3 Days in Amsterdam Before a Cruise: A First-Timer’s Itinerary
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My husband and I spent three days in Amsterdam before our Rhine River cruise. This itinerary balances Amsterdam’s major sights with time to wander, take photos, and experience the city at a relaxed pace — with one active day trip outside the city.
If you’re spending three days in Amsterdam before a cruise, you could easily fill every hour with museums and attractions. We chose a different approach: see some of the highlights, leave room to explore at a relaxed pace, and add a day trip to Zaanse Schans by e-bike.
Our 3 Days in Amsterdam at a Glance
| Day | What We Did |
| 1 | Van Gogh Museum, Museumplein, canals & stroopwafels |
| 2 | E-bike ride to Zaanse Schans & Amsterdam canals |
| 3 | Heineken Experience & cruise embarkation |
We weren’t trying to check every famous attraction off a list. We wanted a few days to get a feel for Amsterdam, enjoy the city along the way, and experience a little of the Dutch countryside before boarding our cruise.
Day 1 — Van Gogh Museum and Exploring Amsterdam
Arriving in Amsterdam From Paris
Our flight from Paris arrived around 11 a.m., and we took public transportation from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal. We bought a three-day transit pass, although finding the yellow posts where we needed to scan to check in for the train took us a minute.
To catch a train from Schiphol Airport, you’ll need to purchase your ticket or transit pass and tap in at the yellow post before heading downstairs to the train platform. Amsterdam’s public transportation system requires you to tap in and tap out.
From the beautiful Centraal Station, we walked about 10 minutes to our hotel, Hotel Old Quarter, checked in, and got settled before heading out to explore. We had canal views from our hotel, which was an unexpected treat.
If you’re curious what the hotel and room were like, I’ve put together a quick walkthrough below.
If you’re looking for a place to stay in this area, you can check out Hotel Old Quarter and see the current rates.
Visiting the Van Gogh Museum
Amsterdam has an impressive number of museums, but two of the biggest art museums are the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. Since we only had time for one, we chose the Van Gogh Museum.
We took public transportation from Centraal Station to Museumplein, where both museums are located within walking distance of each other.
We had timed-entry tickets, which I recommend booking ahead of time. The museum also has free lockers for larger bags, so we checked ours before exploring. We purchased the audio guide as well, and it added a lot to our visit.
We spent about 2½ hours at the museum, learning more about Vincent van Gogh’s life and seeing his work up close. One of the things I found especially interesting was learning how much effort Van Gogh’s family made to preserve and keep his artwork together after his death.
Seeing Sunflowers in person was a highlight for me. I also enjoyed learning that Van Gogh frequently painted self-portraits in part because hiring models was expensive. What started as a practical way to practice became an important part of his body of work.
If you’d like a deeper look at the museum—including what to know before your visit, tickets, and what we thought of the experience—I’ve written a separate guide: Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam: What to Know Before You Go.
Exploring Museumplein
After the Van Gogh Museum, we spent some time wandering around Museumplein. The large grassy area between the museums is a lovely place to sit and relax, and we saw plenty of locals enjoying the park. There are also several restaurants nearby if you need a break.
The gardens around the Rijksmuseum are beautiful and open to the public, so take some time to walk through them even if you aren’t visiting the museum. And definitely walk through the passageway that runs right through the Rijksmuseum. It’s a unique part of the building—and you’ll quickly discover that you’re sharing it with a steady stream of cyclists!
Actually, watch out for bikes everywhere in Amsterdam. I knew to be on the lookout before we arrived, but we still had several close calls. Bikes have the right of way in many situations, and the bike paths can be easy to mistake for pedestrian areas if you’re not paying attention.
Exploring Amsterdam’s Canals on Foot
Since I knew we wouldn’t be back in this part of Amsterdam, I wanted to spend some time simply wandering through the canals. This is one of those places where you don’t necessarily need a destination.
And I stopped about every three feet to take a picture. 😂
The canal houses are adorable, but I especially loved the reflections in the water and the colorful flower boxes along the streets. We wandered for quite a while without a specific destination, stopping whenever something caught my eye.
If you’re visiting Amsterdam for the first time, I’d definitely leave some unplanned time in your itinerary for this. Some of my favorite photos from the day came from simply walking around and seeing what we found.
A Giant Stroopwafel Stop
One thing you should know about me: I am a sweets girl. So I was on a mission to find a huge, gooey, toppings-covered stroopwafel in Amsterdam.
Were these the traditional Dutch stroopwafels? Not exactly. The original version is smaller, simpler, and considerably less expensive. But I had a vision, and I couldn’t be deterred.
We found an adorable shop and each ordered a GIANT stroopwafel—literally bigger than my head—freshly made and absolutely smothered in toppings.
