Amsterdam in 5 days: complete itinerary with map

Day 1

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is defined by its intricate network of canals, earning it the nickname "Venice of the North." This water-bound identity is anchored by the 17th-century canal belt, a UNESCO World Heritage site that reflects the city's evolution from a small 13th-century fishing village into a global financial and cultural powerhouse.

Royal Palace Of Amsterdam

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk. During the Batavian Republic, the public floors of the building became the first Amsterdam museum under Louis Bonaparte.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 2.4 km · ~15 min

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Royal Concertgebouw.

Source and further information

Day 2

Amsterdam

Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House is a writer's house and biographical museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. The building is located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, in central Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 2.9 km · ~17 min

Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum is a Dutch art museum dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries in the Museum Square in Amsterdam South, close to the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Concertgebouw. The museum opened on 2 June 1973, and its buildings were designed by Gerrit Rietveld and Kisho Kurokawa.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 3 km · ~17 min

Portuguese Synagogue

The Portuguese Synagogue, also known as the Esnoga, or Snoge, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Mr. Visserplein 3 in Central Amsterdam, Amsterdam, in the North Holland region of The Netherlands. The synagogue was completed in 1675. Esnoga is the word for synagogue in the traditional Judaeo-Spanish language of Sephardi Jews.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 1.4 km · ~12 min

Nemo Science Center

NEMO Science Museum is a science centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located in the Oosterdokseiland neighbourhood in the Amsterdam-Centrum borough, situated between the Oosterdokseiland and the Kattenburg. The museum has its origins in 1923, and is housed in a building designed by Renzo Piano since 1997.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 1.3 km · ~11 min

Church Of St Nicholas

The Co-cathedral Basilica of Saint Nicholas is located in the Old Centre district of Amsterdam, Netherlands, very close to Amsterdam's main railway station. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of both the church and the city of Amsterdam. The basilica is the city's primary Roman Catholic church.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.5 km · ~6 min

Oude Kerk

The Oude Kerk is a Reformed church in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being the oldest parish church in the city. The oldest structure in Amsterdam, the building was founded around 1213 and consecrated in 1306 as a Roman Catholic church by the bishop of Utrecht with Saint Nicolas as its patron saint. After the Reformation in 1578, it became a Reformed (Calvinist) church, which it remains today.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.5 km · ~7 min

Dam Square

Dam Square or the Dam is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital and most populated city of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 1 km · ~10 min

Westerkerk

The Westerkerk is a Reformed church within Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel neighborhood, next to the Jordaan, between the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 2.1 km · ~14 min

Paradiso

Paradiso is a music venue and cultural centre located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Built in 1880 as a religious building for the Vrije Gemeente, it was converted into a youth entertainment venue in 1968. Until the 1990s, it was the largest concert club in Amsterdam.

Source and further information

Day 3

Amsterdam

Vondelpark

The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is part of the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid and situated west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally named Nieuwe Park, but later renamed Vondelpark, after the 17th-century playwright and poet Joost van den Vondel. The park has around 10 million visitors annually.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.2 km · ~2 min

Figure Découpée

Figure découpée or L'oiseau is an abstract sculpture by Pablo Picasso: there are a total of three Figure découpée sculptures. There is one located in Vondelpark NL, another on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States and another is in Helsingborg Sweden. The sculpture is a depiction of a bird, but it is commonly referred to as flat bird, flat fish or fish statue.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 1.5 km · ~12 min

Moco Museum

The Moco Museum (Modern Contemporary Museum) is an independent art museum with locations in Amsterdam, Barcelona, and London, dedicated to exhibiting modern and contemporary art. The museum was founded with the mission of attracting broader and younger audiences, and making art accessible to the public.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 0.9 km · ~10 min

Leidseplein

Leidseplein is a square in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the Weteringschans neighborhood, immediately northeast of the Singelgracht. It is located on the crossroads of the Weteringschans, Marnixstraat and Leidsestraat.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 1.5 km · ~12 min

