What to see in Amsterdam in 1 day, even if you simply spend a long time in the city for a long transfer for the next flight. By analogy with our one-day routes in Paris and Prague, from this article you will learn how to optimally explore the city and what you definitely need to see, even if your time in Amsterdam is limited to several hours.
The most democratic city in Europe is full of contradictions: the oldest church here is adjacent to the famous Red Light District, and the Rembrandt Museum is a few hundred meters from the Marijuana and Cannabis Museum.
You will not be mistaken if you say that it is impossible to see all the treasures of Amsterdam in 1 day - there are too many attractions. But a quick look at the most important thing is real, and our route will help you plan your time more optimally.
The capital of the Netherlands will charm and be remembered for its versatility
Walking around Amsterdam is best started from Amsterdam Centraal Main Station. Moreover, it is very easy to get here by train from Schiphol Airport.
To explore the city, a combination of a water bus and a walk is best. As an alternative, you can consider the usual trams and bike rental.
Walking around the city is better to start from the train station
If Amsterdam is only one of the destinations within your tour of Europe, then we also recommend our other popular routes:
- What to see in Paris on your own in 1 day
- What to see in Prague on your own in 1 day
- What to see in Rome on your own in 1 day
We will go directly to the route along Amsterdam.
Amstel River and Amsterdam Canals
Before you start exploring the city, we recommend that you first admire it from a bird's eye view. Panoramic views of Amsterdam are offered immediately by three institutions near the station: Amsterdam Public Library, NEMO Museum and A'DAM Lookout high-rise building.
Having admired the views, it's time to choose a boat and go sailing along the canals of Amsterdam. An excellent and affordable alternative to private boats is the Hop-on Hop-off boats, which act as tourist water buses with several stops on a circular route.
Hop-on Hop-off boats can be called tourist water buses
A ticket for such boats is valid for a day, while the number of trips is unlimited. River buses run through the city from 10:00 to 17:00 (in winter) or until 18:00 (in summer).
The first interesting building that we will see after 70 meters from the starting point is the magnificent Church of St. Nicholas, in the design of which the features of the Neo-Baroque and Neo-Renaissance were intricately interwoven.
In appearance, your attention will be attracted by a rose window with the figure of Christ and the four evangelists in the center, and inside above the altar you can see the crown of Maximilan I.
The majestic church of St. Nicholas
Just behind the church is Weeping tower, where, according to legend, the wives escorted their husbands-sailors to long voyages. From here, Henry Hudson began his journey to America, whose name today is the river and bay in the US state of New York.
Sailing along the Oosterdok Bay, pay attention to the boat houses that have won the status of fashionable housing in modern Amsterdam. You can feel all the charms of water life by renting a room in one of the floating hotels, of which there are a great many.
Once in the waters of the Oudeschans Canal, do not miss Montelbanstoren Towerimmortalized in one of Rembrandt’s paintings.
House-boats won the status of fashionable housing in the city
Due to a malfunction in the clock, the tower received the nickname "Silly Jacob." Meanwhile, a wooden spire with a clock ascended over the tower for the sake of the Renaissance only after almost a century after its construction in 1517.
We will leave our boat at a stop near the Stopers building (an architectural complex that includes the building of the city hall stadhuis and opera opera). In the vicinity we find another church captured by a great artist, this time Claude Monet. It's about South church (or Zuiderkerk), within the walls of which Rembrandt allegedly created his masterpiece "Night Watch".
Opposite the south church on the left bank of the Zwanenburgwal canal is itself Rembrandt House Museum. Here, the original atmosphere was completely restored, which was greatly facilitated by a notarized inventory of property for sale at auction.
Nemo Museum - the country's largest science museum
Back to the boat to get to Heineken Beer Museum (stop at the Netherlands Bank), where you can get acquainted with all the stages of beer production literally on your own.
Along the way, do not miss the picturesque Blue Bridge with the pillars of lanterns stylized as ships and lit up in Bondiana bridge Margere Brug, at one time possessed 13 spans. If you're lucky, you can see how he gets divorced - as a rule, this happens several times a day.
Bridge Margere Brug bred several times a day
From Museum Square to Dam Square
We will land again on Museum Squarewhere the pedestrian part of our route starts from. It is here that you can take pictures at the famous inscription I amsterdam, and in winter also go ice skating.
On Museum Square, you can see four major museums at once: the Rijksmuseum art, where Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” is kept, the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, in the collection of which you can find works by Kandinsky and Malevich, the Van Gogh Museum, where the paintings by Van Gogh himself side by side with the canvases of his great contemporaries, and the Museum of Diamonds.