Mine was dipped in chocolate, half milk chocolate and half white chocolate. Mr. Explores got one topped with nuts, half pistachio and half hazelnut. Our two stroopwafels cost €27, which my poor budget-conscious husband did not love.
I have no regrets. Sorry, hon.
We carried them over to a nearby canal and proceeded to basically take a bath in the caramel. They were incredibly sticky—and completely delicious.
Day 2 — E-Biking From Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans
Why We Chose an E-Bike Day Trip
Zaanse Schans was high on my list for our time in Amsterdam. The quaint green-and-white buildings and working windmills were a huge draw for me.
There are several ways to get to Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam, including public transportation and organized tours. It’s about 12 miles from Amsterdam Centraal, but I didn’t want to simply take a bus or train there and back. I wanted to experience some of the Dutch countryside along the way.
So we chose to ride e-bikes.
Mr. Explores and I don’t regularly ride bikes in our everyday lives, so we opted for pedal-assist e-bikes. That gave us the experience of cycling through the countryside without worrying about whether we’d have enough energy for the ride.
The Bike Ride Was Better Than Zaanse Schans
The ride out of Amsterdam was stunning. Within about five minutes, it felt like we were in a completely different world — green fields, quaint houses, waterways, and windmills replacing the busy streets of the city.
Our route even took us past a unique thatched windmill, Twiske Molen. We stopped, and I ended up chatting with the miller about what it’s like to live in and operate a windmill.
He and his wife had been operating the mill for 14 years, pumping water out of the surrounding lowland area. Hearing about the day-to-day work of maintaining and operating a working windmill was fascinating.
Honestly, meeting him and getting a glimpse into what it’s actually like to live and work in a windmill was the highlight of the day for me.
And that’s why, for me, the bike ride ended up being even better than the destination.
Following the Bike Route to Zaanse Schans
We rented our e-bikes from Tip Amsterdam North, which is a short ferry ride from central Amsterdam, near the base of the A’DAM Lookout tower.
The staff made getting set up easy and helped us download their app, which included a scenic cycling route to Zaanse Schans. The app was simple to follow, and it was clear that a lot of thought had gone into designing the route.
Rather than taking us straight to Zaanse Schans, the route led us through the Dutch countryside, with canals, green fields, quaint houses, and even cows along the way. For us, that was a big part of what made choosing the e-bike worthwhile. I wrote more about our e-bike ride from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans—including where we rented the bikes and the scenic route we followed.
Exploring Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans is an open-air heritage area where you can get a glimpse of traditional life in the Zaan region. There are multiple working windmills, traditional buildings, a wooden clog workshop with carving demonstrations, a cheese shop, restaurants, and gift shops.
It was definitely touristy, but we enjoyed wandering around and seeing the working windmills. For us, it was a worthwhile stop—especially because we’d gotten there by bike.
Would I recommend Zaanse Schans? Yes — but for us the bike ride was a huge part of our positive experience.
Planning a first trip to Amsterdam? Save this pin to Pinterest so you can come back to this 3-day itinerary when you’re ready to plan your trip—especially if you’re adding Amsterdam before or after a cruise!
Our Evening Back in Amsterdam
Once we returned to Amsterdam, we headed back out to explore the city at dusk. The evening light made the canal reflections beautiful, and we wandered through some different areas than we’d seen the day before.
Then we stopped for a snack at FEBO, which may be one of the craziest fast-food concepts I’ve ever seen: a giant wall of little heated food compartments where you tap your credit card, open a door, and grab your hot snack.
It was such a uniquely Amsterdam experience that we had to try it.
Day 3 — Heineken Experience and Cruise Embarkation
Our final day in Amsterdam was intentionally easy. I planned just one activity and left plenty of time to get our luggage to the cruise ship, relax in the lounge, and meet up with the family members we were cruising with.
Why We Didn’t Pack More Into Our Last Day
When you’re boarding a cruise later that day, a little breathing room is valuable.
We didn’t want to spend our final morning racing around Amsterdam, trying to squeeze in one more major attraction before heading to the ship. Keeping our last day light gave us time for breakfast, luggage, getting to the ship, and a little time to relax once we were onboard.
It also meant that if something took longer than expected, we weren’t stressing about being late for embarkation. For us, that was worth giving up a few extra sightseeing hours.
Visiting the Heineken Experience
Amsterdam definitely has a party vibe, and the Heineken Experience fits right into it. I was actually a drinker when I booked this tour, although I’m not anymore, so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it by the time we arrived. Even so, I thought it was pretty fun—and I think it’s worth knowing going in that this is as much an interactive, social experience as it is a brewery tour.
We splurged on the rooftop experience, which included several beers. The tour was neat, especially learning how the canals were used to transport ingredients and seeing the giant copper vessels used in the brewing process.
