4 Days In Amsterdam

What are you doing on Day 1 after you arrive? A late afternoon or evening canal cruise is always nice.

Thanks Denise!
Evening cruise sounds lovely. Any recommendations?

Day 4 Riv.Museum? Do you mean Rijksmuseum? I would not do all three “biggies” in one day. There will be no rest of “rest of day.” Tickets to Van Gogh Museum are timed. You can buy an open, use any day ticket to Rijksmuseum in advance on the museum website.
You do not need a tour to The Hague, and Delft. Take the train there. In The Hague visit Parliament buildings and Mauritshaus Museum where the Royal Collecrion is housed. “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Vermeer and many other real treasures. Do not miss this small and very special museum. Easy walk from train. Why Maduradam? Certainly not in place of Mauritshaus.
Same for Delft. Walk into town. Visit both Old and New Churches in Delft. One ticket for both.
By giving a whole day to Brugges, you are shortchanging Amsterdam and The Netherlands. Save Brugges for another trip.

There is excellent public transportation from the airport into Amsterdam.

Amsterdam to Brugge costs you some 3,5 hrs, using the Intercity service. It would be a long day on the train and little time for Brugge itself.
The Mauritshuis in the Hague is a 10 min walk from the station Den Haag Centraal. You could easily combine it with Delft (10 mins further on the same railway line) or with Leiden (10 mins before Den Haag), both essential Dutch cities. Another nice day trip is to Haarlem, 15 mins from Amsterdam Centraal.
Use the train planner of NS, the Dutch railways, for your day trips. Trains to Delft, Den Haag (the Hague), Haarlem and Leiden run every 15 mins.

We loved Amsterdam, especially the Jordaan area. My favorite food experiences were the Indonesian rijsttafel at Kantjil & de Tijger and the apple pie at Cafe Winkel 43. The apple pie was absolutely, by far, the best I've ever had. One of the best desserts I've ever had, period. We went there twice in our 4 day trip and I still think about it! They do get very busy, so I would go early or late.

We enjoyed taking the bus to the north fishing villages. We consulted Rick Steves book but I'm going off memory to say it was Volendam. There are nice little shops and you get an appreciation of fisherman and their way of life/hardships in a new way. Much like seeing the true hard work of a farmer give you greater appreciation for the food we eat. I really enjoyed it.

The bulb shops were also fun because they were unique to the area.

I don't think you can go wrong by planning to do less so you can enjoy more.

A good complement to Anne's huis is the Dutch Resistance museum, if you have an interest in WWII. Allow plenty of time to wander Amsterdam, so much to see and I enjoyed the time spent outside the madness near Centraal by wandering the 9 Straats area. Get a transit pass and just explore, better than a HoHo bus.

As to museums, Van Gogh was my favorite, spent a good 3 hours there. The Rijks is fascinating, but it's not my favorite art so I actually moved through it rather quickly.

If you are doing Amsterdam, after the river cruise, you will be acclimated.

Ask the cruise director about transportation to your hotel -
The Centraal Station is and easy walk from the cruise ship docks.
We went on a river cruise in April and were limited to one piece of luggage per person plus carry-on so toting your bags to the train station is very easy.
Day 1:
I would recommend the Blue Boat canal cruise. It is close to the museums.
Get tickets to the Rijks and go there after you drop your luggage at the hotel.
Be sure to get the one hour guided tour - well worth the money.
Vondelpark is across from the Blue Boat dock if you want to wander in a park
Plenty of great places to eat nearby BUT
Highly recommend Martine's Table near the Red Light District.
It is close to the Centraal Station within easy walking distance.
It is a meal you don't want to miss if you can get reservations.

Day 2:
Get up EARLY and take the Thalys to Antwerp. You have to have reservations.
Then change in Antwerp for Ghent/ Brugges.
Thalys will cut your travel time.

Brugges can be done in a 1/2 day; might consider a stop in Ghent; return late.

Day 3:
Delft, Hauge, Maduradam.
May want to decide how much you want to see.
May also find this is another very busy day

Day 4:
Van Gogh and Anne Frank house.
Consider taking the train up to Zanse Shanse for some fresh air and countryside.

Day 5:
Head home

Since you already have Anne Frank tickets, you could do all of Day 1 on Day 4.
Use Day 1 to go to Zanse Shanse and perhaps Volendam or Enkheuizen.
We did not go to Van Gogh, went to Muller-Kroller instead; had a better representation of Van Gogh.
Just depends on what you like.

You have a pretty packed itinerary.

Pick and choose your activities carefully. No point in trying to run yourself ragged and cram in more than you can see just because it is there.

You will be back!