Around the Rijksmuseum: what to see within a 10-minute walk

The Rijksmuseum is the ideal starting point for a walk: within ten minutes on foot you reach the big lawn of the Museumplein, three other museums, the Concertgebouw concert hall and the entrance of the Vondelpark. This guide sorts what there is to see by walking time, suggests a loop of about three hours without going inside any museum, and says what is worth booking. Walking times are approximate, at a strolling pace.

Within 5 minutes

The Rijksmuseum seen from the Museumplein

The passage under the Rijksmuseum: a vaulted gallery runs right through the building. Pedestrians and cyclists use it without a ticket; it is the most spectacular way into the district. See the Rijksmuseum page.
The Museumplein: the big lawn lined with museums, with its pond, its grass and, in winter, its ice rink. Our Museumplein page explains the place.
The Van Gogh Museum: about five minutes on foot. The largest collection of the painter's work in the world, visited with a timed ticket: Van Gogh Museum.
The Stedelijk Museum: modern and contemporary art museum, recognisable by its white extension nicknamed “the bathtub”: Stedelijk Museum.

Within 10 minutes

The Moco Museum, in a villa on the Honthorststraat, right next to the Van Gogh: Moco Museum.
The Concertgebouw, at the end of the Museumplein view: you can photograph the façade from the square, and the hall generally offers free 30-minute lunchtime concerts on weekdays, from September to June: Concertgebouw.
P.C. Hooftstraat: the luxury fashion street, between the Rijksmuseum and the Vondelpark. Worth walking for the shop windows.
The Vondelpark: the main entrance is about ten minutes on foot away; it is the ideal break between two visits: Vondelpark.
The Spiegelkwartier, just north of the museum: streets of antique dealers and art galleries, calmer than the centre.

A little further, up to 15 minutes

The Leidseplein, square of theatres and terraces: Leidseplein.
The Heineken Experience, in the former brewery on the Stadhouderskade: Heineken Experience.
De Pijp and the Albert Cuyp market, to the east: Albert Cuyp market and De Pijp district.

A 3-hour loop without entering a museum

Passage under the Rijksmuseum, then a photo of the façade from the Museumplein.
Walk across the lawn to the Concertgebouw.
P.C. Hooftstraat and the Vondelpark entrance, coffee break.
Back through the Spiegelkwartier, then lunch (see where to eat near the Rijksmuseum).

This loop also works at the end of the day, when the museum crowds have dispersed.

Booking and choosing

The museums on the square are the most visited in the city: book a slot online, several days ahead in high season. If you can only visit one, read Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum. To compare tickets and cards, see the museum pass and our guide to the museum quarter.

Getting there and back

Trams 2, 5 and 24 link Central Station to the Museumplein; the Vijzelgracht metro station (line 52) is less than ten minutes on foot from the museum. Lines changed in March 2026: check them on the GVB journey planner (see transport in Amsterdam). If it rains, turn to our guide to rainy-day ideas.