A day in Amsterdam without spending a penny: stroll along the canals, see the Begijnhof, smell the flowers at the Bloemenmarket, visit the Albert Cuypstraat market, see the Magere Brug and relax in the Vondelpark.
Brewerij 't Ij offers a free guided tour through the brewery and beer museum at Fridays and Sundays.
Diamond factories in Amsterdam offer free guided tours, such as at and .
Ferry over the River IJ The GVB ferries that run on the north side of central station are free of charge and provide nice views of the harbor and skyline, as described above.
Free lunch concerts are held at the:
Concertgebouw Holds a free classical concert every Wednesday at 1230. This theatre is located near Museumplein and worth a visit if only for it's architecture.
Het muziektheater Holds a free lunch concert at Tuesdays.
MuziekGebouw aan't Ij This is a theatre on the Ij waterfront (not far from central station) with striking modern design. It holds a free lunchtime concert once a month (every second Tuesday at 12:30PM) to showcase young classical music talent.
Ignatiushuis Every Tuesday at 12:30. Entrance at Beulingstraat 11 .
Westerkerk Church at Prinsengracht 281 (near the Anne Frank House) which holds free organ concerts every Friday at 1PM.
Friday night skate Put on your skates, and join the popular weekly skate tour (since 1997), a different route every week.
Guided tours: offers multiple free guided tours in the city centre. Additionally, the offers some paid and some free self-guided walking tours, and GVB (the public transport company) offers some entertaining downloadable podcast tours .
Hollandsche Schouwburg Striking building on Plantage Middenlaan (number 24) which used to be a theatre between 1892 and 1942. During WW2 it was used as a deportation centre for Jews. It is now a war memorial - the upper floor houses an exhibition on the persecution of the Jews in Netherlands. Entrance is free, open daily 11AM-4PM.
NEMO Panorama terrace In the summer months the Nemo Science museum has a panorama terrace on its roof with deckchairs. Access is free - you just need to climb up the steps. It's a good spot to lounge around and enjoy the view of the Museum Haven and surrounds.
OBA Amsterdam’s Public Library - A great place to hang out on a rainy day. Europe’s biggest public library has international newspapers and magazines to read, free internet terminals and a cafe / panorama terrace with fine views overlooking Amsterdam.
Rijksmuseum garden a curious collection of architecture, free entrance during museum opening times.
Stadsarchief The city archive at Vijzelstraat 32 is open to the public and often holds free exhibitions in its main hall. The building dates from the 1920s but was recently renovated - have a look at the impressive glass roof. Open Tue-Fri 10AM-5PM, weekends 11AM-5PM.
The Schuttersgallerij (Civic Guards Gallery) is a hidden passageway filled with 15 enormous 17th-century paintings; entrance is free to the public during museum hours. Known as the Schuttersgalerij (Civic Guards' Gallery), the collection features massive and meticulously realistic portraits of wealthy citizens from the Dutch Golden Age, the same class of subjects Rembrandt depicted in the most famous of Civic Guard paintings, "Nightwatch". You can find it just inside the arched gateway to the Amsterdam Museum at Kalverstraat 92.
Vondelpark open-air theatre Holds free concerts and performances at its open-air theatre podium. The program runs during the summer months (June to August) on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Additionally, there are several other festivals in Amsterdam, many of them free, as listed below.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Amsterdam
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Amsterdam - updated Apr 2024
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Amsterdam Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
