Here’s how we spent our 2 days in Amsterdam

Day 1 (afternoon/evening)

Visit the Van Gogh museum (2 – 3 hours should be plenty to see most if not all of Van Gogh’s work that’s housed here)

TIP: Book advanced tickets for timed entry directly from the official website

My 8-year-old really enjoyed this museum. Van Gogh’s paintings are vibrant and colorful, and the museum does a great job and hands out booklets to kids, that keeps it interesting for them. Another trick we try an employ at museums, is to refer to a guide in advance for the most famous works and then do a ‘treasure hunt’ with your kid, while conveniently going through the sections you would most like to see.

Spend time at Museumplein (this is the square with the ‘I love Amsterdam sign’ and has street musicians, crafts and cafes and sits between Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum) (allow at least 1 hour). We had fun climbing the ‘I love Amsterdam sign’ and enjoying the fountains. Also, you get a great shot of the front façade of Rijksmuseum from here. Our son loved climbing over the every one of the letters and posing for us.

Visit the Dam Square (this is like the Times Square of Amsterdam) and spend time at the square in front of the Royal Palace.  There are some great cafes and restaurants around Dam Square. We grabbed some coffee and gelato and enjoyed them while watching the street performers, while also giving our legs a much-needed break.

Day 2

Visit the Rijksmuseum (2 – 3 hours). We were there in July and did not have too wait too long to get tickets directly at the ticket counter.

TIP: Get here before it opens, to avoid crowds and save time. Also, it is a huge museum, so try and follow a good guide to prioritize what you’d prefer to see (especially if you only have a few hours).

After finishing with the museum, take a detour through Vondelpark and head to Leidseplein (Amsterdam’s liveliest square – outdoor tables under trees, lined with cafes, theatres and nightclubs. This place is always bustling with tourists, diners, trams, mimes, and fire eaters! There are plenty of great option to have lunch here.

After lunch, depending upon where your hotel is, I would recommend walking through the city (with a few detours if needed) towards your hotel. This will give you a good feel for the city and also allow you to see several sights. We walked from Leidseplein towards our hotel near Centraal and covered the Flower Market, Spui Square, New Church, Royal Palace, Dam square and the Stock Exchange. The weather was perfect while we were there, but it a decently long walk, so it was good to be back at the hotel and get a couple of hours rest.

In the evening, we decided to visit the Anne Frank House (1.5 – 2 hours). During World War II, Anne Frank along with her family and 4 others hid from Nazi persecution at the rear of the 17th-century house. This was known as the Secret Annex. Unfortunately, Anne did not survive the war, however her wartime diary was recovered and published. In 1957, the Anne Frank Foundation was established to protect the property from developers who wanted to demolish the block. It was a somber experience for us, and we had prepped the kids by giving them an overview on WW II and Nazi Germany – that really helped them to better understand and appreciate what they saw. Providing context to the little ones through stories really engages them and allows them to absorb – I think our son learns most of his history while we are traveling.

TIP: You must book tickets in advance to visit. Book directly from the official website. The audio guides are great and provide a lot of details.

After Anne Frank, we needed to cheer ourselves, and a great way of doing that is to grab a gelato and head directly to St. Andrews courtyard (500 meters from Anne Frank house) to start walking towards the Jordaan neighborhood. This area is known for its little streets and canals along which are beautiful houses and nice restaurants. A lot of those pretty canal shots and bicycles on bridges come from here. Popular streets are the Prinsengracht, the Westerstraat, the Haarlemmerstraat and the ‘9 straatjes’ (nine little streets). We had a lovely dinner here and took a tram back to our hotel.

Every time I am in a European city, I love to head out to some of the picturesque spots right around sunset. As all the monuments start lighting up, they produce some amazing shots against the backdrop of the city lights and water bodies. Amsterdam is one of the prettiest cities and the unique architecture and the plethora of canals make for some great captures.

Amsterdam is one of those few cities where it is probably as crowded at night as it is during the day! (I think the only people inside hotel rooms are the ones with kids, and sometimes even they figure out an escape plan) Well, there are venues, events and activities to suit every taste. Do your research, have fun and be safe. There’s always a morning after!

Day 3 (Morning)

Our original plan was to rent out bicycles and spend most of the morning riding and exploring the places we liked from the previous day.  No other city in the world has as many bikes and this city makes it the most convenient mode of transport.  Its perfectly normal to see most locals suit up and head to work on their bikes. It would have been a nice way to wrap up our Amsterdam visit. However, laziness got the better of us and we opted to sleep in late and then have a nice breakfast by the main canal. And that wasn’t a bad way to say goodbye to this amazing city either!

Later in the morning, we checked out of our hotel and headed back to Centraal to take Thalys train to Brussels.

If you have additional time in Amsterdam, I would recommend checking some of the other lesser known museums this city has or taking the ferry to Amsterdam north to experience the vibrant food and cultural scene or doing a short day trip and visiting a windmill.