Amsterdam in 3 days: itinerary, where to eat and what it costs
Canals, museums and bicycles in three days, with the Anne Frank House booking rules, the right public transport ticket and checked 2026 prices.
In short. In three days you can see the canal ring and the Anne Frank House on the first, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum on the second, and the Jordaan and the north of the city on the third. Excluding flights and hotel, budget around €100 per person per day. Anne Frank House tickets are released on Tuesdays, for six weeks ahead (October 2026 prices).
- Anne Frank House, online only, six weeks in advance
- €16.50
- one-day pass including the airport train
- €20
- per person per day, excluding flights and hotel (example)
- €100
Amsterdam was built around water and is still best seen at water level. The 17th-century canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, brings together narrow merchants’ houses, low bridges and houseboats, and it’s as lovely on foot as by bike, as long as you respect the cycle lanes, which are taken very seriously here.
It’s an expensive city to sleep and dine in, and the museums everyone wants to see require timed tickets. The Anne Frank House is the extreme case: tickets are released on Tuesdays for visits six weeks later and can only be bought online. If you don’t plan, you don’t get in.
Where should you stay in Amsterdam on a first visit?
Inside the canal ring or close to it. The centre is small and walkable; staying further out means taking the tram several times a day.
Canal ring
The merchants’ houses along the water. The prettiest part of the city, and the most expensive.
Jordaan
A former working-class district, now full of galleries, ‘brown cafés’ and markets, next to the Anne Frank House.
De Pijp
South of the centre, with the Albert Cuyp market and plenty of restaurants, ten minutes from the museums.
Museumplein and Oud-Zuid
By the Rijksmuseum and the Vondelpark, calmer and more elegant.
How do you get from the airport to the centre?
Schiphol airport is about a quarter of an hour by train from Centraal station, with very frequent trains all day long.
| Airport | How | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schiphol, train | Direct train to Amsterdam Centraal; pay by bank card, tapping in and out at the platform | about 15 min | NS fare |
| Schiphol, one-day pass | The Amsterdam Travel Ticket combines the airport train and the city’s public transport | 1 day | €20 |
With a bank card, check in and check out at the card readers on trains, trams and buses. If you don’t check out, the system charges the maximum fare.
What can you do in Amsterdam in 3 days?
Buy your Anne Frank House tickets as soon as they’re released, on Tuesdays at 10am Amsterdam time (9am in Portugal), and book the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh for the same day: they’re on the same square.
Morning
The centre on foot
Start in Dam Square, with the Royal Palace, and head for the three canals of the ring: Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht. Stop in the Negen Straatjes, the Nine Streets of small shops that cut across them.
Afternoon
The Anne Frank House
At Prinsengracht 263, the house where Anne Frank and her family hid from 1942 to 1944 shows the Secret Annex, behind the bookcase, and the original diary. You go round in silence, at a booked time, and it stays with you.
Practical. €16.50, including a €1 booking fee. Online only; tickets are released on Tuesdays at 10am for six weeks ahead.
Evening
A boat along the canals
At dusk, a boat trip shows off the illuminated bridges. Choose the small open boats over the big glass-topped ones: they slip into narrower canals and you can hear the city.
Morning
The Rijksmuseum
Rembrandt’s The Night Watch fills an entire wall of its room, and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid is much smaller than you’d imagine. The Rijksmuseum needs a timed entry and at least three hours.
Practical. €25, with a timed entry booked online.
Afternoon
The Van Gogh Museum and the Vondelpark
On the same square, the Van Gogh Museum holds the largest collection of the painter’s work in the world, from The Potato Eaters to the Sunflowers, also by timed ticket only. To rest your eyes, the Vondelpark is five minutes away.
Practical. Van Gogh: timed ticket, online only.
Evening
Dinner in De Pijp
Have dinner in De Pijp, the Albert Cuyp market neighbourhood, with Indonesian, Surinamese and Moroccan cooking, a legacy of the former colonies and of those who came later.
Morning
The Jordaan
Get lost in the Jordaan, with its narrower canals and crooked houses that lean forward on purpose: that’s how furniture was hoisted in through the windows, using the hook you can still see at the top of the façades. On Saturdays there’s a farmers’ market on the Noordermarkt.
Afternoon
The ferry to Noord
Behind Centraal station, free ferries cross the IJ to Amsterdam-Noord in a few minutes. On the other side, the A’DAM tower has a lookout at the top, and the Eye film museum occupies a white building on the waterfront.
Practical. Ferries: free.
Evening
A brown café
End the day in a ‘bruin café’, the dark-wood, low-lit bars that have been around for centuries. Order a beer and bitterballen, the round croquettes you dip in mustard.
Direct flight from Lisbon to Amsterdam: about 2h50. See the flight estimate for your dates.
What if you have one more day?
With a fourth day, postcard Holland is less than half an hour away by train.
Zaanse Schans
Windmills, green wooden houses and cheese and clog workshops, about 20 minutes by train.
Haarlem
A small, handsome city with a grand market square and the Frans Hals Museum, about 15 minutes by train.
