An Amsterdam Weekend on a Budget, £77.30 for Two Days on the Ground
Two days in Amsterdam on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December come to £77.30 each on the ground, covering the train from the airport, getting around, lunches and dinners. Fly out of Luton at 06:00 Saturday and back at 21:40 Sunday.
Amsterdam has a reputation for being expensive, and the hotels certainly can be. But the bit you actually spend your day on, getting about, eating, seeing things, doesn't have to cost much at all.
Here's how a weekend there adds up in December, using what our trip pages price for a day in the city.
The numbers first
Per person, for Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December.
- Train from Schiphol into town and back, £10.00
- Getting around for two days, £16.00
- Two lunches, £28.80
- Two dinners, £22.50
£77.30 for the weekend. Flights and your bed are on top. We don't price stays yet, so that part's on you, but the rest is cheaper than a lot of people expect.
The train from the airport takes 17 minutes and costs €6 each way. A GVB day ticket for trams, buses and the metro is €9, and you'll want one each day if you're doing the museums end of town and the canals.
Flights for that weekend
Saturday 12 December out. easyJet from Luton at 06:00. From Heathrow there's a 06:30, and from Manchester a 05:50.
Sunday 13 December back. easyJet from Amsterdam at 21:40, landing at Luton at 21:50. From Amsterdam to Heathrow there's a 21:30, landing at 21:45.
That's two very long days in the city. Early starts both ends, but you'll barely notice the travel.
The free stuff
This is where Amsterdam is brilliant on a budget. Some of my favourite things there cost nothing.
The ferries behind Centraal Station
The GVB ferries across the IJ to Amsterdam-Noord are free. Hop on, cross the water, look back at the city, come back. It's a five star view for zero euros.
The Begijnhof
A quiet courtyard of old houses right in the middle of the city, through a doorway most people walk straight past. It's free and it's one of the calmest spots you'll find in Amsterdam.
Markets and parks
Albert Cuypmarkt is the big street market, free to wander. The Bloemenmarkt is the floating flower market on the Singel. Vondelpark is the city's main park and it's lovely on a cold sunny morning.
The Ice Village on Museumplein
From 3 to 27 December there's an Ice Village on Museumplein, right in front of the Rijksmuseum. Entry is free and it's open from 12:00 to 21:00, so on this weekend you can wander through on either day.
If you want to pay for one thing
The big three are the Rijksmuseum at €25, the Van Gogh Museum at €25 and the Anne Frank House at €16.50. Anne Frank House needs booking well ahead, so if it matters to you, sort that before anything else.
My advice is pick one per day at most. A weekend of museums is a weekend indoors, and Amsterdam's best bits are outside.
Keeping the food bill down
Our £14.40 lunch and £11.25 dinner aren't fancy, but they're realistic if you eat the way locals do on a normal day. A few things that help.
- Make lunch your bigger meal. Lunch menus tend to be better value than the same food at night.
- Supermarkets are your friend for breakfast. A pastry and a coffee from a supermarket costs a fraction of a café brunch in the centre.
- Walk a few streets away from Dam Square before you sit down anywhere. Prices drop the further you get from the busiest bits.
- Fill a water bottle before you go out. You'll walk miles.
Where to stay
We don't name hotels and we don't price them yet. What I'd say is that where you stay matters more than which hotel. Somewhere on a tram line near the centre means you're not paying for taxis, and with a day ticket at €9 you can stay a bit further out and still get everywhere easily. Compare a few areas before you book and remember the £77.30 above doesn't change wherever you sleep.
A rough shape for the weekend
Saturday. Train in, drop your bag, ferries to Noord and back, then lunch. Afternoon on the canals and the Begijnhof. The sun sets at 16:27 on the 12th, so be by the water when the lights come on.
Sunday. Museumplein in the morning, your one paid museum, then the Ice Village once it opens at 12:00. Vondelpark after if your legs allow. Then a slow dinner before the train back to Schiphol.
Is it better as a day trip?
You can do it in a day. Saturday 12 December from Luton is £125.00 return and £168.65 for the whole day. Amsterdam from Luton on 12 December
But a day trip means a choice between the museums and the canals. Two days means you get both, and the extra night is the bit we'll be pricing next.
Weekend trips on BudgetBro
We're working on weekend trips now, with flights and stays priced together. Until they're live, our weekend trips guide has the cities we rate for two days, and our Amsterdam with Ajax at home piece has more ideas if you're going earlier.
Everything above was checked on 30 October. Flight prices change daily, so check the trip page for today's.
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