Rembrandtplein

Rembrandtplein is a major square in central Amsterdam, Netherlands, named after Rembrandt van Rijn who owned a house nearby from 1639 to 1656.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.7 km · ~9 min

Rembrandt House Museum

The Rembrandt House Museum is a museum located in a former house in the Jodenbreestraat, in the center of Amsterdam. Between 1639 and 1658, the house was occupied by the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn, who also had his studio and art dealership there. The museum now includes the house next door, which has the museum shop and more conventional gallery spaces.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.5 km · ~7 min

Waag, Amsterdam

The Waag is a 15th-century building on Nieuwmarkt square in Amsterdam. It was originally a city gate and part of the walls of Amsterdam. Later it served as a guildhall, museum, fire station and anatomical theatre, among other things.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.7 km · ~8 min

National Monument On Dam Square

The National Monument on Dam Square is a 1956 cenotaph in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A national Remembrance of the Dead ceremony is held at the monument every year on 4 May to commemorate the casualties of World War II and subsequent armed conflicts.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.2 km · ~2 min

Nieuwe Kerk

The Nieuwe Kerk is a 15th-century church in Amsterdam located on Dam Square, next to the Royal Palace. Originally a Catholic church, it became a Dutch Reformed Church church in 1578. It now belongs to the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 2 km · ~14 min

Eye Filmmuseum

Eye Filmmuseum is a film archive, museum, and cinema in Amsterdam that preserves and presents both Dutch and foreign films screened in the Netherlands.

Source and further information

Day 4

Leiden

Leiden is a city of intellect and art, defined by its status as home to the oldest university in the Netherlands. Nestled on the banks of the Oude Rijn between Amsterdam and The Hague, the city is a tapestry of historic canals and a preserved old town that breathes academic tradition. It is a place of profound creative legacy, most notably as the birthplace of the master painter Rembrandt.

Zaans Museum

Zaans Museum is a museum in Zaandam, Netherlands, located at the Zaanse Schans. It opened in 1998 to preserve and protect the heritage of the Zaan area. In 2009, the museum was extended with the addition of the Verkade Experience.

Source and further information

Day 5

The Hague

The Hague is the sophisticated administrative heart of the Netherlands, serving as the seat of government, the residence of the royal family, and the home of all foreign embassies. While Amsterdam holds the official title of capital, The Hague functions as the country's de facto center of power.

Naturalis Biodiversity Center

Naturalis Biodiversity Center is a national museum of natural history and a research center on biodiversity in Leiden, Netherlands. It was named the European Museum of the Year 2021. Although its current name and organization are relatively recent, the history of Naturalis can be traced back to the early 1800s.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 2.3 km · ~15 min

Corpus

The Corpus Museum is a human biology interactive museum, located in Oegstgeest, near Leiden, in the Netherlands.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 21 km · ~77 min

Escher Museum

Escher in Het Paleis is a museum in The Hague, Netherlands, featuring the works of the Dutch graphical artist M. C. Escher. It is housed in the Lange Voorhout Palace since November 2002.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.4 km · ~6 min

Mauritshuis

The Mauritshuis is an art museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 854 objects, mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings. The collection contains works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, Hans Holbein the Younger, and others.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · Transfer · 0.9 km · ~10 min

Noordeinde Palace

Noordeinde Palace is one of three official palaces of the Dutch royal family. Located in the city centre of The Hague in the province of South Holland, it has been used as the official workplace of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima since 2013. The Noordeinde Palace and its surrounding palace grounds are property of the Dutch State.

Source and further information

From the previous stop · On foot · 0.6 km · ~8 min

Panorama Mesdag

Panorama Mesdag is a panorama by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. Housed in a purpose-built museum in The Hague, the panorama is a cylindrical painting more than 14 metres high and about 40 metres in diameter.

Source and further information