Making sense of a day in Amsterdam

Where is your hotel located? The Anne Frank Huis is on the other side of town from Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum (not a huge distance but a distance). The Anne Frank Huis requires reservations - I would make my reservation there first and then visit the museums next simply because I think the AFH is the most compelling. This leaves you as much leisure time for the art as you choose - the museums have some small restaurants to eat lunch in before you start your art walk. Bus/tram transportation is excellent and easy to manage. Just up from the museums (easy walking distance) are a number of great restaurants, coffee shops etc. You may want to get the RS book on Amsterdam. For me, you hit the "must visits" in a day right off the bat, but for me, part of the charm of Amsterdam is watching the city in action from a sidewalk cafe.

"...The Anne Frank Huis requires reservations..." The AF House doesn't require reservations; it's optional. If you get there right before it opens or visit after 6pm (it's open daily till 9pm) you can walk right in. You may also want to consider visiting the new Hermitage Museum which is now Amsterdam's largest art museum: http://www.hermitage.nl For the nightlife check out the Boom Chicago improv comedy club: http://www.boomchicago.nl For complete list of what's happening check here: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/whats-on

We are staying at the Hotel Brouwer on the Singel canal, between Central Station and Dam Square.

Check the opening hours for all three and plan based on that. As I recall, the Anne Frank House is open late most evenings whereas the Van Gogh museum is open late only one night per week. Assuming the Anne Frank House is open late and the musuems are not, I would start with the two museums. Start with the one that you are most interested in. If you book tickets online then you can avoid the queue. On my last visit I had to wait in a rather long line for the Van Gogh museum and I wished that I had purchased tickets online. Visit the Anne Frank House in the evening. Again, on my last visit I did not wait to long in the queue for the Anne Frank House in the evening (I went around 7pm), but your mileage may vary. If the weather is nice, I'd be inclined to skip one of the museums and spend the time walking along the canals ... but again, this depends on your interests. A serious art lover would probably disagree.

The walk from Anne Frank to the Museums is pleasant and comfortably doable. Unless one of these is a "must do", I would walk from your hotel to Anne Frank, assess the wait situation. Either do Anne Frank then or not. Walk to the Museums- starting with the one that most interests you. At the end of that then adjust your schedule accordingly. Last time we were in Amsterdam our hotel was near Anne Frank and we walked everywhere without any problems or feeling like martyrs. You will walk along and across the canals and get a feeling for the City. To me it is just not aproblem.

Hi Don. Do you have more than one day in Amsterdam? If so, I would suggest spreading out your museum visits. If not, visit the museum you're most interested in first and then see the second and third. I have an MA in art history and love museums, but even I would get burned out on 3 in one day. And I would recommend taking a tram or blue mini-bus (these stop at Centraal Station and cost 1 euro for a 2-hour window of riding time), so that you don't lose energy in transit between the Anne Frankhuis and the Rijksmuseum / Van Gogh Museum.

We were in Amsterdam last fall and did the two museums and the Anne Frank House, so I'm familiar with the area. First, I would go online to the Anne Frank House and make a reservation. Print it out at home and take it with you. As someone else suggested, you might want to make it for later in the day so you have the earlier part to visit the museums. From the Central Station, you can take a tram right to either of the two museums (they are practically right next to each other). Buy a one-day tram ticket - individual tickets are pricy. When you get done with the museums, get back on the tram going the other way (toward Central Station) and take it to Dam Square. From there it's only a short walk to the AFH. (Just keep looking for the spire of the big church nearby - I think it's the West Church). Then get back on the tram. If you go to the AFH first, take the tram to Dam Square from Central Station. Then get back on to go to the museums. Since I don't know exactly where your hotel is, you might have to modify these directions a little. The good thing is that Amsterdam is pretty compact and it doesn't take long to get from one place to another, especially where you are going. For example, you can get from Central Station to the museums in 15 minutes on the tram. Enjoy Amsterdam!

Hi,
your hotel is very close to the AFH. I'd go there first thing in the morning early...then grab a tram over the the VG museum. Then after you done and had a late lunch on in the area (there are a ton of great cafes around there) i'd consider the Rijk's museum. But three in one day is a lot. If it was me, i'd skip the Rijks and go have a beer somewhere and people watch.

Hi Don, here is my crazy scheme for you. I would walk west down Blauwburgwal until I reach Prinsengracht. Don't cross the bridge. Stay on the east side of the Prinsengracht canal. Keep walking until you find AFH. It should be on your left or look for a crowd. When done with AFH take the van/bus service called Stop/Go. Cross the canal and wait. They should come by every 12 minutes. The vans are blue and green with Stop/Go written on them. Just flag them down. The fare is 1 Euro for 1 hour. If you already have a transportation pass from GVB it's valid on the Stop/Go. Take the van down Prinsengracht. Tell the driver nicely you want to exit at Spiegelgracht. After he s you off cross the canal (head West and look for Cafe Heuvel) and take Spiegelgracht until it becomes Weteringschans. Stay on the south side of the Spiegelgracht canal. When you get to Lijnbaansgracht the twin towers of the Rijksmuseum will be in view. The Van Gogh museum is down the street behind the Rijks on Museumplein. Tram 2 or 5 have stops almost in front of the Van Gogh Museum. Take the tram to the Nieuwezijds Kolk stop. Listen for it on the announcements (it will sound like New-sides Kolk). If you head toward the pedestrain street (Nieuwezijds Kolk) across from the stop there is a great little spot for a beer. It's called In De Wildeman. From there you will only be a 5 to 10 minute walk to your hotel. Hope this helps. Have fun.

Hi everyone, Thank you for the terrific suggestions. I feel a bit more confident that we can see what we want to see and not feel frenzied. Is there anything else we should do in the day? We will be in Amsterdam overnight. And we are going to take the frequently-given advice of limiting our museum visits to AFH and Van Gogh.
Thanks again.