I am in a few Amsterdam travel groups since it is my favorite place to visit and I always like hearing what first time and veteran tourists enjoy when coming to Amsterdam and the Netherlands. I am truly surprised how many people just stop in Amsterdam on a long layover for their first time, and get hooked. Honestly, that is exactly how I got to enjoy Amsterdam for the first time and it has been drawing me back ever since. In my early 20’s I met a group in Cairo, Egypt for a trip, but I had a solo layover in Amsterdam for almost 12 hours. I’m never going to be a person who hangs in the airport all day, I can walk 20,000+ steps in a day and can easily see a European city and get a freebie destination.
Back then, I really knew nothing about Amsterdam other than it has tulips, great cheese and the hardest ticket in town to get is the Anne Frank House Museum. It is still that today… and so much more! I was a young teacher at that time in my life and had taught the Diary of Anne Frank with my students for the past few years and couldn’t wait to see the attic myself. I took that first trip SO long ago that pre-ordered tickets weren’t a thing yet, but the Anne Frank House was so popular there was a ticket machine at the airport and train station. As soon as I landed, I passed through passport control and went directly to that machine to get my ticket for the first slot of the day. I ditched my suitcase and backpack in an airport locker and took the train to Central Station. I will never forget the feeling I had when I walked out of this palatial train station to the main square and saw the most amazing buildings, canals with long, glass topped boats and bicycles everywhere! It was morning, when the city was still quiet and just coming to life. I had a map of the city and started to walk through the Jordaan Neighborhood with the best canals. I stopped in a cafe for breakfast and coffee, then continued on to the Anne Frank House on the most famous canal in Amsterdam, the Prinsengracht (Prince’s canal).
I spent hours seeing the museum, studying the texts and spending way too much money on very heavy books from the bookstore. Most people only take about 60-90 minutes in the small museum, plus some time in the cafe which is glass and overlooks an amazing spot of canal houses. After the Anne Frank House, I had the rest of the afternoon free to explore Amsterdam. I walked around the canals in the Jordaan, had lunch at a cafe near Dam Square and decided to take the most touristy canal boat ride possible. It did its job, but I suggest much better options later in the article. Then I walked through the Red Light District and smoked a joint in a coffeeshop (just to say I did it) before grabbing some dinner to take on the plane with me and head back to Schipol Airport for my final flight and real trip to Egypt.
I made some typical touristy mistakes on that layover trip, but have now been to Amsterdam at least a dozen times and have narrowed down the perfect 1-day or layover itinerary in the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam. In fact, I have curated 5 different 1-day itineraries to maximize trips based on the visitor’s interests. So if you only have 1 day in Amsterdam, because of a layover, a cruise ship departure or tight European itinerary, make sure to decide on one of the itineraries including:
- Picturesque Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Museum Focus
- Tour of Coffeeshops
- Amsterdam with Kids
- Tulip Time
Most flights into Amsterdam from the States are arriving early morning after a red-eye flight. I implore you to push past the exhaustion, have a coffee (or three) and get out to see Amsterdam. There is storage in the airport, the train station and numerous other locations that can be found on apps like stasher. The minimal cost is worth not hauling even a big backpack around on the cobblestone streets. If you are checking into a hotel for a night, drop your bag off at the front desk, that’s always an option as long as it’s a hotel or hotel with a front desk and not an Airbnb. Once you stash the bags and grab a coffee to go from the train station, start taking in the beauty of Amsterdam and its architecture just from the area in front of Central Station. Now’s the time to choose your own adventure, and be sure to set an appropriate time to return to Central Station to get the train back to Schipol for your evening flight. If you are staying the night, you have all the time in the world!
