Amsterdam
Amsterdam travel guide
Canals, golden-age houses and world-class museums.
Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, is known for its UNESCO-listed 17th-century canal ring, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House, cycling culture and lively neighbourhoods such as the Jordaan. Visit from April to September, book museums ahead, and allow 3 days. Prices are high, and Schengen rules apply, with EES registration at the border.
Amsterdam, often referred to as the "Venice of the North," is the Netherlands' capital city. The city is known for its artistic heritage, canal network, and narrow houses with gabled facades, all dating from the city's 17th-century Golden Age. In the centre of the city is the Museum District, home to the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum with masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer, and the contemporary art museum, Stedelijk.
Amsterdam's character is intricately tied to cycling, with an extensive network of dedicated bike paths. The city combines major cultural sights with a lively street life. Known worldwide for its openness and diverse culture, Amsterdam welcomes all with open arms. It's a place where you can find the avant-garde alongside timeless art. The famed legal red light district is just one facet of this eclectic city's allure.
Seeing Amsterdam by boat gives a different perspective, but walking its historic streets is just as rewarding. The city's narrow buildings and charming windows each whisper tales from a thousand years of captivating history. To plan your trip to Amsterdam, consult an Amsterdam Travel Guide for tips and recommendations on art, culture, and activities.
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Amsterdam at a glance
When to come, daily spend, entry rules, the euro, Dutch and English and the time zone for the Dutch capital.
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Museums, canals, markets and neighbourhoods in Amsterdam.
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Best time to visit Amsterdam
April to September is mild with long days; October and November turn wet; winter is cold and damp.
Mild weather and long days; tulip season in April.
Cool and wet, with fewer visitors.
Cold and damp; Amsterdam Light Festival brightens the canals.
Book the Anne Frank House online well ahead; tickets are released weeks in advance and sell out fast.
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Amsterdam travel tips
The train from Schiphol, money and the tourist tax, health, safety and the Jordaan or canal belt as a base.
Visas and entry
Schengen area
The Netherlands is in the Schengen area, so visitors from many countries can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, while others need a Schengen visa. Non-EU travellers are also registered in the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) when they cross the border at Schiphol.
- Passport validity
- At least 3 months beyond departure from Schengen
Getting there
Schiphol Airport
Fly into Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), about 15 km south-west of the centre. Trains to Amsterdam Centraal leave from the station beneath the terminal and take 15 to 20 minutes, quicker than any bus or taxi, and international trains also reach Centraal from Belgium, Germany and France.
- Train
- To Amsterdam Centraal in about 15–20 minutes
- International trains
- Eurostar and ICE to Amsterdam Centraal
Money and costs
Cards first
Pay by card or phone in Amsterdam, where contactless payment is normal and some shops and cafés take no cash at all. The same contactless bank card works as your ticket on trains, trams and buses through OVpay, so you rarely need to queue for a ticket machine. The currency is the euro.
- Amsterdam charges a high tourist tax on hotel stays.
- Tipping is optional; round up for good service.
Health and vaccines
Good healthcare
Healthcare in Amsterdam is excellent and tap water is safe to drink. Visitors from the EU should carry a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), and everyone else needs travel insurance. Pharmacies, called apotheek, handle minor problems, and 112 is the emergency number for police, fire and ambulance.
- Out of hours
- Call a GP post (huisartsenpost) for non-emergencies
Staying safe
Bikes and pickpockets
Amsterdam is a very safe city. The real hazards are cyclists, so never walk in the red bike lanes, and pickpockets around Amsterdam Centraal and on busy trams. Keep phones and bags out of reach on café terraces, and call 112 in an emergency.
- Emergency
- 112
- Lock rental bikes with two locks.
- Buying drugs on the street is illegal and often a scam.
Where to stay
Best areas
Stay in or near the canal ring, the semicircle of 17th-century canals around the old centre, so the museums, cafés and Centraal Station are within walking distance or a short tram ride. Hotels inside the ring cost more, and areas a few tram stops outside it are cheaper.
