Free Things to Do in Amsterdam

Amsterdam rewards walkers and freeloaders alike. The city's best features — its canals, architecture, markets, and neighbourhoods — cost nothing to enjoy. Here is what we recommend.

Walk the Canal Belt

The UNESCO-listed grachtengordel (canal belt) is free to walk any time of day. The four main canals — Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht — form concentric arcs around the old city. Walk the Gouden Bocht (Golden Bend) stretch of Herengracht for the grandest 17th-century merchant houses. Early morning is best: quiet, good light, and no tour groups.

Wander the Jordaan

The Jordaan is Amsterdam's most charming neighbourhood and it costs nothing to explore. Spend an hour or two walking its narrow streets, crossing its small bridges, and peering into the quiet courtyards (hofjes) tucked behind street doors. Begijnhof, a 14th-century almshouse courtyard near Spui, is free to enter and genuinely peaceful — one of the city's best kept secrets.

Vondelpark

Amsterdam's most popular park draws locals for running, picnics, open-air chess, and general hanging about. On summer weekends the open-air theatre hosts free performances. The park is large enough to get lost in and well worth an hour or two.

Albert Cuyp Market

The Albert Cuyp Markt in De Pijp is one of Europe's largest street markets and free to browse. It runs Monday to Saturday and sells everything from stroopwafels and fresh herring to fabric and cheap electronics. Even if you buy nothing, the atmosphere is worth the trip.

Noordermarkt

On Saturdays, Noordermarkt hosts a farmers' market (biologische markt) and, on Mondays, a flea market (Lapjesmarkt). Both are free to browse. The Saturday farmers' market is particularly good — organic produce, Dutch cheeses, and strong coffee from the surrounding cafes.

The Rijksmuseum Garden

Entry to the Rijksmuseum itself requires a ticket, but the garden (Museumtuin) is free. It features period garden design, a rose garden, and a handful of sculptures. It also makes a good shortcut between Museumplein and the canal ring.

Museumplein

The square in front of the Rijksmuseum is one of Amsterdam's main gathering spaces. The famous "I Amsterdam" letters are gone from here (they've been moved around the city), but the plaza itself remains a good spot to sit, and in winter it hosts a free ice rink (skate hire is paid).

NDSM Wharf

Take the free ferry from behind Amsterdam Centraal (GVB Ferry 906) to NDSM Wharf on the north bank of the IJ. The former shipyard is now a street art destination, with massive murals covering the old warehouse walls. The ferry ride itself gives good views of the waterfront and costs nothing with or without an OV-chipkaart.

Eye Film Museum exterior and surrounds

While the Eye Film Museum charges for screenings and exhibitions, the building itself — a striking piece of architecture on the IJ waterfront — and the surrounding area are worth the ferry trip. The views back across the water to Amsterdam Centraal are some of the best in the city.

The Begijnhof

Worth singling out separately from the Jordaan: the Begijnhof is a 14th-century enclosed courtyard just off Spui, one of Amsterdam's oldest buildings, and free to enter during opening hours. It is genuinely quiet and genuinely old — a rare thing in a busy city centre.

Hortus Botanicus (exterior and free days)

The botanical garden charges entry, but on certain days (check their site) entry is reduced or free for specific visitors. The neighbourhood around it — Plantage — is worth walking regardless: wide tree-lined streets, the Artis Zoo exterior, and a different pace from the canal ring.

Brouwersgracht

If you want one canal view that locals consistently point to as the most photogenic, it is Brouwersgracht at the northern end of the Jordaan. Wide, lined with old warehouses, and usually quieter than the main tourist drags. Walk it at dusk.

Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein

Both squares are free to sit in, people-watch from, and soak up the Amsterdam atmosphere. Rembrandtplein has a bronze statue of Rembrandt and a 3D tableau of figures from The Night Watch. Neither square requires a ticket.