What To See On A Short Stay In Amsterdam – A First Timer’s Guide

I have visited Amsterdam a few times now for a variety of reasons. The first visit was a long time ago in my twenties to row in a race on the Amstel River. The boat crew stayed in a cheap hostel (with mice) and hung around having a lovely time, not seeing very much. It was a very different experience from my more recent visits and so here are my ‘family friendly’ suggestions about what to see on a short trip to Amsterdam.

Take an Amsterdam canal boat tour

Perhaps the best introduction to this special city is to pick up an Amsterdam canal boat tour with one of the many tour operators. You can book these on-line beforehand to ensure you get your preferred time of departure (use Viatour or Get Your Guide). If your Amsterdam canal boat tour starts in the Damrak, whilst you wait to embark your boat, look across the water to the row of houses straight ahead of you – they are leaning and full of character so known as ‘dancing houses’.

We picked up an Amsterdam canal boat tour further around the canals with Reederij P Kooip, a family business for over 100 years. They have several pickup points along the canals and their fleet of electric boats are very clean and with good commentary. They also offer candlelit cruises if that timing works better for you.

When on your Amsterdam canal boat tour, sit back, rest your feet and admire the wonderful buildings – look for more ‘dancing houses’, stepped gables, or large hooks on the top of houses used to hoist furniture to top floors. You will also pick up lots of interesting facts from the boat commentary, such as, why the Dutch use the expression “as expensive as pepper”.

Walk around the Jordaan neighbourhood

Now you have rested your feet for an hour or so, it’s a good time to explore the pretty Jordaan neighbourhood on foot – a small area of streets sandwiched between two canals at the northeastern end of the Canal Zone. You can easily lose a couple of hours just wandering around the Jordaan neighbourhood and weaving between the dreamy canals over bridges bedeck with bikes. This area summed up the image I had in my head of Amsterdam – every bridge provided another photo opportunity (much to the annoyance of my husband who commented “all I could hear was clicking from you and the kids”).

The 9 Streets, Jordaan

One area of the Jordaan neighbourhood is called The 9 Streets (De 9 Straatjes) comprised of cobbled streets with inviting boutique shops and coffee bars. It’s super pretty but quite an expensive area of town – lovely to wander around, grab a coffee and soak in the sights and sounds. Look out for the streets named after animals which were once hunted for their pelts in or near the City (e.g. wolf and bear).

Coffee, cake and beer at a traditional Brown Café

Visit an old-fashioned Brown Café (like a traditional British pub) in the Jordaan neighbourhood for coffee or beer and cake. We visited Café T’Smalle which has outdoor seating on the canal if you can’t find a table inside, and nearby Café Papeneiland which dates to the 1600s and has a hidden tunnel that allowed Catholics to secretly walk to church under the canals during the Protestant Reformation.

Enjoy famous Dutch apple pie

Café Papeneiland is also famous for its Dutch apple pie served with whipped cream and Bill Clinton once visited here on a trip to Amsterdam and (allegedly) left with a whole Dutch apple pie for his family. I can vouch for their Dutch apple pie being delicious and perfect for a coffee after all that sightseeing. There were locals and tourists alike crammed into this cosy cafe on the canal side.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to sit inside a Brown Café, you can queue for the most popular Dutch apple pie in Amsterdam at Winkel 43.

Visit the floating Flower Market

Visit the Bloemenmarkt, the World’s only floating flower market which started here in 1862. Browse the numerous floating greenhouses on the Singel Canal and pick up some souvenirs or bulbs for your garden. It is open from 9.00am until 5.30pm on Mondays to Saturdays, and from 11.00am until 5.30pm on a Sunday. Try to visit early if you can as it does get busy once the tourists wake up.

Visit the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

There are many excellent museums in Amsterdam and so you will be spoilt for choice. However, if you are only in Amsterdam on a short trip then you may not wish to spend a lot of time inside a museum. For that reason, on a short trip to Amsterdam, I would choose the Van Gogh Museum over the Rijksmuseum and save the Rijksmuseum for a longer stay.

The Van Gogh Museum is a manageable size and well set-out, meaning it can slot nicely into your itinerary. Similarly, the Anne Frank House is good to visit if you are only on a short trip to Amsterdam. Whichever you choose, make sure that you book your tickets in advance to get the time-slots that you want and don’t miss out (see blog 1).

Make time to visit one of Amsterdam’s hidden gems

Tuschinski Theatre

The Tuschinski Theatre was built in 1919 in Art Deco and Amsterdam School style architecture.  It has a very rich history which you can learn about on a morning tour of the theatre.  Again, pre-book the Tuschinski theatre tour to avoid disappointment.  Sadly we missed the tour and so had to satisfy ourselves with a quick look inside the foyer which is stunning. 

In the afternoons the Tuschinski Theatre now operates as a Pathé cinema, so you can enjoy a film in luxurious old-fashioned surroundings.  

The Beguine Courtyard (Begijnhof)

The Begijnhof is a surprising haven of tranquillity just off the bustling shopping street of Kalverstraat.  It is a quadrant of 168 small houses set around a green square; the houses were built for the Beguine in the 14th century – the Beguine were women who (unlike nuns) did not belong to a religious order but who dedicated their lives to helping those in need.

The oldest house in Amsterdam (Het Houten Huis) is here and dates to 1420.  The Beguine secretly built a Catholic church within the quadrant during the Protestant Reformation, which still exists, along with a Protestant church.  There are still some residents in the Begijnhof and so you need to be quiet as you wander around.  The Begijnhof is free to enter.

Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder)

Visit the Our Lord in the Attic Museum and enjoy a visit to a well-preserved canal house dating back to the 17th century in the centre of Amsterdam.  Get to see what a Dutch canal house looks like behind the doors, with narrow corridors and steep stairs.  But prepare to be surprised by what is in the attic – a complete church!  The church was commissioned by a wealthy Catholic businessman who wanted to practice the Catholic faith at a time when this was forbidden in public in the Netherlands.

Take a cycle tour of Amsterdam

Having given you a note of caution about the dangers of bicycles in Amsterdam in a related blog, getting on a bike can however be one of the best ways to explore the City, but I would suggest booking a tour with a guide.  If you can’t beat them, then join them!

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