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Canals, museums and day trips

The best things to do in Amsterdam

Canal cruises, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House and a day at Zaanse Schans. Here is what to book and what to do on your own, with honest advice on what is worth the price, where exactly your boat leaves and how to dodge the crowds.

See our picks
Tall old canal houses in central Amsterdam at dusk, mirrored in the still water, with a church tower behind
Short answer

The best things to do in Amsterdam are a canal cruise, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House and a walk or bike ride along the old canals. All three museums sell timed tickets online. The Anne Frank House sells them only on its own site, six weeks ahead. For a first cruise, we pick a one-hour boat with an audio guide in 19 languages, from €12 on GetYourGuide.

8
picks compared
from €10
lowest price per person
★ 4.8
best rating (5,403 reviews)
8 of 8
free cancellation

Our 8 picks for Amsterdam

Four canal cruises, three big tickets and a transport pass. Each listing says you can cancel free up to 24 hours before.

  • A glass-roofed canal tour boat passing a row of tall old houses on the Damrak in Amsterdam from €12 per person Our top pick

    1 hour 4.3 (22,431) reviews on GetYourGuide

    One-hour canal cruise with an audio guide

    A heated boat with an audio guide in 19 languages; the listing names no live guide. It leaves from one of 4 piers, set by the option you pick. Be there 15 minutes early: in peak season, boarding can stretch the trip to 90 minutes.

    Best for A cheap first look, in your own language

    Check availability: One-hour canal cruise with an audio guide on GetYourGuide
  • The curved glass entrance hall of the Van Gogh Museum on Museumplein, next to a gray stone wing from €27 per person

    Timed entry 4.7 (58,275) reviews on GetYourGuide

    Van Gogh Museum ticket

    A timed ticket to every exhibition, with an audio guide if you add it. The listing says it is quietest from 9 to 11 a.m. or after 3 p.m. The museum’s own site sells adult tickets for €25; this price includes the booking fee.

    Best for Art lovers

    Check availability: Van Gogh Museum ticket on GetYourGuide
  • Glass-roofed tour boats moored along a canal at dusk, with lit buildings on both banks from €12 per person

    60 or 75 minutes 4.4 (2,777) reviews on GetYourGuide

    Canal cruise with a glass roof and open deck

    The roof opens in the sun and closes in the rain. It leaves from Prinsengracht 261a, by the Anne Frank House, or from Centraal Station. Commentary is in Dutch and English; other languages play on your own phone by QR code.

    Best for Photos, in sun or rain

    Check availability: Canal cruise with a glass roof and open deck on GetYourGuide
  • An elevated metro and train station in Amsterdam at dusk, with lit platforms and office blocks behind from €10 per person

    1 to 7 days 4.1 (47,872) reviews on GetYourGuide

    GVB public transport ticket

    Unlimited GVB trams, buses, metro and ferries for 1 to 7 days, in the GetYourGuide app. It includes bus 369 from Sloterdijk to Schiphol, but not the NS train to the airport. GVB sells its own day ticket for €10.

    Best for Getting around for a few days

    Check availability: GVB public transport ticket on GetYourGuide
  • Dam Square in Amsterdam seen from above on a sunny day, busy with people, with old buildings around it from €15 per person

    About 1 hour 4.4 (13,406) reviews on GetYourGuide

    Madame Tussauds ticket

    Entry to the wax museum at Dam 20, on Dam Square. A visit takes about an hour. Madame Tussauds’ own Online Saver ticket starts from €19, or €27 on the day.

    Best for Families and fans

    Check availability: Madame Tussauds ticket on GetYourGuide
  • Five tall glasses of beer in shades from amber to dark red, with foam on top, on a white background from €25 per person

    About 1.5 hours 4.6 (40,283) reviews on GetYourGuide

    Heineken Experience ticket, with a rooftop option

    Entry to the old Heineken brewery at Stadhouderskade 78, with one beer. The rooftop option adds a second. You must be 18 or older, even with an adult, so bring ID.

    Best for Beer and brewery history

    Check availability: Heineken Experience ticket, with a rooftop option on GetYourGuide
  • Old canal houses with lit windows along a narrow Amsterdam canal at blue hour from €17 per person

    1 hour 4.4 (27,225) reviews on GetYourGuide

    Canal cruise with live commentary and a drinks option

    A one-hour trip on an electric boat, with live commentary from the skipper. The drinks option adds unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks. It leaves from one of 4 piers, set by the option you pick.

