3 days in Amsterdam: What to see?

It will depend on the time of year obviously but the easiest thing to do is just to rent a bike and bike around.

• On saturdays there is a very lovely food market in the northern part of the Jordaan area (called the Noordermarkt).
• If you want to go to the van Gogh museum I insist you go early. Same for the Anne Frank (although Anne Frank was disappointing for me). The waiting line becomes VERY long VERY fast.
• You may want to skip the vondelpark. It is the biggest park in Amsterdam for sure but it is also very very crowded. I may recommend you to go to the Safati park, which also has a very nice foodmarket next to it.
• Beer tasting while getting a cheese platter is a thing here. Here’s a list of places I can really recommend: de bekeerde suster (the best), skek, irish pub at marie heineken square, katoen or cafe gollum.

The above posts cover a lot, but I would also recommend venturing outside of Amsterdam into the countryside – there are some amazing sites to see (like the traditional windmills Holland is known for!) Check out this tour which is my very favourite, but would probably work best if you are going during the warmer months:
Aside from that, a dinner cruise on a canal boat definitely does credit to night time Amsterdam – the canals and bridges are lit up and the spectacle is mesmerizing. Hope you have a great time!

NOTE poster is affiliated with the website linked – it’s their website

Definitely plan for strolls along the canals, and possibly a canal tour.

Amsterdam has many major art museums, and I recommend visiting at least some of them, even if you’re not generally fond of staring at paintings (I’m not). The two most important ones are the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum (they are practically next door to each other, on the Museumplein), then possibly Rembrandt’s house. Also consider the Hermitage Amsterdam, which shows collections from the Hermitage Museum, rotating every few months. If you’re into modern art, don’t miss the Stedelijk, normally also on the Museumplein but currently closed with its collections travelling from temporary location to temporary location.

If you’re interested in history, apart from Anne Frank’s house (whose value is more as a memento than to see unique artifacts or presentations), the major museums are the Amsterdam (history) Museum, the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum), and perhaps the Jewish Historical Museum. Also consider the Palace and the major churches and the Portuguese Synagogue (worth at least a quick visit). Somewhat lesser known, but definitely interesting, is the Tropenmuseum, a large ethnological museum (as it is located somewhat off the beaten path, you may not be able to fit it into a three-day visit).

For the young and hip crowd, Amsterdam also has some less conventional places to visit. You can tour the old Heineken brewery just south of the central district. Depending on your tastes, you might visit the Hash, Marihuana and Hemp Museum, the Tattoo Museum, the Torture Museum, the Eroticism Museum, or the Sex Museum.

Given your posting history, I guess you’ll want to have dinner in the station/Dam area then head east into the main red light district (worth a visit even if you aren’t interested in the wares).

I very strongly recommend getting a museum pass. Partly because you won’t have any qualms visiting a minor museum for only half an hour, but most importantly because the major museums can have very long queues, which you can completely bypass if you have free entry. Some museums now allow you to buy tickets online in advance, but not all, and this requires planning. For up to three days in Amsterdam, get the I Amsterdam Card, which includes free transportation on board the trams (and buses and metro) and free entrance to most major and many minor museums. For a longer stay in the Netherlands, get the Museumkaart¹, which grants free entrance to all public museums (which is most of them) in the whole country, and purchase transportation separately. There’s also the Holland Pass, which may concievably be worth it in odd circumstances. You can buy the tourist passes (but not the Museumkaart) at the tourist office outside the central station (only until 18:00 on Friday and Saturday, 17:00 otherwise), at the Schiphol airport, in the participating museums (tip: if you’re on the Museumplein, the Diamond Museum is just opposite the Rijksmuseum on the Van Gogh Museum side, and there’s hardly ever a queue) and other locations.

Depending on your tastes, you’ll either mostly travel on foot and in trams, or cycle (there are plenty of bicycle rental places).

Finally, as Amsterdam has many things to offer and you won’t have time to see them all, I recommend getting a guidebook on paper (or e-book) and planning your stay.

¹ _{For some reason, many guidebooks don’t mention the Museumkaart, even though it is good value if you’re spending more than a week-end in the country. Although the website is in Dutch, the card is not reserved to residents.}

Amsterdam is a relative small city, you can basically tour around for just 1 day.

1. Van Gogh Museum

   Paulus Potterstraat 7, 1071 CX Amsterdam, Netherlands
   This 4 storey building contains largest collection from Dutch artist, Van Gogh.
   A pre-recorded guide can be rented for around 10 euros.

   

2. Nemo Museum
   
   A science museum. Suitable for children and the young. Ticket is around € 13,50 per person. Opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. (Closed in Monday)

3. Reypenaer Cheese Tasting Rooms

   Singel 182-Huis | Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1015 AJ

   a place where you can taste various Cheese from Netherland

4. Saint Nicholas Church

   Prins Hendrikkade 73, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
   The biggest church in Amsterdam.
   Nicholas http://stephendanko.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Amsterdam-St-Nicolaaskerk.jpg

5. Dinner/Winetasting ship tour along the canal
   
   List of tour can be found in The Aviator

6. Anne Frank Museum

   

   It’s actually a small building. The place where Anne Frank wrote her diary during World War 2. The diary is one of the best selling books of all time, placed third just after the Bible and Harry Potter.

Amsterdam has much to offer. When I lived there, I always took visiting friends on a boat trip through the canals. In about 1 hour you get a nice overview over the city.

You could also consider the “5 hours in Amsterdam question on this forum.

You already found the “Anna frank huis”, so I guess you already have some travelguides.

If you are looking for something odd and the weather permits, you could consider renting a bicycle and go to Marken Island. If you exit the city on the Schellingwouderbrug, and you follow the waterside, you have a very nice typical dutch scenery. Also you can experience the sensation of the land being below the waterline.