- Canal Ring
- Historic houses and boutique hotels
- Jordaan
- Charming streets and cafés
- De Pijp
- Markets and restaurants
- Museum Quarter
- Near the Rijksmuseum
Getting around
Walk, tram, bike
Walk Amsterdam's compact centre and use GVB trams for longer distances, tapping in and out with a contactless bank card. Sixteen tram routes form the backbone of public transport, with metro and buses filling the gaps. Rent a bike if you are confident in heavy cycle traffic, and leave the car outside the city.
- Canal cruises
- A good first look at the city
- Trains from Schiphol reach Centraal in 15 to 20 minutes; pay by contactless card through OVpay.
- Check in at the start of each ride and out at the end.
- The M52 metro runs underground from Centraal to Noord and Zuid; other lines serve the Bijlmer ArenA.
- GVB passes run from one hour to seven days and are sold in its app and at visitor centres.
- Four free GVB ferries cross the IJ to Noord from behind Centraal.
- Treat red asphalt as a road: cyclists will not wait, and watch for trams when crossing.
SIM and internet
KPN, Vodafone, Odido
Buy a prepaid SIM from KPN, Vodafone or Odido at supermarkets and phone shops in Amsterdam, or use an eSIM. If you already have an EU SIM, it roams at home prices under EU rules, so a Dutch number is unnecessary. Wi-Fi is widespread in cafés and hotels.
- Networks
- KPN, Vodafone, Odido
Culture and etiquette
Direct and relaxed
Dutch people are direct, punctual and relaxed. Say what you mean, arrive on time, and expect frank answers that are meant kindly. Cycling is the main way to get around towns, so give way to bikes, keep out of cycle lanes on foot, and lock any bike you rent securely.
- Keep to footpaths and out of bike lanes
- Book museums such as the Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank House online
- Photographing workers in the Red Light District, which is forbidden
- Drinking alcohol in public in central Amsterdam where it is banned
Things to know before visiting Amsterdam
What makes Amsterdam worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Rijksmuseum and Rembrandt's Night Watch.
- The Van Gogh Museum.
- The Anne Frank House.
- Canal walks and boat tours.
- The Jordaan and its brown cafés.
Good to know
- Tourist tax on hotel stays is among Europe's highest.
- Book museums in advance.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Amsterdam weather by month
Amsterdam's July highs average about 23°C and January's about 6°C. August is the wettest month at about 99 mm, and April the driest at about 40 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Amsterdam Schiphol (KNMI 1991–2020 normals, via Wikipedia).
Three days in the canal ring and a fourth beyond it
Plan three days in Amsterdam, plus a fourth outside it. The old city is a semicircle of canals with Centraal Station at its tip. Give day one to Museumplein for the Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, spend the next two in the canal ring, and take the 15-minute train to Haarlem on day four.
- Day one: Museumplein, with Rembrandt's Night Watch in the Rijksmuseum and then the Van Gogh Museum. In summer, end with a picnic and a bottle of wine in the Vondelpark like the locals.
- Day two: the Canal District and the Jordaan on foot, your timed slot at the Anne Frank House, the hidden Begijnhof courtyard and a canal cruise at dusk.
- Day three: De Pijp and the Albert Cuyp Market in the morning, then the free ferry across the IJ to Noord and the EYE Film Institute.
Haarlem is 15 minutes away by train. The windmills of Zaanse Schans are 18 minutes by train, and Keukenhof's flower park opens only for the first two months of spring. Edam and Volendam make an easy pairing by regional bus. Amsterdam has over 400 hotels, but weekends and holidays fill up, so reserve a hotel before you arrive.
Tulip season at Keukenhof, mild summers and grey winters
Rain falls on about 133 days a year in Amsterdam, so pack a light waterproof in any month. Late April to June gives the best mix of long days and mild weather, with tulip season at Keukenhof in April and May.
What changes is light and crowds. April and May bring tulip season and the busiest weeks at Keukenhof. On 27 April, King's Day turns the canals and streets into one long orange party, and accommodation is at its tightest.
Summer is mild by southern standards. Days above 30°C are rare. Long evenings make it the season for parks, city beaches and canal-side terraces, though August is also the wettest summer month at roughly 99 mm. Pride comes to the city in August.
