I just spent an entire week in Amsterdam, and I’m extremely obsessed with this city.

I had high hopes, but WOW. I was surprised by how much I loved it. I could really picture a life there…biking to work, sipping coffee at every cute cafe, and meeting up with friends each evening to sit down by the canals and chat for hours.

My trip to Amsterdam

I traveled to Amsterdam with my friend Teesa, and we had our itinerary booked.

We spent seven full days completely immersing ourselves in the city, exploring museums, restaurants, and all of the notable tourist experiences. I had the opportunity to really understand how to make the most of a visit there.

It’s only been 3 weeks but I already find myself dreaming of the canals and aesthetic buildings, the bikes and the beautiful sunny days I had there.

I have developed the perfect two day itinerary that you need to follow if you’re planning to spend just a weekend in this perfect city. It features the highlights of my week there, and it that leaves you with an amazing sense of the city in only 48 hours.

What to expect:

• Seeing the classic Amsterdam sights (Canals, Dam Square, Red Light District, bikes!)
• 2 incredible museums
• A canal cruise
• Dinner and breakfast recommendations
• An authentic street market
• Some free time in nature

The 2 Day Amsterdam Itinerary

Day 1: Anne Frank House, canal cruise, an authentic dinner & city exploring

Coffee and cozy breakfast at De Laaisie Kruimel

Enjoy breakfast at an adorable pastry shop with a charming and homey vibe. This little bakery is your heaven-sent breakfast destination. I stumbled upon it one morning and it’s so cutesy.

Check out these photos of the upstairs pastry display:

Teesa and I enjoyed cappuccinos and cranberry scones with strawberry preserves and clotted cream that were incredible.

Once we we finished the scones, we stayed for the vibes.

That’s something I really loved about Amsterdam: the cozy spots I found around every corner.

The character of the buildings really adds to the charm of the city, too – small rooms and skinny staircases that lead you to the second and third floors of stores and shops. I learned that’s typical in Amsterdam!

Visit the Anne Frank House Museum

After breakfast, head over to the bustling street of Prinsengracht where The Anne Frank House Museum is located. If there’s one thing you have to do in Amsterdam, it’s visit this museum.

Line up outside the door right before your ticket’s time slot. Plan to spend about an hour and a half here.

And plan to be deeply moved by Anne’s story.

The museum starts as a self-led audio tour through the office part of the building where you learn about Anne Frank, her family, and the horrors that Jewish families experienced amidst Hitler’s rule during WWII.

As you make your way through the building, you will eventually arrive at the Secret Annex that housed the Frank family for a little over two years.

No photos are permitted in the museum.

If you haven’t read The Diary of Anne Frank, I would strongly recommend reading it before getting the opportunity to see where the majority of her writing took place.

I read it for the first time a few weeks before taking my trip to Amsterdam. I was able to appreciate the details that I recognized from Anne’s description in her diary, like of the layout of the annex, her daily life, and the magazine cutouts she taped to the wall.

If you want to see this unforgettable museum, you must book online in advance. The week I was there, it was completely sold out. Visit online here – you can book your ticket a maximum of six weeks out.

Discover the Jordaan neighborhood

The Jordaan neighborhood is an adorable area of the city with bright flowers, more bikes than you’ve ever seen, stunning canal views, and people sitting on their front steps drinking wine with neighbors and enjoying life.

Exploring this neighborhood is a nice way to decompress and reflect after visiting the Anne Frank House.

Take some photos on the picturesque canal bridges and shop around at the different stores and cafes in the neighborhood. I saw a few cute cats, drank a great cappuccino, and shopped for my favorite souvenir – vintage post cards.

Sit back on a guided canal cruise

After you’ve explored Jordaan and had a bite to eat, make your way back over towards the Anne Frank House where your canal cruise will depart from.

Why take a canal cruise?

A canal cruise is the perfect way to

• Learn some history about Amsterdam
• Try cheese from the Netherlands
• Explore the city from the water

We took this cruise which I booked through Viator. I thought it was a great hour of sight seeing, learning, and trying a lot of cheese and wine.

