Amsterdam, planned in the right order

What you need to decide

• When to be online for the Anne Frank House. Tickets are sold only on annefrank.org, never at the museum, and new slots go on sale every Tuesday at 10:00 Amsterdam time for visits six weeks later. There is no waiting list and no refund or rescheduling. An adult pays €16.50 and ages 10–17 pay €7, booking fee included (official tickets page, checked 12 October 2026). See when Anne Frank House tickets go on sale.
• Which museums need a slot. The Rijksmuseum costs €25 for an adult and is free for ages 18 and under, but every visitor must book a start time, including Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card holders, who enter free (checked 12 October 2026). Het Scheepvaartmuseum does not need advance booking: you can buy at the door, but it takes debit and credit cards only, not cash or American Express.
• How to pay for trams, metro and buses. Tap a contactless bank card or phone in and out. In 2026 a GVB trip costs a €1.16 boarding fare plus €0.217 per kilometre, and the day's card charges on GVB day lines stop at €10.50 (Vervoerregio Amsterdam, checked 12 October 2026). Each traveller needs their own card. See GVB fares: paying by card vs day tickets.
• Train, bus or taxi from Schiphol. The NS train from track 3 under Schiphol Plaza reaches Amsterdam Centraal in about 17 minutes, eight times an hour. Bus 397 is better for Museumplein and Leidseplein, from €6.50 single. See Schiphol to the city centre.
• Bike or public transport. Two adults renting insured city bikes for two days pay €81.80–€85.60 at the two big central shops, against a €42 maximum for the same pair on GVB with bank cards (checked 12 October 2026). See bike rental and cycling rules.
• What your room really costs. Amsterdam's tourist tax is 12.5% of the overnight price, worked out on the room price before VAT, for every type of stay. See Amsterdam tourist tax per night.

Plan in this order

Compare the main tickets

Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card holders enter the Rijksmuseum and Het Scheepvaartmuseum free. At the Anne Frank House the City Card gives no discount, and the Museumkaart rate is €1.

Getting in and around

Recommendations by situation

Re-check on the day

Several of these figures were already showing different values on different official pages when they were checked on 12 October 2026. Before you go, look again at:

• the NS fare from Schiphol, which NS still labels as a 2025 price, and the bus 397 stop while Schiphol rebuilds its bus station;
• the Anne Frank House holiday hours, including 7 November 2026 (9:00–18:30);
• the Rijksmuseum CJP/EYCA price, shown as €12.50 on two pages and €11.25 on another;
• wind at Het Scheepvaartmuseum, which can close the replica ship and jetty, and any early-closing notice in its ticket shop;
• which Zaanse Schans mills and museums are open that day, and whether bus 800 runs to its published 9:00–17:00 pattern;
• cruise offer prices, which may be temporary, and whether the A'DAM Lookout swing is running in strong wind;
• the GVB daily cap, which some pages still show at the 2025 level of €10.00;
• whether a new tourist tax rate applies from 1 January 2027.

Each guide names the page it follows and its check date.