I’ve been looking forward to writing this post since getting back from our trip to Amsterdam at the end of March! Joe and I love to travel and visit museums (you might also like a History Lover’s Guide to London), and the big draw to go to Amsterdam was to go to the once in a lifetime Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum. We did a lot more than just one museum, so read on to get the low down on our entire itinerary.
You can check out this short video of the trip if you want to see the highlights!
Day One – Arrival & Canal Cruise
Accomodations
We arrived at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol early on a Sunday morning and took public transportation to get to our hotel, Sofitel Amsterdam The Grand. It was super simple to navigate the train and subway and we were able to tap our credit cards to pay. We loved the hotel because of the location (it’s on the border of the Red Light District and we were able to walk to all of the attractions we wanted to see…ironically the Red Light District was not one of them 😂). We use Priceline to book our hotels and have status by pooling on a family account, so we were able to get a pretty good discount.
Canal Cruise
We were fairly wiped out after our flight so we decided to take a short nap before going to our first activity: a canal cruise (tickets)! We felt we got good value for the cost of the tickets and enjoyed getting to see the city from the water on our first day. On our way to the cruise we also stopped for a snack at Rene’s Croissanterie and got the most delicious poffertjes.
One of the highlights of the trip was getting to see my friend Nilsu from Turkey who is studying in Amsterdam! We got to have some snacks and wander around the city before I was so tired that I needed to collapse into bed.
Day Two – Rijksmuseum & Van Gogh Museum
Rijksmuseum
The big draw for us to go to the Rijksmuseum was to see the largest Vermeer exhibit ever. Tickets are now completely sold out (I got them months in advance!), but there is so much more to see in the museum. We love Dutch artwork, so it was heaven. You’ll want to make sure you see The Night Watch on the second floor in the Gallery of Honour, the Research Library, and I’m of course a big fan of the snuffboxes.
On your way to the museum you can stop for a tasty breakfast at Cosy by Mandy.
Voldenpark
We had a break in between the Rijksmuseum and our next activity, so we headed to Voldenpark to wander and enjoy the sun. There wasn’t anything super special about what we saw, it was just a great location for a break.
Van Gogh Museum
One of my best pieces of advice is to get all of your tickets in advance. Popular attractions have the tendency to sell out and you can also save time by having a timed ticket that allows you to skip the line. We did this for the Van Gogh Museum (tickets) and were so happy that we did.
Day Three – Anne Frank & Rembrandt Houses, Food Tour
Anne Frank House
This is a must see and another place where it is essential to get tickets in advance. Tickets can only be purchased through the official Anne Frank website and they become available two months in advance. It was a somber and powerful experience, and I was very moved.
Food Tour
For lunch we went on a food tour and were excited to learn more about the cuisine of Amsterdam. This tour also included a segment on bikes. We loved that part! It felt treacherous as we were riding across cobble stones with so many other bikers around, but that added to the fun. You can book this tour through Airbnb Experiences.
John Adams House
This is probably only a point of interest for me, but you know my love of John Adams runs deep (and I recorded a podcast episode about when he lived in Amsterdam), so I had to go see his house. It’s just a plaque outside, but it made me very happy. The address is Keizersgracht 529 if you want to visit.
Rembrandt House
We’re fans of Rembrandt, so getting to visit his home and studio was fantastic! You automatically get an audioguide and can wander through multiple levels of the home to experience the rooms where he lived and worked. You can get timed tickets here.
Final Thoughts
We had a great time in Amsterdam and felt there was a lot to see. The art and history museums were wonderful and the city itself is beautiful. We didn’t miss out on any activities (we walked through 9 Streets and Bloemenmarket as well) and felt that three days was the perfect amount of time.
The food tour was definitely a good idea because it gave us exposure to a variety of foods that we may not have experienced in our meals (we didn’t have any standout restaurants). Amsterdam is a great place to stop by when you’re in Europe!
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