How to choose your museums in Amsterdam
Start with your priorities rather than a list. Three museums account for most of the demand: the Rijksmuseum for the Dutch masters, the Van Gogh Museum for the painter himself, and the Anne Frank House for the history of the Second World War. The first two are on Museumplein, five minutes' walk from each other; the Anne Frank House stands on the Prinsengracht, in the canal ring.
Beyond that, it all depends on your tastes. Modern art lovers will head to the Stedelijk, Moco or Foam. Those who want to understand the city will pick the Rembrandt House Museum, the hidden church of Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder or the Jewish Cultural Quarter. And to see inside a merchant's house, nothing beats the Museum Van Loon.
Plan on two major museums a day at most. Any more and fatigue sets in, while your booked time slots will have you racing from one end of the city to the other.
The three must-sees
Rijksmuseum
The national museum of the Netherlands showcases 800 years of Dutch art and history in Pierre Cuypers' building, opened in 1885. Rembrandt's The Night Watch, Vermeer's The Milkmaid and the Gallery of Honour of Golden Age painters are reason enough to visit. Allow at least two hours, or half a day to go beyond the masterpieces.
An adult ticket costs €25, entry is free for under-18s, and everyone must book an entry time, including Museumkaart holders. The museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Full details on our Rijksmuseum page.
Van Gogh Museum
The world's largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh, from The Potato Eaters to the Sunflowers, along with his drawings and letters. No tickets are sold at the door: you must book a time slot online, €25 for an adult, free for under-18s. The I amsterdam City Card is not accepted. On Fridays, the museum stays open until 9pm. See our Van Gogh Museum page.
Anne Frank House
A visit to the Secret Annex, where Anne Frank and seven other people hid from 1942 to 1944, is the most moving in the city. Tickets, €16.50 for an adult, are sold only on the official website, every Tuesday at 10am for visits six weeks later, and sell out within hours in high season. All the rules are on our Anne Frank House page and in our guide to booking tickets in Amsterdam.
Modern and contemporary art and photography
- Stedelijk Museum: the city's museum of modern art and design, from Malevich and Mondrian to Warhol, on Museumplein. Adult ticket €22.50, free for under-19s; until 17 January 2027, the Yayoi Kusama retrospective raises the adult ticket to €32.50.
- Moco Museum: Banksy and contemporary pop art in a 1904 villa on Museumplein. Tickets from €19.95, with prices varying by time slot; a visit takes about an hour.
- Foam: the photography museum, in a house on the Keizersgracht. Adults €16, free with the Museumkaart and the I amsterdam City Card; late opening until 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
- Nxt Museum: digital and immersive art in a former warehouse in Amsterdam-Noord (Asterweg 22). The exhibition "Pioneers of Media Art" runs there until 10 January 2027. Adult ticket €24.50, with prices varying by time slot; open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am. Flashing lights and loud sound may bother some visitors.
To dig deeper into this theme, our guide to modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam adds galleries and alternative venues.
Museums that tell the story of Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Museum: the city's history museum has closed its Kalverstraat home for renovation work expected to last until 2030. It currently presents Amsterdam in Motion, at the Westergas cultural park: a 200 m² multimedia scale model that sums up 750 years of history in 45 minutes, followed by an interactive exhibition. Adults €18, free up to age 17, and with the Museumkaart and the I amsterdam City Card; a time slot is required.
- Rembrandt House Museum: the house where the painter lived and worked from 1639 to 1658, with his studio and etching demonstrations. Adults €23.50, or €19.50 from 4pm.
- Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder: a clandestine Catholic church hidden in the attic of a 17th-century canal house, right in the Red Light District. Adults €18. Steep stairs, not wheelchair accessible.
- Jewish Cultural Quarter: the Jewish Museum, the Portuguese Synagogue of 1675, the National Holocaust Museum and the Hollandsche Schouwburg, with a combined €30 ticket valid for one week.
- Resistance Museum: life under the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, with a section for children. Adults €17.50.
- Het Scheepvaartmuseum: the National Maritime Museum, in an arsenal dating from 1656, with a replica VOC ship moored alongside. Adults €20.
Canal houses and more intimate collections
These museums draw smaller crowds and can often be visited without booking. They are perfect for a second or third day.
- Museum Van Loon: the home of a merchant family on the Keizersgracht (no. 672), with its period rooms, family portraits and garden, closed off at the back by the coach house. Open daily from 10am to 5pm; adults €17.50, students and CJP €13.50, ages 6–17 €9.75, free with the Museumkaart and the I amsterdam City Card.
- Museum Willet-Holthuysen: another grand mansion, on the Herengracht, run by the Amsterdam Museum. Open daily from 10am to 5pm.
- Allard Pierson: the University of Amsterdam's archaeology museum, on the Rokin. Egyptian mummies, Greek vases, Roman and Etruscan sculptures. Adults €15.50, €3.50 for ages 5 to 18, free with the Museumkaart and the I amsterdam City Card; closed on Mondays.
Our guide to canal houses to visit compares all the houses open to the public.
With the family
With children, three museums stand out. NEMO Science Museum, the science museum shaped like a ship's bow, offers five floors of hands-on experiments (€21.50 from age 4, free rooftop terrace). The Wereldmuseum, formerly the Tropenmuseum, showcases cultures from all over the world, with a child-friendly trail (€18 online for an adult, €7.50 for ages 6 to 18). The maritime museum and its moored ship are also a hit with younger visitors. More ideas in our guide to Amsterdam with kids.
Summary table of the best museums
| Museum | Theme | Adult price | Recommended time | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rijksmuseum | Dutch masters, history | €25 | 2h to half a day | Timed entry required |
| Van Gogh Museum | Van Gogh | €25 | 1h30 to 2h | Online only |
| Anne Frank House | Second World War | €16.50 | 1h | Online, 6 weeks ahead |
| Stedelijk Museum | Modern art, design | €22.50 (€32.50 with Kusama) | 1h30 to 2h | Recommended |
| Moco Museum | Banksy, pop art | from €19.95 | 1h | Recommended |
| Nxt Museum | Digital art | €24.50 | 1h to 1h30 | Online time slot |
| Amsterdam Museum (Amsterdam in Motion) | City history | €18 | 1h30 | Timed entry required |
| Rembrandt House Museum | Rembrandt | €23.50 | 1h30 | Timed entry required |
| Museum Van Loon | Canal house | €17.50 | 1h | Optional |
| Allard Pierson | Archaeology | €15.50 | 1h30 to 2h | Optional |
Prices as of October 2026. Most of these museums are free for under-18s; check the children's prices on each page.
Museumkaart or I amsterdam City Card?
If you plan to visit at least four paid museums, a card can pay off. The Museumkaart (€75 for an adult in 2026) covers the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk, the Amsterdam Museum, the Museum Van Loon and the Allard Pierson; when bought on site by a foreign visitor, it is first issued as a temporary card, valid for 31 days for a maximum of 5 visits. The I amsterdam City Card (from €67 for 24 hours) adds public transport and a canal cruise, but includes neither the Van Gogh Museum nor the Anne Frank House. Our City Card or Museumkaart comparison does the maths based on your plans.
Either way, the card does not exempt you from booking a time slot at the museums that require one: the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Rembrandt House Museum and Amsterdam in Motion.
Further reading
To plan your visits around Museumplein, read our guide to the Museum Quarter. If the weather turns, our selection of things to do in Amsterdam when it rains suggests other indoor spots. And to spread the big museums over several days, follow our Amsterdam in 3 days itinerary.
