4 Days in Amsterdam

Arrive at Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS). Train to Centraal Station (15 min, €5). Check into Hotel Mercier (4★, €180/night) in the Jordaan — a converted 19th-century building.

Walk the Nine Streets (De Negen Straatjes) — 17th-century streets with canals, vintage shops, and cafés. The best introduction to Amsterdam's charm.

Anne Frank House (€16/person, pre-booked weeks ahead). The Secret Annex where the Frank family hid. Deeply moving — allocate 1.5 hours.

Canal cruise (€15/person, 1 hr) — the best way to see Amsterdam. Evening cruises with wine are especially romantic.

Dinner at De Kas ($55/person) — a restaurant inside a 1926 greenhouse. Vegetables grown on-site; Mediterranean tasting menu.

Rijksmuseum (€22.50/person, pre-booked). Netherlands' national museum in a stunning 1885 building. Rembrandt's The Night Watch, Vermeer's The Milkmaid, and the dollhouses.

Lunch at Rijks (€40/person) — the museum's Michelin-starred restaurant with excellent value lunch menus. Executive chef Joris Bijdendijk.

Van Gogh Museum (€21/person, pre-booked). Sunflowers, The Bedroom, Wheatfield with Crows. The chronological layout tells Van Gogh's life story through his art.

Bike ride through Vondelpark — rent a bike at MacBike (€15/day). The 120-acre English-style park is Amsterdam's backyard.

Dinner at Foodhallen ($20/person) — Amsterdam's first indoor food market in a former tram depot. 21 food stalls: Dutch bitterballen, Viet View, Jabugo Bar for Iberian ham.

Albert Cuyp Market — Amsterdam's largest outdoor market (Mon-Sat). Stroopwafels made fresh (€2.50), poffertjes (mini pancakes), and the best haring (Dutch herring) at Vishandel Koster.

Heineken Experience (€23/person, pre-booked) — the former brewery turned interactive museum. The tasting room at the end has the best views.

Lunch at Bakers & Roasters ($18/person) — Kiwi-Brazilian brunch with New Zealand flat whites and amazing huevos rancheros.

Explore De Pijp: the "Quartier Latin" of Amsterdam. Relaxed, multicultural, and full of independent shops. Walk the Sarphatipark.

A'DAM Lookout (€15/person) — take the free ferry behind Centraal Station. 360° observation deck with Europe's highest swing (Over the Edge, €5 extra) that swings you over the IJ river.

Dinner at Café de Klepel ($50/person) in the Jordaan — a tiny French bistro with incredible natural wines and a daily-changing 3-course menu. Intimate, candlelit perfection.

Morning bike ride along the Amstel River to Ouderkerk aan de Amstel (1 hr each way) — a beautiful ride through the Dutch countryside with windmills and grazing cows.

Brunch at G's Really Nice Place ($20/person) — famous brunch boat on the Oosterdok. Bottomless mimosas and eggs Benedict on a canal boat.

Last canal-side walk through the Jordaan. Visit the Tulip Museum (free, small but delightful) and the Houseboat Museum (€4.50) to see how Amsterdammers live on the water.

Depart for Schiphol Airport (AMS). Train from Centraal (15 min, €5). Arrive 2 hours before European flights.