Amsterdam · onenicetrip

The reason we’re here

Monday 26 April (King’s Night) and Tuesday 27 April 2027

King’s Day (Koningsdag)

Across Amsterdam: the canals, the Amstelveld and the city’s parks

The king’s birthday, celebrated across the Netherlands in orange. In Amsterdam the streets fill with free markets, parties and festivals, and people sail the canals with family and friends. The evening before, King’s Night, has its own parties.

Every year on 27 April, or on 26 April if the 27th is a Sunday. The date changes each year by a set rule: check it before you travel. Source ↗

18 March to 9 May 2027

Keukenhof spring season

Keukenhof, Lisse

A spring garden with beds of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. In 2027 it is open every day from 18 March to 9 May, including Sundays and holidays.

Opens every spring for about two months, with dates that change each year. The date changes each year by a set rule: check it before you travel. Source ↗

The plan(orange not included)

Five days: canals, tulips, a museum or two and one very orange Tuesday.

Where we sleep (a bit)

4 nights

Base near the canal ring

Canal Ring, Amsterdam

Day 1 · Sat 24 Apr
Markets and a quiet house
A farmers’ market in the Jordaan, a timed visit to the Anne Frank House, and the flower market on the canal to finish.
- Noordermarkt1 h
  A square in the Jordaan, beside the Noorderkerk church of the 1620s, where a farmers’ market takes place on Saturdays.
  What to see
  - The Saturday farmers’ market
  - The Noorderkerk church
  - The narrow streets of the Jordaan around it
  Time
  An hour.
  Tip
  The farmers’ market is on Saturdays only, because Monday’s market on the same square is a flea market. Go early for the best choice.
  To eat
  A slice of aged Gouda, tasted at a cheese stall.
- Anne Frank House1 h 30
  The canal house where Anne Frank and seven others hid during the Second World War, now a museum. The rooms are bare and the visit is quiet.
  What to see
  - The bookcase that hid the entrance to the Secret Annex
  - The rooms where the families lived
  - Anne’s diary and other original objects
  Time
  About an hour and a half.
  Tip
  Entry is by online timed ticket only, and none are sold at the door. Book on the official site as soon as slots open, and don’t buy from resellers.
  To eat
  A pannenkoek, a big Dutch pancake, sweet or savoury, afterwards.
- Floating Flower Market45 min
  A row of flower and bulb stalls on floating platforms along the Singel canal. It is the easiest place to see the whole range of tulips in one go.
  What to see
  - Tulips by the bunch
  - Bulbs sold in packs
  - Clogs and cheese in the souvenir stalls
  Time
  About forty-five minutes.
  Tip
  If you want to take bulbs home, check the plant-import rules at your own border first. Many countries restrict bulbs and plants.
  To eat
  A warm stroopwafel, a thin syrup waffle.
Day 2 · Sun 25 Apr
Tulips, finally
A day out in the bulb region: the spring garden of Keukenhof in the morning, then the flower fields around it in the afternoon.
- KeukenhofHalf a day
  A spring garden near Lisse that opens only for a couple of months a year, with beds of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. In 2027 it is open from 18 March to 9 May.
  What to see
  - Tulip beds in every colour
  - Hyacinth and daffodil borders
  - The indoor flower shows in the pavilions
  Time
  Half a day is comfortable.
  Tip
  Buy tickets only through the park’s official site. Late April is within the season, but how many tulips are out depends on the spring weather, so check what is blooming before you go.
  To eat
  Poffertjes, small fluffy pancakes dusted with icing sugar.
- Bulb fields around Lisse2 h
  The flat farmland around Lisse is a patchwork of commercial flower-bulb fields, striped with colour when the tulips bloom. They are working farms, not parks.
  What to see
  - Stripes of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils
  - Long straight ditches between the fields
  - The view from the road or cycle path
  Time
  An hour or two, depending on the bike.
  Tip
  Look from the road or the cycle paths and never step into a field. The flowers are a crop, and the farmers need the bulbs undamaged.
  To eat
  Bitterballen, small fried meat croquettes eaten with mustard.
Day 3 · Mon 26 Apr
Rembrandt, then an early night
The national museum in the morning, a street market in De Pijp after lunch, and an early night before the big day. King’s Night, the party on the eve, is a perfectly good reason not to sleep.
- Rijksmuseum3 h
  The national museum of the Netherlands, in a red-brick building that reopened in 2013 after a ten-year renovation. Its Golden Age paintings include Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.
  What to see
  - Rembrandt’s The Night Watch
  - Vermeer’s The Milkmaid
  - The Gallery of Honour
  Time
  Three hours.
  Tip
  Book a timed ticket online. The Night Watch room is the busiest, so go there first and see the rest afterwards.
  To eat
  Appeltaart, Dutch apple pie, with whipped cream.
- Albert Cuyp Market1 h 30
  A long street market in De Pijp, open Monday to Saturday, with food stalls, flowers and clothes.
  What to see
  - Cheese stalls with tasting samples
  - Herring and fish stalls
  - Flower and plant stalls
  Time
  An hour and a half.
  Tip
  Walk the whole street before buying anything, because the same goods appear at several stalls. Start at one end and work your way along.
  To eat
  Haring, raw herring with onions and pickles, eaten from a paper tray.
Day 4 · Tue 27 Apr
The whole city goes orange
It’s King’s Day. We go to the free market at the Amstelveld and then drift along the canals. Public transport is chaos, so we walk.
- Vrijmarkt at the Amstelveld2 h
  A square beside the Prinsengracht and one of the best-known free markets (vrijmarkten) on King’s Day, when people sell their things on the street.
  What to see
  - Blankets covered in second-hand things
  - Children selling toys and playing music
  - Orange clothes on absolutely everyone
  Time
  Two hours.
  Tip
  Go early, before the crowds build and the aisles between the blankets disappear. Wear something orange, because you will stand out otherwise.
  To eat
  An orange-iced tompouce, the pastry sold around King’s Day.
- Prinsengracht canal3 h
  The outermost of the three main canals of the seventeenth-century canal ring, lined with gabled houses and houseboats. On King’s Day it fills with boats.
  What to see
  - Boats full of people, music and orange
  - The gabled canal houses
  - Houseboats moored along the quays
  Time
  A slow afternoon.
  Tip
  Boat traffic is one-way on some canals on King’s Day, including the Prinsengracht, and public transport in the centre is heavily disrupted. Walk, and don’t count on a tram.
  To eat
  A paper cone of patat, Dutch chips, with mayonnaise.
Day 5 · Wed 28 Apr
A courtyard, then a park
One last quiet courtyard in the centre, then the park to recover from the orange.
- Begijnhof45 min
  A quiet courtyard of old houses hidden behind the Spui, built as a home for a community of religious women. One of its houses is among the oldest in the city.
  What to see
  - The courtyard garden
  - The old wooden house
  - The small English church
  Time
  Forty-five minutes.
  Tip
  People live here, so keep your voice down and stay on the paths.
  To eat
  A broodje kaas, a cheese sandwich on a soft roll, the Dutch lunch.
- Vondelpark1 h 30
  A large park near the Museumplein, opened in the 1860s, with lawns, ponds and a great many cyclists.
  What to see
  - The ponds and lawns
  - Green parakeets in the trees
  - Picasso’s sculpture Fish
  Time
  An hour or so.
  Tip
  The cyclists on the main paths will not stop for you, so walk on the side and keep an eye out behind you.
  To eat
  A kroket, a fried meat croquette, from a snack-wall.