From
DUB
Dublin
To
AMS
Amsterdam
AirlinesAer Lingus · KLM · Ryanair
Flight time
1h 40m
Direct
Netherlands · Western Europe
Amsterdam
Gabled canal houses, Rembrandt and Van Gogh, and a city that runs on two wheels.
- DUB → AMS · 1h 40m
- Best Apr–Jun, Sep
- €€€ Splurge
- City break
- Romantic
Photo: Gaurav Jain / Unsplash
01 · Why go
Why Amsterdam?
Amsterdam fits a remarkable amount into a small, flat, walkable space: Rembrandt and Vermeer, Van Gogh’s sunflowers, 17th-century canal houses leaning at odd angles, and a city that genuinely runs on bikes. It’s under two hours from Dublin and 15 minutes by train from Schiphol to Centraal, so three nights feels generous.
The trick is to get out of the tourist funnel between Centraal and Dam Square, the least appealing part of town. Spend your time in the Jordaan’s canal lanes, at the Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp, and across the water in Noord, where old shipyards have become bars, studios and a film museum. Hire a bike for a day; it changes how the city feels.
It suits couples, art lovers and anyone who likes a city break built around walking, good coffee and long lunches. April and May bring tulips and King’s Day; June and September have long, mild days with fewer crowds than high summer. Winter is dark and damp, but the canals look lovely under December’s lights.
The honest caveat: hotels are expensive, and the tourist tax comes on top, so book early and consider Noord or Oost for value. The big museums and the Anne Frank House need booking in advance, sometimes weeks out. And the cyclists won’t stop for you: look both ways, then look again.
Travelling light makes a short break easier and cheaper, so start with our carry-on-only packing list.
02 · When to go
Best time to visit
Best: Apr–Jun, Sep. Also good: Mar, Jul–Aug, Oct, Dec.
- January: Quieter / less ideal, average high 6°C
- February: Quieter / less ideal, average high 7°C
- March: Good time, average high 10°C
- April: Best time, average high 14°C
- May: Best time, average high 17°C
- June: Best time, average high 20°C
- July: Good time, average high 22°C
- August: Good time, average high 22°C
- September: Best time, average high 19°C
- October: Good time, average high 15°C
- November: Quieter / less ideal, average high 10°C (this month)
- December: Good time, average high 7°C
03 · Getting there
Flights to Amsterdam
Typical direct flight times. Schedules change by season, so always check the current timetable.
From
ORK
Cork
To
AMS
Amsterdam
AirlinesKLM
Flight time
1h 40m
Direct
From
LHR
London
To
AMS
Amsterdam
AirlinesBritish Airways · KLM
Flight time
1h 15m
Direct
From the airport: Trains to Amsterdam Centraal run every few minutes and take 15–20 minutes; tap in and out at the gates with a contactless bank card. A taxi takes 25–35 minutes but costs several times as much.
04 · Where to stay
Where to stay in Amsterdam
Jordaan
01Best for: First-timers and couples
Postcard Amsterdam: narrow canals, gabled houses, old brown cafés and the Saturday Noordermarkt. The Anne Frank House is on its edge and Centraal is a 15-minute walk. Hotels are small and expensive, and canal-house stairs are famously steep, so ask about lifts before you book.
De Pijp
02Best for: Food lovers
A lived-in neighbourhood south of the centre, built around the Albert Cuyp Market (Monday to Saturday), with Surinamese, Indonesian and Turkish food, cosy bars and the little Sarphatipark. The Noord/Zuid metro line stops here, and the Rijksmuseum is a short walk away.
Museumkwartier & Oud-West
03Best for: Families and museum-goers
Leafy streets around the Vondelpark, a stroll from the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk. Oud-West adds the Foodhallen and everyday neighbourhood restaurants. It's calmer at night than the canal belt, and several tram lines run straight to Centraal.
Amsterdam Noord
04Best for: Better value and creative types
Across the IJ by free ferry from behind Centraal: converted shipyards at NDSM, the Eye Film Museum, the A'DAM Lookout and waterside cafés. Hotels are often newer and cheaper than in the canal belt. The trade-off is a ferry or metro ride for everything in the old centre.
05 · Getting around
Getting around
The centre is compact enough to walk, and GVB trams, buses, the metro and the free IJ ferries cover the rest. Tap in and out with a contactless bank card, or buy a GVB ticket for one to seven days if you'll ride a lot. Hiring a bike is the local way to get around, but stick to quieter streets until you've got the hang of the rules.