Picturesque Amsterdam
If you are limited on time, but want to get all the best photos of canals, canal houses, alleyways with flowers, small boats in the canals and pics of you and your love eating stroopwafels or pastries on a bench… the Jordaan is the place to start! This neighborhood is located just west of the main area of Central Station, but it is a typical Dutch neighborhood and not as touristy, especially in the Northern part. If you are leaving the train station head west and walk down Haarlemmerstraat. It is probably early and you are ready for some breakfast. Amsterdam does breakfast, brunch and specifically pancakes really well! Miss. B’s by la Grotte is on the first corner on the right and when the weather is nice, she has the front doors open for patio seating. On rainy days, go inside to find a cozy table up on the second floor or by the windows with a street view. This is a great spot to enjoy breakfast all morning or afternoon for that matter. If you are looking to eat on the go, head down Haarlemmerstraat a few more streets until you see the Petit Gateau pastry shop on your right. This is a great place for French pastries and baked goods like croissants, baguettes and fruit tarts. You can eat at a table upstairs or take your treats to enjoy on one of the benches next to the canal. If you travel the whole street, Haarlemmerstraat turns into Haarlemmerdijk and when it empties out into Haarlemmerplein (square) there is a great spot open all day for brunch called The Breakfast Club (their sister property is across the street called The Lunch Club). This is close to Westerpark, where many enjoy the warm months napping, reading or snacking on the lawn.
After a delicious breakfast, start to check out the canals in the Jordaan area. Walking on Brouwersgracht, walk the short distance of the four main canals from Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht to Prinsengracht. These canals are narrow and full of beautiful flowers and many bridges have themed, colorful bikes covered in flowers. These are particularly popular for photos with canals in the background. Once you’ve gotten your footage, wander down the Prinsengracht, following signs toward the Anne Frank House*. This is a popular spot in Amsterdam to visit, with a million visits a year and the hardest museum ticket to get in Europe. In front of the museum you will see some sightseeing boats with Flagship and Those Dam Boat Guys as two great options this side of town. They are traditional boats, captained by Dutch natives who tell you all about their city in 60-90 minute tours. You will get to see amazing canal houses, a few canals and go out to the Amstel River, where it opens up and you can get the best pictures of the architecture from the water. After returning to the Jordaan area, get off the boat and head south one more block on Prinsengracht. These blocks of 9 streets make up the shopping area known as “The 9 Streets” shopping area**. The 4 canal streets and 5 streets north and south have a huge selection of boutique shops, independently owned restaurants great for brunch or lunch, cafes with street tables to relax at and sweet treats like bakeries, ice cream shops and stroopwafels. Stroopwafels are delicious cookies, made by putting warm caramel between two waffle cookies and often adding toppings like candies or nuts. You can get great souvenir sets of stroopwafels in the grocery store for inexpensive gifts to bring home, but nothing beats trying a fresh stroopwafel on the street in Amsterdam and Van Wonderen Stroopwafels is the perfect spot, with an amazing front window to watch the magic process. If you walk by and the line is short, jump in it immediately!
When you are done shopping, leave the 9 Streets on Singel and follow the canal south/east to the floating flower market, where you will find flowermarkets. Stop at Cafe Jarden for a coffee or mint tea and a little rest after all the walking and shopping. Follow the Amstel River and find the skinny Bridge (really called the Magere Brug) between the Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht canals before they head back up the east side of the city. Follow the Amstel back to the floating flower market and walk up Rokin street which turns into Damrak, the main street that travels back to Central Station. Stop at Dam Square** for pictures of the square, video of tourist interacting with the pigeons, Koninklijk Paleis (the Royal palace that can be visited for a few weeks in summer) and the New Church. I suggest getting fries at Manneken Pis Nieuwendijk, it is found down the small street on the left of H&M. This spot is much less crowded than the original shop on Damrak, even though it is only a few blocks away. Walk east across the square and take Damstraat into de Wallen, also known as the Red Light District.
