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Museums by city

Museums in Amsterdam: from Museumplein to the canals

Few places in Europe have this many museums this close together, so a little planning gets you a lot further.

Place: Amsterdam

The best museums in Amsterdam draw visitors from all over the world, and the queues on Museumplein show it. Yet the city offers far more than three famous names. Behind the canal house façades you find family homes, a church in an attic and rooms full of history. Across the water in Noord you can see street art and film. Look beyond the Rijksmuseum and the city tells its own story, one museum at a time. Below you read where to start, which museums to combine and how to avoid the crowds.

The best museums in Amsterdam on Museumplein

The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum stand a few minutes' walk apart on Museumplein. Together they cover more than eight centuries of art, from medieval sculpture through the Golden Age to contemporary installations. The Rijksmuseum has The Night Watch and The Milkmaid, the Van Gogh Museum follows Vincent from The Potato Eaters to Almond Blossom, and the Stedelijk is the place for modern art and design. If you pick only one, most people choose the Rijksmuseum. Moco Museum, with Banksy and Kusama in a villa from 1904, is on the same square. Do not try to see them all in one day. Two large museums with a long lunch in between is plenty for most people.

Canal houses and quieter museums

Between the canals are museums you could easily walk past, because they sit in ordinary houses. The Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht is the best known, and you book a time slot online well in advance. The Rembrandt House lies in the old Jewish quarter near Waterlooplein, in the rooms where Rembrandt lived and worked for almost twenty years. The Jewish Museum, spread over four historic synagogues, is close by. In Our Lord in the Attic you climb steep stairs to a complete hidden church at the top of a canal house. Museum Van Loon on the Keizersgracht shows how a wealthy Amsterdam family lived. These museums are smaller, so two fit easily into one afternoon.

With children or on a rainy day

Around the Oosterdok, about ten minutes on foot from Central Station, are two family favourites. At NEMO Science Museum children do the experiments themselves, and next door Het Scheepvaartmuseum, the maritime museum, has a replica of an East India Company ship moored outside. At the entrance to Artis zoo you find Micropia, a museum about microbes, the life you normally cannot see. Teenagers tend to like STRAAT, a large street art museum in an old warehouse on the NDSM wharf in Noord. Take the free ferry from behind the station and the crossing becomes part of the trip. Eye Filmmuseum, with film exhibitions and four cinemas, is a short free ferry ride across the IJ as well. More ideas for a wet day are in our guide to a rainy day in Amsterdam.

Booking and the Museumkaart

The big names work with time slots. The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum ask you to book a start time online, also with a Museumkaart, the Dutch annual museum pass, and NEMO asks pass holders to book too. The Anne Frank House sells its tickets online only. The smaller canal museums are often quiet, even at weekends. The main building of the Amsterdam Museum is closed for renovation, but you can still visit it at Amsterdam in Motion in the Westergas park and at Willet-Holthuysen House on the Herengracht. H'ART Museum on the Amstel has no permanent collection, so check what is on.

All museums in Amsterdam

These are all the museums in Amsterdam we know of, in alphabetical order. Click a museum for its address and more details.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book museums in Amsterdam in advance?
For the big ones, yes. The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum work with a start time booked online, and the Anne Frank House sells tickets online only, for a fixed time slot. Smaller museums are more flexible, but check their website before you go.
How do I avoid the crowds?
Book a time slot and come just after opening or towards the end of the afternoon. The smaller museums along the canals are often quiet, even at weekends.
Can I use the Museumkaart in Amsterdam?
Yes, at many museums, including the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk and NEMO. You usually still reserve a time slot. Moco Museum does not accept it, but pass holders get a discount.
Which museums suit children?
NEMO Science Museum, Het Scheepvaartmuseum and Micropia are good choices. At the Jewish Museum, children aged 6 to 12 have their own junior museum. The Anne Frank House keeps a minimum age of 10.
Is the Amsterdam Museum open?
Its main building is closed for renovation. You can visit the museum at Amsterdam in Motion in the Westergas park and at Willet-Holthuysen House on the Herengracht.

Plan your route along the canals

Zoom in on the canal ring or Museumplein and see which museums you can combine on foot.

Open the map

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