3 Days in Amsterdam: Tulips, Canal Cruises and Hidden Gems
Amsterdam had been on my travel wish list for years, so when my mom and I booked a Viking river cruise that started there, we decided to arrive a few days early and explore the city on our own. 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 myself.)
To build this Amsterdam itinerary, I worked backwards. We had to be on our cruise ship by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, so I figured out exactly how much time we had and started planning from there. That gave us 3 days to see tulips, cruise through Amsterdam’s world-famous canals, explore iconic museums and climb more dangerously narrow Dutch stairs than we thought possible.
I spent months tweaking this 3 day Amsterdam itinerary, and I think it turned out pretty close to perfect given the time constraints. It’s even approved by my 70-something year old mom, who successfully survived the steep Dutch stairs, endless walking and my aggressively optimized sightseeing schedule.
So whether you’re visiting Amsterdam for the first time, arriving early for a European river cruise or just trying to maximize a short trip, this Amsterdam itinerary will help you see the city’s most famous attractions along with a few hidden gems.
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How to Spend 3 Days in Amsterdam (Quick Answer)
If it’s your first time visiting Amsterdam, 3 days is enough time to see the city’s biggest highlights while still leaving room for canal cruises, hidden gems and wandering through the city’s famous canal belt.
Here’s how I’d spend 3 days in Amsterdam:
This Amsterdam itinerary balances major attractions with smaller experiences that made the trip feel special instead of rushed.
Book These Amsterdam Attractions in Advance
Amsterdam is one of those cities where waiting until the last minute can seriously backfire. The Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and many of the most popular canal cruises regularly sell out, especially during spring and tulip season.
These are the Amsterdam attractions I’d book before your trip:
I’d also recommend booking your hotel early if you’re visiting around King’s Day, tulip season or summer. Hotels in central Amsterdam fill up quickly, and prices climb fast.
Browse Amsterdam hotels.
Jump to:
Day 1: Historic Amsterdam & Hidden Gems
Day 2: Tulips, Museums & Anne Frank
Day 3: Canal cruises, Van Gogh and Amsterdam icon
Where to Stay in Amsterdam
What to Pack for Amsterdam
Amsterdam FAQs
Amsterdam Itinerary Day 1: Historic Amsterdam & Hidden Gems
Your first day in Amsterdam is all about getting oriented. It starts with a walking tour through the city’s historic center before diving into hidden museums, canal houses and one of the best meals we had in Amsterdam.
Go on a Free Amsterdam Walking Tour
Tours daily, rain or shine
If it’s your first time visiting Amsterdam, start your trip with a walking tour. It’s one of the fastest ways to get familiar with the city’s layout, history and neighborhoods before exploring on your own.
There are plenty of Amsterdam walking tours to choose from, but based on our schedule I booked The Classic Tour through Free Amsterdam Walking Tours.
The tour lasts about two hours, and because each guide creates their own route, no two tours are exactly alike. On our Amsterdam walking tour we stopped at the Royal Palace, De Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), the Financial District, the Red Light District and the Canal Belt.
Our guide was born and raised in Amsterdam, so the tour felt much more personal than a generic history lecture. I learned a lot about the city’s history and culture. My only complaint is how much time we spent inside 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 think there were more interesting places we could have visited instead.
Visit Our Lord in the Attic Museum
Open daily 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
You know how every trip has an activity that completely surprises you? For me, it was Our Lord in the Attic Museum. I didn’t know much about it before visiting, but after seeing it mentioned a few times while researching this Amsterdam itinerary, I decided to add it to our schedule. It ended up being one of my favorite experiences in Amsterdam, and I say that 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 tucked inside the attic. Amsterdam once had several of these hidden churches, but this is the best preserved and most complete example still standing today.
The included audio guide takes you through each room of the canal house before culminating in the attic church itself. To get there, though, you’ll need to survive some of the most terrifying Dutch stairs imaginable. 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 along the outside edge of the stairs pretty quickly.
If you have mobility issues or a fear of steep stairs, this is probably one Amsterdam attraction to skip. My 70-something mom doesn’t have mobility issues, but even she found the stairs intimidating at times.
Still, the climb was completely worth it. When I reached the top of the Dutch “Stairway to Heaven,” all I could say was, “Wow.” The details inside the church are incredible, and for a brief moment you completely forget you’re standing inside the attic of a canal house.
If you’re looking for a lesser-known museum in Amsterdam that feels completely different from the city’s larger attractions, this is worth adding to your Amsterdam itinerary.
