Amsterdam needs less introduction than any city in this list, and more practical planning than most. The canal ring is UNESCO-listed, the museums are among the best in Europe, and both of the two you most want to see now require a timed ticket booked well in advance - the Anne Frank House releases them only six weeks ahead, on a Tuesday. Get that right and the rest of the city is easy: small, flat and better on foot or by bike than in anything with an engine.
The national museum, holding Rembrandt's Night Watch and the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Golden Age painting. It is open every day of the year, and a timed start slot is required for everyone.
A timed slot is mandatory even with a Museumkaart. Book before you travel.
Official siteThe Secret Annexe on the Prinsengracht where Anne Frank wrote her diary while in hiding. Tickets are sold only through the museum's own site for a specific date and time, with no sales at the door.
New tickets are released every Tuesday morning for visits six weeks later. Set a reminder - they go quickly.
Official siteThe largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings, drawings and letters anywhere, on the Museumplein a few minutes from the Rijksmuseum.
EUR 25 for adults, free under 18, and a timed slot is required. Book on the museum's own site.
Official siteThe seventeenth-century canal ring inside the Singelgracht was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010 as the largest and most homogeneous city extension of its era, laid out in concentric arcs on drained swampland.
Best seen from the water, and canal boats run year-round in all weather.
Official siteThe Jordaan was built as a workers' quarter and is now the city's most-loved neighbourhood, full of small galleries, courtyard gardens and brown bars. The adjoining Nine Streets pack independent boutiques and vintage shops into a compact grid.
Free, and best on foot. Pair it with the Albert Cuyp, the largest street market in the country.
Official siteThe bulb gardens at Lisse, southwest of the city, open for roughly eight weeks each spring and close for the rest of the year. Seven million bulbs are planted by hand each autumn for it.
Strictly a spring season, mid-March to mid-May. Tickets go on sale months ahead.
Official siteJust your group and a local guide.
Walk it at your own pace, on your phone. Works offline.
For cruise guests, timed around the ship.
Official sources, so you can check today's hours and prices rather than trusting ours. All open in a new tab.
Amsterdam has 44 numbered coach stops for setting down only - parking at them is forbidden - including the De Ruijterkade West, the Westermarkt for the Anne Frank House and the Stadhouderskade for the Rijksmuseum. Coaches then park at P+R Zeeburg, the Passenger Terminal, the Museumplein or the Arena. A paid exemption is compulsory for coaches over 7.5 tonnes inside the S100 ring, and the permit fixes the route.
Official coach informationAmsterdam Centraal has NS lockers including new XL units, but it is the most expensive station in the country for them - budget considerably more than elsewhere. Book-ahead commercial storage exists around the centre, but nothing municipal.
Locker sizes and pricesYes. We run a two hour private walking tour of Amsterdam that starts at the Beurs van Berlage, and a one hour private tour of the Rijksmuseum. Both are 199 euro for the whole group. If you would rather go at your own pace, we also have five self-guided VoiceMap audio tours covering different neighborhoods.
The Amsterdam Centre tour is the best starting point if it's your first visit. If you've already seen the canal ring, the Red Light District, Amsterdam East, and Vondelpark and Old West tours each cover a different, less-visited side of the city.
Yes, many visitors base themselves in Amsterdam and book a private walking tour of Delft, Rotterdam, or The Hague as a day trip, all are under an hour away by train.
