Museumplein: the Stedelijk, Moco and the Rijksmuseum's 20th century
Museumplein holds most of the city's modern art. The Stedelijk and Moco face each other, five minutes' walk apart, and the Rijksmuseum closes off the square to the north. To plan a full day in the area, see our guide to the Museum Quarter.
Stedelijk Museum: the benchmark for modern art and design
The Stedelijk Museum is the city's museum of modern and contemporary art. Its collection covers the late 19th century and the whole of the 20th: a major group of works by Malevich, Mondrian and De Stijl, the CoBrA movement of Karel Appel, the abstract expressionism of Willem de Kooning, pop art and then the art of today. Design and posters have an unusually large place for an art museum, from Rietveld chairs to graphic design.
In autumn 2026, two exhibitions lead the programme. The major Yayoi Kusama retrospective, running until 17 January 2027, brings together more than seventy years of the Japanese artist's work, with her polka dots and mirror installations. From 10 October 2026 until 17 January 2027, "Some Wild Kind of Language" presents the painting of the American artist Adam Pendleton.
The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00. An adult ticket normally costs €22.50; during the Kusama exhibition, the ticket that includes it costs €32.50 and you must book a time slot for the Kusama rooms. Under-18s get in free; with a Museumkaart, you only pay the €10 Kusama surcharge.
Moco Museum: Banksy, pop art and digital installations
The Moco Museum is a private museum housed in Villa Alsberg, a 1904 house on Museumplein. Its permanent display includes works by Banksy, 20th-century figures such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, then contemporary artists and digital installations you physically walk into. The visit is shorter than at the Stedelijk: allow about an hour.
Adult tickets start at €19.95 online, with prices varying by day and time slot. The Museumkaart does not give free entry, but a 30% discount. The museum opens at 9:00 and stays open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The villa has no lift.
Rijksmuseum: the 20th-century galleries
It is often overlooked, but the Rijksmuseum also devotes galleries to the period 1900-2000. You will find paintings, furniture, photographs, posters and even an aeroplane, the Fokker FK 23 Bantam, alongside a Gerrit Rietveld armchair designed for Til Brugman and an Yves Saint Laurent Mondrian dress. It is a good complement to the Stedelijk if you already have a ticket for the Golden Age masters. An adult ticket costs €25, free up to and including age 18 and with the Museumkaart.
Photography: Foam and Huis Marseille on the Keizersgracht
Amsterdam has two museums devoted entirely to photography, both in canal houses on the Keizersgracht, about fifteen minutes' walk apart. Neither has a permanent display: exhibitions change several times a year.
Foam: big names and young photographers
Foam, at number 609 on the canal, runs several exhibitions at once, mixing established photographers and early-career talent. In autumn 2026, the main exhibition is "The edge of things", the first major retrospective of the photographer Nadav Kander, until 31 January 2027. An adult ticket costs €16, free up to age 12 and with the Museumkaart. The museum stays open until 21:00 on Thursdays and Fridays.
Huis Marseille: photography in a Golden Age house
Huis Marseille, at numbers 399 and 401, is the first museum in the Netherlands devoted to photography as an art form, opened in 1999. Prints hang in period rooms, with a painted ceiling and a garden at the back. Until 18 October 2026, the museum shows "Wunderkind" by the American artist Martine Gutierrez; from 24 October 2026 to 7 February 2027, it presents three exhibitions, devoted to Adolphe de Meyer, Andrzej Steinbach and Maya Inès Touam. In between, the museum closes while the new shows are installed. An adult ticket costs €12.50, free for under-18s and with the Museumkaart, with late opening on Thursdays until 21:00.
Amsterdam-Noord: digital art, street art and film
Across the IJ, Noord's former industrial sites host the newest work. The free ferries leave from the back of Central Station; allow half a day to combine two venues.
Nxt Museum: new media art
Nxt Museum, Asterweg 22, is the first museum in the Netherlands devoted entirely to new media art: immersive installations, video, light and sound, in darkened rooms. Until 10 January 2027, the exhibition "Pioneers of Media Art: The First Years of MonteVideo", created with the LI-MA institute, traces video and electronic art since the 1970s, from Nam June Paik and Nan Hoover to current collectives such as 4DSOUND and Boris Acket.
The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; it opens from 11:00 to 20:30 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and from 11:00 to 22:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. An adult ticket costs €24.50, with prices varying by time slot; €15 for students, €13.50 for ages 11 to 17, free up to age 10. The Museumkaart does not give free entry, but a reduced rate of €15. From Central Station, take the F3 ferry to Buiksloterweg and continue on foot (about twenty minutes from the station, crossing included), or take metro 52 to Noorderpark and walk 10 minutes. The visit takes one to one and a half hours.