    Best for A relaxed hour with a drink

    Check availability: Canal cruise with live commentary and a drinks option on GetYourGuide
  • An arched canal bridge lined with lights at dusk, the lights reflected in the water below from €17 per person

    1 hour 4.8 (5,403) reviews on GetYourGuide

    Evening (sunset) canal cruise, with a drinks option

    A one-hour evening trip with an English-speaking skipper and host. It leaves from Stationsplein 18, by Centraal Station. The boat is open or partly covered, and the listing says the sunset itself can’t be promised.

    Best for Couples and friends at dusk

    Check availability: Evening (sunset) canal cruise, with a drinks option on GetYourGuide

Every Amsterdam guide

Each guide compares the tours and tickets for one sight, activity or day trip, with official prices first.

Museums & sights

Canals, tours & nights out

Day trips & planning

Amsterdam tours and tickets compared

Amsterdam tours and tickets compared
Tour or ticketFromDurationWho it suitsWhy we picked it
One-hour canal cruise with an audio guide 4.3 (22,431)€12
per person		1 hourA cheap first look, in your own languageThe cheapest way onto the canals, with commentary in 19 languages.
Van Gogh Museum ticket 4.7 (58,275)€27
per person		Timed entryArt loversGetYourGuide is one of the museum’s official resellers.
Canal cruise with a glass roof and open deck 4.4 (2,777)€12
per person		60 or 75 minutesPhotos, in sun or rainOpen air and a roof in one boat, with a toilet on board.
GVB public transport ticket 4.1 (47,872)€10
per person		1 to 7 daysGetting around for a few daysThe same €10 as GVB’s own day ticket, with longer options.
Madame Tussauds ticket 4.4 (13,406)€15
per person		About 1 hourFamilies and fansIt starts below the museum’s own online price.
Heineken Experience ticket, with a rooftop option 4.6 (40,283)€25
per person		About 1.5 hoursBeer and brewery historyAn official ticket; Heineken’s own booking page lists the self-guided tour at €24.95.
Canal cruise with live commentary and a drinks option 4.4 (27,225)€17
per person		1 hourA relaxed hour with a drinkA live guide, and drinks on board for a few euros more.
Evening (sunset) canal cruise, with a drinks option 4.8 (5,403)€17
per person		1 hourCouples and friends at duskThe best-rated pick here: 4.8 from over 5,000 reviews.

  • One-hour canal cruise with an audio guide

    €12 per person1 hour 4.3 (22,431)

    Details
    Who it suits
    A cheap first look, in your own language
    Why we picked it
    The cheapest way onto the canals, with commentary in 19 languages.

  • Van Gogh Museum ticket

    €27 per personTimed entry 4.7 (58,275)

    Details
    Who it suits
    Art lovers
    Why we picked it
    GetYourGuide is one of the museum’s official resellers.

  • Canal cruise with a glass roof and open deck

    €12 per person60 or 75 minutes 4.4 (2,777)

    Details
    Who it suits
    Photos, in sun or rain
    Why we picked it
    Open air and a roof in one boat, with a toilet on board.

  • GVB public transport ticket

    €10 per person1 to 7 days 4.1 (47,872)

    Details
    Who it suits
    Getting around for a few days
    Why we picked it
    The same €10 as GVB’s own day ticket, with longer options.

  • Madame Tussauds ticket

    €15 per personAbout 1 hour 4.4 (13,406)

    Details
    Who it suits
    Families and fans
    Why we picked it
    It starts below the museum’s own online price.

  • Heineken Experience ticket, with a rooftop option

    €25 per personAbout 1.5 hours 4.6 (40,283)

    Details
    Who it suits
    Beer and brewery history
    Why we picked it
    An official ticket; Heineken’s own booking page lists the self-guided tour at €24.95.

  • Canal cruise with live commentary and a drinks option

    €17 per person1 hour 4.4 (27,225)

    Details
    Who it suits
    A relaxed hour with a drink
    Why we picked it
    A live guide, and drinks on board for a few euros more.

  • Evening (sunset) canal cruise, with a drinks option

    €17 per person1 hour 4.8 (5,403)

    Details
    Who it suits
    Couples and friends at dusk
    Why we picked it
    The best-rated pick here: 4.8 from over 5,000 reviews.
  • These listings state no group size.
  • None of the eight picks you up at your hotel. The cruises leave from set piers, named on each card.
  • All 8 offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
  • Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide. Prices are "from" prices in euros and can change; the booking page shows the live price.

Our top 10

The top 10 best things to do in Amsterdam

The big sights first. Each one shows what it costs and, where it helps, the tour or ticket we would book.

