2 days in Amsterdam enough?

Well, I spent almost ten days there in 2018, and I filled every single day. Of course, I did take several day trips to various towns like Leiden, Haarlem, Den Haag, and Hoorn, and loved all those places. But Amsterdam has so much to offer, so I would say no, two days is not enough, but you could certainly see a lot in two days. If it were me, I would probably add in a couple of extra days and maybe have a more relaxing tour of Amsterdam.

I get what you're saying about how you will be very tired from 14 days of touring already, but there's no reason you couldn't slow it down. For instance, if you had four or five days in Amsterdam, you could spend half the day visiting museums, shopping, maybe taking a trip to another town. Besides the places I've mentioned, there's also Delft, Gouda, and so on. And then spend some time relaxing. Kick back in your apartment or hotel, or just take some leisurely time to walk around the city.

Or just take the day off. I've discovered that taking a day off while I'm traveling in a foreign country is much more fun and enjoyable than taking a day off at home. You don't have to worry about paying bills or cleaning or doing all the stuff at home that you need to get caught up on. You can just relax and enjoy the day. Sit down on your balcony with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, or just meander around a city park.

But if you did decide on the two days, then It depends on what you are interested in. If you like museums, I would focus on that. Amsterdam is one of the world's best places to visit museums. The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and so much more. You could do a canal cruise, visit a brewery, or just shop and stop for apple cake at a cafe. 😊

I can exactly echo Mardee. I spent 10 days in February of this year and found plenty to do at a leisurely pace. It’s a great city with an excellent transportation system and wonderful people and next to zero language barrier. Stay a few extra days, relax and give yourself a treat.

I've been to Amsterdam several times, the first was for two nights, 1.5 days after a two week tour of Ireland. I did a lot in that short amount of time, but it was definitely not a relaxing pace. If you think you'll be tired, then as noted already, you need not do anything but choose to relax and assume you'll be back to visit the city on your own schedule another time.

I'll note if you want to see the Anne Frank house, be sure to book a time slot ticket in advance (there are many posts about how to get tickets in the forum - you have to plan ahead). Van Gogh tickets would also be wise to purchase ahead as you can't buy at the museum (online only).

As always, you could spend more time or even less, just have realistic expectations as to what you want to do. You are not going to be able to hit a half dozen museums, the Anne Frank house, a canal cruise, and "just relax by a canal". Figure out the few things you must do, see if it fits the time, if it does, great, if not, consider another day.

I agree that you may be a bit tired or worn out after two weeks of travel (cruises are pretty fast paced, a different place every day) so some caution is prudent.

I have done one river cruise, sounds like it could be the same or similar to the one you are doing. I wasn't exhausted after the cruise. In fact, I was more relaxed with more energy after being on the cruise where everything was taken care of than I would be after a similar amount of time doing independent travel.

Amsterdam didn't hold a lot of appeal to me so we just scheduled three nights after the end of the cruise. It ended up that we really enjoyed Amsterdam and wished we had more time. We've been back a couple times since.

Is this a one-and-done trip to Europe or will you be back? If it will likely be your only trip then I'd extend it because there is so much to see in Amsterdam. If you'll be back, then 2 days is a good start to get an idea of what else you want to do on a return trip. Amsterdam happens to be a good hub for us for connecting flights from home so we're seeing Amsterdam 2 or 3 days at a time on multiple trips.

If two days is what you have for Amsterdam, make do with what you have. If you can extend your trip by a day or two or seven, you get to see more!

How to fill 2 days is so dependent on what you like to do. Art? Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum. WWII history? Dutch Resistance Museum. Walking in parks? Walk or bike Vondelpark. Classical Music? Check out what's playing at the Concertgebouw. Windmills? Take a gander at De Gooyer Windmill. Chilling? Just wonder the city, checking out cafes, shops, etc.