The thing you learn on your first day in Amsterdam is this: you do not stand in a cycle lane. Bicycles are the backbone of transport here, and when a pedestrian blocks their path the bell comes straight away. The city is small, the canals are laid out in rings, and everything is within walking distance. Three days is enough, and giving the fourth to a neighbouring town is the smarter move. Below I have written the route and the prices.
The canals and the shape of the city
The central canals enclose one another in semicircles and are left from the seventeenth century. The loveliest part is the Jordaan quarter, with its narrow houses and small bridges. A canal boat tour takes an hour and shows you the city from water level, which makes a good start to the first day. In the evening the lights on the bridges come on and the walk becomes something else entirely.
Houses leaning is normal here, because the city was built on marshland on wooden piles. Notice the hooks at the top of the facades: furniture is lifted from there rather than carried up the stairs.
The museums: Van Gogh, the Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank
The Van Gogh museum holds more than two hundred of the painter’s works, and the collection is arranged chronologically, so you see step by step how the style changed. The Rijksmuseum is devoted to the Dutch golden age, and Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” is kept there. These two museums are next to each other and face the same square.
The Anne Frank house is a subject of its own. The ticket is sold online only, opens six weeks ahead and runs out within a few hours. Learn the date and put it in your calendar; buying on the spot is not possible. Taking the museum and canal boat tickets in advance saves time for the other places too.
Bicycles and transport in Amsterdam
Bicycle hire is 12–18 euros a day and is the most natural way to see the city. There are more than eight hundred thousand bicycles in the city, which is more than there are people. If you decide to ride, keep to the right and signal your turns by hand. Always lock the bicycle; theft is a traditional problem here.
The tram network covers the centre completely and contactless card payment works. The train from Schiphol airport to the centre takes fifteen minutes and is very cheap. The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht are within an hour by train; compare the tickets in one search. Schiphol is one of the largest hubs in Europe, which is why flight prices to Amsterdam are often good value.
Food and daily spending
Dutch cooking is simple, but the city is rich thanks to Indonesian food. The many-plate spread called “rijsttafel” is left from the colonial period and has to be tried. Of the street food, stroopwafel is bought warm, and herring is the local classic. The chips called frites come with sauce and are sold on every corner.
Halal food is widespread in De Pijp and the New West districts, where the Turkish and Moroccan restaurants are. Lunch is 12–18 euros, and dinner in a restaurant 30–50 a head. Shopping in a supermarket brings the budget down seriously.
Season and prices in Amsterdam
From the middle of April to the beginning of May is tulip season, and the Keukenhof garden is only open in that period. From May to September the weather is 18–23 degrees, the days are long and the canal banks are lively. Winter is not cold, but it is wet and windy. Because of the wind an umbrella often does not help.
A three-star hotel in the centre is 150–220 euros, and this is the city’s most painful expense. Staying in an outer district or in the town of Haarlem comes down to 90–140 euros and is fifteen minutes from the centre by train. Choosing your hotel by the train station is a real saving here. The Van Gogh museum is 22 euros and the Anne Frank house 16. Official information is on the I amsterdam site.
Short questions about Amsterdam
Which ticket has to be bought months ahead?
The Anne Frank house. For the other museums, buying a few days ahead is enough.
What if I cannot ride a bicycle?
Not a problem. The centre is walked and the tram reaches everywhere. Cycling in dense traffic is hard for anyone without experience.
In short
Amsterdam is a small and comfortable city; the main expense is accommodation, and staying in a neighbouring town halves it. Buy the Anne Frank ticket on the day the dates open, stay out of the cycle lane, and give one day to Haarlem or Utrecht. If you want to combine the Netherlands with Belgium in one trip, look at Benelux group tours. For a visa and a route, fill in the application form.
Note: the prices in this article are those at the time of publication and may change with the season.
