One of the great things about Amsterdam, is it is usually an easy city to get to, even from the US, making it a great option for someone who has limited time for a trip. Another great thing about Amsterdam is that it has amazing countryside and beautiful small Dutch towns within 30 minute trains rides from Amsterdam! Here is a great way to spend 5 days in Amsterdam (and around it)!
This itinerary is really ideal for someone who has been to Amsterdam before or who has a lot of interest in smaller European cities and towns; it includes several day trips or nights just outside of Amsterdam. But I TRULY loved seeing every place we visited on this trip!
- A few places I recommend to see around Amsterdam are Utrecht, Haarlem and Zaandam/Zaanse Schans. In summation, this itinerary includes:
- 2 nights Utrecht
- 1 night Haarlem
- 2 nights Amsterdam
- You can see any and all of these as day trips from Amsterdam if you don’t want to switch towns.
- Due to inflated prices in Amsterdam from a festival, we opted to stay outside of Amsterdam on the weekend nights to save around $500
Wednesday: Day 0.5
I added day 0.5 because it counts in the world of PTO. But ONE (among many) of the great things about Amsterdam is that it is quite easy to get to from the US. From Little Rock, we flew to Atlanta at 4:00 pm and then left Atlanta directly to Amsterdam around 8:00 pm. It was one of the easiest, quickest travels days to Europe I have had!
Thursday: Day 1 Utrecht
Be sure to land in Amsterdam early in order to maximize your time! I recommend spending a night or two in Utrecht rather than day tripping from Amsterdam. It is the largest of the listed cities and really is a beautiful and charming city!
Once you land, prepare for about 2 hours to get your ticket and train to Utrecht; the train ride is about about 30 minutes from Amsterdam airport to Utrecht.
- We landed at around 10:00 am and were checked into the hotel and exploring Utrecht by about 12:30 in the afternoon!
Once you check in, head toward the Utrecht city center. Utrecht has the cutest architecture along the shopping streets. From there, make your way down Oudegracht street, which is the main street along the canal that runs through Utrecht’s city center. This is where you can find Amsterdam vibes with much less crowds!
Friday: Day 2 Kasteel De Haar
Day 2 was one of my favorite days! Though it was rainy and took a bit to get Kasteel de Haar, the castle was WORTH IT!
Friday Morning
Get up early and head to Kasteel De Haar! The grounds open at 10:00 am. I recommend getting there at opening to try and beat crowds.
- Prepare for about 2 hours to explore the grounds and the inside of the castle.
- We spent about 2 hours at the castle (11-1pm)
Getting to Kasteel de Haar is quite the feat! Click here for EVERYTHING you will need to know about a day trip to Kasteel de Haar!
Friday Afternoon
Leaving the castle by about 1pm gives you plenty of time to get back to Utrecht to further explore the city. We opted to take the tour up the Dom bell tower once we got back to Utrecht; I love a city view from above! It was cool to see the GIANT bells inside the bell tower. However!
- IMPORTANT TO KNOW THOUGH:
- I recommend it if you visit when construction is COMPLETE.
- However, right now it is still under construction and the “beautiful view” at the top is very restricted. I don’t recommend it unless the scaffolding has been cleared!
- An alternative to Dom Tower (if it’s still under construction) is to head to the Old City wall of Utrecht on the eastern side of the city, shop (there are loads of shops) or visit one of the parks near the city center.
Click here for everything to know about visiting Utrecht!
Saturday: Day 3 Haarlem
Compared to Utrecht, Haarlem is more quaint. Like Utrecht, though, it is home to a couple of canals that give you that Amsterdam feel, but it is also home to an adorable windmill on the edge of town along the major canal of Haarlem.
Getting to Haarlem from Utrecht:
- The train ride from Utrecht is about 50 minutes with a train switch at Amsterdam central. Haarlem, compared to Utrecht is smaller and easier to see in one day, making it a great day trip option as well!
Saturday Morning
Once you arrive in Utrecht, I recommend heading straight to the famous windmill of Haarlem, Molen de Adriaan. The walk to the windmill will take you through some of the cutest streets of Haarlem and along one of the most picturesque canals!
Take in the scenes of the windmill from the outside, but I also recommend taking the tour inside the windmill. It is cool to see how the windmills function and our guide was the sweetest man! About the Haarlem windmill tour:
- Time: About 45 minutes
- Price: 7.5 Euros
- You can book tickets online here, or you can purchase tickets on site
Saturday Afternoon
After the windmill tour, head back to the center of Haarlem and the Grote Markt. This is the center of Haarlem where you will find many cafes and even a fresh market if you are arriving on Saturday!
If you are patient, for dinner you can head to the church-turned-brewery, Jopen! At the least, walk in to see the unique brewery, but know that if you arrive on a Saturday it will likely be very busy! Click here for information on the brewery!
To note:
- This night could be spent in Amsterdam due to the size of Haarlem and its proximity to Amsterdam
- As mentioned before, we opted to stay in Haarlem due to the prices in Amsterdam on Saturday night because of a music festival. However, whichever you choose, Haarlem is worth visiting!
Sunday: Day 4 Amsterdam
Sunday is for Amsterdam! I mean you’re here for an Amsterdam itinerary and I haven’t mentioned it once yet 🙃 Amsterdam is a gorgeous city and part of its appeal is that you can enjoy just walking down the picturesque canals lined with beautiful architecture and not spend a dime.
Sunday Morning
Head into Amsterdam! Get a relatively early start to maximize time in Amsterdam! Lucky for you, the train ride from Haarlem to Amsterdam city center is only about 15 minutes!