Where can you eat well and cheaply in Amsterdam?
Amsterdam eats best when it eats what it brought home from the world. Indonesian cooking, inherited from colonial times, gives you the ‘rijsttafel’, a spread of small dishes around rice, which is one of the best meals in the city. A meal at an inexpensive restaurant costs around €20, and dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant about €80.
For cheap eats there are herring stalls, chip shops and markets. Tipping isn’t compulsory; rounding up is enough. And bring a card: many places no longer accept cash.
- Haring
- Raw herring with chopped onion, from a street stall. You eat it by the tail, head tilted back, or in a bread roll.
- Stroopwafel
- Two thin wafers with caramel syrup in between. Made fresh and still warm, they’re another thing altogether.
- Bitterballen
- Round croquettes of stewed meat, with mustard, to go with your beer.
- Patat
- Thick-cut chips in a paper cone, with mayonnaise or peanut sauce.
- Rijsttafel
- The Indonesian ‘rice table’, with twenty or more small dishes. Made for sharing.
- Appeltaart
- Deep apple pie with cinnamon and whipped cream. Try it at a café in the Jordaan.
How much does a trip to Amsterdam cost?
Amsterdam is one of the most expensive cities in these guides, especially for eating out and sleeping. For getting around, the one-day ticket pays off if you take the tram several times.
| What | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||
| GVB one-hour ticket | €3.40 | GVB |
| GVB one-day ticket | €10 | GVB |
| Amsterdam Travel Ticket, one day, including the airport train | €20 | GVB |
| Ferries to Amsterdam-Noord | free | GVB |
| Entry fees | ||
| Rijksmuseum | €25 | Rijksmuseum |
| Anne Frank House (including €1 booking fee) | €16.50 | Anne Frank Huis |
| Eating and drinking (averages) | ||
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | €20 | Numbeo |
| Dinner for two, mid-range restaurant, no drinks | €80 | Numbeo |
| Cappuccino | €4.06 | Numbeo |
| Draught beer, 0.5 l | €6.80 | Numbeo |
Amsterdam next to Lisbon
| What | Amsterdam | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino | €4.06 | €2.70 |
| Draught beer, 0.5 l | €6.80 | €3 |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | €20 | €15 |
| Dinner for two, mid-range restaurant | €80 | €55 |
A day in Amsterdam, per person
| GVB one-day ticket | €10 |
|---|---|
| Mid-morning coffee | €4.06 |
| Lunch at an inexpensive restaurant | €20 |
| Dinner (half of a dinner for two) | €40 |
| One entry ticket (Rijksmuseum) | €25 |
| Total per person | €99.06 |
Example for one adult, using the prices in the table. Excludes flights, hotel, tourist tax and shopping.
Bike or public transport?
If you already cycle in a city, a bike is the fastest way to get around Amsterdam. If you don’t, you’re better off starting with public transport: the cycle lanes have their own pace and rules, and pedestrians should check them before crossing.
What mistakes should you avoid in Amsterdam?
- Leaving the Anne Frank House to the last minute. There are no tickets at the door.
- Walking or stopping in the cycle lane, usually paved in red. It belongs to the bikes, and they don’t slow down.
- Forgetting to check out with your bank card when you get off the tram.
- Photographing the windows in the Red Light District: it’s forbidden and very unwelcome.
- Expecting to pay in cash. Many cafés and shops only take cards.
- Booking the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh back to back, with no break. They’re two big museums, and the second suffers from the fatigue of the first.
When is the best time to visit Amsterdam?
April and May are tulip season, in the fields around the city and at the Keukenhof gardens, which only open at that time of year. Summer brings long days and packed terraces along the canals.
Autumn is beautiful on the canals, as in the photo at the top of this guide, and between December and January there’s the light festival, with installations along the water. It rains at any time of year: bring a waterproof.
Frequently asked questions
- How many days do you need in Amsterdam?
- Three days is enough for the canals, the big museums and the neighbourhoods. With four, you can add Zaanse Schans or Haarlem.
- How do you get tickets for the Anne Frank House?
- Online only, on the official website. Tickets are released every Tuesday at 10am Amsterdam time (9am in Portugal) for visits six weeks later, and cost €16.50.
- How do you pay for public transport in Amsterdam?
- With a contactless bank card, checking in and out, or with a one-hour (€3.40) or one-day (€10) ticket. For your first day, the Amsterdam Travel Ticket (€20) includes the airport train.
- Is Amsterdam more expensive than Lisbon?
- Yes: a simple meal costs €20 on average against €15, a cappuccino €4.06 against €2.70 and a draught beer €6.80 against €3.
Sources and price dates
All prices were checked on 2 October 2026 on the pages below. Restaurant and café averages come from Numbeo, which collects prices submitted by people who live and travel there.
Lisbon → Amsterdam, return flight with hotel.
If you don’t have a flight or hotel yet, ask for a quote for your dates. It arrives on WhatsApp within minutes.
Direct flight estimate based on recent market searches. The final price, with hotel, is confirmed by the consultant.
