Disclosure: This blog is reader-supported, and some posts contain affiliate links. If you make a booking, I may earn a small commission-at no extra cost to you. Thank you for keeping me writing and doing what I love!
If you’re planning to visit the beautiful city in winter, this 2 day Amsterdam itinerary in the winter is for you. I’ve had the opportunity to visit Amsterdam in the warm, summer months and in the magical winter months. Both visits offered a different perspective on this cultural city. In the summer, I spent the majority of my time outdoors. Instead of museums, I spent my time getting lost on the streets overlooking the canals. In the winter, my itinerary looked completely different.
Amsterdam in winter means less daylight, and cooler temperatures. As I planned this visit to Amsterdam, I knew I wanted to break up the time outdoors to get a break from the harsh weather that may be awaiting us.
Day 1: Walking, Museums, and Canal Dinner
Morning coffee & stroll
Once you land, you’ll head to the hotel. I recommend staying at the Tivoli Doelen Hotel, but if you like options you can check out where to stay in Amsterdam. Once you drop your bags off at the hotel, it’s time to make every moment count with only two days in the city of canals. If you didn’t sleep all that great on your red eye flight in your economy seat, don’t worry. Your first stop is to go to get coffee.
The dutch phrase “koffiehuis” meaning coffee house is very different from when you see “coffee shop” in English while in Amsterdam. If you’re looking for coffee and search “coffee shops” on your map, it will likely lead you to a shop selling marijuana. A coffee shop using the english term sells cannabis but a “koffiehuis” serves coffee.
Since we’re looking for actual coffee, I’d like to recommend my favorite koffiehuis in Amsterdam. It’s called Back to Black and there’s two locations – I recommend going to the Weteringstraat location for this itinerary. I first visited here with my friend who lives in Amsterdam and the coffee house has a tabby cat mascot. The cat actually joined us during our time there and sat on my lap. It was so cute and I hope the tabby cat joins you too!
Once you’ve had your coffee, bundle up and walk the canals. It’s easy to wander and get lost on the streets – it’s a great opportunity to take in the charm of the city center. There are house boats and beautiful storefronts you can pop into as you stroll through the city.
If you’re feeling up to it, walk a little through the Red Light District. If you want to escape the cold, I really like the Red Lights Secret Museum. It’s surprisingly educational and insightful to this side of the city.
Afternoon at the Anne Frank House
After the Red Light District, walk over to the Jordaan Neighborhood. Jordaan was once a neighborhood for the working class but today you’ll find it very popular among artists, students, and tourists. This is a perfect time to grab a snack at Fabel Frites. It’s also where the Anne Frank House museum is, where you’ll be going next.
The Anne Frank House is a place I’ve always wanted to visit, and sadly couldn’t get tickets when I visited Amsterdam the first time. To visit, you must purchase a ticket online for a specific time slot. Every Tuesday, tickets are released on the website for six weeks later. Set an alarm for when the tickets open, and try and book your timeslot for 1:30pm local time!
*I recommend booking your time slot for the afternoon, in case your flight is delayed.
On average, visitors spend about an hour at the Anne Frank House. You will be able to see the famous hinged bookcase – the book case that hid the Annex where the Frank family went into hiding. This can be a very heavy experience, so take your time and absorb as much information as you can here.
If you are unable to grab tickets for a visit, you can consider an Anne Frank walking tour. You can learn about the history of the Dutch resistance during the second World War, visit the Jewish Cultural Quarter, and more all under two-hours.
Time to Freshen up and have dinner
After the Anne Frank Museum, it may be good to take a walk and decompress from the emotions. We walked back through the neighborhoods back to the Tivoli Hotel. We spent time freshening and having a bit of down time – the jet lag is no joke!
