Anne Frank House in Amsterdam

In the Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht, visitors fall silent almost without noticing. You walk through an old canal house and climb narrow, steep stairs. Then you stand in front of the bookcase that hid the entrance to the Secret Annex. Behind it, Anne Frank, her family and four other people lived in hiding for more than two years. The rooms are empty, as her father Otto Frank wished. That emptiness stays with you long after you leave. Below you read what you see, how the museum came about and how to get a ticket, which takes some planning.

What you see in the Anne Frank House

You start in the front house, where Otto Frank ran his companies Opekta and Pectacon from December 1940. The helpers who supported the people in hiding for years worked here too. Then you step through the bookcase into the Secret Annex. The rooms are bare: the furniture was taken away after the arrest, and Otto Frank wanted it to stay that way. Quotes from the diary, photos, film footage and original objects tell you what happened here. In a separate room you see the checked diary and other original writings by Anne, protected in a display case.

From hiding place to museum

The building on the Prinsengracht dates from 1635 and served as a home, a warehouse and a workshop. In 1942 the Frank family and four others went into hiding in the annex at the back. More than two years later they were betrayed, arrested and deported. Only Otto Frank survived the camps. After the raid, the helpers Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl saved Anne's papers. Otto gathered her diaries and published them in 1947. Ten years later he and others set up the Anne Frank Foundation to save the building from demolition plans. On 3 May 1960 the house opened to the public as a museum.

Audio tour, bags and getting there

Your visit includes an audio tour in nine languages, among them English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Hebrew. Young visitors get their own tour, called Anne's Story. If you want more context first, book a visit with the introductory programme: a 30 minute talk in English about Anne's life against the background of the Second World War. Only bags smaller than an A4 sheet of paper are allowed inside, and there is no space to store backpacks or suitcases, so leave them at your hotel. Until February 2028 trams do not stop at Westermarkt; take a tram to Dam Square and walk about ten minutes.

Tickets for the Anne Frank House

You can only visit with a ticket bought online for a specific time slot, and nothing is sold at the door. Every Tuesday at 10am Dutch time, tickets are released for visits six weeks later, and weekend and holiday slots go quickly. So book as soon as your travel dates are fixed. Children and Museumkaart holders also need an online ticket; the I amsterdam City Card gives no discount here. Be aware of the many steep stairs, which can be hard if you have trouble walking. To learn more about Jewish life in the city, add the Jewish Museum to your plans.

Frequently asked questions about the Anne Frank House

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