Considering spending 2 days in Amsterdam and wondering how to make the most of your time there? Amsterdam is one of our favorite cities in the World. We go back again and again. Read on to learn the best things to do, what to eat, where to eat, where to stay and more to have the best 2 days in Amsterdam ever! If you have more than two days for your trip to Amsterdam, we’ve included extra ideas at the end of this post too.
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2 Days in Amsterdam Itinerary
Amsterdam is one of those cities we visit again and again because it is so beautiful and there are endless things to do, specialty coffee shops to visit and restaurants to enjoy. We definitely recommend spending more than 2 days in Amsterdam if you have the chance, but 2 days is definitely a good start!
Where to stay in Amsterdam
There are so many special places to stay in Amsterdam.
Our top choice for an elegant stay in Amsterdam is The Dylan. It is located along the beautiful Keizersgracht canal, in the heart of Amsterdam. The garden is breathtaking and foodies will love that their on-site restaurant, Vinkeles, has not one – but two! – Michelin stars.
If you want the experience of staying in a traditional canal house, book a room at Pulitzer Amsterdam. This gorgeous boutique hotel features a small selection of canal side rooms with canal views. The hotel also has a fabulous restaurant.
For a more affordable stay, Eden Hotel Amsterdam is a good choice.
The NH City Centre Amsterdam is another good more affordable option too.
2 Days in Amsterdam Itinerary (Day 1)
Specialty coffee at Back to Black
Amsterdam’s coffee scene is fabulous. There are lots of fun cafes to choose from and Back to Black Coffee is one of our favorites!
Start your first day in Amsterdam with a delicious cup of coffee.
Not a coffee lover? All the specialty coffee shops in Amsterdam offer other drinks too, such as a matcha latte, a variety of teas and chai latte. You’ll find all your favorite alternative milk options too, such as oat milk, soy milk, almond milk and coconut milk.
Visit the Van Gogh Museum
After a lovely walk that will take you along Museumplein and across a canal, the next stop on your 2-day Amsterdam itinerary is the Van Gogh Museum! This museum is so special. It’s one of our favorite museums in the World. The museum is dedicated to Van Gogh and features the largest collection of his work anywhere in the world. It houses 200 of his painting, 700 of his drawings, and 700 letters by the artist.
The museum also includes the work of some of Van Gogh’s contemporaries of the Impressionist and post-Impressionist movements.
As you can imagine, the Van Gogh Museum is a very popular place to visit in Amsterdam and is often booked out months in advance. Book your tickets now to make sure you get the chance to visit this epic site in Amsterdam!
Book your tickets to the Van Gogh Museum here!
Lunch at Rijks (the restaurant inside the Rijksmuseum)
Stay on the museumplein (the museum quarter) for lunch.
Our top choice for lunch is Rijks, the restaurant inside the Rijksmuseum. Enjoy the best of Dutch cuisine here. They offer a 4-course lunch menu for 65€ pp which is great value.
Another fabulous spot just a 7-minute walk from the Rijksmuseum where you can enjoy traditional Dutch food in a beautiful settings is The Pantry.
Amsterdam is a busy city with lots of tourists at most times of the year. We recommend you book restaurants in advance.
Visit the Rijksmuseum
After lunch, it’s time to visit another legendary museum in Amsterdam : the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands, dedicated to Dutch art and history.
Book your tickets to the Rijksmuseum here!
Stop for the best fries in Amsterdam at Fabel Friet
After visiting the Rijksmuseum, you will hopefully have worked up enough of an appetite to have an afternoon snack. It’s time to try the best fries in Amsterdam!
Seriously, these fries are so good – you will be happy to made room for them. Order them with the spicy mayonnaise and thank us later!
They have two locations in Amsterdam. The one located at Runstraat 1 is the most convenient location if you are following this Amsterdam itinerary.
De 9 Straatjes (9 streets)
De 9 Straatjes is one of the most beautiful areas in Amsterdam with its picturesque canals, luxury boutique hotels, trendy boutiques and cozy cafes. It’s located between the Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht.
Walk along the canals and pop into some of the boutiques in the area. If you love music, check out the collection of records inside Wax Well Records.