Mr. Explores got to pour his own beer from the tap and then “seal” it with a scraper tool. There was also a game room with lots of interactive activities, including giant Connect 4 and tabletop shuffleboard.
Since I don’t drink anymore, I was pleasantly surprised when we reached the rooftop and discovered they offered a 0.0 non-alcoholic option. So we were still able to share a beer with a view over Amsterdam—cheers! (Actually, proost!)
If you’re considering the Heineken Experience for your own Amsterdam itinerary, I have a separate Heineken Experience review and guide with more details about the tour, tickets, and what to expect.
Getting to the Cruise Ship
We checked out of our hotel in the morning, but fortunately, they were happy to hold our luggage for us while we finished our time in Amsterdam.
Our cruise line sent us the actual location of the ship that morning. There are several docking areas around Amsterdam, so we didn’t have the exact location until the day of embarkation. We knew it would be somewhere in the vicinity of Amsterdam Centraal, though, so once we were ready to head to the ship, we picked up our luggage and made our way there.
One thing I would do differently: take public transportation. We decided to walk, thinking it wouldn’t be too bad. With heavy luggage, it was farther than we expected—and Amsterdam’s cobblestones didn’t exactly make things easier! 😂
Once we arrived at the ship, we dropped our tagged luggage at the base of the gangplank with a member of the cruise staff. From there, we could finally relax and enjoy the start of our cruise.
Boarding Our Rhine River Cruise
Once aboard, we had a light lunch and met up with the family members who were joining us for the cruise. If you’re curious about what happened after we left Amsterdam, you can read my full Viking Rhine River cruise review, including our itinerary, what we thought of the ship, and how the low water affected our trip.
Since the ship wasn’t scheduled to leave Amsterdam until later that evening, there was no need to rush through the afternoon. Some of our family members headed back out to see a little more of Amsterdam before we sailed, while others stayed onboard and enjoyed the ship.
We spent part of the afternoon relaxing and taking in the views from the water. Eventually, we all gathered for dinner and watched Amsterdam slip away as our Rhine River cruise officially began.
After three days of exploring Amsterdam, it was a pretty perfect way to end our stay—and start the next part of our trip.
How We Planned Our 3 Days in Amsterdam
We Grouped Activities by Location
Amsterdam is very walkable, but that doesn’t mean you want to spend your entire day crisscrossing the city.
When I planned our itinerary, I tried to group things that were near each other. Our first day centered around Museumplein and then continued into the canals, while our second day took us out of the city entirely on bikes.
That meant less time getting from one attraction to another and more time actually enjoying Amsterdam.
We Left Room to Wander
One of my favorite things about Amsterdam was that we didn’t always have somewhere we needed to be.
It’s easy to see a lot of the city on foot, and some of our favorite moments—and photos—came from simply walking along the canals and seeing what caught our attention. If you’re an experienced cyclist, biking is another great way to get around.
So while I planned the big pieces of our itinerary, I intentionally left some unplanned time in each day. Amsterdam is a city where I think it’s worth resisting the urge to schedule every hour.
What We’d Save for Next Time
Three days gave us a good introduction to Amsterdam, but there are still plenty of places I’d like to see on a future visit. The Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, and Jordaan neighborhood are all still on my list. We also never made it onto a canal cruise, which feels a little funny after spending so much time wandering along the canals.
For us, that was okay. Amsterdam was just the beginning of a longer trip, so I’d rather leave with a list of things to come back for than try to squeeze everything into one visit.
So, is three days in Amsterdam enough? I think it is if your goal is to experience some of the city’s highlights while still having time to wander and enjoy it. It won’t cover everything, but it gave us plenty of time to get a feel for Amsterdam before continuing on to our Rhine River cruise.
This isn’t an Amsterdam bucket list. It’s the itinerary we actually followed, and it gave us a great introduction to the city.
Practical Tips for Visiting Amsterdam Before a Cruise
If you’re combining Amsterdam with a Rhine River cruise, there are a few things I’d keep in mind when planning your stay. Some are specific to Amsterdam, while others are simply about making the transition from sightseeing to cruise mode as easy as possible.
Getting Around Amsterdam
We used a combination of walking and public transportation during our three days in Amsterdam. The city is very walkable, and we found ourselves covering a lot of ground on foot. Public transportation was especially useful when we needed to cover more distance quickly.
Biking is another great option, especially if you’re comfortable riding in a city where bicycles are a major part of the transportation system. We weren’t regular cyclists, so we chose pedal-assist e-bikes for our countryside ride to Zaanse Schans rather than using bikes to get around the city.
One thing I learned quickly: pay attention to the bike lanes! Amsterdam’s cyclists move fast, and it can be surprisingly easy for visitors to wander into a bike path without realizing it.
