The UNESCO canal belt at its prettiest: the Anne Frank House, Westerkerk, a houseboat, the Jordaan's markets and apple pie, then the Nine Streets and a canal museum.
Best time: Weekday morning; book the Anne Frank House slot first
The route, stop by stop 1 Anne Frank House Pre-booked slot; 75 min.
The canal house and secret annex where Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding from 1942 to 1944; the empty rooms are deeply moving.
2 Westerkerk Look up at the tower; 10 min.
The canal-side church next to the Anne Frank House; its tower is a landmark of the western canal ring.
3 Houseboat Museum Aboard a 1914 houseboat; 25 min.
Step aboard the Hendrika Maria, a 1914 cargo ship converted into a home, to see how thousands of Amsterdammers live on the canals.
4 Cafe 't Smalle Canal-level terrace for a coffee or beer; 20 min.
Opened around 1780 as Pieter Hoppe's liqueur distillery; candlelit wood, a mezzanine and a tiny terrace right on the canal.
5 Noordermarkt and Westerstraat market Market square (Saturday or Monday best); 20 min.
The Jordaan's market square: the Westerstraat market and the Noordermarkt around the church, where Jordaan residents shop, followed by apple pie at Winkel 43.
6 Winkel 43 Apple pie with whipped cream; 25 min.
Corner cafe facing the Noordermarkt, famous for its Dutch apple pie (over 16,000 Google reviews).
7 The Lebanese Sajeria Saj wrap in the Nine Streets; 15 min.
Lebanese saj flatbread wraps; one of the most-rated cheap eats in the centre (4.6 on Google via Wanderlog).
8 Museum of the Canals How the canal ring was built; 60 min.
Explains how the canal ring was planned and built, in a Herengracht canal house; a good primer before walking the canals.
9 Frens Haringhandel Herring by the Flower Market; 10 min.
A proper fish-cart for raw Hollandse Nieuwe herring with onions and pickles, the snack Amsterdammers eat standing up at the canal.
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