Help with Amterdam Itinerary

Starry Night (for sure) and the Cafe picture ( I think) are in the Rijks Museum. It's true, when I was last there, they were re-modeling, but it's worth going to (even tho they haven't decreased the price) because the pictures Rick talks about are all in 1 area and for me, it was just the right amount of time to spend looking at pictures. Just do the Anne Frank House early, preferably not on a weekend.

When last there(2008)the Rijks Museum was pretty disappointing in that most of it was closed for remodeling.
In order, I would suggest the Van Goh museum, Anne Frank house, Resistance Museum, the boat ride, and (at night) the Red light district.
We will be back again in mid-May, and I haven't really nailed down what we will do that weekend, however, I know the market will be high on our list.
You may also want to check out DK's "Top 10 Amsterdam" to prioritize what to see and for the latest information. I use these consistently along with the RS books.

Please try and find time to visit the new Hermitage Museum. It's now Amsterdam's largest art museum, the building and exhibits are spectacular!

http://www.hermitage.nl

The hot ticket in town from now until June 20 is the annual World Press Photo Show at the Old Chruch. Featuring the best photos from the past 12 months.

photo show
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http://www.oudekerk.nl/">

http://www.oudekerk.nl/

Starry Night is at the Museum of Modern Art in NY City.

Wow you will be very busy hopefully you are staying in central amsterdam so you won't waste time in transit. Leave the canal boat tour for evening so you can rest a bit.

Thank you all for your help. Reading RS Netherland book it says that the Rijksmuseum is open late on Fridays. (we arrive on a Friday) Looking at the web site it doesn't say that it is.

I am thinking of doing RS walking tour then the Van Goh and Rijksmuseum the first day. If the museums are open late. Then day 2 visit Anne Frank House (in the AM) then Rembrandt house, then canal boat ride, lunch, then Dutch Resistance museum, shop (if time allows) Dinner followed a night walking tour of the Red Light District. Any good companies you suggest for the walking tour?
Does this sound like to much?

It's an agressive day and half. My four favorite things to do in Amsterdam; be in Amsterdam - I love the ambience, the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, and the Resistance Museum. Word of warning though, stay out of the bike lanes if you're not on a bike, I almost got run over! Happy travels!

Wendy -
I went to the Anne Frank Huis when I was there 2 years ago (high season - May) and when I bought my entry ticket I had to buy it for later in the afternoon the following day - that was the earliest I could get. Since you know your travel dates, I would highly suggest ordering your tickets online, pay the extra to have your ticket when you arrive. I put in a random day and most of the tickets were already sold.

http://www.annefrank.org/en/Museum/Practical-information/Online-ticket-sales/

If you haven't read the diary (or its been a while since you've read it) I would also suggest reading it prior to your arrival. IMHO, it gives you a better feel for the history of the house itself and what you'll be seeing.

We went last year in March. The RS book is right about the Anne Frank House - we took a canal boat ride that passed it around 1 PM and the line was huge. We went back around 6 PM and there was no line at all. It's a very moving place and to see it without tons of people is nice - I recommend going as late as possible.

We also went to the Dutch Resistance Museum which was very good. I highly recommend it.

The Canal Boat Ride was a bit disappointing but still gives a good overview of the town.

We were only there for a day and those 3 things (and walking around) took all day so we didn't see any of the museums - next trip!

There is a little tourist kiosk right on Leidsestraat, one of the main streets. They have all kinds of tours and tickets. One is a city tour (Key Tours) and includes a "fast track" ticket to Anne Frank House. However, we went on our own and only stood in line for 45 min. at 11:00 a.m. We just came back from there (got stuck by the ash cloud) and took a tour outside of Amsterdam to see cheesemaking, clog making and windmills. Also stopped at Volendam and the island of Marken. Cost:32 euros. Also we enjoyed the flower market which is free!! We paid for Red Light Tour as they said it might be ending but really it was a little boring.So many more beautiful things to see there.

We are going to Amsterdam in September, however, I have been to the Hermitage in St. Petersberg and the artifacts are from there, so I can only imagine how fabulous it would be... You have such a short time, I would choose wisely. Safe travels by all means, have fun and don't try to do to much. Absorbing the lifestyle and people from a different country is more fun than any museum. Jan

We were in Amsterdam for just a day (we were visiting "friends" who we had met in a restaurant in Rome a couple of summers earlier and they had come to the states to see us and then we went to visit them) and the Anne Frank house was my highlight although we also took the canal tour, went to the red light district and walked a lot. Do read the diary before you go. I read it when I got back and I wished I had read it before. We were there in July and the line was about 35 minutes for the Anne Frank house. Have a great trip.

We did as RS suggested and went to Anne Frank House in the late afternoon and ended up waiting less than 30 minutes in line. It takes less than 2 hours to see it but it is so inspiring and worth it. We had a day in Amsterdam so the canal boat was worth it, check the times though, they even offer cruises with pizza (domino's,not kidding) so it may be a good way to have lunch or dinner while you're sightseeing.

Try to go see the local street markets that are up past the Anne Frank House (towards the train station). They are a beautiful place to walk around, eat and hang out that gives you a true experience of "local" Amsterdam.

I believe there is a great weekend market on Westerstraat or somewhere around that area. Also, the Pancake Bakery is a great place for breakfast/lunch to get dutch pancakes! It's up in that area too!