What to do in Amsterdam on marathon weekend?

Bikes, canals and potatoes: the 3 key words for your weekend 🗣️

Once you’ve got your bib for the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, you’ve almost done the easiest part of what awaits you during your October weekend 🚲. The hardest part is dodging cyclists, managing recovery, picking points of interest, and tasting the city’s best bitterballen (or “little beef balls”) 🤤. Canals, museums & local beer: here’s enough to fill every hour between bib pickup and crossing the finish line.

Amsterdam and the marathon: a waterside match made in heaven 💧

Running a marathon is already an adventure, but running it in Amsterdam is a real journey 😳. Between the asphalt flying by at a crazy speed and the city’s magnificent grachtens, you won’t know where to look. The TCS Amsterdam Marathon takes place every year on the third Sunday in October, when the city offers ideal weather to chase a PB: around 10°C, with no excessive heat or cold 🌤️. No parka, no swimsuit—just a suitable pair of shoes in your backpack 😝. The start and finish are almost one and the same around the Olympisch Stadion, built for the 1928 Olympic Games. You’ll feel the passion of the crowd and the athletes of that era 🥹. The route then takes you through Vondelpark, runs alongside the Rijksmuseum, and follows the banks of the Amstel, the river that gave the city its name. Forget the audio guide for 42.195 km: the course, as flat as a crêpe with barely 49 meters of elevation gain, will show you every corner of the Dutch capital while blending effort and scenery 🔥.

As if to highlight its importance, the event—held without interruption since 1975—holds a Platinum label from World Athletics and regularly sees international records fall on home soil. In 2025, Geofry Kipchumba set the course record in 2:03:30, nothing less than a performance equivalent to the 2013 world record in the discipline 🤯. In the same place, Yalemzerf Yehualaw has held the best women’s mark at 2:16:52 since 2024. When it comes to local athletes, it’s hard not to mention Abdi Nageeye, Olympic silver medalist in the marathon in Tokyo, or Sifan Hassan, Olympic marathon champion in Paris 2024: two figures who embody the running passion of the Netherlands. Between the UNESCO-listed canals and these elite athletes, the connection between running and urban heritage has never seemed so obvious.

A perfectly planned weekend 🧅

A trip of this scale is planned almost like a training plan: getting a feel for it, gradually building intensity, then recovery 😮‍💨. Pay close attention to our little tourist recommendations if you don’t want to miss anything in the Venice of the North.

🔸 Thursday/Friday – bib pickup and a gentle warm-up

Barely arrived, head straight to the running expo as soon as the doors open to pick up your bib: pickup generally starts on Thursday, perfect for avoiding Saturday’s crowds. Take the opportunity to do some last-minute shopping—technical tee or suitable nutrition 🤤. Plus, if you hit the booths in the first hours, you’ll have a better chance of snagging good deals 🤑. Once you’re out of the crowd, go for an easy jog in Vondelpark, the city’s green lung 🌳. If you’re more of the “two-wheel warm-up” type, you can also rent a bike for the weekend and enjoy the uniquely bike-friendly vibe of the city.

🔸 Saturday – active rest and short visits

The day before the race, no need to rack up more miles than necessary: every step counts. Head to museums rather than cobblestones. The Rijksmuseum and its collection of Dutch masters is well worth an hour or two—air conditioning included 🧊. On the other hand, make sure to book your tickets now: spots sell out several months in advance for this cultural landmark renowned well beyond national borders 🌍. Right next door, the Van Gogh Museum perfectly rounds out the visit. For the afternoon, a break at Foodhallen or at Albert Cuypmarkt is a must, with a carb load Dutch-style thanks to a warm stroopwafel 🧇. And to end the day gently, nothing beats a waterside stroll along the Singel, the oldest canal in the city center. With this whole program, you’ll have the perfect discovery/recovery balance—proven by Finishers 🤪.

🔸 Sunday – race, then reward

The D-day is today ! On the day of the race, no more overthinking: your legs will do the work. In short, you’ll run along the Singel canal, enjoy the moment and let the crowd carry you gathered along the course, before a final straight that will take you directly to the finish line in the capital’s Olympisch Stadion 🏟️. But for more details on the course, go straight to the TCS Amsterdam Marathon page, where you’ll find more information (and performance tips 🏎️). Once you’ve crossed the line, don’t stop—head to the nearest bar to restock. Brouwerij 't IJ, nestled at the foot of a historic windmill, remains a go-to for a well-deserved craft beer after 26.2 miles of asphalt. If you prefer something calmer, a canal boat ride at sunset will wrap up the day in style ⛵️.

Finishers’ top tips 🏃

Staying an extra day or two? We’re not done sharing the best local tips 😌. For fueling, we already told you about bitterballen, fried meat croquettes that go with any good local beer, but you can also linger over the typical patat oorlog, which clearly outshines our French fries back home 🍟. A mix of potatoes, mayo, and peanut sauce—ideal for topping up your energy 🔋. For those with a sweet tooth, poffertjes can also rival the unbeatable local stroopwafel. As for landmarks, the Anne Frank House and the neighboring Westerkerk deserve an emotionally charged visit, while the Heineken Experience will delight hop lovers 🍻. A concentration of history and heritage you won’t find on every street corner.

Culture, gastronomy, and effort: there are a thousand reasons to linger in Amsterdam. The best advice we can give you is to plan your activities in advance, so you arrive at the start line with fresh legs rather than already burnt out 🥵.

So, ready to pack your bag? 🔥

Between the kilometers and the canals, Amsterdam has everything you need for a successful running weekend. If you’re getting back into it or aiming for something more approachable, the Bijlmer Run, with a distance modeled on a half marathon, also takes place in May with a city-center course. And that’s it—you know everything: see you on the start line?