Experience a Rijsttafel
If you’re looking for a memorable food experience in Amsterdam, make time for a rijsttafel. Dutch for “rice table,” a rijsttafel is a meal made up of multiple Indonesian dishes served together, reflecting the Netherlands’ colonial history in Indonesia.
I had never tried Indonesian food before visiting Amsterdam, and it ended up being one of the most memorable meals of the trip. While many restaurants serve meat-heavy versions, most also offer vegetarian rijsttafel options. We ate at Long Pura in Jordaan, which came recommended by both our hotel and one of the Viking Facebook groups.
We ordered the vegetarian rijsttafel, which included a variety of tofu, tempeh, vegetables, peanut sauces and spicy dishes served alongside white rice. My favorite dishes were the spicy ones, while my mom became completely obsessed with the peanut sauce and started putting it on nearly everything.
If you’re vegan, let the restaurant know when ordering. One of the dishes originally included egg, but they quickly swapped it out for another vegan-friendly option. They also offered plain crackers instead of shrimp chips as an appetizer.
I’d also recommend making a reservation. Our hotel called a few hours ahead and managed to get us a table at 6:15 p.m., but the restaurant filled up quickly and there were very few tables available by 7:00 p.m.
Amsterdam Itinerary Day 2: Tulips, Museums & Anne Frank
Day 2 combines some of Amsterdam’s most famous experiences into one very full, but very worth it, day. From endless rows of tulips at Keukenhof to world-famous art museums and the Anne Frank House, this is the day where you’ll check off many of the city’s biggest highlights.
See the Tulips at the Keukenhof
March and April, 7:30 a.m. or 1:00 p.m.
If you’ll be in Amsterdam during tulip season, visiting Keukenhof is a must. The gardens are only open for a short window each spring, usually from late March through early May, and seeing the tulips in person feels like walking through a real-life postcard.
There are plenty of Keukenhof tours available, but after researching different options, I booked the Million Tulips and Windmill Tour. (Shout out to Wheatless and Wanderlust for the recommendation.)
Our 5.5 hour small-group tour started at 7:30 a.m. near Centraal Station. Chris, our guide, drove us to Keukenhof where we arrived shortly after opening. This turned out to be one of the best parts of the experience because we were able to explore the gardens before the massive tour bus crowds arrived. By the time we left, it was packed.
Once inside, Chris gave us a map with a recommended route through the gardens to help avoid the crowds, and then we had about 2 to 2.5 hours to explore on our own. He also brought umbrellas because the weather kept changing throughout the morning, which I appreciated more than expected.
The photos barely capture how beautiful the gardens are in person. Everywhere you look there are rows of tulips, colorful flower displays and perfectly landscaped paths.
This tour is also more than just Keukenhof. We stopped at a tulip field for photos and visited Zaanse Schans to see the historic windmills and drink Dutch hot chocolate. Chris even tracked down a vegan option for me.
Chris was one of those guides who completely makes the experience. He was funny, organized and made sure everyone on the tour was having a good time.
My mom talked about the tulips and this tour for practically the rest of the trip. And if it gets mom approval, you know it’s good.
Because there are only six spots available on each tour, book this one early. Some dates were already sold out months in advance when I booked our tour. (I booked in October for an April tour.)
Can’t Get a Spot on This Tour?
If the Million Tulips and Windmill Tour is unavailable for your trip, there are still plenty of other Keukenhof tours and transportation options available.
View the Most Famous Dutch Paintings at the Rijksmuseum
Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
If you Google “what to do in Amsterdam,” every list will tell you to visit the Rijksmuseum. The largest museum in the Netherlands, the Rijks is home to some of the country’s most famous artists, including Rembrandt and Vermeer.
With thousands of paintings and historical artifacts inside, you could easily spend an entire day wandering through the museum. But if you’re short on time, I’d recommend booking the museum’s “Best of the Rijksmuseum” highlights tour.
The one-hour tour is offered directly through the museum and covers many of the Rijksmuseum’s most famous works, including Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid.
The Rijksmuseum also has several Van Gogh paintings in its collection. So if you can’t fit the Van Gogh Museum into your Amsterdam itinerary, you’ll still get to see some of his work here.
For me, this tour hit the sweet spot: short, informative and easy to fit into a packed Amsterdam itinerary. But if guided tours aren’t your thing, the Rijksmuseum also offers a free mobile app that many visitors use instead.
Even if you skip the guided tour, you should book your Rijksmuseum entry ticket ahead of time, especially during spring and summer when Amsterdam gets crowded.
Visit the Secret Annex at the Anne Frank House
Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The Anne Frank House is one of the most visited attractions in Amsterdam, and if you want to include it in your Amsterdam itinerary, planning ahead is essential.
