Amsterdam—is 2 full days enough to get a taste?

Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary trip. If they had availability I’d stay at this city center, historic hotel in a heart beat. https://www.dieportvancleve.com/ We’ve eaten in their restaurant and had drinks in the historic bar surrounded by old Delft tiles on a few occasions but never stayed at the hotel. When we were last there, in 2018, they were just finishing a tasteful renovation. You can read about the beautiful old building’s past in the History tab.

Your plan sounds fine to me. Amsterdam is fairly compact and easy to get around in. Your sights hit most of the highlights (at the risk of being museumed-out, don't skip the worthy Rijksmuseum). Also consider, if you have an couple hours free and the weather is nice, maybe rent a bike, jump on, and enjoy an easy pedal down to an authentic windmill away from the city center - the fresh air and time spent gliding along outdoors along lovely canals will revive you.

Consider staying in the Jordaan neighborhood, it's not cheap but a great central-but-quiet location, full of charm. We loved the Hotel Brouwer, it's in Rick's book (if you don't have the book, get it).

Amsterdam is very touristy and a bit crass (often more than a little). You still need to go and visit, despite all that. You'll be charmed, but 2.5 days will probably be enough.

Look into the Resistance Museum which you do not need tickets ahead of time so makes for a great thing to do first day if you are up to it. Also if you want a small group walking tour goggle That Dam Guide- RS book recommended (we did in October 2023). We also really enjoyed the Royal Palace on Dam Square. We did a canal cruise both during the day and one at night. Totally different atmosphere.

One strong suggestion -- Do not do a canal cruise the first day. It will put you to sleep. We did it once in Paris and had a nice two hour nap on the cruise. We were on top, open air, in the sunshine and was sure it would keep us awake. It didn't.

Agree with all of the others - you will have enough time to see the highlights. Make sure you make reservations for the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House. And I second the Dutch Resistance Museum - it was wonderful. Wandering and getting lost in the beautiful canal neighborhoods is one of my favorite things to do.

We stayed at the Eelhouse in the Jordaan district when we went and thought is was great - VERY steep stairs, but a quiet, cozy neighborhood. They used to have their own website but now it looks like it may be just on booking.com.

I think you will fall in love with Amsterdam!

This advice times a thousand:

One strong suggestion -- Do not do a canal cruise the first day. It
will put you to sleep. We did it once in Paris and had a nice two hour
nap on the cruise. We were on top, open air, in the sunshine and was
sure it would keep us awake. It didn't.

Without question make sure you buy tickets for Anne Frank House the very day you can purchase them for your dates (they're released on Tuesday 10 a.m. AMS time, 6 weeks ahead). They really do sell out very quickly. This thread offers advice about that timing https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/anne-frank-house-tickets-4d1884ee-c262-4251-a5d2-d9e08a575462

If you are worried about jet lag, I recommend looking at the Timeshifter app and decide if this would be a good fit for you. I mention it enough that I am beginning to sound like a shill for the company but I'm just a satisfied customer. The first RT is free, then you pay for the next use. I had horrible jet lag last spring in Amsterdam and Paris (but I fly from the Inland Northwest so have a longer flight day than you do) that took a week to get over. In August I tried it going to Aberdeen and the Scottish Isles for a short trip and it worked unbelievably well for me - going AND coming back home. I'm retired so don't need to get up for work when I return home but wowser, having days of messed up circadian rhythm is still a PIA.

I see upthead you've been advised to buy Van Gogh and Anne Frank Huis tickets ahead of time. There is not even a ticket office at the Van Gogh museum now, everything is online, so buy your tickets, take a screen shot to place in a travel folder and you're ready.

Good advice, Frank! Don’t need to be drooling in front of strangers. LOL!

Congratulations! Sounds like you have some good highlights listed and some good advice. I second the recommendation for the Rijksmuseum. It is truly one of the world's greatest art museums. I guess it depends on your interests, but I found it much more interesting than the Van Gogh museum—which I skipped on my last two visits (by the way, there are a few Van Gogh paintings at the Rijksmuseum if that interests you). The Rijksmuseum also has the largest collection of Vermeer paintings (4) in Europe. And a huge collection of Rembrandt paintings.

Another wonderful, but small museum is the Museum of the Canals. It gives a nice overview of the growth of Amsterdam through the years, and how the canals enabled commerce which grew the city. Ditto for the Resistance museum, and the advice to secure Anne Frank tickets as soon as you are able. It always sells out. One final suggestion is the Begijnhof neighborhood which RS mentions in his guidebooks and videos. It won't take long to walk through, but I found it contemplative and may make for a good first day visit to keep you outside and moving around.