Amsterdam in 3 Days — A Relaxed First-Time Itinerary

This 3-day Amsterdam itinerary is for first-time visitors who want to see the essentials without rushing.

If you enjoy walking, good museums, and evenings that don’t feel exhausting, this plan works very well.

If you want to check off every attraction, move fast, or pack two major museums into one day, this is not the right itinerary for you.

I’m Gerrit, born and raised in the Netherlands and a private guide. This is the structure I use when friends or clients visit Amsterdam for the first time and want the city to feel enjoyable — not overwhelming.

How This Itinerary Works

Before we start, a few important expectations:

• You’ll do one major anchor activity per half day
• Walking is part of the experience
• I deliberately leave space — Amsterdam rewards that
• Some popular sights are intentionally skipped

This is not about seeing everything.
It’s about enjoying what you do see.

If this is your first time in Amsterdam and you still have some basic questions — where to stay, how many days make sense, what’s worth planning ahead — I’ve written a separate First Time in Amsterdam guide that covers exactly that.

A Quick Note on Personal Fit

This itinerary is a framework, not a one-size-fits-all plan.

I use this structure as a starting point, then adapt it based on personal interests, energy levels, mobility, and how much structure someone actually wants during their trip.

Some people happily trade museums for food. Others want to avoid crowds at almost any cost. Some enjoy long walks; others don’t. All of that changes how a trip should be planned — and that’s normal.

What you’re reading here shows how I think, not a fixed formula I apply to everyone.

Day 1 — Arrival, Orientation, and Easing In

Energy level: low
Focus: settling in, walking, seeing the city from the outside

Day one is about arriving, getting your bearings, and easing into Amsterdam.

I deliberately schedule no major museums on this day. I know many people book one straight after arrival, but in my experience that’s rarely a good idea — especially after a long flight. If you’re dealing with jet lag, a large museum will feel draining rather than enjoyable.

Almost everyone is more tired than they expect, even if they think they’re fine.

Morning / Early Afternoon: Arrive and Settle In

After checking into your hotel, don’t rush out with a full plan. Freshen up, have a coffee nearby, and let the travel day fade a bit.

If you’re very tired, a short nap can help — just make sure you’re awake by early afternoon. Sleeping too late on arrival day often makes it harder to adjust at night.

Don’t see this as wasted time. It’s part of pacing the trip well and enjoying the days that follow.

Yes, getting a local coffee is part of the Amsterdam experience — just don’t make the classic mistake of confusing a café with a coffeeshop.

City Walk: Get Oriented Without Pressure

A guided city walk is one of my favorite first activities in Amsterdam.

It’s low effort, outdoors, and gives you context without committing to museums, tickets, or queues. You’ll understand how the city works, what you’re looking at, and feel much more confident walking around on your own afterward.

I recommend a small-group city walk with a local guide, focused on history, neighborhoods, and everyday life — not a rushed checklist of sights. This tour is also included in both Amsterdam city passes.

Canal Cruise: See the City From the Water

After the walk, switch perspective.

A canal cruise is still one of the best introductions to Amsterdam, especially on day one when your legs may already feel the travel.

I recommend a small boat or open boat cruise when weather allows. It’s calmer, more personal, and far more pleasant than the large boats.

I usually recommend this before dinner so the rest of the evening stays flexible, and you don’t risk falling asleep on the boat.

Optional: Early Evening Food Tour

If you’re still feeling up for it, an early evening food tour works very well on day one.

You don’t need to decide where to eat, you try several local dishes, and you’re usually done early enough to head back without pushing yourself.

If food tours feel like too much after travel, skip it. A simple dinner close to your hotel is perfectly fine.

Evening: Keep It Easy

Stay near your accommodation. Eat well. Go to bed earlier than you normally would.

Being rested tomorrow matters more than squeezing in one extra thing today.

Day 2 — Museums and Neighborhoods

Energy level: moderate
Focus: art, history, and one neighborhood

This is your most structured day — intentionally.

Morning: Rijksmuseum (Early)

If you plan to visit the Rijksmuseum, go early — and with early, I mean really early.

The 9:00 a.m. time slot is the golden ticket. Anything before 10:00 a.m. is still very good. After that, school groups and tour buses arrive, along with everyone else, and the experience quickly becomes less enjoyable.

Once your travel dates are set, this is the first ticket I recommend booking.

⤷ When you’re ready to book your tickets check my Rijksmuseum Tickets & Visitor Guide for all details

This is one of the busiest museums in the country. Starting early makes a noticeable difference in how your visit feels.

The Rijksmuseum is large and demanding — it has 82 rooms. Trying to see everything almost guarantees museum fatigue. I always start with the Gallery of Honor, then choose a few rooms that genuinely interest me.

Leaving the museum wanting more is a success.

Instead of buying a ticket and roam the museum randomly I recommend this high-quality guided tour instead for first-time visitors. This tour includes your entrance ticket. No need to book it separately.

If you want help instead deciding which rooms to prioritize — and which ones to skip — that’s exactly the kind of detail I help with during my personal planning calls.

Lunch Break

After the museum, take a proper break. Sit down. Rest your legs.

Afternoon: Choose One Area (Not Everything)

This is where many itineraries lose their balance.
Instead of trying to cover more ground, I recommend choosing one area and slowing the pace.