Where to Stay Before a Cruise
I specifically chose a hotel near Amsterdam Centraal Station because I wanted to minimize how much we’d have to deal with our giant suitcases on public transportation.
I knew our Viking cruise would depart somewhere in the general area of Amsterdam Centraal, although the exact docking location wouldn’t be confirmed until the morning of embarkation. Staying nearby gave us an easy starting point and also put us within walking distance of the station and plenty of transportation options.
Our hotel also held our luggage for us after checkout, which made the last day much easier. We could spend the morning exploring without dragging our bags around Amsterdam and then pick them up when we were ready to head to the ship.
Book Popular Attractions Ahead of Time
If there are specific attractions you want to visit, don’t wait until you arrive to figure out tickets.
We booked timed-entry tickets for the Van Gogh Museum, and we also booked the Heineken Experience in advance. Both were popular enough that I was glad to have our plans locked in.
If either of these is on your Amsterdam itinerary, I’ve written more about what to expect:
- Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam: What to Know Before You Go
- Heineken Experience Amsterdam: Tour Review & What to Expect
Plan Your Cruise Embarkation Day Carefully
Your cruise embarkation day isn’t really a normal sightseeing day. You’ll need to account for checkout, luggage, getting to the ship, and whatever time your cruise line requires you to arrive.
For us, the cruise line didn’t send the ship’s exact docking location until the morning of embarkation. Amsterdam has multiple docking areas, so don’t assume that knowing your cruise will depart from Amsterdam tells you exactly where you’ll need to go.
I’d also avoid planning a major attraction that requires a strict schedule that morning. We were much happier having a relaxed morning, picking up our luggage, and heading toward the ship with plenty of time.
And learn from our mistake: if you’re carrying full-size luggage, take public transportation or a taxi rather than assuming you can easily walk to the ship. We walked from our hotel to the dock, and our luggage was much heavier than we remembered when we packed it! 😂
Once we arrived, we were able to leave our tagged luggage with the cruise staff, board the ship, have lunch, and settle into the start of our cruise.
If your ship doesn’t depart until later in the evening, you may have some time to explore Amsterdam after boarding. On our cruise, some family members went back out into the city while others stayed onboard and enjoyed the views. Just be sure to follow your cruise line’s instructions about when you need to be back on the ship.
The biggest thing is to build in more time than you think you’ll need. Your first day of the cruise should feel exciting—not like you’re racing across Amsterdam with your suitcases.
Is 3 Days in Amsterdam Enough?
What You Can See in Three Days
Three days in Amsterdam gives you enough time to experience quite a bit of the city without spending the entire trip racing from one attraction to another.
During our three days, we were able to visit a major museum, wander through the canals and admire the architecture, experience some classic Amsterdam sights, take an active day trip into the countryside, and still have time to simply explore.
Our e-bike trip to Zaanse Schans was especially nice because it gave us a completely different experience from our time in the city. We weren’t just checking another attraction off the list — we got to experience some of the Dutch countryside along the way.
What We Didn’t See
Of course, three days wasn’t enough to see everything.
We didn’t visit the Anne Frank House or the Rijksmuseum, and we didn’t explore the Jordaan neighborhood. And, somewhat shockingly, we didn’t even take a canal cruise!
I’ll hopefully get to those on a future visit.
So, is three days in Amsterdam enough? It depends on what you want to see. Three days definitely isn’t enough to experience everything the city has to offer, but it was a great introduction for us.
And because Amsterdam was the first stop on a longer trip, three days was the perfect amount of time for us before our Rhine River cruise. We had enough time to experience the city without arriving at the ship already exhausted from trying to see it all.
Final Thoughts on Spending 3 Days in Amsterdam Before a Cruise
Amsterdam gave us a great start to our Rhine River cruise. Three days gave us enough time to experience the city, get out into the Dutch countryside, and enjoy some time to simply wander—without feeling like we were racing from attraction to attraction.
Could we have seen more? Absolutely. But that’s not really what we were trying to do.
We wanted a few days to get a feel for Amsterdam before beginning the next part of our trip, and this itinerary gave us exactly that.
If you’re planning your own Rhine River cruise, you can read more about the next part of our trip in my Viking Rhine River Cruise review, including the itinerary, what we thought of the ship, and what happened when low water forced a ship swap.
Planning Your Trip? Read Next: ✈️
- Van Gogh Museum Review – Highlights & tips for planning your visit
- E-Bike From Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans – Our scenic cycling route through the Dutch countryside
- Heineken Experience – Our tour and rooftop experience
- Rhine River Cruise Itinerary – Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Basel
- Viking Rhine River Cruise Ship Swap– What happened when low water forcedus to switch ships
- 5 Days in Switzerland After a River Cruise – Exploring Lucerne, Interlaken, and Zurich
