Wereldmuseum Amsterdam (formerly Tropenmuseum): visit, tickets and opening hours

Updated on October 1, 2026

The Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, known until 2023 as the Tropenmuseum, is Amsterdam's major museum of world cultures. It occupies the former Colonial Institute, a vast brick building completed in 1926 at Linnaeusstraat 2 (1092 CK Amsterdam), on the edge of the Oosterpark in the Oost district. Its exhibitions explore Dutch colonial history and its traces in today's world, drawing on a collection of about 340,000 objects and photographs. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm; an adult ticket costs €18 online or €20 at the door, and entry is free with the Museumkaart and the I amsterdam City Card. Founded in Haarlem in 1864 as the Colonial Museum, the museum moved into this building in 1926 and was renamed Tropenmuseum in 1950. Since 2014 it has been part of the same national network as the museums in Leiden and Rotterdam, which are also called Wereldmuseum: check the city before you buy a ticket.

Highlights

The Colonial Institute building

Designed by the architects J. J. and M. A. van Nieukerken, it took eleven years to build, slowed down by the First World War and strikes, before Queen Wilhelmina opened it in 1926. Its towers, gables and carved façades have made it a listed monument since 2003; the museum shares the building with the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT).

The great hall

The heart of the museum is a central hall under a glass roof, surrounded by arcaded galleries on several levels that lead to the exhibition rooms.

The other permanent exhibitions

Our Story tells the history of the museum, its collection and its building; Things That Matter shows objects of great personal significance linked to major social issues of today; Unfinished Pasts: Return, Keep, or…? (since May 2025) puts visitors at the heart of the debate on the restitution of colonial objects.

Our Colonial Inheritance

A permanent exhibition on how colonialism shaped today's world and how people endured it, from Indonesia to Suriname, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Its sections ask direct questions: "A profitable business. But for whom?", "Wealth from overseas", "Racism exists, not race".

Disco, the temporary exhibition

From 10 October 2026 to 22 August 2027, the museum pays tribute to disco as an emancipation movement of Black, Latino and queer communities: hundreds of tracks, videos, works by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Kwame Brathwaite, fashion, a MiniMoog synthesizer, photos of the Paradise Garage and an early rainbow flag. Until 4 October 2026, Bas Kosters shows five outfits created for WorldPride 2026.

Wereldmuseum Junior

Activities for children are offered throughout the museum. The interactive exhibition Raad van de Raaf, about caring for the planet, is for children aged 6 and up (kayak, dog sledge, ideas for the environment); it is in Dutch, is booked on the museum's website and opens on Wednesday afternoons, at weekends, on public holidays and every day during school holidays.

Opening hours and prices

Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm; also open on Mondays during school holidays (in 2026: 12 and 19 October, 21 and 28 December); closed on 1 January, 27 April and 25 December. Adults (19 and over) €18 online, €20 at the ticket desk; ages 6 to 18 €7.50 online, €9 at the ticket desk; students €11; free up to age 5 and with the Museumkaart, the I amsterdam City Card or an ICOM card.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Buy your ticket online: it costs €2 less for an adult and €1.50 less for a child than at the ticket desk, where you can also buy without booking. Discount cards must be shown in physical form. The museum combines well with a walk in the Oosterpark, just behind it, or with [Artis](/fr/attractions/artis-zoo-amsterdam), a quarter of an hour away on foot, and is one of the good ideas for [a rainy day in Amsterdam](/fr/articles/que-faire-a-amsterdam-quand-il-pleut). Prices checked in October 2026.

How to get there

Linnaeusstraat 2, 1092 CK Amsterdam, on the corner of the Mauritskade. From [Central Station](/fr/attractions/gare-centrale-amsterdam), take tram 14 to the Mauritskade stop, in front of the museum. Amsterdam Muiderpoort station (trains) is about ten minutes away on foot. The Linnaeusstraat is under construction until the end of 2027 and several tram lines are diverted there: check your route in the GVB or 9292 journey planner before you set off.