Free Things to Do in Amsterdam: What Is Still Free in 2026
Last updated: October 2026
Intro
The ferries behind Centraal, the Begijnhof courtyard, the Albert Cuyp Market, the parks and the Rijksmuseum garden all cost nothing in 2026. A few free things now need planning: the Concertgebouw lunchtime concert needs a free ticket, the Rijksmuseum itself is €25, and official guided tours past the Red Light District windows are not permitted. Here is what really costs nothing, checked in October 2026.
Ciceru's €7 Amsterdam Essentials walk is a self-guided walk in the Ciceru app, 4 km and about 2.5 hours, with a story and a quiz question at each of its 7 stops and a free 500 MB global eSIM. It starts at Dam Square and is in the Ciceru app.
⚡ Quick answer
- Best free ride: the GVB ferries behind Centraal Station to Noord, with no ticket and no tap
- Best free music: the Wednesday lunchtime concert at the Concertgebouw, 12:30 to 13:00, with a free ticket booked up to a week ahead
- Best free market: the Albert Cuyp, Monday to Saturday, daytime
- Biggest catch: the Rijksmuseum costs €25, but its garden is free, and the Anne Frank House sells tickets online only
🚫 What is not free, or not as free as it looks
Rijksmuseum. 💶 €25 for adults, free for ages 18 and under. The garden is free, more below.
Anne Frank House. 💶 €16.50 including a €1.00 booking fee. Tickets are not sold at the door. New tickets go on sale every Tuesday at 10:00 Amsterdam time for a visit six weeks later. Walking past the outside costs nothing.
Red Light District tours. Official guided tours of the area are not permitted, so a "free" walking tour through De Wallen is not something you should expect to find. You can walk through on your own. Do not photograph or film the area or the sex workers.
Bikes. 💶 Rental is not free: the city's visitor site puts the average at about €10 a day, and MacBike's city bike is €17.95 before insurance. If you do ride, cross tram rails at a sharp angle.
The Concertgebouw lunch concert is free but not walk-in. You need a ticket, two per person at most. See below.
⛴️ Free across the IJ
GVB ferries to Noord. 📍 behind Amsterdam Centraal 🕐 the Buiksloterweg route runs through the night. Completely free, no ticket needed, and bikes and mopeds are allowed. I amsterdam says you rarely wait more than a few minutes on the Buiksloterweg route. Three routes serve Noord: Buiksloterweg (EYE, Tolhuistuin), IJplein and NDSM. Check the GVB site for the day's timetable. Fares for everything else are in Getting Around Amsterdam.
NDSM Wharf. 📍 across the IJ, by ferry from Centraal. Free to wander, with murals, studios and workshops. The city lists NDSM as a street-art hotspot. The Nieuw Dakota art space at NDSM is free to everyone on the last Thursday of each month. Some spaces in the NDSM Loods host free exhibitions, but programming changes, so check first.
⛪ Courtyards, churches and music
Begijnhof. 📍 off Spui, between Kalverstraat and Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. A 14th century courtyard with a small chapel and the English Reformed Church. Free to enter. The garden door is open only during the day, and people still live there, so keep your voice down and do not stop in front of doors. The English Reformed Church inside is free and opens on a volunteer rota: roughly late morning to mid-afternoon on most days, Friday afternoon, and closed on Wednesdays apart from a midday service. On Sundays there is a 10:30 service. Check its own page for the week you go.
Concertgebouw lunchtime concert. 📍 Concertgebouwplein 🕐 Wednesday, 12:30 to 13:00. Free, but you must order a free ticket online, up to one week in advance, with a maximum of two per person. Programmes include public rehearsals by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and young musicians. It runs every week except July and August. The listed season starts on 7 October 2026, so check the page for the date you want.
Live jazz at Café de Engelbewaarder. 📍 Kloveniersburgwal, near Nieuwmarkt 🕐 Sundays, 16:00 to 19:00 per I amsterdam, so check first. The music is free, and the drinks are not.
Working churches. I amsterdam lists Westerkerk, Noorderkerk, St Nicholas Church and others as free to enter on weekdays. Hours depend on services and volunteers, so look at each church's own page before you cross town.
🛒 Free markets
You pay for what you buy, not for walking in.