Things you must do in Amsterdam: book these first

Book the Anne Frank House first. Tickets are sold only on annefrank.org, every Tuesday at 10:00 CET, for six weeks ahead. The museum says they sell out very fast, and they cannot be refunded.

The Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum also need a start time, bought online. In spring, a Keukenhof ticket is for a set date and arrival time too.

  1. A glass-roofed canal cruise boat sailing down a tree-lined Amsterdam canal toward a low bridge

    A canal cruise

    The 17th-century Canal Ring has been on the World Heritage List since 2010, UNESCO’s listing says. I amsterdam counts more than 1,200 bridges in the city. A one-hour cruise is the easiest way to see them.

    Our pick: One-hour canal cruise with an audio guide, from €12 per person

  2. The library inside the Rijksmuseum, with iron galleries and tall shelves of old books around a reading room

    The Rijksmuseum

    The Rijksmuseum is open every day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adults pay €25 (€26.50 from 2027). Visitors 18 and under go free. Everyone books a start time online, even with a Museumkaart.

    €25 on the museum’s own site, with a start time.

  3. The round grey Van Gogh Museum building on Museumplein, with a cyclist in a yellow coat riding past

    The Van Gogh Museum

    Tickets are sold online only, with a start time. Adults pay €25 on the museum’s site (€26 from 2027), and under-18s go free. The I amsterdam City Card does not include it.

    Our pick: Van Gogh Museum ticket, from €27 per person

  4. The tall Westerkerk tower above the Prinsengracht canal, with trees and houseboats along the water

    The Anne Frank House

    Tickets are sold only on annefrank.org, never at the door. New ones go on sale every Tuesday at 10:00 CET, for visits six weeks later. Adults pay €16.50, including a €1 booking fee. The minimum age is 10.

    Tickets only on annefrank.org, six weeks ahead.

  5. The stone front of the Royal Palace on Dam Square, with its domed clock tower, under tram wires

    The Royal Palace on Dam Square

    The palace opens on more than 230 days in 2026, from 10 a.m. Adults pay €13.50 with an audio tour, and 17 and under go free. Check the palace’s calendar before you go.

    €13.50 at the palace, audio tour included.

  6. A wide view over the IJ river and central Amsterdam from high up, with boats moored along the shore

    A’DAM Lookout across the IJ

    Take the free F3 ferry from behind Centraal Station. The crossing takes about four minutes. Adults pay €16.50 online or €18.50 at the ticket office.

    €16.50 online on the Lookout’s own site.

  7. Large copper brewing kettles with valves and gauges on a tiled brewery floor

    The Heineken Experience

    The old brewery is at Stadhouderskade 78. You must be 18 or older to go in, even with an adult. The self-guided tour takes about 1.5 hours.

    Our pick: Heineken Experience ticket, from €25 per person

  8. A stack of stroopwafels, thin Dutch syrup waffles, on a white plate

    The Albert Cuyp Market and Dutch snacks

    The market on Albert Cuypstraat has about 260 stalls. It opens Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eat a stroopwafel hot from a market stall, and try bitterballen at almost any bar.

    Free to walk around; you pay per snack.

  9. Three windmills, one painted green, beside wooden houses on the water at Zaanse Schans

    Zaanse Schans windmills

    The village is free to visit, all year. The train from Amsterdam Centraal to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans takes about 17 minutes, then you walk 15 minutes. The windmills and some museums charge entry.

    The village is free; some mills charge entry.

  10. Beds of orange tulips and blue grape hyacinths beside a pond under tall trees at Keukenhof

    Keukenhof in spring

    The flower park opens from March 18 to May 9, 2027, daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Adults pay €21 online or €27 at the ticket office. Each ticket is for a set date and arrival time.

    €21 online on Keukenhof’s own site.

Good things to do in Amsterdam on your own, for free or nearly free

Many good things in Amsterdam cost little or nothing. The ferries across the IJ are free for people on foot, and the Zaanse Schans village charges no entry.

  • The IJ ferries behind Centraal Station are free for walkers and cyclists. The F3 to Buiksloterweg runs day and night.
  • The Zaanse Schans village is free to visit, all year. Only the windmills and some museums charge entry.
  • NEMO’s Rooftop Square is free to enter. NEMO’s rooftop page says it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • The Amsterdam Light Festival’s artworks need no ticket. This edition runs from November 26, 2026, to January 17, 2027.
  • Tram 2 is a cheap tour in itself. GVB calls it a scenic route past Vondelpark, the canals and the museums. A GVB day ticket costs €10.

The best things to see and do in Amsterdam with a guide

See the museums on your own, and book a guide for the canals and the old center.