The Rijksmuseum is called the treasury of the Netherlands
Not far from Museum Square you can relax a bit in the Vondelpark. Just be careful if traveling with children. After all, this is the only park in the world where, since 2008, it is officially allowed to make love.
The next significant point on our route is Dam Square - One of the main places to see in Amsterdam even in 1 day. The path runs through many large and small channels.
Each of them has its own story, but one should definitely mention Reguliersgracht and its 7 humpback bridges, as well as the Imperial Canal (Keizersgracht) and the Lord's Canal (Herengracht), at the intersection of which from the odd numbering you can see 15 bridges at once.
The most important and significant events take place at Dam Square
Walk along the Lord's Canal to Leidsestraat Street, then down the street to Koningsplein Bridge, where turn right to reach the Singel Canal - the first canal in Amsterdam.
Here you will find a floating flower market, reminiscent of a long tradition of selling flowers without leaving the boat. And, having walked from the opposite side of the canal along Heiligeweg Street, you will come to the largest shopping street in Amsterdam - Kalverstraat. This street (if you go along it to the left) will lead you to Dam Square.
So that the marshy soil of the square withstands the building located here The royal palace, I had to drive 14 thousand 12-meter wooden piles. Today in the palace and in the New Church located right there are all the most important events in the life of the royal family.
Rembrandt Square with its monument and characters of the painting "Night Watch"
Jordan District and Red Light District
If you go west from the Royal Palace along Raadhuisstraat Street through the Western Church, you can get into one of the most picturesque and prestigious areas of modern Amsterdam - Jordan.
There are no special attractions, but the area itself is so cozy and beautiful that it deserves a separate walk. But next to the Western Church is the building where Anna Frank lived - a girl whose diary is known to the whole world today. The diary was written in a secret shelter at home, where the girl and her family were hiding from the Nazis.
Jordan's main attraction is its amazing architecture.
Returning back to Dam Square along the Leliegracht canal, go through the oldest wide bridge Torensluis (1648) and the house with the narrowest facade (1 m) on the Singel channel 7.
From Dam Square - via the pedestrian Nieuwendijk street and Zoutsteeg street - you need to get to Damrak street - The central street of the city leading to the station. It is here on Berlage Exchange The first shares of the East India Company were once sold, and the building itself is on the top list of the most beautiful buildings in the Netherlands.
What else travelers are trying to see for 1 day in Amsterdam is the famous Red Light District. The narrow street Papenbrugsteeg will lead you to it. Here you can find a huge number of shops, bars and museums of relevant subjects.
The famous Red Erotica Museum is located in the Red Light District
Since the profession of priestesses of love has been officially allowed in the Netherlands since 2000, a lot of people stroll past red shop windows day and night.
In the vicinity of the Red Light District, you can still find many other notable places: the narrowest street Trompettersteeg 1 m wide, the smallest house 2 m wide and 5 m deep on Oude Hoogstraat 22, the widest house at 29 Kloveniersburgwal, which sheltered the Royal Academy sciences and even a whole Chinatown along Zeedijk street.
Zeedijk street, by the way, will lead to the station, so it’s convenient to go back to the starting point of our route.
Amsterdam itinerary in 1 day
Of course, visiting Amsterdam in 1 day is extremely difficult. It is better to spend 2 or 3 days in the city. Indeed, even in a very detailed article, it is simply physically impossible to fit all the objects that deserve attention.
If time is limited, we recommend that you take a closer look at the full and step-by-step route in Amsterdam for 1 day, which was developed in conjunction with an individual city guide. It will help you cover all the most important, without overpaying for expensive excursions.
To see the most important sights in 1 day is quite real
Here is what you will find inside:
- A ready-made step-by-step plan in the city for 1 day, containing 25 main attractions of Amsterdam
- A detailed route map on Google maps and labels for the maps.me application to easily transfer the route to your phone and use even without internet
- A PDF book with a route that you can print and take on the road or read directly from the screen of a smartphone or tablet
- Little-known "chips" that most tourists do not know about
- Observation Decks on the Way to Take Better Memorable Photos
- Information about attractions, their mode of operation and entrance tickets
- A selection of colorful restaurants along the route from local to refreshments and recommendations on what to order from food
- A selection of free and budget excursions in Amsterdam, as well as contacts of a verified individual guide
- Links to the application with free audio tours of Amsterdam in Russian.
There is no such ready-made solution on any site.
The route will help you come to Amsterdam with a real expert on the city and see much more than 90% of travelers have time to do.
If you visit Amsterdam on the same trip with Paris and Brussels, we recommend that you take a closer look at the set of routes in all three cities. So you will see and save much more. A detailed description of the routes can be found on this page.
Required save this article on social networksbecause during your trip it may come in handy to you many more times.