De Wallen is a typical Dutch neighborhood during the day, its most distinguished building is the Old Church and it even has a nursery school at its busiest intersection. The Red Light District (RLD) transforms in the evening to the epicenter of tourism and large groups of young, drunk guys. There is a strip of streets along the two canals of Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudezijds Achterburgwal that have a lot of sex shops, burlesque theaters, bars, restaurants, coffeeshops and the Red Light Secrets Museum. The infamous red lights are strips of windows down alleyways throughout the neighborhood that are lit red. The girls are waiting for their next customer in the windows or are ‘entertaining’ a customer if the curtain is drawn. Wander around to have a look, but remember DO NOT take any pictures! There are signs all over not to take photos/video, it is prohibited and will get you in trouble with security, the police and the girls. If you see blue lights in windows, these are trans-ladies who are available for fun and fantasy. The RLD is just one street west of Chinatown and the restaurants in the area reflect this culture. Our favorite Chinese restaurant is called Oriental City, still in the RLD, but remember to try Thai, sushi, raman, Indian and other Asian cuisines in this area of the city. When you are finished eating and “window shopping” head back out to the main street of Damrak to do any last minute souvenir shopping before heading back to Central Station. I suggest trying the cheeses at the three different main shops, Old Amsterdam Cheese Store (love everything here), Amsterdam Cheese Company (love everything here) and Henri Willig (like the truffle cheese only, but many love this company). If you miss out, you can pick up all of these and sample them in both the train station and the airport!
Amsterdam Museum Focus
If you are coming to Amsterdam and have a certain Dutch Museum or artist that you are dying to see, build your itinerary around that ticket entrance (get one of the first of the day, typically between 10:00-11:30 am). The three most popular are the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House, however other fantastic museum options are the newly remodeled Rembrandt House, the Resistance Museum (next best thing if you can’t get Anne Frank tickets) or the House Boat Museum. I would suggest getting your ticket to any museum ahead of time, Amsterdam is very popular and the tickets go fast, especially skip the line tickets. The Anne Frank House is the one that you really need to plan to get ahead of time. The tickets go on sale on the first Tuesday of the month at 8:00 am local time, so if you really want tickets, stay up late the night before and get them…that’s what I did when visiting with my kiddos this summer, it was a non negotiable for my teenagers, so I stayed up until midnight mountain time and it was certainly worth it. The other museums you can get tickets from their official site or a site like Get Your Guide or Viator, and you can often book a “skip the line” or guided tour that will cost a little more, but is often worth the value.
- Rijksmuseum
- Van Gogh Museum
- Rembrandt House
- Resistance Museum
- House Boat Museum
- Anne Frank House– official site
Once you arrive at Central Station, if you’re going to The Anne Frank House or HouseBoat Museum, walk west down Haarlemmerstraat, then south down the Prinsengracht canal into the Jordaan Neighborhood. This is a great street for coffeeshops, but not the tourist ones you will find in the RLD. Enjoy breakfast at Greenhouse, our favorite coffeeshop with a knowledgeable staff of budtenders and a delicious brunch menu, lunch, all-day, snack and desserts too. It is customary to purchase a drink per person when relaxing in a coffeeshop, but most don’t have as delicious of a menu.
If the cannabis culture doesn’t interest you, I’d suggest just getting coffee at the train station, and hold out for the best pastry shop, Petit gateau and it is right on your route. The small glass window shows a preview of the beautiful tarts and pastries, but once you open the door and the smell of baked croissants and baguettes take over, there is no going back! Walking around Brouwersgracht, north to Prinsengracht, these canals are narrow and full of beautiful flowers and many bridges have themed, colorful bikes covered in flowers. This is also a wonderful spot to hang with friends and a drink, sitting on the side of the canal or on the boat docks. Once you’ve gotten your fill of the canals, wander down the Prinsengracht, following signs toward the Anne Frank House. Arrive right at your slotted time (or 5 minutes prior), but you won’t be admitted to the line until your time slot. If you get there early, try an ice cream or stroopwafel shop in the neighborhood. At this point, return to the *by the Anne Frank House in the Picturesque Amsterdam section of this post to complete the itinerary for the day. Areas may need to be cut out (like the RLD) to keep on schedule if you have a flight to catch.
