Things to Do in Amsterdam

Some places are outdoor destinations where there's not much to do when the weather turns. Amsterdam is packed with things to do whatever the weather is doing, which is good news, since the city is no stranger to cold and damp.

Any time of year, you can take in some of the finest museums in Europe or settle in for some people-watching in a coffeeshop. If you're lucky enough to get sunny weather, the canals and the walkable center practically beg to be explored.

One big change since this page was first written: the major sights now run on timed online tickets. The Anne Frank House sells no tickets at the door at all, and the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum both want you to book a start time. Plan the big three before you leave home and fill in the rest once you're here.

Here's a rundown of the top things to do in Amsterdam, with links to more on each.

>> Want more ideas? See the Amsterdam attractions page and free things to do in Amsterdam. For a quick feel for the place, try these Amsterdam videos.

Amsterdam city tours

A tour when you first arrive is good for two reasons: it gets you oriented, and it gives you hints about what you want to see more of later (or skip entirely). See our Amsterdam tours page for more.

• Canal tours. These mellow cruises are the best first-day activity, especially if it's your first visit. In Amsterdam the canals go almost everywhere the streets don't, so it's the quickest way to see a lot. There are many operators. Stromma's classic one-hour cruise starts from 13.50 euros, and small open boats from around 20 euros (as of 2026).
• Walking tours. Some focus on history or one neighborhood, others give a general overview. There are also free walking tours in Amsterdam, great if you're on a budget. Just don't forget to tip your guide.
• Bike tours. In the city of bicycles, a guided ride makes sense. It's a good alternative to renting a bike for your whole visit, because you get to ride like a local without having to figure out the busy bike lanes on your own.
• DIY tram tour. For anyone who's really on a budget, it's hard to beat. The old advice to ride tram 5 no longer works, because tram 5 no longer runs from Centraal Station. Try tram 12 instead: from Centraal Station it runs past Leidseplein and Museumplein and on through De Pijp. A GVB 1-hour ticket is 3.40 euros, or just tap your contactless bank card on and off. See getting around Amsterdam.

Coffeeshops

That's right, it's one word here, and the coffee isn't the main attraction. If you're interested in the cannabis scene, this is already high on your list, if you'll pardon the pun.

Even if you weren't planning on it, you might want to pop into one to see what it's all about. Most are friendly and mellow, and nobody minds if you just order a juice or a mint tea and soak up the atmosphere.

A few things to know, per I amsterdam:

• Coffeeshops are tolerated, not strictly legal. You must be 18 and show ID, and the most a shop can sell you is 5 grams.
• Since 2023, smoking cannabis on the street in the Red Light District, Nieuwmarkt and Dam Square gets you a 100-euro fine. The city's visitor rules ask you to smoke inside across the whole center.
• Most bars and clubs don't allow cannabis at all.

And yes, there's even a marijuana museum: the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum on Oudezijds Achterburgwal.

>> Learn more about Amsterdam coffeeshops before you go, starting with the basics.

Red Light District

Every Amsterdam neighborhood has its own character, but none is more famous (or is that infamous?) than the Red Light District. Sex work is legal and regulated across the country, but it's front and center here.

It's not an unsafe neighborhood, and the Red Light District isn't only about sex. Some of the city's oldest sights are here, including the Oude Kerk. Check out these attractions in the Red Light District, the live sex shows, and if you still have cash, the slot-machine casinos.

The city has spent years trying to calm the area down, so visiting works differently now:

• No window tours. Guided tours past the windows have been banned since April 2020. You can still walk the streets on your own.
• No photos of sex workers. It's on the city's list of rules, and people will call you on it.
• Earlier nights. On weekend nights, bars in the core of the district close at 2am and can't let new people in after 1am (city rules).
• No smoking weed on the street, as above.

Daytime visits are easier if you have kids with you or aren't keen on the windows. At night the district is at its busiest, and the crowds on the narrow alleys can be a lot.

Museums and historic sights

Amsterdam is home to some of Europe's top museums, which might seem surprising for a city this size. Best of all, the ones most people want to see are a stone's throw apart on Museumplein. What has changed is the price and the booking.

