What to pack, where to go, and how to time your visit for the best blooms.

Amsterdam is said to have two sides. There’s the charming side: quaint cobblestone streets that lead to picture-perfect canals lined with adorable gabled houses. And there’s the rowdy side: the lively Red Light District where you’ll find strip clubs and “coffee shops” selling cannabis. But there’s so much more to the city—like its many colorful outdoor markets, the street art in the once-abandoned shipyards of Amsterdam-Noord, and the bright tulip fields just beyond the capital. And with seven days, you’ll have the time to explore it all.

The Netherlands isn’t all tulips, windmills, and weed shops. With five days in Amsterdam you’ll go beyond the basics and see some of this capital city’s hidden delights. Yes, of course you’ll wander those iconic canals, stroll through street markets, and marvel at van Goghs, but you’ll also see street art in an abandoned shipyard and a tiny Catholic Church in the eaves of a 17th-century canal house.