There are so many things to do in Amsterdam for first-time visitors they you can accidentally spend too much time trying to fit everything into one trip. There are museums, canal cruises, shopping streets, historic sites, food spots, neighborhoods, markets, nightlife, and enough bike traffic to keep you alert at all times.
For first-time visitors, I think the best things to do in Amsterdam involve balancing the major attractions with slower wandering time. Some of our favorite parts of the trip were honestly just walking through different neighborhoods, eating our way across the city, and sitting along canals with fries.
If you’re planning your first trip, these are the things to do in Amsterdam that stood out most during our visit, along with the practical details I wish I knew beforehand.
If you’ve seen photos of crowded trams, historic buildings, giant groups of tourists, and people walking directly into bike lanes, it was probably Dam Square.
This is one of the busiest and most central areas in Amsterdam. It’s surrounded by major landmarks like the Royal Palace, the National Monument, Madame Tussauds, and Nieuwe Kerk, along with shopping streets, restaurants, hotels, and constant tram traffic.
The area also connects closely to Amsterdam Centraal Station through Damrak, which is the busy main street lined with canal tours, hotels, shops, and classic Amsterdam buildings.
Nearby shopping streets like Kalverstraat and Nieuwendijk make this one of the main shopping areas in the city as well.
If you’re planning multiple cities during your Netherlands trip, I’d also read Where to Stay in the Netherlands (Best Areas to Do in One Trip) before booking hotels because Amsterdam works very differently depending on whether you plan to use trains, rent a car, or take day trips.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was actually starting the day outside the busiest tourist areas.
We went to Hans Egstorf in Kalverstraat for stroopwafels, and I’m still thinking about it honestly. It’s located right near the flower market, but the area felt much calmer than some of the viral food spots elsewhere in Amsterdam.
One thing that genuinely surprised me in Amsterdam was how long some of the food lines were. Some places had over two hour-long waits for cookies or sandwiches. I like food very much, but there are limits to what I’m emotionally prepared to stand in line for.
Going to quieter local spots earlier in the morning worked much better for us overall.
After grabbing stroopwafels, we wandered through nearby stores and bookstores for a while before continuing toward the canals.
For first-time visitors, I do think a canal cruise is worth doing early in your trip.
It helps you understand the layout of Amsterdam much faster, especially since the city is more spread out than it initially looks on a map.
There are boat tours all over the city center near Damrak, Kalverstraat, and the canal areas, and many of them are only about an hour long.
We liked doing this earlier in the day because it gave us a better sense of where different neighborhoods connected before we started wandering on foot more seriously afterward.
You’ll also quickly realize just how many canals Amsterdam actually has. My camera roll became 700 nearly identical canal photos that were too pretty to delete.
If you want to pre-book activities before your trip, I’d look through Get Your Guide or Viator for canal cruises and museum tickets since some attractions sell out surprisingly early.
Food ended up being a huge part of our Amsterdam trip.
One of my favorite lunches was at De Kaaskamer, which is technically a cheese shop but also serves lunch specials and sandwiches. Almost everyone inside when we visited seemed local, which immediately made me trust the situation more.
We ordered the grilled cheese with house-made gouda and marinara sauce (they call it ketchup so don’t be confused) on the side, and it was genuinely incredible. I also left carrying two blocks of cheese home with me, which is very on brand for me.
Right next door, we grabbed fries from Fabel Friets and sat by a canal eating lunch afterward, and honestly, sitting by the canal eating fries felt like a pretty ideal afternoon.
If food is a major part of your travel planning like it is for me, Amsterdam is very easy to build entire days around eating.
For more food stops and everything else I ate around the city, I also have a full DIY Amsterdam Food Tour guide.
Save this for later on Pinterest so you don’t forget it.
The Jordaan neighborhood was probably my favorite area in Amsterdam overall.
It felt noticeably quieter than the busiest tourist sections of the city while still having plenty to do. The streets are lined with canals, smaller alleys, local restaurants, boutiques, cafés, and shops that felt much more relaxed compared to the heavier crowds near Dam Square.
We spent a lot of time just wandering here without much of a plan.
I also thought Jordaan had some of the best food we had during the trip. It felt easier to stumble into smaller restaurants and cafés compared to some of the more heavily tourist-focused areas.
If you want a slower afternoon in Amsterdam after doing museums or major sightseeing earlier in the day, this was probably my favorite area for that balance.
The Anne Frank House is one of the most visited attractions in Amsterdam and is especially important for travelers interested in history.
Personally, I skipped it because I am admittedly far more food motivated than history motivated, which surprised absolutely nobody involved in planning this trip.
But if visiting the Anne Frank House is important to you, I would strongly recommend booking tickets as early as possible because this is one of the attractions that regularly sells out.
The lines and crowds around many of Amsterdam’s major attractions were larger than I expected overall, especially during peak travel periods.
Amsterdam has several major museums that first-time visitors often prioritize, especially:
Even if you’re not normally a huge museum traveler, these are some of the city’s biggest attractions and are very easy to include in a first-time itinerary.
I’d recommend deciding ahead of time which museums matter most to you because trying to cram all of them into one short trip would feel exhausting pretty quickly.
The flower market is an easy stop to add while exploring central Amsterdam since it sits near Kalverstraat and several major walking routes.
It’s touristy, but still fun to walk through at least once if it’s your first time visiting Amsterdam.
