itinerary 4 days in Amsterdam

You may want to research a day trip. Delft,Utrecht, The Hague or Haarlem comes to mind. If you happen to have good weather maybe the north sea. All are easy to get to by using an intercity train from Centraal Station. Depending upon the day of the week all cities have at least one market day. Even though you will be traveling in November I would still encourage using a money belt.

Rejksmuseum, even the current abbreviated version. Amsterdam Historical Museum. Dutch Resistance Museum. Any full orchestral concert at the Concertgebouw. Wander the streets and canal-sides by foot, or take a canal boat. If you like visiting churches, there are several spectacular ones. It all depends on your tastes.
It's a beautiful city to just walk through and around. If weather permits, rent a bike and go across to Waterland area.

The zoo is across from the Resistance Museum - we liked it. There is a hidden church in a canal house (Our Lord in the Attic) that was really neat. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/netherlands/amsterdam-museum-amstelkring-hidden-church.htm

Hermitage Museum Foam Photography Museum Tropical Museum Rijks Museum Royal Palace canal cruise For silly fun:
Boom Chicago improv comedy club Madam Taussaus For temporary exhibits, concerts, and performances plug-in your dates here: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/whats-on

Thanks everyone for the tips... Here is a question to throw out to everyone...... WE are there for 4 days and would cosider hopping on a high speed train for a day trip to another destination while we are there. For example, after we leave Amsterdam we are going to London for 4 days and taking one of those days to do paris.... SO, are there any destinations worth going to for the day that is close enough that it is worth it? Again we have never been abroad so this is a blank slate. Thanks in advance.... Reid

Thanks for the thoughts. I am going to look into THe Haague and the North sea... Does anyone have any thoughts on south of Amsterdam.... Germany?

The "fast trains" traveling around and out of the Netherlands do not go 100-160mph like the French trains. Taking THalys to Belgium; Antwerp and Brussels is faster than the intercity trains, but not by much. You can book an ICE train to Koln for the day but it may take you 3 hours one way to get there. When traveling from the Netherlands into Germany I like to rent a car to travel the Autobahn. German Christmas markets start in mid-November in some towns but usually only open on weekends. Even small towns have a Christmas markets.
You will experience three totally different cities/cultures and may not want to add a hectic day trip to Germany. I find Amsterdam a great city and have yet to visit a coffee shop.

Stay in the Netherlands. The Hague has much to offer, Rotterdam is interesting, Delft is charming. If you imbibe, stop at House of Bols for an hour or so, across the street from the Van Gogh museum. Take the self-guided tour (interesting), then watch the bartender put together an amazing cocktail of your choice. Yummy. Did anyone mention the Spanish Synagogue?

Thanks Pab and Chani.... It's kind of cool as I feel like a child in a candy store with so much to consider... I do however feel as though we will stick around instead of going off to Germany. I never considered The Haague... THanks REid

Hi Reid, If you are considering the Peace Palace in The Hague (Den Haag), I would research it as you may need to advance book( 7 days?) due to security reasons. I cannot tell you how many time I have been to the Netherlands (family) without going here. It just shows you how often you travel to a place and there is always something else to see. I have always gone with a top 3 list so I am not disappointed if I do not get to everything.

We were there in summer and loved Amsterdam. I had a week, and it was not enough! We did take three different day trips. I did not do any of the museums in Amsterdam, but we did do churches instead. Museums were packed and I didn't the see the point of shuffling through. You may have better luck. There is much to see in The Netherlands, and Amsterdam is a gem. I had planned on taking a day trip outside the country, but changed my mind when we got there. The Dutch were the most friendly people we came across in Europe, and we visited several countries over a 2 month period. You'll love it there.

With 4 days, I don't see a big reason to get out of Amsterdam. We did take a day trip to Bruges, just returning 2 weeks ago, but had a 5 day itinerary there. As posted previously, Amsterdam is a gem. Soak it in. Coffee shops were also not on our itinerary, but they are readily available, if that's what floats your boat.

The Hague is a city, with lots to see and do. One of my faves (it's the little kid in me) is Madurodam.

We really enjoyed Haarlem. I think it is about less than half hour from Amsterdam by train. We went in the morning, went to Ten Boom Museum, cathedral, walked along canal and were back in Amsterdam by dinner. It is a lovely little town.

I am throwing in my vote for a day trip to Bruges. It's a great little medieval town (think Rothenburg but a few less tourists.) The museum is great and they have a Michelangelo in the Church of Our Lady. We were there last week at a point in our trip where my kids (teens)would have paid me to stay out of anything resembling a museum. Even they enjoyed this town and the highlight for them was the well done horse/carriage ride that was worth the 36 euro (leaves from the main square) and the waffles which are seriously good.

I went to a coffee house-once-for coffee! My friends and I had just read so much about them so we thought we'd go early one Sunday morning. There was a couple there (regulars) with their dog, so they, we and the owner all got to chatting. If you go at an "off" time you may find some interesting people. It is certainly a place you don't get to see too often, and at the end of 2011 they're not going to be selling marijuana to tourists any longer-at least not legally, so the whole "coffeehouse scene" might change.

I, too, think there is plenty in Amsterdam to occupy you for four days. I'm surprised no one mentioned the Anne Frank Museum... In November there shouldn't be much of a qqline to enter.

Jack, Amsterdam has a reasonable flow of tourists year-round, and the Anne Frank museum is particularly crowded because it is very small for the fame it has. The best shot at that museum is to go in a day of miserable weather. Amsterdam is the Western Europe capital with the most rainy days (it has some precipitation, tiny or plenty, 204 days per year in average), so chances are in a 4/5 day tour one day WILL be wet/windy/gray, so take that day to stroll museums and leave your hotel early. As for the hype of sleeping in Haarlem, as suggested by HS, I personally think it is vastly overrated. Not that Harleem is a bad place at all, but I don't understand they hype it gets beyond being the sleeping recommendations of RS. That plaza around the 2 recommended B&Bs appears to be the official American hangout in the country lol.

Not trying to offend anyone, but we had no interest in the Anne Frank museum. There was so much more to see and do.

Thanks All... The AF is a must for us as is the Vg Museum.. I also think a trip to the North sea is what we decided.... Whether we go to The area around the Hague or Harleem is up in the air. But we will be staying at the Albus and just venturing out for the day... Cannot wait though as it is our honeymoon, so know that your input is for a special trip! THanks RC