In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Day 1: the Anne Frank House at your booked slot, then the Jordaan, the canals and a cruise. Day 2: the Rijksmuseum at 9:00, the Van Gogh Museum in the afternoon, then De Pijp. Day 3: Zaanse Schans by train, where the village is free, then the A’DAM Lookout across the free ferry. Book three things before you go: the Anne Frank House, sold only on annefrank.org, in a weekly release every Tuesday at 10:00 Dutch time for a visit six weeks later, with no resellers and no door sales; and the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, €25 each, timed entry only. Or book a tour: the Zaanse Schans, Volendam and Marken tourad (from £25.19, 5½ hours) and the Rijksmuseum guided tour with entryad (from £63.89) include a guide; for Zaanse Schans alone the train is €4.20 each way.
Before you go: what to book
Prices from each operator’s own page, 1 October 2026.
| Booking | Book | Price | Hours and closing days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Frank House | annefrank.org only: a release every Tuesday at 10:00 Dutch time, for a visit six weeks later | €16.50 | Daily 9:00 to 22:00, with some shorter days |
| Rijksmuseum | A start time for every visitor | €25 | Every day, 9:00 to 17:00 |
| Van Gogh Museum | Online only, with a start time; you may arrive up to 30 minutes after it | €25 | Open daily; hours change by month |
| Heineken Experience | Online; optional | €24.95 for the Tour | 18 and over only; to 19:30, to 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays |
| A’DAM Lookout | Online is €2 cheaper than the door | €16.50 online | Daily 10:00 to 22:00 |
The Anne Frank House has no waiting list and no door sales, and the museum says commercial tour operators cannot book it for you: the Anne Frank walking tours on GetYourGuide are walks round the neighbourhood, not entry (annefrank.org, 1 October 2026). The I amsterdam City Card leaves out the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum, so it does not pay for this plan.
Fitting the plan to your dates
- Build the days round the Anne Frank slot, not the other way round. It is fixed six weeks ahead, and the museum gives no refunds. Put the day with the Anne Frank House wherever your slot falls, and swap Day 1 and Day 2 if you need to.
- Book the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh start times as soon as the dates are fixed. Both are open every day, so the constraint is the booked time, not a closing day.
- In spring, Keukenhof opens from 18 March to 9 May 2027, with tickets on sale from 15 October 2026. It replaces Day 3, and Tulip season says when the bulb fields flower.
- Event dates change the plan. The Anne Frank House closes at 17:00 on King’s Day (27 April 2027) and on 31 December (New Year in Amsterdam). Amsterdam Pride runs from 31 July to 8 August 2027, and the Light Festival from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027.
- The tram map changed on 29 March 2026, and no tram runs to the Anne Frank House’s Westermarkt stop until February 2028. Check the GVB planner, and see Amsterdam public transport for the fares: GVB Max never charges more than €10.50 a day, and the Day ticket is €10.00.
- On a strike day trains, buses and the IJ ferries can stop: the strike of 9 September 2026 stopped all three. Check the GVB app.
Day 1: the Anne Frank House and the canals
The Anne Frank House
Daily 9:00 to 22:00 · €16.50 · about an hour · annefrank.org only
The entrance is at Westermarkt 20, around the corner from Prinsengracht 263-267. Tickets come out every Tuesday at 10:00 Dutch time for a visit six weeks later, and the audio tour is included. A visit takes about an hour on average, the museum has steep stairs, photography is banned and the minimum age is 10. Only bags smaller than an A4 sheet go in: leave anything larger at your hotel or at the drop & go at Centraal (annefrank.org, 1 October 2026). It is a 20-minute walk from Centraal, and 10 from Dam Square, where the nearest tram stops. For the streets round it, the Anne Frank walking tourad is from £13.15 (4.9 stars from 4,806 reviews, 2 hours) and the small-group city tourad from £15.79 (4.9 stars from 3,020 reviews).
The Jordaan and the canals
On foot · 2 hours · free
Walk from the Westermarkt into the Jordaan, the grid of small streets west of the Prinsengracht, and back along the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and Herengracht. The hotels on these canals are in Amsterdam hotels in canal houses. The Big Amsterdam Bike Tourad is from £31.18 (4.7 stars from 5,939 reviews, 3 hours) if you would rather cycle.
A canal cruise
1 hour · from £10.67 · the official ticket is €17
Amsterdam canal cruises compared sets the boats side by side. The I amsterdam Canal Cruise Ticket is €17 for an adult, valid for a year at all the major canal tour operators, with no reservation: you pick a date, time and location (iamsterdam.com, 1 October 2026). On GetYourGuide, the Saloon Boat Cruisead is from £12.00 (4.6 stars from 31,658 reviews, 1 hour), the Canal Cruise from Anne Frank, Rijksmuseum or Centraalad from £10.67 (4.3 stars from 21,704 reviews) and the evening sunset cruisead from £15.84 (4.8 stars from 5,063 reviews).