If you are going to the Rijksmuseum & Van Gogh you will need to head south to Museumplein, just south of the canal ring and might want to take the 12 tram down the Damrak (main street) from the train station if your time is close. Grab some breakfast at the restaurant Eggs Benaddicted or a local cafe for a quick bite to eat before your ticket entrance time. After your 2-3 hours in the museum, I suggest taking a canal cruise to get the best views and layout of Amsterdam. Captain Jack boat tour is our favorite that goes out of Central Station and the Rijks areas and will be just steps from the museum. If it is a nice day, grab some lunch from a shop or bakery and head to Vondelpark, just west of museumplein. At this point of your trip, you will need to decide if you want to spend your time in the Jordaan area (west) or Dam Square and the RLD (north, then east). Walk into the Jordaan by the “9 Streets”, where there are many boutique shops and cafes along those 4 canals. Then choose a dinner spot, I’d make a reservation ahead of time if you are traveling in peak season, Spring or Summer, at one of the follow amazing restaurants in the Jordaan:
- La Olive (Spanish)
- Pesca- theater of fish (seafood)
- Mr. Meat Steakhouse
- Black & Blue (steakhouse)
- Salmaura (Latin)
- Cannibale Royale Rozengratch (steak)
- Ms. B’s by La Grotto
- La Perla Pizzeria (pizza)
- San Pedro Steakhouse
- Seafood Bar
- Cafe Herengracht
- The Papeneiland Caf
- Cafe Tgijssen
Or if you are interested in testing the Dutch apple pie that is so famous in this area, stop at the Instagram famous Winkle 43 or the lesser known Sluisje for the Dutch treat typically served with lots of whipped cream. Once you hit Haarlemmerstraat, head east along the bars, cafes and coffeeshops for your final taste of Amsterdam before ending up back at Central Station. If you decide to take the more infamous route to the Red Light District, follow suggestions from the Picturesque Amsterdam section starting at Dam Square**.
If the Rembrandt House or the Resistance Museum is your first location head east by N87 bus or take the train to Waterlooplein station. Have breakfast at a traditional pancake place called MOAK Pancakes or visit Waterloo cafe for something lighter. Then head to your museum entrance, usually written on the confirmation. When you emerge, stop at Sugar Rush for ice cream on the same block. I’d head west on NieuweHoogstraat, through the RLD (stop here for dinner if you want Asian options) to Dam Square to see the Koninklijk Palace, Nieiwe Kerk (church) and de Bijenkorf (the Dutch version of Harrods). There is a secret rooftop cafe that many don’t know about, so if you need a bathroom and a great coffee with a view, it’s worth the 6 or more escalators to get there.
Then walk up Damrak, but be sure to stop for fries at either Vlaamse Frites or Manneken Pis for the Dutch fries. They are amazing and deserve fancy sauces and options like cheese, truffle parmesan, mayo, fry sauce or curry ketchup for the true European experience. If you are looking for a fast food snack, try FEBO down the street, you pay and then get it warm from a small window. The Dutch love their FEBO! If you want a better quality, yet still casual dinner, walk up to the square in front of Central Station and go into Vic’s Bar at the Victoria Hotel. We have stayed at this hotel, a great option if you are looking for a central location and loved the room service, just to find out it was the bar menu. Later on in the trip we had dinner in the bar and look forward to a night there on any of our adult trips to Amsterdam. If you are still in Amsterdam after dark, go up to the rooftop bar at the Hampton Inn by Hilton, just east of the train station. It’s a very romantic spot, with one of the best night views of the city. At least this close to the train station to still get back to the airport all in the same night.
Now you have a major advantage in Amsterdam if you only have a short time in this amazing city. I think you need 3-days to get the feel for it and a week to really see Amsterdam, but then again I still fill up a whole week with fun plans everytime hubby and I take a trip over to Holland. Next week, I will continue to describe layover and 1-day itineraries in Amsterdam, but in more niche areas for families, the Tulip season and on a coffeeshop tour.
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