NDSM and the STRAAT Museum: street art
The former NDSM shipyard, reached by the free F4 ferry, is Amsterdam's street art hub. The site's facades and sheds are covered in freely accessible murals, and the STRAAT Museum shows large-scale works by artists from around the world in an 8,000 m² hangar. An adult STRAAT ticket costs €21.50; the museum opens on Mondays from 12:00 to 17:00 and Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, with opening until 21:00 on Thursdays from 15 October 2026.
EYE Filmmuseum: film as art
Two minutes from the F3 ferry, the EYE Filmmuseum devotes its exhibitions to cinema and the moving image. Until 31 January 2027, it features the Austrian filmmaker and photographer Ulrich Seidl. Exhibition ticket €16.50, free with the Museumkaart; exhibitions Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00.
Art centres and galleries
Beyond the museums, a few addresses let you see current work in a more intimate setting. Commercial galleries are free to enter; check exhibition dates before you go, as they close between shows.
De Appel and W139: the art centres
De Appel, founded in 1975, is one of the country's long-standing contemporary art centres. It is located at Tolstraat 160, in the south of De Pijp, and opens Wednesday to Sunday from 14:00 to 20:00. Until 21 November 2026, the exhibition "Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie 2026" examines the place of social class in contemporary art. Admission €6, €3 for students, free up to age 18.
W139, Warmoesstraat 139, is an art space founded by artists in 1979, right in the Red Light District. It opens Wednesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00. Until 1 November 2026, it presents the group exhibition "The Nature of Remembering", followed by "Heaving Room" from 20 November 2026 to 7 February 2027.
Galleries in the canal ring and the Jordaan
Two established galleries are easy to fit into a walk along the canals:
- Galerie Ron Mandos (Prinsengracht 282): installations and international artists; open Wednesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 18:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 17:00. Until 1 November 2026, the exhibition "Hlanganani" by the South African photographer Zanele Muholi.
- Annet Gelink Gallery (Laurierstraat 187-189): open Wednesday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Saturday from 13:00 to 18:00. Until 31 October 2026, an exhibition by the Croatian artist David Maljković.
Summary table: museums, prices and Museumkaart
| Museum | Area | What to see | Adult ticket | Museumkaart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stedelijk Museum | Museumplein | Modern art, design, Kusama until 17 January 2027 | €22.50 (€32.50 with Kusama) | Yes (€10 surcharge for Kusama) |
| Moco Museum | Museumplein | Banksy, pop art, digital art | From €19.95 | No (30% discount) |
| Rijksmuseum | Museumplein | 20th-century galleries | €25 | Yes |
| Foam | Keizersgracht | Photography, Nadav Kander | €16 | Yes |
| Huis Marseille | Keizersgracht | Photography in a canal house | €12.50 | Yes |
| Nxt Museum | Amsterdam-Noord | Digital and immersive art | €24.50 | No (reduced rate €15) |
| EYE Filmmuseum | Amsterdam-Noord | Film, Ulrich Seidl | €16.50 | Yes |
Prices listed in October 2026 on the official websites. Moco and Nxt prices vary by time slot.
What's on: Amsterdam Art Week in November 2026
From 18 to 22 November 2026, Amsterdam Art Week brings together more than 70 exhibitions at some sixty venues: galleries, museums, project spaces and artist residencies. The week opens on Wednesday 18 November with the Rijksakademie open studios, where resident artists show their latest work, and Gallery Night on Thursday 19 November opens galleries across the city at the same time. It is the best time of year to discover the local scene.
If you are looking for the Unseen photography fair, note that it has left Amsterdam: in 2026, it was held in Rotterdam, as part of the Art Rotterdam fair, at the end of March.
Tips for planning your visits
- Group by area: a morning on Museumplein (Stedelijk then Moco), an afternoon on the Keizersgracht (Huis Marseille then Foam), half a day in Noord (Nxt or NDSM, then EYE).
- Do the Museumkaart maths: it covers the Stedelijk, the Rijksmuseum, Foam, Huis Marseille and EYE, but only gives a discount at Moco and Nxt. Our comparison of museum passes will help you choose.
- Book time slots: the Kusama retrospective and Moco work with entry times; book online, especially at weekends.
- Make the most of late openings: Foam on Thursdays and Fridays until 21:00, Huis Marseille on Thursdays until 21:00, Nxt on Fridays and Saturdays until 22:30.
- Keep these addresses for rainy days: most are safe bets in bad weather, like the places in our guide to what to do in Amsterdam when it rains.
Further reading
To place these venues among all the city's museums, from Rembrandt to the Anne Frank House, see our pick of the best museums in Amsterdam. Before buying tickets, compare the I amsterdam City Card and the Museumkaart in our guide to museum passes. And to spend a full day on the north bank of the IJ, around Nxt, NDSM and EYE, read our guide to Amsterdam-Noord.
