Netherlands · 5 days · 5 days · 20 stops
5 days in Amsterdam with Haarlem and Zaanse Schans
Five days are enough for Amsterdam plus two places nearby, each fifteen to twenty minutes away by train. The city days split into the old town, Museumplein and the east with the zoo and the maritime museum. Haarlem gets a full day, the Zaanse Schans a morning, and in the afternoon the ferry takes you over to Noord.
In short
- Length
- 5 days, 20 stops
- Highlights
- Begijnhof, Rijksmuseum, Grote Kerk (St Bavo's Church), Zaanse Schans, National Maritime Museum
- Day trips
- Day trip to Haarlem
- Where to stay
- Canal ring and Jordaan, De Pijp
- Getting around
- You can get everywhere on foot and by tram.
- Best time to go
- April and May with the tulips, and September, are lovely but popular.
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Plan created with AI support – please check opening hours, prices and routes before you go. YesTrip editorial team · Updated: .
Day 1
Old town and Rembrandt
Begijnhof
Start in the calmest spot of the old town: a courtyard with gabled houses and two churches.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Begijnhofabout 10 min on foot
Oude Kerk
The oldest building in the city, right in the red-light district. The wooden-vaulted interior is also used for art today.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Oude Kerkright next door
Our Lord in the Attic
A Catholic church hidden in the attic of a merchant's house. Afterwards, lunch around the Nieuwmarkt.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Our Lord in the Atticabout 10 min on foot
Rembrandt House Museum
Rembrandt lived and painted here for nearly twenty years. His studio and cabinet of curiosities are furnished as in his day.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Rembrandt House Museum
Day 2
Museumplein
Rijksmuseum
With a whole morning: the Gallery of Honour, the 17th century and finally the garden with its sculptures.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Rijksmuseumabout 5 min on foot
Stedelijk Museum
Modern art and design in the white 'bathtub' on Museumplein: Mondrian, Malevich and Rietveld chairs.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Stedelijk Museumabout 10 min on foot
Vondelpark
After two museums, flop on a lawn or walk around the ponds. There are cafés with terraces around the edges.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Vondelparkabout 15 min on foot
Foodhallen at De Hallen
The food hall in the old tram depot, a good ten minutes from the north end of the park. Lots of stalls, long tables.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Foodhallen at De Hallen
Day 3
Day trip to Haarlem
Train from Amsterdam Centraal to Haarlem, about 15 min, then about 10 min on foot to the Grote Markt. Check opening hours before you go.
Grote Kerk (St Bavo's Church)
The great church on the market square with its famous Müller organ, once played by the young Mozart.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Grote Kerk (St Bavo's Church)about 10 min on foot
Frans Hals Museum
Frans Hals's group portraits in a former almshouse for old men with a garden courtyard. Then lunch in the old town.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Frans Hals Museumabout 10 min on foot
Teylers Museum
The oldest museum in the Netherlands: fossils, instruments and an oval room that looks much as it did over 200 years ago.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Teylers Museumabout 5 min on foot
De Adriaan windmill
The windmill on the bank of the Spaarne, a few minutes from Teylers. From the gallery you look out over the town.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): De Adriaan windmill
Day 4
Zaanse Schans and Noord
Train from Amsterdam Centraal towards Uitgeest to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans, about 20 min, then about 15 min on foot. Check the windmills' opening hours before you go.
Zaanse Schans
Wooden houses and working windmills on the river Zaan. It is still quiet early in the day, before the coaches arrive.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Zaanse Schansabout 5 min on foot
Zaans Museum
Explains how the windmills made the area an early industrial region. Includes a pavilion on the Verkade chocolate factory.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Zaans MuseumTrain back to Amsterdam Centraal, about 20 min, then the free ferry to Buiksloterweg, about 5 min.
Eye Filmmuseum
Downstairs there is an exhibition on film history; upstairs you sit on the steps looking out over the IJ.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Eye Filmmuseumright next door
A'DAM Lookout
Go up in the late afternoon when the light over the harbour softens. The ferry back leaves right below.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): A'DAM Lookout
Day 5
Plantage and the eastern docks
National Maritime Museum
Sea charts, globes and figureheads under a glass roof. Outside lies the ship Amsterdam, which you can board.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): National Maritime Museumabout 10 min on foot
Hortus Botanicus
One of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, with a palm house and a tropical greenhouse. The Orangery café does lunch.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Hortus Botanicusabout 10 min on foot
Artis Zoo
The old city zoo right across the road, with an aquarium and a butterfly house among 19th-century buildings.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Artis Zooabout 10 min on foot
Brouwerij 't IJ
End with a beer from the city brewery. The terrace sits at the foot of the wooden De Gooyer windmill.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Brouwerij 't IJ
Good to know
Trains with your card
On trains to Haarlem and Zaandam you can check in and out at the card reader with a contactless bank card or phone. Never forget to check out.
Fitting in Anne Frank
The Anne Frank House is not in this plan because tickets are so scarce. If you get a slot, it fits well into day 1.
Zaanse Schans early
Tour groups arrive from late morning. Take an early train after breakfast and you'll have the windmills almost to yourself.
For the best time to go, public transport and where to stay, see the 3-day plan for Amsterdam.
Your plan
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5 days in Amsterdam: frequently asked questions
Are 5 days in Amsterdam too long?
Not if you add day trips. Haarlem and the Zaanse Schans are so close that you are back in Amsterdam for the evening.
Haarlem or Zaanse Schans if there is only time for one?
Haarlem if you want a real old town with museums. The Zaanse Schans if you want windmills – it is more of an open-air museum.
How do I get from Amsterdam to Haarlem?
By train from Amsterdam Centraal, about 15 minutes. Trains run several times an hour during the day.
More plans for Amsterdam
- One dayOne day in Amsterdam – walking routeFrom the Rijksmuseum through the old centre to the Jordaan – with the Anne Frank House in the afternoon and dinner by a canal.
- WeekendA weekend in Amsterdam: Friday to SundayFriday the canals in the evening light, Saturday the Jordaan and Rijksmuseum, Sunday the ferry across the IJ.
- 3 days3 days in Amsterdam – a ready-made itineraryThe canal ring and the Jordaan, the big museums and a day taking the ferries to Noord.
- With kidsAmsterdam with kids: 2 easy daysExperiments at NEMO, a tall ship to explore, animals at Artis – and on day two, playgrounds and ship models.
- On a budgetAmsterdam on a budget: 2 days, mostly freeCourtyards, bridges, parks and ferries that cost nothing – plus a street market, a library view and a rooftop.
Plan created with AI support – please check opening hours, prices and routes before you go. Coordinates checked with Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap (Photon). Photo: Kaz Alting, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. More in Sources & licences. YesTrip is a trip planner, not a travel agency – nothing is booked.
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