- Once you get into Amsterdam, find your hotel and prepare to explore! (Double check that your hotel does luggage holds! Most do)
P.S. If you want to do the Anne Frank Museum, BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE. I’ve been to Amsterdam twice, and they sold out before I could buy tickets twice! And this time we visited during shoulder season!
If you score tickets to the Anne Frank Museum, your itinerary will likely revolve around that. However, the museum is near the Jordaan neighborhood and this is where I recommend starting your explorations anyway. The Jordaan neighborhood is where you will find the most picturesque canals and architecture in Amsterdam!
Sunday Afternoon
After exploring Jordaan for a couple of hours, take a canal cruise! I didn’t do this the first time in Amsterdam and enjoyed doing it the second time around. It’s a great way to see a large portion of Amsterdam and it is an affordable activity as well. We walked up and bought a ticket with Reederij P Kooij canal cruises. The canal cruise:
- Time: 1 hour, leaving every 30 minutes
- Price: 13 Euros
- Open 10am to 9pm April-Oct, then 10am to 5pm November-March
- Tickets can be purchased here!
There is no shortage of canal cruises in Amsterdam. They are around every corner. If you prefer a night cruise, a dinner cruise or anything different, there are loads of options.
Monday: Day 5 Zaandam/Zaanse Schans
The day trip to Zaandam and Zaanse Schans was another highlight of our trip to Amsterdam! They bring an entirely different experience to the table than Utrecht, Haarlem and Amsterdam provide! Zaandam is home to very UNIQUE architecture- like you step into a storybook! And if you are really wanting to see traditional Dutch windmills, Zaanse Schans is the perfect trip from Amsterdam for it!
Monday Morning
Catch the train from Amsterdam city center to Zaandam.
- The train ride is only about 15 minutes from Amsterdam central and spits you out right by the “instafamous” lego land area of Zaandam.
Zaandam is the smallest of all cities in this itinerary. Take a stroll down the primary street in Zaandam and take in the colorful buildings.
- However, in my humble opinion, for whatever it’s worth, there isn’t a lot to see in Zaandam. It is pretty cool to see the unique archiecture, but the main street is mostly full of stores for shopping. So if you aren’t in the mood for shopping, I recommend quickly heading to Zaanse Schans.
FYI: Know that the windmills in Zaanse Schans are NOT in walking distance of Zaandam (I thought they were 🙃). So from Zaandam, you will take the bus to Zaanse Schans, which is about 30 minutes.
In my opinion, if you are going to make the trip to Zaanse Schans (which you should) you may as well stop to see Zaandam while you are there. However, you should allot more time for Zaanse Schans because it offers more to explore.
For EVERYTHING you need to know about visiting the windmills at Zaanse Schans, click here!
If you prefer guided tours, there are several guided bus tours that leave from Amsterdam and visit Zaanse Schans along with other smaller Dutch towns. Though they don’t usually include Zaandam, many include Volendam or Geithoorn which look amazing as well!
Monday Afternoon
After getting your feel of the Dutch countryside, head back to Amsterdam to maximize what you can see in the city! Getting back to Amsterdam from Zaanse Schans:
- There is a bus stop with a direct route to Amsterdam city center just outside of the Zaanse Schans parking area
- The bus ride is about 50 minutes back to Amsterdam central on bus line 391 for about 3-6 Euros
Once you return to Amsterdam (you can be back by about 3:00 pm with a relatively early start), I recommend walking around the eastern portion of Amsterdam central.
As soon as you return to Amsterdam central is a great time to go to Damrak canal to see the famous “gingerbread” houses (had no idea that was what they were called until recently 🙃). They are located JUST outside of Amsterdam central station.
After you get your epic shots, head to Oude Kerk Amsterdam, which is a beautiful cathedral then make your way down Oudezijds Voorburgwal which follows along a picturesque canal on more of the eastern side of the city.
Tuesday: Day 6- travel home day
What I would Change to this Amsterdam Itinerary
I 100% recommend eveything on this itiernary. However, if you can find affordable hotels or aren’t worried about maintaining a strict budget, I would stay in Amsterdam for 3 nights and day trip to Haarlem. It is a SHORT train ride from Amsterdam and would take away one more packing/unpacking of the suitcase!
- This is based mostly on the short itinerary and to get the most out of your time. However, if you plan to stay a little longer, Haarlem is charming enough and deserving of a couple-night stay!
Other than this, even if you decide to stay in Haarlem to cut costs, I thoroughly enjoyed everything we were able to do and see!
THings we Didn't do with these 5 days in Amsterdam
As previously mentioned, this was my second time in Amsterdam, so some parts of Amsterdam I had already experienced. Click here for things we did in 2017 that we enjoyed doing (bike tour, walking tour, etc) that you can add to your itinerary!
Recap of 5 days in Amsterdam
If you want to experience everything Amsterdam has to offer PLUS see some of the smaller Dutch towns and countryside, you would really need at LEAST a week. But if you have 5 days in Amsterdam and you are wanting to maximize your time there, this is a great way to get a mix of both city and small town Netherlands!
This was such a fun 5 day itinerary to Amsterdam! I took this trip with my mom and we both enjoyed everything we saw. Having been to Amsterdam once already, I wanted to get out of the city a little, and I am really glad we did. The countryside just outside of Amsterdam is WORTH seeing! And although Amsterdam is one of the most picturesque cities and I really enjoy it, I really recommend going to see the windmills as well.