Option 1: Jordaan (Best for First-Time Visitors)

If this is your first visit, the Jordaan is usually the most rewarding choice.

It has the atmosphere people imagine when they think of Amsterdam: narrow streets, canals, small shops, cafés, and places to simply sit and watch the city go by. It feels local without being quiet, and lively without being hectic.

This is where I often suggest:

• a relaxed canal walk
• a long lunch or coffee stop
• browsing a few small shops (the 9 streets area is lovely)
• visit the Anne Frank House
• or simply wandering without a checklist

For many first-time visitors, this ends up being one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip.

If the Anne Frank House is important to you, tickets must be booked well in advance. I never leave this to chance. You can find more information on my Anne Frank House article.

Option 2: Canal Belt (More Elegant, Slightly Quieter)

If you prefer a calmer, more refined feel, focus on the Canal Belt instead.

Besides the main canals the Reguliersgracht, or Spiegelgracht are beautiful streets to walk.

The streets are wider, the canal houses more formal, and the walking is easy. This area works well if you want a slower afternoon after the Rijksmuseum, or if you enjoy architecture and photography more than busy streets.

Here, I sometimes suggest:

• a focused canal walk
• one small, specific museum I love the Canal House Museum, or the Cat Museum
• or simply taking your time between cafés

If someone tells me museums drain them quickly, this is exactly where I slow things down — fewer sights, but a lot of atmosphere.

Evening: Culture or Comfort

Keep the evening intentional but not late.

A concert, a film in a historic cinema, or a quiet dinner all work well. I avoid stacking late nights on consecutive days — energy matters more than ambition.

Day 3 — Choose One Direction

Energy level: flexible
Focus: depth over distance

By day three, you’ve seen the core of Amsterdam. This is where trips either stay relaxed — or become messy.

Choose one of the following.

Option 1: Stay in Amsterdam

Neighborhoods like Oost or Noord feel very different from the historic center and reward slower exploration.

This is also the day I often leave open for anything you intentionally skipped earlier — for example, the Van Gogh Museum if that’s high on your list. If you decide to do that, book tickets as early as possible. They sell out quickly.

And the same timing advice applies as with the Rijksmuseum: early time slots make a real difference. Visits between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. are noticeably more enjoyable.

Option 2: One Easy Day Trip

If you want to leave the city, choose a simple, nearby destination.

I recommend places under 30 minutes by train. Anything longer starts to eat into your enjoyment rather than adding to it. Haarlem, Zaanse Schans, or Utrecht are all good options and easy to manage on your own.

If you’d rather not deal with planning, transport, or timing, this is also a day that works very well for a private tour with me. I can take you into the countryside or to places that are hard to reach without a car — for example the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Hoge Veluwe National Park, combined with time in Amersfoort, a compact historic city most visitors never reach.

That kind of day gives you a very different feel for the Netherlands, beyond Amsterdam.

Where I Recommend Staying

For a first visit, location matters a lot.

I suggest staying:

• Within walking distance of the historic center, or
• Very close to a major tram or train stop

I avoid nightlife-heavy areas for first-time visitors. Poor sleep ruins even the best itinerary.

A well-located four-star hotel is usually the right balance. Hotels are expensive in Amsterdam, and local taxes are really still it’s worth the splurge for convenience, and keep travel times to a minimum.

Here are few hotels I suggest:

• Doubletree by Hilton Centraal Station. Right next to the station, but still quiet.
• The Ambassade Hotel for a the classic canal belt experience
• Hotel Estheréa for a great boutique hotel experience on the canals
• Hotel Aalders for a more moderate stay right next to the major museums

What I Deliberately Skip in Three Days

I’m comfortable skipping popular attractions when time is limited.

I usually avoid:

• attractions that exist mainly to sell products
• overcrowded experiences with little local context
• anything that forces you to rush between fixed time slots

I see most visitors enjoy Amsterdam more when they stop trying to do everything.

That said, this approach isn’t for everyone. If you arrive with a clear mindset that you love to hit the ground running and pack your days, a city pass can make sense. For that travel style, a city card can make days easier and reduce friction.

Amsterdam has two main city card options, and they cater to very different travel styles. I compare them in detail and explain who each pass works best for in my city card comparison article here.

Want This Adapted to You?

If you like the overall pace of this itinerary but already see changes you’d want to make, that’s exactly where my planning service helps.

I adapt this framework to fit:

• what you actually enjoy
• how much walking feels comfortable
• whether museums energize or drain you
• how structured or flexible you want your days to be

Sometimes that means cutting things.
Sometimes it means reshuffling days.
Sometimes it means adding more.

That’s what turns a good plan into a trip that actually feels right.

If you’d like me to adapt this itinerary to your trip, you can book a 1:1 planning call here.

Final Thoughts

Three days in Amsterdam is not about seeing everything.
It’s about seeing enough to enjoy it — and wanting to come back.

I plan every trip differently.
This page shows how I think, not a fixed formula.

If it helps you enjoy Amsterdam a little more, then it’s done its job.

If this itinerary helped you plan with more confidence, and you’d like to say thanks, you can always buy me a coffee. It’s never expected, but always appreciated.