When you’re ready for dinner, I recommend heading back to the Jordaan neighborhood to eat. I recommend having dinner at either Linguine locations for delicious Italian cuisine. It’s a tiny, “hole-in-the-wall” kind of place that you’d miss if you didn’t know it was there. We foolishly didn’t make a reservation (make sure you do this!), but we were lucky that seats were open at the bar. We had the best carbonara we’ve had since our wedding in Italy.
If pasta isn’t your thing, then go to Tacos and Tequila for a fun dinner.
When it comes to a night cap, there are few bars that my local friend recommended. We ended up going to Sins of Sal, but the other locations we considered are Tales & Spirits, Super Lyan, and Bar Mokum. Note that all of these places open after 5 or even 6pm!
If your night cap vibes is more for dessert, I read a lot about the Dutch pancakes and how they are a must try. We went to Pat’s Poffertjes – a Dutch mini pancake famous spot and I must warn you, they are very doughy in the middle.
Day 2: Stroopwaffels, Heineken, & Canal Cruises
Morning bagels & stroopwaffel class
Day 2 is filled with fun activities to escape the crisp wintery air of the city. Start the morning with bagels at Bagel Boy. Bagel Boy has the best bagel sandwiches and although it seems like an American type of breakfast, we happily indulged. They had fresh cinnamon rolls for sale, and the barista working made incredible cortados for us. I recommend the Weteringschans location, although there’s another locations close to the stroopwaffel class I’m recommending next.
Now, you’re headed to a Stroopwaffel class. We booked the class for the morning and we loved having a cultural activity that was out of the cold. We booked our tickets in advance and were so glad we went to this class! It was maybe an hour long, so you’re not committing too much time for this. I thought I didn’t like stroopwaffles, and that’s only because I’ve never had them fresh. Incredible!
If you book the same stroopwaffle class as us, it puts you near the iconic Albert Cuyp market. This market is a mixture of a farmers market, and storefronts on the street extended their stores to the street. We were able to pick up toiletries, artwork, and ramen for a snack.
If you are somehow still hungry, Bakers and Roasters is nearby and is a very popular brunch spot.
Heineken Experience & Lunch
If I was traveling to Amsterdam solo, I likely wouldn’t have gone to the Heineken experience. This was something my husband wanted to check out while we were in the city and it was actually SO fun – more fun than the Guinness Factory tour in Dublin!.
The tickets we grabbed through Get Your Guide were less than $30 per person. and included two drink tokens per person. The tour starts with a small introduction on the history of Heineken, and then it becomes a self guided tour. Our favorite part was definitely the part of the experience where we become the Heineken beer. It sounds weird, but trust me it was cool. We spent a little under two hours here, taking our time learning about the history and slowly sipping our free drinks. If you don’t drink alcohol, the zero proof Heineken beer tastes better than the classic (in my opinion.)
We were really enjoying this area of Amsterdam but it was time to explore other parts of the city. We walked towards the Albert Cuyp Market and grabbed a snack from another stand along with the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had to date.
Christmas Canal Cruise
When you’re visiting Amsterdam, you must not miss a night canal cruise. Amsterdam illuminates the canals with beautiful holiday lights. Sitting on a warm boat, with endless drinks while appreciating the festive lights is impeccable vibes all around.
We grabbed our tickets through Get Your Guide (again) and we upgraded our tickets to include unlimited drinks and a snack. The cotton candy skies that slowly turned into night with the illuminating Christmas show was the perfect end to 2 days in Amsterdam.
Final Thoughts
While I loved the warmth of Amsterdam in the summer, the magic of the holiday season in Amsterdam is tough to beat. Whenever you visit Amsterdam, I hope you enjoy the city as much as we did.
My favorites of Amsterdam: 8 highlights of Amsterdam you shouldn’t skip
Once you decide on where to stay in Amsterdam, it’s time to make a plan. If you don’t want to follow my two day Amsterdam itinerary, then this post will give you the 8 highlights of Amsterdam that you shouldn’t skip!
Where to Stay in Amsterdam
The best places on where to stay in Amsterdam.
