- Destinations
- Amsterdam
- On a budget
Visit Amsterdam on a budget
From awe-inspiring art to brewery tours and bargain-filled flea markets, here’s how to ace Amsterdam – without breaking the bank.
How to plan your trip
If you’re plotting a budget trip to Amsterdam, note that prices spiral during spring’s tulip season and the oversubscribed summer months. Happily, though, the city is more affordable than nearby Paris or London, and budget travellers can see it in style for around €80 a day, including basic accommodation. Taking the train from Brussels to Amsterdam is wallet-friendly too. For the best deals to Amsterdam, choose a train and hotel package, travel midweek and – if your dates are flexible – use our lowest fare finder. Going hard on culture? Consider an I amsterdam City Card, which includes entry to over 70 museums and attractions, plus free public transport, bike rental and a canal cruise.
Exploring Amsterdam on a budget
A private boat ride may be off the cards, but much of the magic in Amsterdam doesn’t cost a cent. Lose yourself in the beauty of the UNESCO-listed canal belt, admire gorgeous Golden Age architecture, take in a free concert, or simply kick back in green lungs like the Vondelpark.
The city’s must-see sights
Amsterdam is a powerhouse when it comes to museums and galleries. While its cultural riches don’t always come cheap, both the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum are free for under-18s – and the latter’s art-strewn gardens, which host summer sculpture shows, are free for everyone. In the city centre, a stroll around the canal belt is a must, past gabled houses, rustling elms and romantic bridges. For some time out, head to the nearby Begijnhof, whose historic almshouses cluster round a calm secret garden. Or, for a change of pace, hop on a free ferry across the IJ to Amsterdam-Noord, where former shipyard NDSM Wharf is now a hip hangout.
Affordable activities and attractions
If you want to crib up on local history for free, the Amsterdam City Archives are packed with intriguing artefacts, housed in the iconic, 1920s-built De Bazel building. Other venues reward a tactical approach. The permanent exhibition at the Eye Filmmuseum is free if you’re seeing a movie, while Wednesday-lunchtime concerts at the Royal Concertgebouw are also on the house. In summer, Vondelpark also stages free gigs at its open-air theatre. De Hortus, the city’s botanical garden, is well worth the price of admission, with its carnivorous blooms, soaring palms and epic butterfly house. What’s next? Our partner Musement offers tours, cheap tickets and suggestions.
Eating out and shopping on a budget
Once you’ve bagged a few museums, your thoughts may well turn to consumption. The good news: you don’t need deep pockets to enjoy Amsterdam’s food and shopping scenes. Just swap Michelin stars for street food, and eye-wateringly cool Dutch design for quirky vintage finds.
Shopping on a shoestring
There’s a lot to love about Amsterdam’s shopping scene, starting with quaint micro-quarter De Negen Straatjes (AKA the Nine Streets). Fuelled by a coffee from local staple Screaming Beans, rifle through the rails at second-hand store Episode, or check out Concrete Matter’s curated vintage menswear (admittedly more fairly priced than cheap). Continue the vintage hunt in De Pijp and Jordaan, or make for the flea markets at Waterlooplein, Noordermarkt and IJ-Hallen. The latter charges a modest entry fee, but is the biggest of its kind in Europe, bursting with bric-a-brac and retro threads.
Amsterdam’s best cheap eats
Budget dining is a pleasure in the snack-loving Dutch capital. Start with a paper cone of fries from Vleminckx de Sausmeester, forking out an extra euro for the spicy samourai topping. The city’s booming open-air markets and kiosks are also a foodie’s paradise, whether you go for a salted herring roll at Stubbe’s Haring or sugar-dusted poffertjes (mini pancakes) at Albert Cuyp market. For a casual lunch, snack on colourful quiches at Peperwortel, choose an open sandwich at Broodje Bert, or scoff a croque-monsieur at Bar Bukowski. Open all day, it’s named after the poet of the hard-up – who’d probably appreciate its free-entry spoken-word nights.
Unique experience in Amsterdam
To really get to know Amsterdam, look beyond its big-ticket sights, taking time to appreciate its architecture, or scope out its latest street art. Don’t let the city’s beauty blindside you: it also has a quirkier side, hiding in plain sight.