Have drinks at the traditional brown bar, Café de Doffer
Head to the traditional brown bar, Café de Doffer for a drink.
We discovered Café de Doffer on our recent trip to Amsterdam. We were invited by our close friends who were celebrating their wedding weekend in Amsterdam and hosted pre-wedding drinks the day before the wedding at Café de Doffer.
Café de Doffer is a traditional bruin café (or brown bar), basically the Dutch version of a pub. Stop by for a drinks and add snacks if you’re a bit hungry before dinner.
Dinner at De Juwelier (or Bistro de la Mer)
Both restaurants are located on the same street, Utrechtsestraat, side by side.
You can’t wrong choosing either one.
The De Juwelier menu has more of a focus on wild game, although there is also a selection of fish options available as well.
Bistro de la Mer features a menu focused on fish and seafood.
Alternatively, have dinner at Vinkeles inside the Dylan Hotel
Vinkeles is an exceptional restaurant in Amsterdam that has been awarded two Michelin stars.
We had the joy of eating inside the Dylan Hotel when we were invited to our friends’ wedding there earlier this year.
If you want to experience a really special meal in an exquisite setting, consider reserving a meal at Vinkeles. You can expect a refined selection of dishes that both delicious and beautifully presented. The menus offered at the restaurant are mostly focused on fish or meat and currently include turbot, Anjou pigeon and Wagyu beef served with Imperial caviar.
2 Days in Amsterdam Itinerary (Day 2)
Specialty coffee at Nook
For your second day in Amsterdam, start the day with coffee at Nook, near Sarphatipark 24H.
You could get your coffee to go and take a little walk inside Sarphatipark 24H before heading to your next stop, Rudy’s Original Stroopwaffels.
Stroopwaffels at Rudy’s Original Stroopwaffels
You can’t visit Amsterdam without trying the famous stroopwaffels at Rudy’s Original Stroopwaffels on Albert Cuyp Straat. Stop by this adorable food stall within the street market to try tasty stroopwaffels.
Stroopwaffels are little hard waffels that are both crunchy and chewy, filled with a sugar syrup that has hardened into a tasty caramel. They are so good, especially when they are freshly made. They’re best hot off the waffel press, but don’t hesitate to buy a package of pre-made stroopwaffels to bring home, or to give as gifts. They are really tasty too!
Flower market
Next, head to Amsterdam’s famous flower market. If you love flowers, it is a sight to be seen! This is the place to stock up on flower bulbs to bring home to plant in your own garden (or even on a small terrace or potentially even indoors).
Of course the Netherlands is known for their tulips. If you have a chance to visit Amsterdam in the Spring (mid-April is prime time), head to Keukenhof to see the incredible tulips!
If you have a garden, don’t leave Amsterdam without purchasing some tulip bulbs to bring home. You can buy them in bags (you’ll typically find 5 tulip bulbs per bag) or pick and choose different bulbs to make a collection.
I absolutely love the frill tulips. I think they are so beautiful. I recently discovered the black frill tulips and I think they are so majestic (with just a touch of spookiness too!).
Although tulips are the most famous flowers in the Netherlands, you will find a beautiful selection of all kinds of incredible flower bulbs to bring home.
The last time were were in Amsterdam we brought home two packs of frill tulip bulbs, one pack of white tulip bulbs and one pack of black tulips. I’m so excited to plant them in our Parisian garden and to see them bloom next Spring.
Even if you don’t have a garden at home, or aren’t interested in bringing flower bulbs home, it’s worth walking around the flower market just to see the incredible selection of cut flowers and flower bulbs.
A note to readers heading outside of Europe to go home : make sure you ask for an official flower certificate so you’ll have no problem traveling with your flower bulbs by plane. Most of the vendors have little signs on the wall saying they are happy to provide you with an official flower certificate if you purchase bulbs from them.
Lunch at the Pancake Bakery
You will have worked up an appetite by this point, so head to The Pancake Bakery where they serve traditional Dutch pancakes, which are thinner and more similar to French crêpes than American pancakes, with a variety of toppings influences by different places in the World.
Try the “French pancake” topped with melted goat cheese, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and honey or the “Indonesian pancake”, a savory pancake filled with chicken, onions, mushrooms and leeks in an Indonesian peanut sauce.