Tickets are released six weeks in advance and sell out quickly. I woke up at 1:00 a.m. PST to try to buy ours, only for the website to repeatedly time out because of the amount of traffic. After nearly two hours of refreshing the page, I finally managed to secure museum-only tickets. By then, the introductory program tickets had already sold out.
If you’re planning to visit, have multiple dates and times ready in case your first choice disappears while you’re checking out. Also, tickets are only sold through the official Anne Frank House website. If you see them listed anywhere else, they are not legitimate.
The self-guided visit takes about an hour and includes an audio guide that walks you through different rooms of the house before leading up to the secret annex. The pace moves fairly quickly until you reach the steep stairs to the annex itself. And yes, they are the classic nearly-vertical Dutch stairs.
I’ll admit I started feeling a little claustrophobic at this point. Standing inside such a small space made it impossible not to think about what it must have been like for the Frank family to live hidden there for more than two years.
Similar to when I visited Dachau, the Anne Frank House left me with a deep sense of sadness and anger. As difficult as it can be emotionally, it’s also one of the most important places to visit in Amsterdam.
Can’t Get Anne Frank House Tickets?
Because tickets sell out so quickly, many visitors miss out on the Anne Frank House entirely. If official tickets are unavailable during your trip, guided WWII and Anne Frank walking tours are one of the best alternatives.
Amsterdam Itinerary Day 3: Canal Cruises, Van Gogh & Dancing Icons
Your final day in Amsterdam is a mix of classic city experiences and slower sightseeing. It starts with one of my favorite canal cruises of the trip before moving on to famous museums, postcard-worthy photo spots and one last walk through the city’s canals.
Take an Early Morning Canal Cruise
Daily at 8:00 a.m.
Amsterdam is famous for its canals, and one of the best ways to experience the city is from the water.
There are plenty of Amsterdam canal cruises to choose from, but I booked Captain Dave because of the early morning departure option. If waking up early on vacation sounds terrible, there are later departure times available. The biggest advantage of the morning cruise is how quiet the canals feel before the city fully wakes up.
Book a Small-Group Amsterdam Canal Cruise
Seeing Amsterdam from the canals ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. If you want a quieter, more personal experience, I’d skip the giant tourist boats and book a smaller canal cruise instead.
Another reason I chose Captain Dave over the larger canal cruise companies was the smaller boat size. Unlike the giant tourist boats that pack in dozens of passengers, Captain Dave’s boats are much smaller and more intimate. In fact, they use a former Dutch government boat from the 1920s. There were maybe 10 people on our canal cruise, which made the entire experience feel much more relaxed and personal.
What I also liked is that no two cruises are exactly alike. Our captain adjusted the route as we went, so it felt less scripted than some of the larger canal tours. We happened to cruise through the city on the morning of King’s Night, so it was fun seeing all the decorations lining the canals.
If you book the early morning canal cruise, dress warmer than you think you need to. Even in chilly weather, people kept opening the windows to take photos. Thankfully there were blankets on board, which made a huge difference.
Seeing Amsterdam from the canals early in the morning ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire itinerary.
Explore the Van Gogh Museum
Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
No Amsterdam itinerary is complete without a visit to the Van Gogh Museum. If you only have 2 days in Amsterdam, you’ll probably need to choose between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. After visiting both, I’d personally choose the Van Gogh Museum. But with 3 days in Amsterdam, you can comfortably fit both into your itinerary.
The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum are located in the same area, so it’s easy to visit them back-to-back. That said, two art museums in one day can feel like a lot, so splitting them across different days might make more sense depending on your travel style.
Like the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum offers short small-group highlights tours for an additional fee. The 50-minute Van Gogh Highlights Tour covers many of his most famous paintings and works especially well if you don’t know much about Vincent Van Gogh before visiting.
And no, Starry Night is not here. It’s at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Compared to the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum feels smaller and easier to navigate, which I preferred. There were still plenty of people, but it never felt quite as overwhelming.
If you plan to visit, book your Van Gogh Museum tickets ahead of time. Timed-entry tickets regularly sell out, especially during spring and summer.
Pose with the Dancing Houses
If seeing Amsterdam’s crooked Dancing Houses from the canal cruise isn’t enough, head over to the Amstel River for a closer look.
Most people take photos from the corner of Groenburwal and ‘s-Gravelandse Veer, but the better viewpoint is across the smaller canal on Staalkade, where you can capture all seven houses without the crowds blocking your shot.
Where to Stay in Amsterdam
Finding a hotel in Amsterdam was harder than I expected, especially during tulip season and right before King’s Day. I started researching hotels months in advance because prices were climbing quickly and rooms in central Amsterdam were disappearing fast.