Day 2: the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and De Pijp
The Rijksmuseum
Every day 9:00 to 17:00 · €25 · free for 18 and under · a start time for everyone
Book the 9:00 start: the museum says it is usually quieter before 11:00 and after 15:30, and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Once inside you can stay as long as you like, but the museum cannot help if you arrive late. The Night Watch is on view in a glass chamber while it is restored. Bus 397 from Schiphol stops at the Rijksmuseum, and hotels near the Rijksmuseum lists where to sleep. On GetYourGuide, the entry ticketad is from £23.06 (4.7 stars from 33,477 reviews) against the museum’s €25, and the guided tour above includes entry (rijksmuseum.nl, 1 October 2026).
The Van Gogh Museum
Open daily · €25 · under 18 free · tickets online only, with a start time
Take an afternoon start. The museum says a visit takes two to three hours on average, there are no tickets at the door, and you cannot go in before your start time, though you have 30 minutes after it. Bags over 45 × 25 × 25 cm and wheeled suitcases may be refused (vangoghmuseum.nl, 1 October 2026). Hours change by month, so check your date. GetYourGuide’s ticketad is from £23.06 (4.7 stars from 57,596 reviews), against the museum’s €25.
The Heineken Experience, or De Pijp
Heineken Tour €24.95 · 18 and over only · De Pijp is free
Under-18s are refused even with an adult, and you may be asked for ID. The Tour is €24.95, and the hours are 10:30 to 19:30, to 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. GetYourGuide’s ticketad is from £21.31 (4.6 stars from 39,868 reviews). To skip it, walk the Albert Cuyp market street in De Pijp and eat there. Since 29 March 2026 tram 24 no longer runs along Ferdinand Bolstraat and Vijzelstraat, and the Noord/Zuid metro line (52) stops at De Pijp (NH Nieuws, 29 March 2026).
Day 3: Zaanse Schans and the A’DAM Lookout
Zaanse Schans
Train 17 minutes, then a 15-minute walk · the village is free · €4.20 each way
The windmill village is free to enter all year, with eleven shops and three restaurants open each day; the mills charge, and De Kat, the paint mill, is €7.50 (zaanseschans.com; De Kat, 1 October 2026). The train from Centraal to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans takes around 17 minutes, and it is a 15-minute walk from the station. In January 2026 Zaanstad delayed a tourist entry fee by about a year (Zaanstad, 7 January 2026), so check the site before you go in 2027. On a tour, the Zaanse Schans, Volendam and Marken guided tourad is from £25.19 (4.5 stars from 21,112 reviews, 5½ hours). The Zaanse Schans and Volendam guide compares the train, bus 316 and the coach tours.
Keukenhof, in spring
18 March to 9 May 2027 · 8:00 to 19:00 · tickets from 15 October 2026
In season, Keukenhof replaces Zaanse Schans. A ticket is valid on one date and arrival time, and you need ID (keukenhof.nl, 1 October 2026). The Keukenhof entry and shuttle busad is from £29.90 (4.7 stars from 15,462 reviews), with the first date on 18 March 2027.
The A’DAM Lookout
Daily 10:00 to 22:00 · €16.50 online, €18.50 at the door · swing €7.50
Take the free ferry F3 from the back of Centraal to Buiksloterweg: it runs day and night. The Lookout is on the A’DAM Tower, and the swing needs a minimum height of 1.20 m and a booked 20-minute slot (adamlookout.com, 1 October 2026). The entry ticket with one drinkad is from £17.51 (4.6 stars from 5,173 reviews). If you are staying across the water, where to stay in Amsterdam has the hotels in Noord.
If you have more time
For the dates, see best time to visit Amsterdam; for a food tour or a stroopwafel workshop on any of the days, see Amsterdam food tours and classes compared, and for tables worth booking, where to eat in Amsterdam.
With less, Amsterdam in one day picks the sights for one day. A fourth day could be a trip by train, such as Haarlem, which is €5.50 each way from Centraal (rijdendetreinen.nl, 2026 fare), or Keukenhof in spring. Day trips from Amsterdam compares the rest, including Delft and The Hague, Rotterdam and Giethoorn.
For the airport, see Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal; for where to sleep, where to stay in Amsterdam, hotels near the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam hotels in canal houses; and for every booking and how far ahead, what to book before you go in Amsterdam.
Common questions
Is 3 days enough for Amsterdam?
Enough for the Anne Frank House and the canals, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, and a day trip to Zaanse Schans. A fourth day buys another trip, such as Haarlem by train, or Keukenhof in spring.
What should I book for 3 days in Amsterdam?
The Anne Frank House first, on annefrank.org only: tickets for a visit six weeks later are released every Tuesday at 10:00 Dutch time, with no resellers and no door sales. Then the Rijksmuseum (€25) and the Van Gogh Museum (€25), which both sell timed entry only, and the Van Gogh Museum has no door sales.
Is the I amsterdam City Card worth it for 3 days?
Not for this plan. The card leaves out the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum, the two sights most visitors book first, and the Rijksmuseum still needs a booked start time.
How do I get from the Anne Frank House to the Rijksmuseum?
Check the GVB planner: no tram runs to the Westermarkt stop until February 2028, and the tram map changed on 29 March 2026. The two are about 1.7 km apart in a straight line, and the Anne Frank House says the walk from Dam Square is 10 minutes.