Amsterdam Museum: where to visit it during the renovation, tickets and address

Updated on October 2, 2026

The Amsterdam Museum is the city's history museum: it tells how a fishing village on the Amstel grew into a metropolis, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Its historic home, the former municipal orphanage (Burgerweeshuis) on the Kalverstraat, is closed: the renovation officially started on 3 September 2026 and reopening is planned for 2030. The temporary branch at the Amstelhof (Amstel 51) closed on 1 December 2025. To explore Amsterdam's history with the museum today, you go to Amsterdam in Motion, at the Westergas culture park, or to the Willet-Holthuysen House on the Herengracht. Amsterdam in Motion, opened in October 2025 and curated by the Amsterdam Museum, presents "750 years in 45 minutes" around the world's largest multimedia model of a city, followed by an interactive exhibition upstairs. An adult ticket costs €18, and entry is free for visitors aged 17 and under, with the Museumkaart and with the I amsterdam City Card. The venue sits on the edge of the Westerpark, so you can combine it with a walk in the Westergasfabriek park.

Highlights

Amsterdam in Motion at the Westergasfabriek

Housed in the former western gasworks, now a culture park, the exhibition opens with a 200 m² model of 30,500 buildings placed one by one by hand, made with 3D printing and traditional craftsmanship. Projections, animation and sound bring the key moments of the city's history to life, from the village on the Amstel to today's city.

The interactive exhibition

Upstairs, installations look at the city through themes: housing and migration, football and fashion, canals and protest, trade and urban planning. Take your time with the hands-on displays: this is where you understand how Amsterdam was built. Everything is available in Dutch and English.

The Burgerweeshuis on the Kalverstraat

The former convent became the municipal orphanage from 1581, was extended by Hendrick and Pieter de Keyser and rebuilt by Jacob van Campen in 1634, housed orphans until 1960 and has been home to the museum since 1975. It is closed during the works, which cost around €125 million: new galleries will be added, the old ones restored, and the courtyard will remain open to the public.

The 1581 gateway

From the Kalverstraat you can still see the orphanage's entrance gate, with its painted relief of children in red and black uniforms and the inscription asking passers-by to support the orphans. The architects are keeping this gateway, which will be one of the four entrances to the renovated museum.

The Willet-Holthuysen House

The Amsterdam Museum also runs this 17th-century canal house at Herengracht 605, which shows how Abraham and Louisa Willet-Holthuysen lived in the 19th century. It is open daily from 10am to 5pm (12pm to 5pm on 25 December and 1 January). See our page on the Willet-Holthuysen Museum.

Amsterdam in Motion opening hours and prices

Monday to Wednesday 11:30am to 4:30pm, Thursday and Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 6pm. Adults €18; students €14; CJP card €11; free for ages 0 to 17, with the Museumkaart and with the I amsterdam City Card; a companion of a disabled visitor enters free.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Booking a time slot is required: buy your ticket online from the Amsterdam in Motion ticket shop, including with a museum card. The exhibition spaces are wheelchair accessible, with a lift to both floors. With the Uitpas, the 40% discount only applies on weekdays before 1pm, outside school holidays (prices checked in October 2026). Do not go to the Kalverstraat or to Amstel 51: you will find a building site or a different museum, the H'ART Museum.

How to get there

Amsterdam in Motion, Cultuurpark Westergas, Pazzanistraat 19-23, 1014 DB Amsterdam. Bus 18 or 21, Van Hallstraat stop; trams 3 and 5, stops near the Westerpark, then a few minutes on foot. The museum recommends coming by public transport or by bike; if you drive, use a Park and Ride (P+R). Willet-Holthuysen House: Herengracht 605, 1017 CE Amsterdam. Kalverstraat home (closed until 2030): Kalverstraat 92, next to the Begijnhof.