I have a few basic hotel requirements: it needs to be clean, centrally located-ish and have decent reviews. After researching hotels in Amsterdam, I discovered a fourth requirement: the bathroom must have an actual door.
I lost track of how many Amsterdam hotels I found where the shower was basically inside the bedroom or separated by a sheet of glass. If I didn’t see a proper bathroom door in the photos, it was an immediate no.
Stay at Hotel Estheréa
After falling down several Rick Steves forum rabbit holes, I kept seeing people recommend Hotel Estheréa. Thankfully, it checked all four of my hotel requirements.
Hotel Estheréa is a 4-star hotel located along the Singel Canal in central Amsterdam. The location ended up being one of the best parts of the stay. It’s about:
Other than taking a taxi to our cruise ship dock, we walked everywhere.
The rooms are on the smaller side, which is pretty common in Amsterdam, but since we spent most of our time exploring the city, it didn’t bother us. The shower was great and, most importantly, the bathroom had a real door.
Hotel Estheréa also gets bonus points for having two cats in the lobby, although they wanted absolutely nothing to do with me.
Stay in the Heart of Amsterdam at Hotel Estheréa
This charming canal-side hotel is within walking distance of Amsterdam’s biggest attractions, restaurants and museums.
Another Amsterdam Hotel Option: Pulitzer Amsterdam
Another hotel that came highly recommended during my research was Pulitzer Amsterdam, which is also used by Viking Cruises for some of their pre- and post-cruise stays.
If neither of these hotels fit your budget or travel style, you can browse more Amsterdam hotels here.
What to Pack for Spring in Amsterdam
I visited Amsterdam in late April, and minus one beautiful sunny day, it was pretty cold. We’re talking temperatures in the 40s and 50s. (I live in Southern California, so yes, this counts as cold to me.)
Amsterdam is also known for unpredictable rain showers, and I can confirm that reputation is deserved because it rained on us twice during the trip.
Luckily, I came prepared with an insulated waterproof trench coat from Eddie Bauer, which ended up being one of the best things I packed. Most days I layered Quince cashmere sweaters over a t-shirt and wore jeans underneath my coat, which kept me comfortable while walking around the city.
The one thing I wish I had packed? A scarf and gloves, especially for the early morning canal cruise.
What I’d Pack for Amsterdam in Spring
If you’re going to Amsterdam as part of a river cruise, check out my river cruise packing list here.
Amsterdam Itinerary FAQs
If you’re planning your first trip to Amsterdam, these are some of the most common questions that come up when putting together an Amsterdam itinerary.
Is 3 days enough in Amsterdam?
Yes. Three days is enough time to see Amsterdam’s major attractions while still leaving room for canal cruises, museums, hidden gems and slower walks through the canal belt. This Amsterdam itinerary balances the city’s biggest highlights with a few less touristy experiences.
What is the best month to visit Amsterdam?
Late April is one of the best times to visit Amsterdam because it overlaps with tulip season and Keukenhof Gardens. Spring also brings cooler temperatures, fewer crowds than summer and longer daylight hours.
Do you need to book Amsterdam attractions in advance?
Yes, especially during spring and summer. The Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and popular canal cruises regularly sell out ahead of time. If you plan to visit Keukenhof during tulip season, tours and transportation should also be booked early.
Is the Anne Frank House worth visiting?
Yes. The Anne Frank House is one of the most emotional and impactful experiences in Amsterdam. Tickets sell out quickly, but if you can secure one, it’s absolutely worth including in your Amsterdam itinerary.
Which is better: the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum?
If you only have time for one museum, I’d personally choose the Van Gogh Museum because it feels smaller and easier to navigate. But if you have 3 days in Amsterdam, you can comfortably visit both museums.
Where is the best area to stay in Amsterdam for first-time visitors?
The canal belt and central Amsterdam are ideal for first-time visitors because you can walk to many of the city’s major attractions, restaurants and museums. Staying centrally also makes it easier to maximize a shorter Amsterdam itinerary. If you’re still comparing neighborhoods or hotels, you can browse Amsterdam hotels here.
Final Thoughts on This Amsterdam Itinerary
Even though it was nearly impossible to find a Diet Coke, Amsterdam completely lived up to the hype. Between the canal cruises, world-famous museums, hidden churches, tulip fields and charming canal houses, there was always something interesting around the next corner.
Whether you’re visiting Amsterdam for the first time or arriving a few days early for a European river cruise, this 3 day Amsterdam itinerary is the perfect way to experience the city before setting sail. Just make sure you book the major attractions ahead of time, pack layers and mentally prepare yourself for some very steep Dutch stairs.
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