On my way to and from Thailand, I stopped in Amsterdam. I split it up with two nights in Amsterdam and then three nights outside of Amsterdam to see the tulips and windmills, but I combined my itinerary for what would make sense if you were just going for a long weekend. Since the flower season in the Netherlands is only from the end of March until May, you wouldn’t and shouldn’t visit Lisse or the Keukenhof Gardens outside of that time frame, so I have suggestions of other cities worth a visit while in the Netherlands as well as some more restaurant recommendations:
Day 1 Amsterdam
Arrive Amsterdam and take train to hotel
Check-in Hotel Fita
Walk to Food Hallen (16 min walk)
Boat ride through the canals
Red Light District
Day 2 Amsterdam
Anne Frank House 12PM
Cheese Museum near Anne Frank House
Winkel 3 (apple pie) near Anne Frank House
Van Gogh Museum 2:30PM
Heineken Experience 5:15PM
Day 3 Windmills
Rent car and drive to Zaandam
Check-in to Inntel Hotels Amsterdam
Drive to Zaanse Schans
Pancakes at Restaurant De Kraai
Visit windmills
Cheese factory
Wooden shoe museum
Chocolate museum)
City of Zaandam for dinner
Day 4 Tulips
Drive to Lisse and stop at tulip fields along the way (Hillegom)
Check in to Hotel Restaurant De Nachtegaal
Visit Keukenhof Gardens
Other food options in Amsterdam
DE PIJP AREA- Restaurant Moeders; Coffee & Coconuts; Wijnbar Paulus (winebar); Bakers and Rosters (good breakfast & lunch); De Japanner;
CENTRUM- The W Lounge (nice view) RED LIGHT DISTRICT- Mata Hari (hidden gem for dinner & drinks); Yoyo (bubble tea)
MUSEUM DISTRICT- Ron Gastrobar (great dinner); Dignita (breakfast)
NORTH- A’dam Toren (rooftop bar & swing over Amsterdam); Moon inside the Toren (best dinner)
Pancake corner, Winkel 3 (apple pie), vab Kerkwijk (great restaurant)
Other options of cities to visit in the Netherlands
Giethoorn- no roads, just canals 90 min drive northeast of Amsterdam
Delft- blue pottery renaissance architecture
Haarlem- like capital, no crowds, brewery in a cathedral
Kinderdijk- lots of windmills UNESCO
Rotterdam (cube houses)
Volendam and Marken (fishing villages)
Utrecht
