Amsterdam’s canal district packs more into three square kilometres than most European capitals manage in twenty. This page is the index: six categories of things to do, five neighbourhoods to do them in, and the two transport lines that connect them. Everything on it is inside or beside the UNESCO canal belt, so nothing here is more than half an hour on foot from anything else.
Six ways to spend a day
| Category | What is in it |
|---|---|
| Attractions | The Anne Frank House, Madame Tussauds, the A’DAM Lookout and the towers you can climb |
| Museums | The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Moco and the small canal-house museums |
| Canal cruises | The city’s number one activity, from € 16, with departures every few minutes |
| Shopping | The Nine Streets for independents, the Kalverstraat for the chains, the markets for everything else |
| Walking | The canals are best seen at walking pace; routes and guided walks |
| Cycling | Bike hire and guided rides, the way Amsterdammers actually cross the city |
| Nightlife | Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein and the bars along the old canals |
| Excursions | Day trips out of the city: Zaanse Schans, Keukenhof, Volendam, Efteling |
Where to do it — the neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | What you find there |
|---|---|
| The Red Light District | The oldest part of the city, built around two canals, five minutes from Centraal Station |
| The Nine Streets | Nine short streets crossing four canals: independent shops, cafes and 140 listed buildings |
| The Jordaan | The former workers’ quarter west of the Prinsengracht, with markets and hidden courtyards |
| Museumplein | The museum square: Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, Stedelijk, Moco and the Concertgebouw |
| The Kalverstraat | The main shopping street, from Dam Square to the Munttoren |
How to get around
| Route | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tram line 2 | Centraal Station to the Museumplein across the canal belt in fifteen minutes |
| Metro line 52 | The blue line, under the old city from Noord to Zuid, with a free archaeological display at Rokin |
| Map of the canal district | How the four canals, the neighbourhoods and the tram routes fit together |
What to book first
Two things sell out in high season and nothing else really does: timed museum tickets and evening cruises. Book those before you travel and leave the rest to the day itself.
- Canal cruise from Centraal Station — the classic hour on the water, departing a few minutes’ walk from the station.
- Rijksmuseum tickets — timed entry to the Night Watch, € 25.00.
- Van Gogh Museum tickets — the museum that sells out first, € 25.00.
- I amsterdam City Card — most museums plus unlimited GVB transport, worth it from about three museums.
- GVB day ticket — unlimited tram, bus and metro from € 10.00 for 24 hours.
The canal district holds the city’s main museums, its best-known attractions and the departure points for every canal cruise. Walking the canals is free; a cruise starts at about €16 and museum tickets run from €22.50 to €25. Most visitors combine one museum, one cruise and one neighbourhood in a day.
Two full days covers the canal belt, one major museum and a cruise. Three days lets you add a second museum and a neighbourhood like the Jordaan or the Nine Streets without rushing. A day trip to the Zaanse Schans or, in spring, the Keukenhof needs a fourth.
Walking the canal belt, the Begijnhof courtyard, the hidden church De Papegaai on the Kalverstraat, the archaeological display inside Rokin metro station, the ferries across the IJ, the Rijksmuseum passage and the Wednesday lunchtime concert at the Concertgebouw, for which you reserve a free ticket.
A canal cruise. The canal belt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it was built to be seen from the water. Boats leave from in front of Centraal Station, along the Damrak and near the Rijksmuseum, from about €16 for an hour.
Yes. The canal belt is about three kilometres end to end. Centraal Station to the Museumplein is forty minutes on foot, or fifteen minutes on tram 2. Nothing in this index is further apart than that.
More on our own pages: the Go City all-inclusive pass · A’DAM Lookout
