The Van Gogh Museum, on Museumplein, holds the world's largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh: paintings, drawings and letters that trace his life, from The Potato Eaters to Sunflowers and Almond Blossom. The permanent collection fills the Gerrit Rietveld building, opened in 1973, while the elliptical wing by Kisho Kurokawa hosts the temporary exhibitions. Entry is only possible with a timed ticket booked online, €25 for adults and free for under-18s. Visitors spend two to three hours on average, including the café and shop.
Highlights
The museum and the Kurokawa wing
Facing Museumplein, the oval wing clad in grey stone, opened in 1999, is linked to the Rietveld building and to the glass entrance hall through which all visitors enter. Every ticket covers both the permanent collection and the current exhibitions, at no extra cost.
The Potato Eaters
Painted in 1885 in Nuenen, this peasant meal lit by an oil lamp is Van Gogh's first major composition. Its dark tones contrast with the bright colours of the canvases he later painted in Paris and Provence, shown further along the route.
Almond Blossom
Van Gogh painted these branches against a blue sky in 1890 in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence to celebrate the birth of his nephew, the son of his brother Theo, who was named Vincent. That nephew later helped to found the museum.
Sunflowers and The Bedroom
The museum holds a version of Sunflowers painted in Arles in 1889 and a version of The Bedroom, showing his room in the Yellow House. The Starry Night is not on display here: it belongs to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Autumn 2026 exhibitions
"Yoshitoshi. Master of the Moon" shows one hundred Japanese prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi from 1 October 2026 to 4 January 2027. From 16 October 2026 to 10 January 2027, "Whistler. Dandy and Disruptor" is the first retrospective in the Netherlands devoted to James McNeill Whistler.
Infos pratiques
Tips
No tickets are sold at the door: every visitor, including Museumkaart, ICOM card and Stadspas holders, must book a ticket with an entry time online, on the museum's ticket shop or through one of its official resellers (Tours&Tickets, GetYourGuide, Tiqets, Musement, Klook). The museum warns about fake tickets sold on other platforms. Prices as of October 2026: adults €25, students enrolled at an EU or EEA institution €16, free for under-18s and Museumkaart holders; the I amsterdam City Card has not been accepted since June 2022. You cannot enter before your time slot, but you have half an hour after it. The audio guide, available in twelve languages, is booked with your ticket. Self-service lockers take bags up to 45 × 25 × 25 cm; suitcases and large backpacks are refused. Card payment only. Photos are allowed without flash, tripod or selfie stick. You cannot leave and come back in.
How to get there
Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, main entrance on Museumplein. Tram 2, 5 or 24 to the Museumplein stop (buses 357 and 397); tram 5, 12 or 24 to Concertgebouw (buses 347 and 357). From Central Station, trams 2, 5 and 24 to Museumplein; from Amsterdam Zuid station, tram 5 to Concertgebouw; from Amsterdam Amstel station, tram 12 to Concertgebouw. A few bike racks stand outside the museum; by car, use the Q-Park Museumplein underground car park, entrance on Van Baerlestraat.
Opening hours
Nearby
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