Amsterdam Travel Guide

Canal Cruise

Get a feel for the history and layout of Amsterdam’s canals by boat. Take a tour of the canals, and travel through the canals of the city.

Cycle Amsterdam-Noord

Rent a bike and take the free ferry across to Amsterdam-Noord to spend the day cycling. Follow Route 9 by the marked pathways and explore the dike villages, grassland landscape and the island of Marken (47 km/4-5 hours).

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is among the world’s finest art museums, packing in works by local heroes Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh as well as other masterpieces in the 8000 works on display over 1.5km of galleries.

Due to its popularity, there are big crowds who swamp the museum, come before 10am or after 3pm to avoid them.

The sculpture-studded gardens around the exterior are free to visit and the Rijks restaurant has a Michelin star. There is also a cafe inside the museum serving light lunches.

*I Amsterdam and Museumkaart cardholders get in free with no need to queue at the ticket office. 

Anne Frank Huis

The Anne Frank Huis draws around 1¼ million visitors each year. With Anne’s melancholy bedroom and her actual diary – sitting alone in its glass case, filled with sunnily optimistic writing tempered by quiet despair – it is a powerful experience.

It is compulsory to choose a timeslot and pre-purchase tickets online: 80% of tickets are released two months in advance, with the remaining 20% released on the day. An audio guide is included in the ticket price.

Van Gogh Museum

This museum traces Van Gogh’s life and development though the world’s largest collection of his work, both familiar paintings and wonderful little-known pieces.

It’s fascinating to see how his work changed from tentative beginnings to giddily bright sunflowers, and on to his frenzy of creative brilliance towards the end of his life.

While you can try your luck for tickets at the entrance, it is highly recommended to book online and choose a time slot to avoid missing out, as tickets can sell out a few days in advance during the busy season.

*I Amsterdam cardholders must reserve online at www.iamsterdam.com. The museum can get full and the best times to visit are before 11 am and after 3 pm. 

Vondelpark

A private park for the wealthy until 1953, Vondelpark now holds a special place in Amsterdam’s heart. It’s a magical escape, but also supplies a busy social scene, encompassing cycle ways, pristine lawns, ponds with swans, quaint cafes, footbridges and winding footpaths.

On a sunny day, an open-air party atmosphere ensues when tourists, lovers, cyclists, in-line skaters, families with cartwheeling children, all come out to play.

The Vondelpark receives over 12 million visitors per year, so there is never a “quite” time to visit, but it is always a lot of fun.

Museum het Rembrandthuis

This evocative museum is housed in Rembrandt’s former home, where the master painter spent his most successful years, working on major commissions such as The Night Watch and running the Netherlands’ largest painting studio.

The inventory drawn up when he had to leave the house is the reason that curators have been able to refurnish the building so faithfully.

You can also watch an etching demonstration and visit Rembrandt’s studio, which looks as if he’s just popped out. Queues are not as extensive here as at some of Amsterdam’s other attractions, but you may book ahead online or get free entry with the I Amsterdam City Card or Museumkaart. 

Hermitage Amsterdam

There have long been links between Russia and the Netherlands – Tsar Peter the Great learned shipbuilding here in 1697 – hence this branch of St Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum.

Blockbuster temporary exhibitions show works from the Hermitage’s vast treasure trove, while the permanent Portrait Gallery of the Golden Age has formal group portraits of the 17th-century Dutch A-list; the Outsider Gallery also has temporary shows

Come before 11 am to avoid the long queues. There is a nice restaurant cafe inside the museum. The building was formerly a retirement home (for ‘elderly’ women aged over 50!). 

Amsterdam Travel Essentials

Depending on your type of trip, I’d recommend getting an I Amsterdam card. The card includes free admission into the most popular museums, free public transportation (unlimited use of the GVB public transport system for 24, 48 or 72 hours) and a free canal cruise. See if the I Amsterdam card can save you money on your trip by using their online savings chart before buying.

Train Berlin → Amsterdam train

Another part to add to your Amsterdam travel itinerary is a train trip from Amsterdam to Berlin.

The average travel time between Berlin and Amsterdam is 8h07 minutes. The quickest route is 6h08 minutes. There is an average of 12 trains a day between Berlin and Amsterdam, leaving approximately every 2h08m.

On board the high-speed international trains, you can travel stress free and in total comfort thanks to the large comfortable seats.

Amsterdam Centraal, is a train station located in Amsterdam. Being one of the major train stations in Amsterdam, it is served by buses and other public transportations. It is the largest train station in Amsterdam. Berlin HBF, is a train station located in Berlin. It is one of the most important train stations in Berlin. Berlin HBF connects to public transportations and is easily accessible.

For a single return trip from Berlin to Amsterdam, a train ticket is the best value for money. Best prices are available when buying the train ticket well in advance. For extensive train travel, a rail pass including Germany and the Netherlands is a better choice.

From Amsterdam, travelers can take the train to reach other cities and regions of Holland. See more information here: https://www.raileurope.co.il/train-tickets/journeys/article/berlin-amsterdam and here https://www.omio.com/trains/amsterdam/berlin