I amsterdam City Card or Museumkaart: which pass to choose?

The two cards at a glance

The I amsterdam City Card is sold by the city's tourist office. It is valid for 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 consecutive hours and combines entry to more than 70 museums and attractions, GVB public transport, a canal cruise and 24 hours of bike hire. It is aimed at visitors in a hurry who want to fit everything into a few days.

The Museumkaart is the museum card of the Netherlands: it gives access to more than 500 museums across the country for a year. It includes no transport or cruise, but it is accepted at almost every museum in Amsterdam, including the Van Gogh Museum, which has no longer accepted the City Card since June 2022. Foreign visitors buy it at a participating museum as a temporary card.

Prices observed in October 2026 on the official I amsterdam ticket shop and the Museumkaart website.

The I amsterdam City Card in detail

Prices by duration

Prices observed in October 2026 on the official I amsterdam ticket shop, where the card is listed at the same price whatever your age. The longer the card, the lower the price per day: the 120-hour card works out at less than half the daily price of the 24-hour card.

What it includes

• Museums and attractions: the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum, the Rembrandt House, the NEMO Science Museum, ARTIS zoo with Micropia and the Groote Museum, canal houses such as the Museum Van Loon, as well as churches and museums in the region.
• GVB transport: unlimited travel by tram, bus, metro and ferry on the city network. The train between Schiphol Airport and the centre, run by the NS railways, is not a GVB service.
• One canal cruise with one of the partner companies.
• 24 hours of bike hire.

How it works

The countdown only starts on activation, that is, at the first museum you visit or the first time you check in on public transport: you can buy the card up to a year in advance. The hours run consecutively, overnight included: a 48-hour card activated on a Friday at 3 pm expires on Sunday at 3 pm. So start your first day early.

Most partner venues let you in simply on showing the card, but the Rijksmuseum, the Rembrandt House and NEMO require a time slot booked in advance. At the Stedelijk, the card is enough for the permanent collection; at ARTIS, it is scanned at the entrance.

The Museumkaart in detail

The Museumkaart costs €75 for an adult and €39 up to and including age 18. It gives unlimited entry to more than 500 Dutch museums for a year, so it stays useful if you continue your trip to other cities in the country.

The temporary card for foreign visitors

Visitors passing through buy the card at the ticket desk of a participating museum. They receive a temporary card, valid for 31 days for a maximum of 5 visits. To get the annual card afterwards, you have to register it online within those 31 days and give an address it can be posted to. For a short stay, the temporary card is enough: above all, remember the 5-museum limit, which matters when working out whether it pays off.

Time slots to book

The Museumkaart website points it out: most museums do not require a booking, but some insist on a time slot. In Amsterdam, that applies to the most popular ones. The Van Gogh Museum sells no tickets on site, and Museumkaart holders must book a timed ticket online. At the Rijksmuseum, the Rembrandt House and NEMO, all visitors book a time slot too. The Stedelijk asks cardholders to book a free time slot. Our guide to booking tickets in Amsterdam sets out how far ahead to book for each venue.

Where each card is accepted

The table below lists adult admission prices for the main museums and shows whether each card is valid there.

Prices observed in October 2026 on the museums' official websites. The Rijksmuseum is free up to and including age 18; the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam in Motion and Museum Willet-Holthuysen are free for under-18s, and the Stedelijk for under-19s.

Three cases deserve attention. The Van Gogh Museum no longer accepts the City Card: with it, you pay for your ticket separately. The Anne Frank House accepts no tourist pass; with the Museumkaart you pay only the €1 booking fee, but tickets are still sold online only. Finally, the Amsterdam Museum has closed its Kalverstraat building for renovation work due to last until 2030: it welcomes visitors at Amsterdam in Motion, in the Westergas cultural park, and at Museum Willet-Holthuysen. Do not confuse it with the H'ART Museum, housed in the Amstelhof on the Amstel.

Which one pays off? Three sample trips

The calculations below compare, for one adult, the price of individual tickets with the price of each card. They use the adult prices from the previous table and, for transport, the 24-hour (€10), 48-hour (€16) or 72-hour (€21.50) GVB passes.

Two days, three major museums

Itinerary: Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk, with a 48-hour GVB pass.

• Individual tickets: 25 + 25 + 22.50 = €72.50 for museums, plus €16 for transport, making €88.50.
• 48-hour City Card: €94, plus €25 for the Van Gogh Museum, making €119, cruise and bike included.
• Museumkaart: €75, plus €16 for transport, making €91.

Individual tickets win by a small margin. Add the Anne Frank House (€16.50 on its own, €1 with the Museumkaart) and the total rises to €105 with individual tickets against €92 with the Museumkaart, which becomes the best option with four of its five visits used.

Three days of intensive sightseeing

Itinerary: Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk, Rembrandt House, NEMO, ARTIS zoo, Amsterdam in Motion and Museum Van Loon, getting around by tram and metro.

• Individual tickets: €157.50 for visits and €21.50 for a 72-hour GVB pass, making €179.
• 72-hour City Card: €115, with the cruise and bike on top.
• Museumkaart: €75 for the five most expensive museums, plus Museum Van Loon (€17.50), ARTIS zoo (€29.50), which it does not cover, and the GVB pass (€21.50), making €143.50.

Here the City Card saves €64 compared with individual tickets. It only pays off at this pace: three or four visits a day, using public transport.

A family with children

For a child, the City Card costs the same as for an adult, while the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk and Amsterdam in Motion are already free for under-18s. So it almost never pays off for a child. Instead, pay for the few children's tickets individually (NEMO, ARTIS, Rembrandt House) and keep the card for the adults. Our ideas for younger visitors are gathered in Amsterdam with kids.

Our tips for choosing

• You want to see the Van Gogh Museum and are staying more than two days at a relaxed pace: the Museumkaart, which also covers the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk.
• You pack in three or four visits a day and use the tram: the City Card, ideally for 72 hours or more. Leave the Van Gogh Museum outside the pass.
• You are only visiting two major museums: individual tickets, with a GVB pass or a contactless bank card for transport. Our guide to getting around Amsterdam compares the tickets.
• You are travelling with children: no card for them, and the Museumkaart or individual tickets for the adults.

The City Card also comes in an Explorer version without transport, which gives 3, 5 or 7 activities of your choice from the same list: it suits you if you mostly get around on foot or by bike. Commercial passes, such as those from Go City, are also on sale; they are based on a different list of attractions, so compare it with your plans before buying.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Activating the City Card too late in the day: the hours tick away from the first check-in, even if you visit nothing else in the evening.
• Counting on the Van Gogh Museum with the City Card: it has not been included since June 2022.
• Forgetting time slots: with a card, entry is free but not guaranteed at the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Rembrandt House, NEMO and Amsterdam in Motion. Book as soon as your dates are fixed.
• Going over the 5 visits on the temporary Museumkaart: save it for the most expensive museums and pay for the smaller ones individually.
• Going to the wrong address for the Amsterdam Museum: neither Kalverstraat nor Amstel 51; head to the Westergasfabriek or Herengracht 605.

Further reading

To fit these visits into a full budget, with accommodation and meals, read our guide to budgeting for a trip to Amsterdam. If you are still unsure which museums to choose, our pick of the best museums in Amsterdam helps you narrow it down, and the guide to the Museum Quarter plans a day around Museumplein.