We had a great tour guide who pointed out significant landmarks we passed and told us some fun stories about the history of the city.

The canal cruise is where we learned that when the city of Amsterdam was first established, people were taxed on the width of their homes as opposed to the height, so all of the origInal buildings are skinny and tall for this reason.

I felt like I had a more complete understanding of the different areas of the city that we saw by boat and a little bit of foundational history that made my experience in Amsterdam more meaningful.

Dine at the delicious Cafe Sonneveld

Cafe Sonneveld is a Dutch restaurant located in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam.

It’s charming, the food is so fresh and flavorful, and the staff plays Dutch music and sings throughout your meal. Every customer was smiling, and most were singing along!

My recommendation: try the ribs. They said they had the best ribs in Amsterdam, and I could totally believe that. The flavor of these ribs was rich, the meat perfectly tender.

And the ambiance was quaint, small and cozy. I debated going back a few nights later because it was that good!

I made a reservation online on their website, but I’m pretty sure you can walk in without a reservation.

Explore the Amsterdam nightlife

After dinner is a great time to see the city at night.

During my trip, there were crowds of people out and about exploring the Dam Square, checking out the Red Light District, and drinking at the restaurants and bars in the lively downtown streets.

There’s countless bars to stop at for a drink and to debrief your amazing day in Amsterdam.

Day 2: The Van Gogh Museum, a street market, the Heineken Experience, & Vondelpark

Grab breakfast at Stach

Teesa and I discovered this chain throughout the city, and it was dependable for a quick croissant and coffee to start the day.

Immerse yourself in the Van Gogh Museum

How much do you know about Vincent Van Gogh?

You’ll absolutely learn something new from this museum, especially when you splurge for the 3 euro self-led audio guide. With the audio guide, you can choose to listen to the stories specific artwork and hear about important moments in Van Gogh’s life.

The first room is where is you can learn about Van Gogh’s early career as an artist and you can see the evolution of his self portraits.

You’ll need tickets for this museum. They cost 32.50 euros online, and you can buy them on the website. We spent just about 2 hours in this museum and saw all four floors.

Try Dutch snacks at Albert Cuyp Market

Located in the De Pijp area of the city, the Albert Cuyp market is about a 15 minute walk from the Van Gogh Museum. You’ll find that the prices at this market are deals compared to shops in the center city.

This is also a great time to test out a stroopwafel, one of the most unique and delicious dutch treats in Amsterdam. Looking for the best stroopwafels in the city? Read my article about where to get the best of the best.

Also try poffertjes (dutch pancakes), fries, cheese, maybe some herring if you’re brave (I wasn’t), and more!

It’s time for the Heineken Experience!

Explore one of the biggest names in beer at the Heineken Experience.

Located in the original brewery of Heineken beer, the Heineken experience is an interactive learning and tasting experience. Heineken beer is no longer brewed here, but next to a pint from the current brewery located in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands, the Heineken Experience is home to the second freshest pour of Heineken you can drink.

I bought tickets online, and I decided to go an hour earlier than I had signed up for. They gave me no problem at all and let me right in.

Teesa and I spent about 2 hours here between the self guided tour and enjoying our pints in the bar at the end.

Stroll through vibrant Vondelpark

Vondelpark is a huge green space in Amsterdam that brings you back to nature. The grass, trails, ponds and people in the park create a lively park to spend time in. Take a bike for a ride on the flat trails, lounge in the grass under the sun, or take a nice long walk.

Treat yourself to dinner at Fiaschetteria Pistoia

It’s time for one final meal in this city, and I know you’re absolutely going to fall in love with this place. Try an Italian classic that is going to have you dreaming about the food for the next week.

Try one of the three Fiaschetteria Pistoia locations in Amsterdam for fresh and flavorful homemade pasta.

And a bonus: you can get this same amazing meal in New York at one of Fiaschetteria Pistoia’s two NYC locations.

There you have it! You’ve just spent two jam-packed days in Amsterdam. You have a feel for the culture, the history, the bites, and the really addicting vibes of the city.

And now you already want to go back.

Have you visited Amsterdam? What’s your must-see place in the city? Let me know!