Skip the car
Store your bags in Amsterdam for the dayLuggage storage · via Radical StorageCentral parking is among the priciest in Europe and the canal belt is a maze of one-way streets. Trains reach Haarlem, Utrecht, Delft and the beach at Zandvoort in an hour or less.
06 · Things to do
5 things to do in Amsterdam
Anne Frank House
Tickets are sold only on the museum's own website, and at the time of writing they're released on Tuesdays for dates about six weeks ahead. Popular slots go within minutes, so set a reminder. Allow about an hour. The Secret Annex is reached by steep, narrow stairs, so it isn't suitable for pushchairs.
Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum
Two heavyweights facing each other across Museumplein. Book timed tickets for both (the Van Gogh Museum doesn't sell at the door), arrive at opening, and do one a day if you can. At the Rijksmuseum, head straight for Rembrandt's Night Watch and Vermeer's Milkmaid before the tour groups catch up.
A canal cruise, the smart way
Skip the big glass-roofed barges and pick a small open boat with a live skipper, ideally in the early evening when the light softens on the canal houses. Or rent a self-drive electric boat; small, slow boats don't need a licence, but keep right and give way to the tour boats.
Free ferry to Amsterdam Noord
The ferries behind Centraal are free and frequent. Take the one to NDSM for converted shipyard warehouses, street art and waterfront cafés, or the short hop to the Eye Film Museum and the A'DAM Lookout, which has a swing out over the edge of the roof if you've the stomach for it.
Cycle out to Waterland
Rent a bike, take the ferry to Noord and ride north along the dykes to Durgerdam and Broek in Waterland, wooden villages set among meadows and water. It's flat, mostly on separate cycle paths and roughly 30–40 minutes each way. Locals ride fast: signal, keep right and never stop dead in a bike lane.
07 · Stay connected
Phones, data & eSIMs
The Netherlands is in the EU, so Roam Like at Home applies (at the time of writing, November 2026), and 4G and 5G coverage is strong across the city. Watch the fair-use cap if you're on prepay or a cheap SIM-only deal and leaning on maps and transport apps all day. An eSIM earns its keep if you're working from a café, tethering a laptop or want a big data bundle without touching your home allowance.
More detail in our guide to eSIM vs roaming for Irish travellers.
08 · Insurance
Travel insurance for Amsterdam
Bring your EHIC for state healthcare on the same terms as locals. It won't cover private care, cancellations, lost bags or getting you home, so travel insurance still matters; check whether your policy covers a stolen rental bike, too.
Not sure what the EHIC covers? Read do you need travel insurance in Europe?
Practical facts
Amsterdam cheat sheet
- Entry
- Irish citizens: valid passport or passport card
- Currency
- Euro (€); many cafés and shops are card-only
- Language
- Dutch; English is spoken almost everywhere
- Time zone
- One hour ahead of Ireland
- Plugs
- Type C/F, 230V: bring a Type G adaptor from Ireland
- Tipping
- Not expected; round up or leave 5–10% for good table service
- Emergency
- 112
- Airport (AMS)
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Trains to Amsterdam Centraal run every few minutes and take 15–20 minutes; tap in and out at the gates with a contactless bank card. A taxi takes 25–35 minutes but costs several times as much.
Amsterdam: your questions
When is tulip season in Amsterdam?
Mid-April is usually the peak, though it shifts with the weather. Keukenhof gardens open for about eight weeks from mid-March to mid-May, and tickets, including combos with the bus from Schiphol or the city, should be booked online in advance. The bulb fields around Lisse are best seen by bike.
Is Amsterdam expensive?
Accommodation is the big cost: hotel rates are among the highest in Europe, and the city adds a tourist tax calculated as a percentage of your room rate. Eating out and transport are closer to Dublin prices. To save, stay in Noord, Oost or near a metro stop outside the canal belt, and eat at markets and neighbourhood cafés.
Is King's Day worth planning a trip around?
King's Day on 27 April (the 26th when the 27th falls on a Sunday) turns the city orange, with street markets, canal-boat parties and music everywhere. It's great fun if you like a crowd, but hotel prices spike and trams are diverted around the centre. Book months ahead, or avoid those dates entirely.
Can you visit the Red Light District?
Yes, walking through De Wallen is legal, and the area is also home to the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam's oldest building. Rules are strict, though: don't photograph the window workers, and smoking cannabis on the street there has been banned since 2023, with fines. Go in the early evening rather than late at night if you're just curious.
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Read before you go
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