They offer a variety of sweet pancakes too, including pancakes with apple, cinnamon ice cream, cinnamon liquor, and whipped cream or the delicious combination of banana, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
There are many tasty pancake options to choose from! Not in the mood for pancakes? The Pancake Bakery offers a tasty selection of omelettes to savor too.
Visit the Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank house is a biographical museum dedicated to Anne Frank, a Jewish wartime diarist. Learn more about Anne Frank and her family and visit the Secret Annex where Anne and her family hid, along with another family the Van Pels family, and an eighth person, Fritz Pfeffer, for more than two years during World War II and where she wrote her famous diary.
Be warned that going there is an emotional experience. I have been once and probably wouldn’t go back just because it was so deeply emotional for me, but it is definitely worth visiting once, learning more about Anne and her family and remembering their tragic story.
Make sure you book your ticket to the Anne Frank House in advance, as most tourists to Amsterdam visit the Anne Frank house and it is practically impossible to get tickets at the last minute.
Book your tickets to the Anne Frank House here
Drinks at Café ‘t Smalle
After you visit, unwind at the traditional, canal-side, brown bar, Café ‘t Smalle in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam.
Settle in, admire the view over the canal and enjoy the dark, moody interior; the signature ambiance of brown bars in Amsterdam.
You are sure to fall in love with Dutch brown bar culture like we did!
Order a beer, a glass of wine, or a soft drink.
Have an early dinner at Jansz
Enjoy modern Dutch food at Jansz, the restaurant belonging to the Pulitzer Amsterdam hotel.
The Pulitzer Hotel is one of the most beautiful hotels in Amsterdam. If you want to stay in a traditional canal house (this had been on my bucket list for so long!), then consider splurging on a stay at the Pulitzer Hotel.
Even if you don’t stay there, you can soak up the beauty of their restaurant while enjoying Dutch food classics with a modern twist.
Jansz offers all-day dining, in the 9 streets area of Amsterdam. Choose from a selection of incredible dishes, such as steak, lamb, venison or hake, to name a few of the tasty options on the menu.
Finish your meal with a Dutch cheese plate and/or a gourmet dessert!
Boat ride
Every time we visit Amsterdam, we book a boat ride. (Sometimes we book two!) Cruising down the canals is one of the best ways to explore Amsterdam.
This was another activity included in the wedding festivities organized by our friends earlier this year. We had the best time sailing through the Amsterdam canals at night, taking in the beauty of the city. Hugo told me several times during our boat ride, “I could live here” and he meant it! Amsterdam definitely has a special place in our hearts.
There are a variety of boat rides to choose from. Several offer drinks and snacks while on board which makes the ride even more fun. Whether you choose to sail along the canals during the day or at night, you will have an amazing time!
If you can allow for more time in your schedule, it’s worth booking two boat trips and doing one during the day and one at night because they are different experiences and each offers a different view of the city.
Boat rides tend to take around an hour and are a peaceful, relaxing and fun way to experience Amsterdam from the water.
If you would like to take a boat ride that includes Dutch cheese or other snacks, as well as drinks (typically alcoholic and non-alcoholic choices are available), you’ll need to book that option when you book your ride.
When you book, you can book the boat ride on its own or select the cheese and drink option to enjoy unlimited Dutch cheese, wine, a beer and soda.
Book your traditional boat ride in Amsterdam here!
With more time
Visit Vondelpark
Vondelpark is a gem of a park in Amsterdam. It’s so peaceful to go for a walk through the park and even to stop for a picnic if weather permits.
Vondelpark is dog-friendly which we appreciated. We were so happy to walk Violette through the park and to be able to have her with us for our recent early Fall picnic.
Visit the Rembrandt House
The Rembrandt House museum is located inside an old house in Amsterdam. Rembrandt lived there from 1639 to 1658. He also had his studio and art dealership inside the house. We loved learning about Rembrandt during our visit.
Book your tickets to the Rembrandt House!
2 Days in Amsterdam
We hope you enjoy your trip to Amsterdam. 2 days is not enough to see all of the fabulousness that Amsterdam has to offer, but it is a good start!
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