This area also connects nicely with nearby shopping streets, canal walks, stroopwafel stops, and boat tours, so it works well combined into a larger walking route around the city center.
If you’re visiting during spring, I absolutely think adding a tulip field or Keukenhof day trip is worth it.
Amsterdam itself is busy and urban, so getting outside the city into the flower regions gives you a completely different side of the Netherlands.
The tulip areas around Lisse are unique and worth the trip.
If you’re planning spring travel, I’d also read my 5 Day Netherlands Tulip Itinerary: Keukenhof, Windmills & Tulip Fields and Best Day Trips from Amsterdam guides because Amsterdam works really well as a base for tulip season day trips.
One thing that confused me initially was just how spread out Amsterdam feels once you start moving between neighborhoods. Walking everywhere is possible, but it can become tiring quickly depending on how many areas you want to visit in one day. I’d recommend getting familiar with the tram system early in your trip because it makes moving around the city significantly easier.
The biggest thing to remember is that you need to tap your card both when you get on and when you get off the tram.
Once we figured the tram system out, getting around Amsterdam became much easier.
I also relied heavily on my Clutch Powerbank because between tram maps, navigation, photos, and constantly checking restaurant locations, my phone battery was fighting for its life most days.
Parking in Amsterdam can honestly be difficult and expensive, especially near the city center.
We used the park-and-ride system during our visit, which worked much better than trying to drive directly into central Amsterdam and fight for parking there.
If you’re renting a car during a Netherlands trip, I’d strongly recommend researching parking plans ahead of time instead of trying to figure it out once you arrive in the city.
My full guide on How to Use Amsterdam Park and Ride (Cheapest and Easiest Way Into the City) breaks down exactly how we used it during our trip.
Originally, I thought one full day in Amsterdam might feel like enough.
After visiting, I’d personally try to spend at least 2–3 days there next time if possible.
There’s enough variety between the museums, neighborhoods, canal cruises, food spots, shopping, markets, and day trips that it’s easy to fill multiple days without feeling repetitive.
Amsterdam also works well mixed into a larger Netherlands itinerary since cities like Haarlem, Delft, Gouda, and the tulip regions are all fairly accessible from here.
If you end up booking anything for your trip, using my affiliate links helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. I spend a lot of time researching and writing these guides, so I really appreciate the support.
I think Amsterdam is at its best when you leave room for wandering between the bigger attractions.
Some of my favorite moments were honestly simple ones: sitting by canals eating fries, wandering through Jordaan, finding quieter food spots away from viral lines, and slowly figuring out the tram system as we went.
For first-time visitors, I think the best things to do in Amsterdam combine a few major attractions with plenty of time to actually experience the neighborhoods in between them.
Hundreds of motorcycles. Tweed suits. Tennessee roads.🏍️
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a global charity event, classic and vintage bikes, dressed-up riders, raising money for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health. The bikes are stunning. The outfits are even better.
Full guide linked in bio. đź”— | @gentlemansride
Went in for Italian. Left thinking about pasta for three days straight.🍝
Osteria Stella in Knoxville is THE date night spot, pink door, moody lighting, and a radiatori con broccoli pesto that I would genuinely go back for alone. The lasagna comes out as its own perfect slice with crispy edges all around. The focaccia with garlic confit disappeared before anyone admitted to eating it.
Make a reservation. Order the pasta. Thank me later.
Full review linked in bio. đź”—
I walked down what looked like a regular hillside entrance and came out into a room that could almost fit a football stadium. 🪨 Tuckaleechee Caverns is the highest-rated cavern in the Eastern US and until you’re standing inside it, that’s just a fact. When you’re actually there, it feels earned.
Stalagmites 24 feet tall. A 210-foot underground waterfall. Formations that took 20 to 30 million years to build. A family that still runs the whole thing.
Bring a jacket. Wear good shoes. Don’t Google how it was discovered before you go hearing it on the tour is so much better.
#townsend #visittennessee #travel #travelling #travelvlog
If you’ve only ever seen the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge side of the Smokies, Townsend is going to feel like a completely different state. 🌲 No neon signs. No traffic. No crowds fighting for the same overlook.
🥾 Middle Prong Trail | River views, small waterfalls & fresh air the whole way. Hike as little or as much as you want.
⛰️ Tuckaleechee Caverns | Start underground with massive cave rooms, waterfalls & guided tours. Go early, beat the rush.
🍕 Peaceful Side Social | Made-from-scratch food, craft beer & mountain views. Fair warning: you’ll stay longer than planned.
đźš— Scenic Drive to Tremont | Slow down. Stop. Take it in. The drive itself is part of the experience.
Summer swap? Ditch the hike for River Rat Tubing — same vibe, more splash.
Townsend calls itself the Peaceful Side of the Smokies. After one full day there, I completely understood why. Entire itinerary linked in bio.
@peacefulsidesocial is what happens when someone builds exactly the restaurant a mountain town deserves. Made-from-scratch food. Craft beer brewed on site. A kids’ play area outside, & mountain views from the patio. ⛰️
It’s casual in the best way, the kind of place where you sit down for lunch and suddenly it’s two hours later and you don’t care.
@cityoftownsend | đź“ŤTownsend, TN
Follow @travelwithwendyplummer for Beautiful Beach Destinations, City Guides, Foodie Spots, and Luxury Hotel Recommendations.
