Day-by-day eating plans for Amsterdam. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Amsterdam weekend: rijsttafel, brown cafes and a 17th-century apple pie ★ 4.6

First-time visitor, two days2 days

A weekend built around Amsterdam's defining meals: a rijsttafel, a haringhandel stop, Winkel 43's apple pie, a brown cafe pour, and one new-classic dinner.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: market morning, brown cafe afternoon, rijsttafel dinner

    Morning
    Lindengracht Markt at 09:00 for cheese, sourdough and oysters. Winkel 43 on Noordermarkt opens for apple pie by 10:00. Coffee at Lot Sixty One in Oud-West to follow.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Spang Makandra in De Pijp: roti kip, saoto soep, under 15 euros a plate. Walk Albert Cuypmarkt afterwards for stroopwafels at Rudi's. Jenever at Wynand Fockink at 17:00.
    Evening
    Rijsttafel dinner at Restaurant Blauw in Oud-Zuid. Twenty-plus small plates, book a fortnight ahead. Nightcap at Cafe 't Smalle in the Jordaan.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: pastry, museum lunch, late dinner across the IJ

    Morning
    Vlaamsch Broodhuys on Haarlemmerstraat for sourdough by 09:30. Flat white at Scandinavian Embassy on Sarphatipark for the third-wave coffee orthodoxy.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at RIJKS inside the Rijksmuseum: one-Michelin-starred plates priced for the museum visit. Frens Haringhandel at Koningsplein for an afternoon Hollandse Nieuwe.
    Evening
    Ferry across the IJ for dinner at Hotel De Goudfazant in Amsterdam-Noord: a four-course menu in a converted 1200 sqm warehouse. Walhalla or Brouwerij 't IJ for a closing pilsner.

Amsterdam three days: the local-favourite plan ★ 4.7

Returning visitor or three-day stay3 days

Three days for the traveller who has done the canals: De Pijp eating, modern Indonesian, a Michelin-starred game room, and the natural-wine map.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: De Pijp eating

    Morning
    Coffee at Little Collins in De Pijp. Brunch eggs to follow at Kafe Kontrast on Ceintuurbaan.
    Afternoon
    Albert Cuypmarkt walk-through, herring stop at Volendammer Vishandel, stroopwafel from the market stall. Coffee at White Label Coffee in West for the afternoon pull.
    Evening
    Dinner at nNea in Oud-West: Neapolitan pizza, the seventh-ranked in Europe. Natural wine at GlouGlou on Tweede van der Helststraat to close.

  2. Day 2: Day 2: modern Indonesian and game

    Morning
    Sourdough breakfast at Vlaamsch Broodhuys on Haarlemmerstraat. Coffee at Monks Coffee Roasters in Oud-West.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Mama Makan: contemporary Indonesian rijsttafel in Plantage. Walk through to Wynand Fockink for a jenever flight.
    Evening
    Dinner at Wilde Zwijnen in Indische Buurt: game menu, wild boar, venison. Cocktails at Tales and Spirits on Lijnbaansteeg.

  3. Day 3: Day 3: vegetable fine dining and the ferry crossing

    Morning
    Brunch at Rum Baba in Oost: cardamom buns and house granola bowls.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at De Kas inside the greenhouse in Frankendael: vegetable-forward tasting menu, the kitchen growing its own.
    Evening
    Dinner at Flore at De L'Europe: two Michelin stars, entirely dairy-free, vegetable-forward seven courses. Cocktails at Twenty Third Bar on top of Hotel Okura for the view.

Amsterdam in a day: the Indonesian heritage plate ★ 4.6

Short stay, single-day visitor focused on Amsterdam's defining cuisine1 day

One day routed through Amsterdam's three-century Indonesian legacy: a colonial-bakery breakfast, a Surinamese roti lunch, an old-guard rijsttafel dinner, jenever at a 1679 distillery.

  1. Day 1: A single day through Amsterdam's Indonesian table

    Morning
    Vlaamsch Broodhuys on Haarlemmerstraat at 09:00 for sourdough and a flat white at the bar. Walk to Friedhats in Oud-West for an espresso on the bar's own roast.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Spang Makandra in De Pijp: Surinamese roti kip, bara, saoto soep, the post-colonial Java table at street prices. Albert Cuypmarkt browse afterwards for an afternoon stroopwafel from Rudi's.
    Evening
    Rijsttafel at Indrapura on Rembrandtplein from 17:30, the three-decade Centrum institution running 20-plus dishes across the table. Jenever flight at Wynand Fockink on Pijlsteeg after, the distillery pouring since 1679.

Amsterdam vegan two days: junk food to two Michelin stars ★ 4.7

Vegan visitors, two days (avoid Sunday and Monday for the fine-dining day)2 days

Two days proving Amsterdam runs Europe's deepest vegan bench: De Pijp junk food, a Bourse vegan cafe, a Frankendael greenhouse, and Flore's entirely dairy-free seven-course tasting at De L'Europe.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: De Pijp vegan junk food and natural wine

    Morning
    Coffee at Friedhats in Oud-West on the bar's own roast. Brunch at Rum Baba in Oost from 10:00 for the vegan plate options.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Vegan Junk Food Bar in De Pijp: the loaded fries and 'no chicken' burger that set the city's vegan template. Walk Albert Cuypmarkt for a stroopwafel from Rudi's. Coffee at White Label Coffee in West for the afternoon pull.
    Evening
    Dinner at Bonboon on Rozenstraat in the Jordaan, the room running an entirely plant-based seasonal tasting. Natural wine at GlouGlou on Tweede van der Helststraat to close, the bottle list growers-only.

  2. Day 2: Day 2: greenhouse lunch and a two-Michelin-star vegetable seven-course

    Morning
    Sourdough breakfast at Vlaamsch Broodhuys on Haarlemmerstraat. A cold-pressed juice at Sla in De Pijp before lunch.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at De Kas inside the Frankendael greenhouse, the vegetable-forward tasting menu drawn from the kitchen's own beds (closed Sundays).
    Evening
    Dinner at Flore at De L'Europe, two Michelin stars on an entirely dairy-free seven-course vegetable tasting (Wed-Sat only). Closing cocktails at Tales and Spirits on Lijnbaansteeg.

Amsterdam coffee and bakery crawl ★ 4.4

Coffee lover, one day1 day

A single-day Amsterdam walk threading the city's specialty coffee anchors with Vlaamsch Broodhuys for sourdough and Choux for modern Dutch.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: Jordaan coffee, bakery loop, dinner

    Morning
    Open coffee in Jordaan, walk to Vlaamsch Broodhuys on Haarlemmerstraat for fresh sourdough.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Spang Makandra in De Pijp with Surinamese-Javanese plates.
    Evening
    Dinner at Choux on Stadhouderskade with the seasonal Dutch tasting and natural wine.
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