Albert Cuyp Market. 📍 Albert Cuypstraat, De Pijp 🕐 Monday to Saturday, daytime. Sources differ on exact hours, so aim for 10:00 to 16:00. About 260 stalls, running since 1905, with produce, clothes, flowers and Dutch snacks. For what to try, see What to Eat in Amsterdam.
Waterlooplein. 📍 beside the City Hall 🕐 Monday to Saturday. Amsterdam's largest daily flea market, selling second-hand clothes, bikes and antiques. Stall hours vary, so check before you go.
Noordermarkt. 📍 Noordermarkt, Jordaan, by the Noorderkerk 🕐 Saturday and Monday. Organic food on Saturday, and antiques, books and vintage clothing on Mondays, with the Monday crowd quieter.
Flower Market (Bloemenmarkt). 📍 Singel, near Muntplein 🕐 daily. A row of floating stalls selling bulbs, cut flowers and souvenirs. Free to walk along.
🌳 Parks and gardens
Amsterdam's parks are open and free all year, according to the city's visitor site.
Vondelpark. 📍 next to Museumplein. Free to enter. The open-air theatre at Vondelpark 5A has free shows from May to September: dance on Friday evenings, children's shows on Saturday afternoons, comedy and cabaret on Saturday evenings, classical on Sunday mornings and pop on Sunday afternoons. The season is over for 2026, so the theatre is dark until next May.
Rijksmuseum gardens. 📍 Museumstraat 🕐 the museum's own page says 09:00 to 18:00, while I amsterdam says 17:00, so allow for 17:00 in autumn and winter. The garden and sculpture garden are free, with no ticket needed. The museum inside is the part that costs €25.
Westerpark. 📍 west of the Jordaan. Free, and a regular host of free festivals. The Sunday Market Westergas is listed on the first Sunday of each month, so check the date. Any food you buy is extra.
Amsterdamse Bos. 📍 south-west of the centre. The forest's own site says it is about three times the size of New York's Central Park, with over 6 million visits a year. Free to enter all year. It holds a rowing course, a goat farm and an open-air theatre, so check each before you go in case something charges.
📚 A library with a view
OBA Central Library. 📍 Oosterdokskade 143, a 5 to 10 minute walk east of Centraal. Free to enter, with rotating exhibitions, an English-language book section and views from the top floor, according to I amsterdam. The top floor has a restaurant with a terrace, but whether the terrace is open in winter is not confirmed, so check OBA's page before you go up.
📅 Free days calendar
- Every day: ferries, parks, the Begijnhof courtyard (daylight hours), the Flower Market and the Rijksmuseum garden
- Monday to Saturday: Albert Cuyp Market and Waterlooplein, by day
- Saturday and Monday: Noordermarkt
- Wednesday, 12:30: Concertgebouw lunchtime concert, with a free ticket
- Sunday, 16:00 to 19:00: jazz at Café de Engelbewaarder
- First Sunday of the month: Sunday Market Westergas, Westerpark
- Last Thursday of the month: Nieuw Dakota, NDSM
- May to September: free shows at the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre
💶 Worth paying for
If you pay for one thing, make it a Rijksmuseum ticket (€25) or the Anne Frank House (€16.50), booked ahead. For prices side by side, see Amsterdam on a Budget.
❓ FAQ
Are the ferries behind Amsterdam Centraal really free?
Yes. The GVB ferries to Noord, including Buiksloterweg, IJplein and NDSM, cost nothing, and bikes are allowed.
Is the Concertgebouw lunchtime concert free?
Yes, but you need a free ticket. Order it online up to a week ahead, with a maximum of two per person. The concert runs on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 13:00, except in July and August.
Can I take a free walking tour through the Red Light District?
Official guided tours there are not permitted. You can walk through on your own, but do not take photographs or video of the windows or the sex workers.
✅ Before you go
Check each venue's own page the week you travel. The Concertgebouw concert needs a ticket, the Anne Frank House sells online only, and the Rijksmuseum garden hours vary between sources. For the bigger picture, start with Amsterdam Explained. Ciceru's €7 Amsterdam Essentials walk passes the Begijnhof and the Flower Market, both free to walk through, with a story and a quiz question at each stop.