October and November turn cool and grey, and visitor numbers fall. Between December and February daytime highs hover around 6 to 7°C, with drizzle more common than heavy rain. Hard frost is unusual in the city itself because water on three sides keeps it milder. The Amsterdam Light Festival brightens the canals over the winter, and this is also when the big museums are easiest to get into.
Raw herring, bitterballen and brown cafés
Eat Dutch street food in Amsterdam: raw herring from the fish stalls, served with onions and pickles or as a broodje haring, and bitterballen, deep-fried ragout balls, as a bar snack. Indonesian and Surinamese restaurants reflect the colonial past, and evenings belong to the bruine café, the wood-panelled brown bar. Avoid the restaurants along Damrak.
Bitterballen are deep-fried balls of ragout, served as a bar snack; wait a moment before biting. Cheese shops and the Albert Cuyp Market sell young and old wheels plus the cumin-spiced komijnenkaas.
The colonial past shapes dinner. Indonesian restaurants are everywhere, and Surinamese places along the Albert Cuypstraat and in Zuidoost serve roti met bonen, moksi meti and the coconut dessert bojo. Order a dawet to drink. The de facto Chinatown runs along the Zeedijk by Nieuwmarkt.
Drinking happens in the bruine café, the brown bar named after its dark wood panelling. Grand cafés are roomier and serve small plates. Dutch manners are direct: people say what they mean, and that is not rudeness. Tipping is optional, so round up for good service. Public drinking is banned in central areas, cannabis smoking in public is banned in and around the Red Light District, and photographing the workers there is forbidden.
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How we research this guide
This Amsterdam guide is checked against Holland.com, the Netherlands Board of Tourism's site, and KNMI climate normals from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. OVpay ticketing and Anne Frank House booking rules are the details we recheck most.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Holland.comKNMI
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- Holland.com (Netherlands Board of Tourism)
- KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) climate normals
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Amsterdam.
General
Trains run to Amsterdam Centraal in about 15–20 minutes.
Steer clear of the restaurants along Damrak and be wary around Leidseplein, both known for catering to passing tourists.
A bruine café is a traditional Dutch bar named after its dark wood interior, the usual place for a beer and a plate of bitterballen.
Walk Amsterdam's compact centre and use GVB trams for longer distances, tapping in and out with a contactless bank card. Sixteen tram routes form the backbone of public transport, with metro and buses filling the gaps. Rent a bike if you are confident in heavy cycle traffic, and leave the car outside the city.
Amsterdam is best known for:
- The Rijksmuseum and Rembrandt's Night Watch
- The Van Gogh Museum
- The Anne Frank House
- Canal walks and boat tours
- The Jordaan and its brown cafés
Stay in or near the canal ring, the semicircle of 17th-century canals around the old centre, so the museums, cafés and Centraal Station are within walking distance or a short tram ride. Hotels inside the ring cost more, and areas a few tram stops outside it are cheaper.
Booking
Yes. Tickets are sold online only and sell out weeks ahead.
Three days cover the main museums and the canal ring, and a fourth day allows a trip to a town such as Haarlem, 15 minutes away by train.
Timing & weather
Mid-March to mid-May, peaking in April; Keukenhof gardens are open in this period.
King's Day is on 27 April, or 26 April when the 27th falls on a Sunday. The city fills with street markets, music and orange-clad crowds.
Rain falls on about 133 days a year, spread across every season, so carry a light waterproof whatever the month.
Prices & payment
Yes. Contactless bank cards work as tickets through OVpay on NS trains and GVB trams, buses and metro; check in and out at the reader each time.
Daily travel costs in Amsterdam are high. Amsterdam hotels are among Europe's priciest.
Health & safety
It is safe if you are confident in busy traffic. Cycle lanes are crowded and locals ride fast, so nervous riders are better off walking and using trams.
Visa & documents
The Netherlands is in the Schengen area, so visitors from many countries can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, while others need a Schengen visa. Non-EU travellers are also registered in the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) when they cross the border at Schiphol.
