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Morning

As the Oude Kerk does not open until 11am, start your day with a tour of the Museum Amstelkring . Although in the Nieuwe Zijde, it is only a few steps from the Oude Kerk , which you can visit afterwards. Then walk to Nieuwmarkt for a break at In de Waag (Nieuwmarkt 4), where you can sit outside in summer and watch the bustle of the square.

Afterwards, make your way to Oudezijds Achterburgwal for the Hash Marijuana Hemp Museum. Then follow the main drag of the Red Light district , Oudezijds Voorburgwal, as far as Café Rouxfor lunch.

Afternoon

Walk down to peaceful Grimburgwal and the House on the Three Canals. Agnietenkapel (now closed) is a few doors away. From here, head east to Oudezijds Achterburgwal and cut through Oudemanhuispoort (stone spectacles mark the entrance), browsing through the second-hand bookstalls as you go. Continue to Jodenbreestraat and the Museum Het Rembrandthuis . After your tour – if it is a Monday, Wednesday or Friday – pop into Pintohuisfor a glimpse of the painted ceiling. Revive yourself in Café de Sluyswacht. From here there is a lovely canalside walk, past the Montelbaanstoren. Turn left and stroll along Binnenkant before heading back to your hotel.

Morning

Start your day among the cannons, models, figureheads, maps and instruments of the Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum , then revive yourself at the pleasant ground-floor café. If you secretly hanker after a ship-in-a-bottle, a cutlass paper knife or other objects with a nautical theme, visit the museum shop before you leave. Outside, take a look around the Amsterdam, the full-size replica of an 18thcentury East Indiaman, manned by actors.

If it is a Tuesday and you haven’t yet had your fill of boats, take a short detour to the Werf ’t Kromhout Museum to see some shipbuilding in progress or, at the very least, the exhibition about it. Lunch at one of the cafés in Entrepotdok– such as Café ’t Kromhout at No. 36.

Afternoon

After lunch, you could make your way to Plantage Kerklaan and the Verzetsmuseum . A visit here is definitely worthwhile, if harrowing. Afterwards, blow the cobwebs away by spending an hour or two at Artis . For a few euros, the excellent zoo plan gives you feeding times, as well as pinpointing the two museums and the revamped Aquarium. Head back towards the main entrance, where there is a café, and a shop selling goods with a wildlife theme. If there is time, you could finish your explorations with a quick dash around the solar system at the Planetarium.