2 days in Amsterdam
A 2-day route through Amsterdam built from the stop base: 11 stops, timed with the walk between them. Change the pace or your arrival day and the plan is rebuilt.
Data checked on October 4, 2026
No arrival day set. Times below work on any day each stop is open. Watch the “closed” tags, or pick your arrival day above.
Day 1
Museum Quarter · Old Centre
6 stops · 9 h of visits · 54 min on foot
-
9:30 am1:00 pm
Rijksmuseum
The national museum of the Netherlands, with Rembrandt's Night Watch and Vermeer's Milkmaid among 8,000 works on show. Most people follow the highlights route, which the museum says takes about an hour, and then stay longer.
Book the first slot of the day to start before the main rooms fill.
A start time is required for everyone, including Museumkaart holders. Book online in advance; door sales depend on availability.
See ticketsSource: Rijksmuseum, checked October 4, 2026
- 18 min walk
- Lunch break
-
2:18 pm2:48 pm
Begijnhof
A quiet courtyard of old houses and a small chapel, a few steps from Kalverstraat. People still live here, so keep your voice low and stay on the paths.
Go early, before tour groups pass through.
The courtyard gate is open during the day only. Check the tourism board page before you go.
Source: I amsterdam, checked October 4, 2026
- 7 min walk
-
2:55 pm4:10 pm
Royal Palace Amsterdam
A 17th-century town hall that is now the King's reception palace on Dam Square. You walk through the marble Citizens' Hall and the council rooms with a free audio guide.
Check the calendar before you plan the day, since closures are announced weeks ahead.
Opening days and times change through the year, and the palace closes for state events. Check the calendar on the official page for your date.
Source: Royal Palace Amsterdam, checked October 4, 2026
- 13 min walk
-
4:23 pm5:38 pm
Rembrandt House Museum
The house where Rembrandt lived and worked for almost twenty years, now a museum. The rooms are small, so the visit is short.
The museum asks you to book a timed ticket online. You can buy at the desk (debit card only) but a slot guarantees entry.
Open daily 10:00 to 18:00 from May to October, then 10:00 to 17:00 from November to mid-December. Closed on King's Day and 25 December.
Source: Museum Het Rembrandthuis, checked October 4, 2026
- 11 min walk
-
5:49 pm6:19 pm
Dam Square
The central square, with the Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk and the National Monument. Most visitors pass through it, so you only need a short stop.
Often crowded. A quick look on the way to somewhere else is enough.
Source: I amsterdam, checked October 4, 2026
- 5 min walk
-
6:24 pm8:24 pm
Canal Ring
The three main canals, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, form a UNESCO-listed arc of 17th-century houses. Walking a stretch with side trips over the bridges is the simplest way to see Amsterdam.
Walk it at dusk, when the bridges are lit and the day crowds thin.
Source: I amsterdam, checked October 4, 2026
- Running late? Drop Dam Square first. Nothing is booked there.
- If it rains, swap Begijnhof for Oude Kerk, which is indoors and close by.
Day 2
Museum Quarter · De Pijp
5 stops · 8 h 30 of visits · 34 min on foot
-
9:30 am11:00 am
Vondelpark
Amsterdam's biggest city park, ten minutes on foot from the Rijksmuseum. It has ponds, a rose garden, playgrounds and cafes.
Fits well after the Museum Quarter, with a picnic from a nearby shop.
Source: I amsterdam, checked October 4, 2026
- 14 min walk
-
11:14 am1:44 pm
Van Gogh Museum
The largest collection of Van Gogh paintings and letters, arranged in the order of his life. Expect a one-way route with plenty of reading.
Take the first slot of the day or a Friday evening slot, when the museum stays open until 21:00.
Tickets are timed and mandatory, and each slot has limited places. Book online before you go.
Hours change by period. Early October is 9:00 to 18:00 with Fridays until 21:00, but on 15 October it closes at 17:00, and from November it closes at 17:00 on most days. Check the official page for your date.
See ticketsSource: Van Gogh Museum, checked October 4, 2026
- 16 min walk
- Lunch break
-
3:00 pm4:00 pm
Albert Cuyp Market
A long street market in De Pijp with fresh fish, cheese, stroopwafels and clothes. Eat as you walk and look at the stalls on both sides.
Check the tourism board page for the days and hours before you go. The market does not run on every day of the week.
Source: I amsterdam, checked October 4, 2026
- Too far to walk in comfort (about 37 min on foot). Take public transport.
-
4:20 pm6:20 pm
Jordaan
A former working-class district west of the canal ring, with narrow streets, small galleries and brown cafes. It is best on foot, without a plan.
Go on Saturday morning, when the Noordermarkt farmers' market runs.
Source: I amsterdam, checked October 4, 2026
- 4 min walk
-
6:24 pm7:54 pm
Anne Frank House
The canal house where Anne Frank and seven others hid during the war. The route is a narrow one-way path through the rooms, and the museum says a visit takes about an hour.
Book as soon as your dates are fixed, because tickets are released in six-week batches.
Tickets are sold online only, for a fixed time slot, and not at the door. Every Tuesday at 10:00 CEST all tickets for a visit six weeks later go on sale. Plan your Amsterdam dates around this.
Open daily 9:00 to 22:00. A few dates have shorter hours, for example 7 November closes at 18:30.
Source: Anne Frank House, checked October 4, 2026
- Running late? Drop Jordaan first. Nothing is booked there.
- If it rains, swap Jordaan for Oude Kerk, which is indoors and close by.
What did not fit
- A'DAM Lookout: no room left in 2 days at this pace.