided tour is offered through the museum and only costs €7,50 per person, in addition to the museum entrance fee. Compared to other guided tours, this tour is incredibly cheap.

As the name of the tour implies, you will see the most popular artworks in the museum, like Rembrandt’s The Night Watch (which is currently being restored) and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid.

The Rijks also has four Van Gogh paintings in their collection. So if you can’t fit the Van Gogh Museum into your Amsterdam itinerary, you’ll still be able to see some of his works.

This tour checked all the boxes for me: quick, informative and a great price. But if you don’t want to do a tour, the Rijks offers a free mobile app. In fact, many people say it’s just as good, if not better than a guide.

Visit the Secret Annex at the Anne Frank House

Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Tickets:  €16 (museum visit only) or €23 (museum visit + introductory program)

The Anne Frank House is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, attractions in Amsterdam. And if you want to fit it into your Amsterdam itinerary, you must plan ahead.

Anne Frank House tickets go on sale 6 weeks in advance (on a Tuesday), and they sell out fast. I woke up at 1:00 a.m. PST to buy tickets. Unfortunately, the website timed out due to the amount of traffic and made securing tickets difficult. I was finally able to purchase tickets for only the museum around 3:00 a.m. I wanted to buy the ticket option that included the introductory program, but they were sold out.

In case this happens to you (and I think they have this issue often): have multiple dates and times picked out in case your first choice sells out. Also, tickets are only available through the Anne Frank House website. If you see them anywhere else, they are not legit.

The Anne Frank House tour is about one hour and includes an audio guide that takes you through different rooms of the house. The tour moves pretty quickly up until the stairs to the secret annex. (And yes, the stairs are the typical vertical Dutch stairs.) 

I have to admit I got a little bit claustrophobic around this point. I can’t even imagine what it was like to live in such a small area for 761 days, like the did Franks.

Similar to when I visited Dachau, I couldn’t help but feel an immense sense of sadness and anger at the Anne Frank House. It kind of just hits you as you watch the various clips and hear how the events unfolded. Despite that, the Anne Frank House should be on everyone’s Amsterdam itinerary.

Amsterdam Itinerary Day 3

Take an Early Morning Canal Cruise

Daily at 8:00 a.m.
Tickets: €39

Amsterdam is famous for their canals. And there’s no better way of seeing them than a canal cruise.

There are plenty of companies to choose from, but I chose Captain Dave because of the early morning canal cruise option. If you’re not a morning person, there are other departure times. However, the one advantage of an early morning canal cruise is there isn’t a lot of boat traffic, which I really liked.

While other canal cruises, like Lovers Canal Cruises, drive large boats that can easily fit dozens of people, Captain Dave’s canal boats are small and cozy. In fact, they use a former Dutch government boat from the 1920s. There were maybe 10 people on our early morning canal cruise.

Each canal cruise with Captain Dave is different. Our canal boat captain made up the route as we went. And we saw a lot during our 90 minute cruise. Our cruise was also the morning of King’s Night, so it was cool to see the decorations throughout the city and canals.

If you do choose an early canal cruise, dress warm. Despite the cold weather, people pulled down the windows to take pictures. Luckily there are blankets on the boat to help you stay warm.

Pose with the Dancing Houses

If seeing the crooked Dancing Houses on a canal cruise isn’t enough, go take another look. Located on the Amstel River, you can get a photo of these iconic structures from the opposite side of the canal.

While most people will take a picture from the corner of Groenburwal and ‘S-Gravelandse Veer, the better spot is across the small canal on Staalkade.

Explore the Van Gogh Museum

Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: €32.50

Another museum on every Amsterdam itinerary is the Van Gogh Museum. If you’re only in Amsterdam for 2 days, you’ll most likely have to choose between the RijksMuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. (After visiting both I would choose the Van Gogh Museum over the Rijks.) But if you have 3 days in Amsterdam, you’ll easily be able to see both.

They’re also in the same area, so it’s easy to walk from one to the other. But if two art museums in one day is too much (and it would be for me), divide it into two days.

Like the RijksMuseum, the Van Gogh Museum also offers small group guided tours for an extra €7.50. Again, this is an absolute bargain compared to some of the guided tours offered on Tours By Locals or Viator.

The Van Gogh Highlights Tour is only 50 minutes and you see his most popular works. (If you’re hoping to see Van Gogh’s Starry Night, you won’t. It’s in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art.)

The Van Gogh Museum is much smaller than the Rijks and not as crowded. Don’t mistake that as no crowds, though. There were plenty of people. However, if you don’t know that much about Vincent Van Gogh, the highlights tour is a really good crash course in all things Van Gogh.

Where to Stay in Amsterdam

Since we were going to be in Amsterdam right before King’s Day (April 26) and at the end of tulip season, I started my hotel search in September.

I have three requirements when it comes to hotels: it must be clean, it must have a fairly decent rating and it must be centrally located-ish. After searching for hotels in Amsterdam, I now have a fourth requirement: it must have a fully enclosed bathroom with a door.

I can’t tell you how many hotels I found where the shower was within arms reach of the bed or a sheet of glass separated the bathroom from the bedroom area. If I didn’t see a door in the hotel’s bathroom photo, it was an immediate no. And trust me, I looked deep into TripAdvisor.com and Yelp reviews.

One of my favorite corners of the internet to find hotel recommendations is the Rick Steves forum. It’s how I picked a hotel in Salzburg, and it was a fantastic location. I noticed a couple of recommendations for Hotel Estheréa. And thankfully it met all four of my requirements.

I knew prices weren’t going to get any lower, so I quickly booked a room. About a month later, I ended up adding an extra night so the room would be available when we arrived. If you do this, be sure to email the hotel to let them know your arrival plans. They responded to my email very quickly and let me know they made a note.

Hotel Estherea is a 4 star hotel located on the oldest canal in Amsterdam: the Sengel. Rooms aren’t cheap, but the location alone makes it worth the money. Hotel Estherea is about a 5 minute walk to Dam Square, a 15 minute walk to the Anne Frank House and a 30 minute walk to the museum quarter and Centraal Station. Other than getting a taxi to our cruise ship dock, we walked everywhere thanks to the hotel’s central location. (Seriously, one day we logged almost 25,000 steps.)

As far as the rooms go, ours was on the smaller side. But since we weren’t going to be in the room that much, the size didn’t bother either of us. The shower was great and I can confirm that there was a door separating the bathroom from the bedroom.

Hotel Estherea also gets bonus points for having two cats in the lobby; however, they wanted nothing to do with me. Next time I’ll find out how to say “pss pss pss” in Dutch.

Another hotel option that comes highly recommended is The Pulitzer. This is the hotel Viking Cruises uses for the pre and post-cruise excursions.

What to Pack for Spring in Amsterdam

I visited Amsterdam in late spring, specifically April 23 to April 25. Minus the last day, which had beautiful, sunny weather, Amsterdam was pretty damn cold. We’re talking in the 40s and 50s. (I live in Southern California, so yes, this is cold to me.)

Amsterdam is also notorious for daily rain showers. And I can confirm that’s true because it rained on us twice. Luckily I was prepared with this insulated, water proof trench coat from Eddie Bauer. The Petite S worked well and left plenty of room for layering.

Most days I wore Quince cashmere sweaters over a t-shirt and jeans under my coat and was fine. One thing I wish I brought, though? A scarf and gloves, especially for the early morning canal cruise.

Moral of the story: check the weather before you go, but it’s a constant moving target.

Is anything missing from this Amsterdam itinerary? Let me know in the comments!