Itineraries

Day One in Amsterdam

  1. Dam Square
    The heart of the city, and what better place to start?
  2. Royal Palace
    The confidence and pride of the Golden Age – in a building.
  3. Nieuwe Kerk
    No longer used as a church, but still one of the city’s most impressive Gothic buildings.
  4. Nine Streets
    These streets connecting the main canals are the epitome of what makes Amsterdam special – full of intriguing one-off shops and cafés.
    Lunch Lunch at Greenwoods
    Stop off for a club sandwich by the canal at this pocket-sized gem.
  5. The Grachtengordel
    After shopping, just get lost in the web of stately seventeenth-century canals that make Amsterdam so unique.
  6. Westerkerk
    Rembrandt’s burial place, and the city’s grandest Renaissance-era landmark.
  7. Anne Frank Huis
    The city’s most renowned – and moving – sight, bar none.
  8. The Jordaan
    One of the city’s most wanderable and picturesque districts, full of independent stores, bars and restaurants.
    Lunch Dinner at Toscanini
    There’s no better place to wind up of an evening than at this big, lively and very authentic Italian in the Jordaan.

Day Two in Amsterdam

  1. Rijksmuseum
    When it finally reopens this should be one of the finest museums in Europe; for the moment it still gives a decent glimpse of the art of the city’s Golden Age.
  2. Van Gogh Museum
    The greatest collection of the prolific nineteenth-century artist’s work by far, and with good temporary exhibits too.
    Lunch Lunch at Loetje
    Lunch on the best steaks and burgers in town, on a lovely outside terrace.
  3. Begijnhof
    Tucked away just off the city’s main shopping street, this is an alluring unusual oasis of peace in the heart of the city.
  4. Amsterdams Historisch Museum
    The history of the city, well told with lots of fascinating original artefacts, all housed in a former orphanage.
  5. Red Light District
    It’s hard to come to Amsterdam and not have a wander around its most notorious neighbourhood.
  6. Oude Kerk
    Despite being right at the centre of the Red Light District, this is the city’s most interesting and historic church.
  7. Amstelkring
    Better-known now, but this clandestine Catholic church is still something of a hidden gem.
    Lunch Dinner at Blauw aan de Waal
    Enjoy a refined dinner in relaxed surroundings, yet still in the heart of the Red Light District.

Jewish Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter is a shadow of its former self, but there are many reminders of how integral to the life of the city its Jewish population once was. Touring these sights makes for a cohesive and moving day out, especially if you wind up at the most famous Jewish sight of them all, the Anne Frank Huis.

  1. Jodenbreestraat
    The heart of Amsterdam’s mainly Sephardic Jewish community in seventeenth-century Amsterdam.
  2. Waterlooplein
    Home of the first Jewish settlement in Amsterdam, now the venue of the best flea market.
  3. Joods Historisch Museum
    Four converted synagogues house permanent and temporary exhibits on Jewish life in the city.
  4. Esnoga
    The city’s Portuguese Synagogue was once one of the largest in the world.
  5. Hollandse Schouwburg
    The remains of a theatre that was the main assembly point for Jews being deported in World War II.
  6. Verzetsmuseum
    Excellent museum dedicated to the wartime resistance to the Nazis.
    Lunch Lunch at Greetje
    Try out some Dutch cuisine at the snug Greetje.
  7. Gassan Diamonds
    The only remnant of the main industry of the Jewish Quarter before the war.
  8. Anne Frank Huis
    Not in the Jewish Quarter proper, but still the city’s principal – and only essential – Jewish sight.
    Lunch Dinner at De Reiger
    Enjoy a casual dinner at one of the Jordaan’s best brown cafés.

Free Amsterdam

You could have a great day out in Amsterdam, see loads, and not spend a cent apart from a few euros on lunch and dinner. Here’s how.

  1. Schuttersgalerij
    This gallery, with its portraits of civic guards, is the only free bit of the Amsterdam Historical Museum.
  2. Begijnhof
    One of the city centre’s most beguiling sights, and totally free.
  3. Bloemenmarkt
    There’s no charge to wander past the stalls of the city’s wonderful flower market.
    Lunch Lunch: Cone of chips from Vlaminckx
    A cone of frites from this famed takeaway will only set you back a couple of euros.
  4. Albert Cuypmarkt
    Just wandering the length of the city’s best market is a fine way to pass the time.
  5. Lunchtime concerts at the Concertgebouw/Muziektheater
     There are regular free lunchtime concerts at these two venues.
  6. Vondelpark
    The city centre’s main park is one its best attractions, and there’s no charge for its weekend summer concerts either.
  7. Openbare Bibliotheek
     The city’s new library just east of Centraal Station on Oosterdokskade is a great building, and a fantastic place to browse books and magazines, and the internet. [See map of Old Jewish Quarter]
  8. Ferries across the IJ
     Take one of the free ferries to suburban Amsterdam from the rear of Centraal Station.
    Lunch Dinner: Keuken van 1870
    An authentically Dutch dinner at this long-established and excellent cheapie.