• Rijksmuseum. The national museum, big enough to keep art lovers busy for a full day, with Rembrandt's The Night Watch currently under restoration in a glass chamber you can watch. 25 euros for adults, free for 18 and under, and a start time is required.
• Van Gogh Museum. 25 euros for adults, tickets online only with a time slot. Summer slots go weeks ahead.
• Stedelijk Museum. Modern and contemporary art and design, next door to the Van Gogh.
• Rembrandt House. The house where Rembrandt lived and worked, by the Waterlooplein market.
• Anne Frank House. Not an art museum, but one of the most important visits in the city. Tickets are sold only on its website, released every Tuesday for six weeks ahead, at 16.50 euros for adults (as of 2026). There's no ticket line anymore because there are no tickets at the door.
• Heineken Experience. The old brewery tour, 18 and over only, from 24.95 euros with one beer, or 29.95 euros with the rooftop and two drinks (as of 2026).

If you're doing several of these, compare single tickets against the I amsterdam City Card. And when you're done with the big names, try what to do when you're museum'd out.

Amsterdam with kids

If you're thinking Amsterdam sounds like such a grown-up playground that there's nothing here for kids, you'd be wrong. Plenty of kids live here, and families do a lot of what locals do.

The big one is NEMO, the hands-on science museum in the green ship-shaped building on the water a short walk east of Centraal Station. Add Vondelpark for playgrounds and picnics, the free ferry across the IJ, and Het Scheepvaartmuseum, the maritime museum. Note that the Heineken Experience doesn't allow anyone under 18, even with a parent.

>> More on things to do in Amsterdam with kids and Amsterdam for families

Outdoor markets

Two big outdoor markets each run six days a week, Monday to Saturday, and both close on Sundays.

The one closer to the center is at Waterlooplein, next to the Stopera (the city hall and opera house). It's an old-fashioned flea market, with everything from souvenirs and vintage clothes to secondhand odds and ends. It runs from 9:30 to 18:00, per I amsterdam.

>> More on the Waterlooplein flea market

The other is the Albert Cuyp Market, along Albert Cuypstraat in De Pijp, not far from the Heineken Experience and a few minutes from De Pijp metro station. This is where a lot of locals shop. There are few knick-knacks, but it's loaded with food stalls, clothes and everyday stuff, and it's the best place in town to try a fresh stroopwafel or raw herring. It opens at 9:00 (I amsterdam). If you want cheap fashion, look here before you buy anywhere else.

>> More on the Albert Cuyp street market

Live music

As a major European capital, Amsterdam gets nearly every important touring act eventually, and the concert calendar would be the envy of much bigger cities.

The big names play the arenas in the southeast of the city, while the two classic mid-size venues are right in the center near Leidseplein: Paradiso, in a former church on Weteringschans, and Melkweg, in an old dairy on Lijnbaansgracht. Check Paradiso's and Melkweg's own listings for the dates you're in town.

>> More on live music in Amsterdam

Clubs

Amsterdam has been one of the brightest stars of club music since the early 1990s, and electronic music never seems to go out of fashion here. The biggest week of the year is the Amsterdam Dance Event, which runs 21 to 25 October in 2026.

There are clubs all over town, but the flashier ones cluster around Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein, and a lot of the more serious dance music has moved out to converted industrial spaces beyond the center.

>> More on nightclubs in Amsterdam and Amsterdam nightlife

Day trips

There's plenty to see just outside the center, and several good cities are an hour or less away by train. On a two- or three-day visit you probably won't need them, but on a longer trip, look into these:

• Aalsmeer Flower Auction, weekday mornings only
• Muiderslot Castle
• Haarlem, about 15 minutes by train
• Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague and Delft

>> More on day trips from Amsterdam

If Amsterdam is one stop on a longer trip, AirTreks, BootsnAll's sister company, has put together multi-stop and round-the-world tickets since 1987. One sample route that starts right here:

photos, top to bottom, by: la_sonix, eGuide Travel, Terrazzo, The Intrepid Traveler, p373, fhwrdh, Enric Martinez, erinc salor, David Boyle, C.G.P. Grey on Flickr