Amsterdam

Amsterdam 7-day itinerary

7 days in Amsterdam on foot. The plan moves through City, City, City, starting with Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, Willet-Holthuysen, Museum Van Loon. No car.
Best for
A slower week in Amsterdam, with one day outside town.
Pace
Five walking days, one day trip, and one slower day.
Base
City
Estimated budget
$560–$1,960

Day-by-day plan

Follow the stops in order. Walk times are estimates between nearby places.

  1. Day 1

    City

    Walk City in Amsterdam. Start at Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, then Willet-Holthuysen and Museum Van Loon. Stay on foot.

    1. Stop 1

      Wereldmuseum Amsterdam

      The Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, previously known as Tropenmuseum between 1950 and 2023, is an ethnographic museum with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was originally founded in Haarlem, Netherlands in 1864 under the name Koloniaal Museum and later renamed Tropenmuseum.

    2. Stop 2 · 22 min walk

      Willet-Holthuysen

      See also nl:Huis Willet-Holthuysen. Tourism: museum.

    3. Stop 3 · 6 min walk

      Museum Van Loon

      Amsterdam museum on Keizersgracht 672, residence of members of the Van Loon family

    4. Stop 4 · 32 min walk

      Museum Suriname

      Tourism: museum.

    Eat · Kiosk: BKZuid/WTC :: Amsterdam, Zuidplein 10

    Browse Amsterdam tours
  2. Day 2

    City

    Walk City in Amsterdam. Start at Theo Thijssen Museum, then Amsterdam Museum and Allard Pierson Museum. Stay on foot.

    1. Stop 1

      Theo Thijssen Museum

      museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    2. Stop 2 · 10 min walk

      Amsterdam Museum

      museum over de geschiedenis van Amsterdam museum about the history of Amsterdam See also nl:Amsterdam Museum. Tourism: museum.

    3. Stop 3 · 4 min walk

      Allard Pierson Museum

      The Allard Pierson Museum is the archaeological museum of the University of Amsterdam. It is situated at the Oude Turfmarkt 127 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Artifacts from the ancient civilizations of ancient Egypt, the Near East, the Greek World, Etruria, and the Roman Empire are curated and exhibited in this museum.

    4. Stop 4 · 11 min walk

      De Dokwerker

      war memorial by Mari Andriessen in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    Eat · De Roode Leeuw: De Roode Leeuw listed on OpenStreetMap near the walking centre.

  3. Day 3

    City

    Walk City in Amsterdam. Start at Royal Theater Carré, then Samen Spelen Samen Leven and foam. Stay on foot.

    1. Stop 1

      Royal Theater Carré

      The Royal Theater Carré is a Neo-Renaissance theatre in Amsterdam, located near the river Amstel. When the theatre was founded in 1887, it was originally meant as a permanent circus building. Currently, it is mainly used for musicals, cabaret performances and pop concerts. Carré is located next to the Amstel, close to Waterlooplein. Its address is Amstel 115 and has approximately 1,700 seats.

    2. Stop 2 · 26 min walk

      Samen Spelen Samen Leven

      war memorial in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    3. Stop 3 · 31 min walk

      foam

      Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam See also nl:Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam. Tourism: museum.

    4. Stop 4 · 11 min walk

      Rembrandt House

      The house where Rembrandt van Rijn lived. See also nl:Rembrandthuis. Tourism: museum.

    Eat · Turbo: Turbo listed on OpenStreetMap near the walking centre.

  4. Day 4

    City

    Walk City in Amsterdam. Start at Theo Thijssen monument, then Sexmuseum and The Amsterdam Dungeon. Stay on foot.

    1. Stop 1

      Theo Thijssen monument

      Historic: memorial.

    2. Stop 2 · 11 min walk

      Sexmuseum

      museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    3. Stop 3 · 11 min walk

      The Amsterdam Dungeon

      The Amsterdam Dungeon is a haunted attraction in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It depicts history through an interactive adventure, using live actors, a ride, shows and special effects to simulate historical dark and bleak times. The attraction is owned and operated by British company Merlin Entertainments, and is similar to Merlin's other properties, the London Dungeon, York Dungeon, Berlin Dungeon and Hamburg Dungeon. It opened in September 2005.

    4. Stop 4 · 36 min walk

      Koningin Emma

      statue and memorial in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    Eat · Meram: Cuisine: turkish.

  5. Day 5

    City

    Walk City in Amsterdam, including Retort and Olympiahuis.

    1. Stop 1

      Retort

      atelers & projectruimte

    2. Stop 2 · 9 min walk

      Olympiahuis

      See also nl:Olympiahuisje. Tourism: attraction.

    Eat · Café Maxwell: Cuisine: international.

  6. Day 6

    Day trip toward Alkmaar

    Leave Amsterdam for the day. Come back to the same bed.

    1. Stop 1

      Alkmaar

      Listed as a next stop from Amsterdam. Check the regional train or bus the night before.

    2. Stop 2

      Enkhuizen

      Listed as a next stop from Amsterdam. Check the regional train or bus the night before.

    3. Stop 3

      Haarlem

      Listed as a next stop from Amsterdam. Check the regional train or bus the night before.

    Eat · Pack snacks from town. Do not count on a full menu at a small station.

