Flying international and are able to pull off a one day layover in Amsterdam? One day in Amsterdam is better than nothing, so take it!

A few things to note: The Amsterdam airport is CRAZY BUSY so plan on getting to the airport 4-5 hours ahead of time. You will find people there who are 6-8 hours ahead of time, but “technically” they only allow those who are flying within 4 hours. All things considered, you may want to consider getting a hotel near the airport and that might help you manage time better. I think if I were to do it again that is what I would do.

Things to do:
If you’re interested and have time the Van Gogh Museum should be the first thing that you do. I would save about 2 hours for this museum.
After that, take a taxi to Anne Frank House. From here, you are in the Jordaan district. One of the most romantic districts in Amsterdam. Take an hour or two and explore this robust district. During our walk, we love whisky so we checked out J.D. William’s Whisky Bar. This place was a weird vibe but had some AMAZING sweet potato fries and a great selection of whisky. We stopped by a true coffee shop for burrata. I say the word true because often times “coffee shop” in Amsterdam means a weed shop.

After walking, it was time for a walk break so we went on a canal tour through the Flagship boat company. We toured along the Prince canal and Gentlemen river which is 10 feet deep. We learned that Amsterdam has over 850,000 bikes and over 1 million canals for trading houses (for back in the day). Along your tour, you will see that some of the houses along the canal are built leaning forward to hoist spices to the top, neat architecture fact.

After the canal tour, we walked to the Red Light District. This is an interesting place, one of a kind. From museums, brothels, prostitutions to sex shops, you will find it all at the Amsterdam Red Light District. Spend time here soaking up the culture and liberalism.

To end your night, you will want to have an amazing dinner! We chose the Argentinian dinner at Salmuera. Hands down, incredible. However, if you are looking for something else, you may be interested in: Michelin restaurant Rijks, or Italian at La Trattoria Di Donna Sofia.

We stayed at the swanky Hotel Mercier in Jordaan district as we wanted to be by the canals, but this was not the most convenient for going to and from the airport.

I hope you enjoyed your one day in Amsterdam!

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