Unique – and cheap – things to do
This city has a taste for small-batch craft beers, and a tour of Brouwerij ‘t IJ will set you back a mere €2.50. There are short, English-language tours three afternoons a week – best chased with a citrussy signature wheat beer at the on-site pub. For something a little more offbeat, explore the city’s smaller museums, like the charming, felines-focussed KattenKabinet or fluorescent art-filled Electric Ladyland. Another only-in-Amsterdam thrill is Europe’s highest swing, set on the edge of the observation deck at A’DAM Lookout. Tickets are a little more expensive, though the views are priceless and there’s a discount if you book online.
Budget-friendly itineraries
If street art is your scene, make for NDSM Wharf, where graffiti adorns containers, empty buildings and the dedicated STRAAT Museum. Can’t afford the admission? You can see its most iconic artwork, an Anne Frank mural, for free on the façade. Continue street art-spotting in Amsterdam Oost, hunt out Space Invaders across town, or fork out to see Banksy’s Girl with Balloon at Moco Museum. Alternatively, take in some architectural gems. Don’t miss Roemer Visscherstraat, with its extraordinary windows – an easy stroll from Museumplein and the Stedelijk’s bold bathtub extension. Where else? Check out our full three-day itinerary, which has the city covered.
Getting around and cheap activities
The two best ways to get around Amsterdam – on foot or by bike – also happen to be the cheapest. This is a city geared towards life on two wheels, so don’t be scared: follow basic cycling etiquette and watch out for wheel-trapping tram rails. Heart set on a canal cruise? That’s doable too.
Getting around for less
Near Dam Square, Discount Bike Rental offers one-hour rentals from €6, with rates dropping for longer periods – or show your Club Eurostar card at Amsterdam Vélo for discounted bike hire and guided tours. GBV run the public transport system, including the metro, buses and trams: you can tap in and out, and a one-hour ticket costs €3.40 (a 24-hour pass is €9). Hour-plus boat tours of the city’s waterways start at around €15, but it’s worth paying a few extra euros for an open-boat cruise with better views. Hiring your own boat is surprisingly reasonable, if you’re in a group, with three-hour rentals from as little as €90.
Seasonal activities on a budget
Whatever time of year you visit, you’ll find free or inexpensive things to do. In winter – always a cheaper time to stay – you can stroll the city’s canals, decked out with eye-catching artworks for the Amsterdam Light Festival. On National Tulip Day in January, pick tulips for free on Museumplein, and in late April join the King’s Day celebrations. The monarch’s birthday is a national holiday, and boatloads of orange-clad revellers take to the city’s canals. Come July, peek into the hidden gardens with the ticketed Open Gardens Day, or cool off in the manmade Sloterplas lake. Like the smaller Diemerpark it has an inviting urban beach, perfect on a hot summer’s day.
Cheap hotels in Amsterdam
Book Train + Hotel to save on your stay. Plan your trip from route to room with Eurostar.
FAQ
Yes, if you book in advance, you can get Brussels to Amsterdam train tickets from €29.
If you can be flexible with your travel times, Eurostar Snap is for you. Book a late deal and get up to 50%* off the price of your tickets.
Apart from the spike in prices around Christmas and New Year, low season runs from November to early March. If you’re flexible with your dates and can travel mid-week, though, there are still deals to be had even in spring and summer.
A canal view in the city centre is probably off the cards, but Amsterdam has a huge array of budget hotels and hostels, many offering double rooms for around €100 a night. To pay less, look at districts like still central Oud-Zuid, or – 15 minutes from town – Amsterdam-Zuidoost.
Plenty of the best things to do won’t cost you a euro, from wandering the canal belt to taking the free ferry across to Amsterdam-Noord. Free events, festivals and gigs happen year-round, while the city’s parks are charming in summer.
Not only does Amsterdam have top-flight snackable food (including bitterballen, herring, pancakes and waffles), it’s also dotted with affordable Asian eateries, be it Chinese restaurants or Indonesian joints. And the city’s cheapest meal? A cone of fries, of course.
There are several different city passes, including the I amsterdam City Card. These are a must if you plan on any serious museum action; some add free public transport and a canal cruise.
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*Get up to 50% discount off the public price of a Standard ticket 7 days before departure. You can read the full terms and conditions here.