    Browse Alkmaar day trips
  7. Day 7

    Do one thing slowly

    No new neighborhood. Use the spare day on a single activity.

    1. Stop 1

      Amsterdam Boats B.V.

      Personal rental of a wide variety of boats. You can rent a gondola, hand made by a girl from Amsterdam. She traveled to Venice to learn the craft, then built her own Gondola which she brought back to Amsterdam.

    2. Stop 2

      Amsterdam Jewel Cruises

      An evening dinner cruise. It is the only classic boat offering a private table for a romantic candlelight dinner. À la carte dining, but not cheap! The cruise starts at 19:30 and lasts just under three hours.

    3. Stop 3

      Boaty Rent a Boat

      Boaty Rent a Boat rents small boats (max. 6 people) to make your own private boat tour on the Amsterdam canals. These rental boats are electrically driven which means they are silent and free of exhaust fumes.

    4. Stop 4

      Boats4rent Boat Rental

      Boats4rent is a boat rental where you can rent a boat without a skipper. With a three or four hour rental you can make a private trip on the Amsterdam canals and the Amstel river.

    Eat · Go back to a place that already worked.

Where to stay

Sleep near the walking base. Pick an area, then search hotels by neighborhood.

  • The centre

    First-time visitors

    Stay inside walking range of the first-day stops in Amsterdam.

Full where-to-stay guide →

Things to book

Tours and tickets that match this plan. Book anything that needs timed entry.

Budget

Rough mid-range spend for 7 days in Amsterdam, excluding long-haul flights. Hotel nights drive most of the range.

  • Budget: about $560 (hostel/budget hotel, transit, street food)
  • Mid-range: about $980 (3★ hotel, sit-down meals, a tour or two)
  • Comfort: about $1,960 (nicer hotel, taxis, paid attractions)

Trip budget calculator →

Transportation

Get in

| url=http://www.schiphol.com | email= | address= | lat=52.3081 | long=4.764169 | directions= southwest of the city. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | image=Ams-above-2007.jpg | wikidata=Q9694 | content=This airport is among the five busiest in Europe for passenger traffic, serving over 66 million passengers in 2024. KLM is the largest carrier operating at Schiphol and offers flights to many major cities around the world. British Airways offers up to 16 flights per day to 2 London Airports; Heathrow and London City.

Get around

Amsterdam's city centre is quite compact, and pretty flat, so you can easily get to most tourist destinations on foot. From Amsterdam Centraal, most areas in the city centre can be reached within half an hour. Public transport within the city is operated by the GVB. The tram is the main form of public transport and there is a metro and dozens of bus routes.

Where to eat

Simple meal ideas near the day’s walking route.

  • Kiosk

    BKZuid/WTC :: Amsterdam, Zuidplein 10

  • De Roode Leeuw

    De Roode Leeuw listed on OpenStreetMap near the walking centre.

  • Turbo

    Turbo listed on OpenStreetMap near the walking centre.

  • Meram

    Cuisine: turkish.

  • Café Maxwell

    Cuisine: international.

  • ThaiCoon

    Cuisine: thai.

  • Mojo

    Mojo listed on OpenStreetMap near the walking centre.

  • La Vallade

    La Vallade listed on OpenStreetMap near the walking centre.

Optional alternatives

Add one if a walking day finishes early. Don’t stack them onto the same afternoon.

  • Boatboys Private Boat Tours

    Operates every day for private luxury boat tours on a historic classic boat. 1hr starting from EUR|250

  • Canal Company

    The Canal Hopper runs three fixed routes, stopping near major attractions (Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank's House, etc.). You can get on or off as often as you like, but it is relatively expensive with EUR|20

  • Lovers Company

    Starts opposite the Rijksmuseum, but you cannot get on or off. The cruise takes about 1 hr 30 min.

  • Sloepdelen

    Self operated electric rental boats. A boating license is not required and the open boats can seat up to twelve passengers.

  • Amsterdam Boat Experience

    Amsterdam Boat Experience was founded in 2015 and has been steadily expanding its fleet and now offers exclusive private charters while also operating a fixed route from the Anne Frank house. Tickets for the 1 hour cruise on the luxurious electric open boats with live narrating are EUR|15

  • Adam's Boats

    Rent a boat without the need for a licence. The Amstel river can be reached within 2 minutes from the hire place.

Before you go

Questions

Do I need a car in Amsterdam?
No for this plan. The days stay inside walking range, then local transit to AMS. Amsterdam's city centre is quite compact, and pretty flat, so you can easily get to most tourist destinations on foot. From Amsterdam Centraal, most areas in the city centre can be reached within half an hour. Public transport within the city is operated by the GVB. The tram is the main form of public transport and there is a metro and dozens of bus routes.
Is 7 days enough?
Yes if you want Amsterdam plus day trips. Use the 5-day plan if you will stay in town.
Where should I stay?
Base near City so the first walking day starts at the hotel. Vondel Park Plaza is a listed option, not a ranking.
Where do I eat?
Each day names one sit-down stop. Kiosk is on the list. Keep the rest as bakeries and market counters.

Other Amsterdam trip lengths

Daily stops compiled from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, and OpenTripMap. Updated 2026-08-25. Edited by Lina Varela.