The museums are easy alone with a timed ticket and an audio guide. The Van Gogh Museum’s audio tour comes in twelve languages. The Rijksmuseum’s audio guide costs €6.50, and the Royal Palace includes one in the ticket.

A guide earns the price on the water and in the old streets, where the stories are. Check what you get before you book. Some cruises have a live skipper; others only play an audio guide.

Guided groups in the city center may have at most 15 people, by city rule. So a walking tour there never gets very big.

Tourist things to do in Amsterdam, and the city’s rules

Amsterdam welcomes visitors, but a few city rules catch tourists out. Here they are in plain words.

  • Since 2023, you may not smoke cannabis in the street in the old center, including the Red Light District and Dam Square. Officers can fine you €100.
  • Drinking alcohol is banned in most public places, above all in the center. Bars and terraces are fine.
  • In the Red Light District, be respectful. Don’t take photos or videos of sex workers.
  • Guided tours in the center may have at most 15 people, between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Groups of more than 4 need a city exemption. No tour may pass sex workers’ windows.
  • On a bike, always use the bike lane, keep right and pass on the left. Cycling on the sidewalk is not allowed.
  • With a GVB 1-hour ticket, check in when you board and check out when you get off. If you don’t, the ticket stops working.

Things to do and see in Amsterdam by season

Spring brings the tulips, summer the long days, and winter the Light Festival.

  • Spring: Keukenhof opens from March 18 to May 9, 2027. King’s Day is Tuesday, April 27, 2027. I amsterdam says hundreds of thousands of people come that day, and crowds can be a problem.
  • Summer: July’s average high at Schiphol is 22.5 °C (72.5 °F), by the weather service’s 1991–2020 figures.
  • Rain: August is the wettest month and April the driest, by the same figures.
  • Winter: the Amsterdam Light Festival runs from November 26, 2026, to January 17, 2027. The lights are on daily from 4:30 to 11 p.m.

Booking tips

  1. Book these first

    The Anne Frank House sells tickets only on annefrank.org, every Tuesday at 10:00 CET for six weeks ahead, and they cannot be refunded. The Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum need a start time, bought online.

  2. Find your pier the day before

    Cruises leave from different piers. The sunset cruise leaves from Stationsplein 18, the glass-roof boat from Prinsengracht 261a or Centraal. Two of our cruises use 4 piers, set by the option you pick, so check your ticket.

  3. Dodge the crowds

    The Van Gogh Museum listing says it is quietest from 9 to 11 a.m. or after 3 p.m. Timed tickets spread people out. On King’s Day, April 27, 2027, the city is at its busiest.

  4. Worth the price?

    Compare with the official price. The Van Gogh Museum charges €25 on its own site, and Madame Tussauds €19 online or €27 on the day. A GVB day ticket costs €10 either way.

  5. If your plans change

    All eight picks say you can cancel free up to 24 hours before. Anne Frank House tickets cannot be refunded or changed, so book those last.

Questions people ask about Amsterdam

What are the best things to do in Amsterdam?
Start with a canal cruise, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. Then add the Royal Palace, A’DAM Lookout, a market and a day at Zaanse Schans. In spring, add Keukenhof.

How far is Amsterdam from Rotterdam?
About an hour by train. The fastest trip takes about 50 minutes, with one change and a €3.20 Intercity direct supplement. Without it, the train takes about 71 to 75 minutes. A full 2nd class single costs €20.20 (2026 fare).

How far is Amsterdam from The Hague?
About 49 minutes by direct Intercity, from Amsterdam Centraal to Den Haag Centraal. A full 2nd class single costs €15.30 (2026 fare).

How do I get from Amsterdam to Bruges?
There is no direct train. NS International’s page gives about 3 hours, changing in Antwerp or Brussels, with tickets from €39 one way. From Brussels, a direct train to Bruges takes about 1 hour 4 minutes. A 12-hour day tour by bus starts from €32 on GetYourGuide.

Where should I stay in Amsterdam?
For a first visit, stay in the Canal Ring, where hotels sit right on the canals. The Museum Quarter by Vondelpark suits museum lovers. Amsterdam-Noord is a free ferry ride across the IJ. Our guide on where to stay in Amsterdam compares six areas.

More things to do in Amsterdam

More things to do in Amsterdam, with live prices and availability straight from GetYourGuide.

See every Amsterdam tour with today's prices and open dates on GetYourGuide.

Browse all on GetYourGuide

Browse all of them on GetYourGuide

Sources (33)

Written by the Best Travel Destinations editorial team.