Amsterdam - everything booked :)

[stripycats]

We are going to Amsterdam on the 8th and I have just started looking at booking things to find that the two main things we/I wanted to book are full already! I feel stupid but there we go. Anne Frank's House is fully booked all of August and the Van Gogh museum shows limited availability while we're there (until 13th) but whenever I try and book 3 tickets it won't go through, even at a time when it's 'green' availability.

I'm starting to worry that the whole trip will be a write off and am kicking myself. I finished work today and just had no headspace for it until now. It's me and two teens - one loves museums and the other less so. Any recommendations of things that may not be booked up would be so gratefully received.

I believe, but don't quote me on it, that a number of on the day tickets are released for Anne Frank house each day

We did the Ajax tour, I hate football but we all enjoyed it. The Rijksmuseum is good, the windmills at De Zaanse Schans and the Heineken brewery were all good.

We had trouble booking the Van Gough museum. It wasn't accepting credit cards and a Google search shows it happens to some people. If you have an AmEx try that. In the end I booked tickets via the Get Your Guide website and we went there today - all went fine.

Please go and book a boat tour through the canals. I booked it through Viatour and it was really fab!

Just have to add... we went for one without food, but with a bar. Locals taking yoou through the canals where you felt you had to duck!

I went a few months ago - I kept trying for tickets to Van Gogh museum and they were showing as sold out - then a couple of slots became available the day before, so I was able to buy. I think Anne Frank house would be harder to get, but you might be lucky.

Anne Frank is sold out in minutes six weeks before, but try the week before - random tickets seem to be released. Book all other museums asap too inc the Rijksmuseum.

The modern art museum is great and worth a visit, and walk around the ‘nine streets’ area for small shops and cafes.

You’ll have a great time - just walking round is fun. The food is fabulous too.

Go to 'Our house' - museum of house music - great fun!
The last time I went to Amsterdam I booked Ann Frank tickets before flights and hotel!

On 'Get Your Guide' there are Anne Frank walking tours inc one where you get to visit the secret annex in VR

If your hotel is refundable honestly I'd try and rebook for The Hague. Half an hour's train ride, great beaches in addition to tons of great museums, and MUCH less tourists.

Or I'd look at day trips. Haarlem is lovely and very close, for instance.

@stripycats we too missed out on the Anne Frank House and that was one of the reasons we wanted to go! I didn’t realise it got booked out weeks before 😩
We did a walking tour via Viator which my husband, teenage daughter and I really enjoyed. Our walk ended up at Anne Franks house so at least we got to see it. The tour leader also took us to the Dutch holocaust memorial of names of which of course Anne and her family are there, we didn’t know it existed and never would have got to see it if we didn’t do the tour - it’s very cleverly done and each brick represents a victim of the holocaust - was very humbling.
we did a canal tour which I think is a must whilst in Amsterdam.

Thanks all for the ideas - I really should have looked into it all sooner! I have booked the Rijksmuseum and managed to get the Van Gogh museum too - some weird late slot. I have actually been before years ago but it is one place I really wanted to go back to.

I will definitely look into a walking tour as mentioned above and canal trips were certainly on my list! We are staying out of the centre so hoping to see the coast too.

Feeling a lot calmer now, so thank you!

Just to say also, the transport system is so easy and so efficient. We stayed a little bit out of the centre too, we did buy a travel ticket which made life easy

Agree about Haarlem, also Leiden worth a visit.

The Nemo museum is fantastic, but probably more for younger children. As others have said a canal boat ride is lovely, as is an afternoon picnicking in Vondelpark is lovely.

Ive been to Anne Franks house and while it’s something to do once, and is really important, I found it so affecting that I really couldn’t enjoy the rest of the day afterwards. It’s very upsetting and really does stay with you and make you feel a bit depressed. Book ahead for your next trip but don’t be too disappointed. You’ll have a great time!

Go to the Pancake Club across the street from Vondel Park. Their poffertjes are amazing!

The Holland Experience is really good (not sure how to do links, but hopefully it'll work)

[[//Tickets & Prices | THIS IS HOLLAND

And there's loads of small museums and stuff to do in Amsterdam. As someone said above the Nemo Science museum is good as well, but I'd say all ages will enjoy it, not just young children

Keep trying the Anne Frank house. They seem to release random tickets occasionally and not just the batches once a week that they say on their website. It's a few years since we did it, but the advice then was to go online and check first thing in the morning at around 7am/8am. I tried most days for two or three weeks and then a whole morning of availability suddenly appeared for the day we were leaving, so we just managed to squeeze it in between checking out of the hotel and having to get to the airport. It was tight, but we managed it. Well worth it too! We'd have been very disappointed to have had to come home without seeing inside!

I'd also point out that they don't sell any tickets on the day, so if you don't get tickets online beforehand, there's no point in trying to go and get them. There's no ticket office!

On Tuesday morning at 9am check Anne Franks House. They release tickets for the next week at this time and I notice that they seem to release a few more tickets for other days.
I went this month and I got tickets this way, so it is worth a try.