Visit Amsterdam’s amazing museums

Why Amsterdam is a must for museum lovers

Amsterdam serves up an embarrassment of riches for visitors, and it is a mecca for museums. From the artistic heavyweights of the Rijksmuseum to the poignancy of Anne Frank Huis and the family-friendly NEMO, Amsterdam’s best museums are a great way to discover the fascinating history and culture of the Dutch capital. 

If museums are your thing, it will be worthwhile getting the Netherlands Museum Pass. The pass costs €75 but will give you free entry to over 400 museums across the country, including all those listed below. 

Driving to Amsterdam from Calais

It is relatively easy to drive to Amsterdam from the LeShuttle Calais terminal. The journey to Amsterdam takes just four and a half hours. If you have the time and you’re tempted by beautiful cities, the most direct route through Belgium takes you close to both Ghent and Antwerp. 

Travel along the A16 and E40 towards Ghent and the E17 to Antwerp. There are no tolls on this route – in fact there is only one stretch of road that charges a toll in the Netherlands, and Antwerp has a tolled tunnel, but your fastest route does not include either of them! 

The best museums in Amsterdam 

For art lovers

Right in the heart of the city you’ll find the Museumplein (Museum square). It’s less a square in fact, than a cultural district comprising three of Amsterdam’s most famous museums, and a public park. 

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum

Dominating  Museumplein is the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. Taking pride of place in the 8,000 strong exhibits (from a collection of over 1 million items) are masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer and van Gogh. The  Rijksmuseum is so large you’ll want to make sure you see its biggest highlights, such as Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, but to get more out of the museum follow one of its free audio tours. Ticket prices are higher than you might pay for national galleries in other countries, but it’s still good value as you could easily spend a day at the Rijksmuseum.

Van Gogh museum

Also on the Museumplein is the Van Gogh Museum, which holds the largest collection of works by the acclaimed Dutch artist, including 200 paintings, 400 drawings and 700 letters. Founded by the van Gogh Foundation in 1973, the museum tells the artist’s compelling story through a variety of permanent collections, special exhibitions and immersive experiences. You’ll be able to get up close to several of van Gogh’s greatest works on display, such as Sunflowers and The Bedroom, and see how the artist developed his style over the course of a turbulent and troubled life.

Stedelijk museum

Take the plunge into modern art at the Stedelijk ‘bathtub’

Completing Museumplein’s holy trinity of attractions is the Stedelijk, an unmistakable sight with the ‘bathtub’ design of its 21st-century wing, entirely in keeping with the museum’s dedication to contemporary and modern art and design. The museum holds a vast collection, covering all the major movements and schools of modern art, including Post Impressionism, De Stijl, Cubism, Bauhaus and Pop Art. You’ll see painting, sculpture, film, prints, photography, graphic design and all kinds of installations. Some of the Stedelijk’s most celebrated exhibits include works by Matisse, Mondrian and Warhol. 

Rembrandt house museum

Rembrandt van Rijn lived in a house in the centre of Amsterdam between 1639 and 1658, and painted many of his most famous works there. Today the building still stands on Jodenbreestraat. Bankruptcy eventually forced Rembrandt to sell the house and auction all his possessions – but ironically it is the inventory for the auction that has enabled the museum’s curators to meticulously recreate how each room would have looked during the great artist’s day. So step into the painting studio at the very top of the house, with its huge easel, fireplace and table of painting pigments, or into his living room, where the artist would sleep – sitting up – in a box bed. 

For history and culture fans

Anne Frank House

Anne Frank Huis, Amsterdam

For more than two years the Jewish Frank family hid from the Nazis in the annex of a building in Prinsengracht. The diary 13-year old Anne kept before the family were eventually discovered became a world famous testament of youth. Visitors to the museum can enter the annex and see the rooms where the Franks and another family lived, while the rest of the museum tells Anne’s story against the backdrop of the Holocaust and World War II.

The museum draws more tourists, for its size, than any other attraction in Amsterdam. Because of this tickets are restricted, and are only available six weeks in advance. Time slots sell out quickly, so if you want to include this on your tour of Amsterdam museums, you should plan ahead. 

Amsterdam museum

What have an early electric car, a carillon and a Red light district bar got in common? Fantastically, they are all exhibits in the Amsterdam Museum, which is dedicated to the history of the city, in all its colourful, dark and risqué glory. Formerly known as the  Amsterdam Historical Museum, it is temporarily being housed in a building on the Amstelhof (while the museum site in the city centre is refurbished). It does indeed include a replica of Café 't Mandje, one of the city’s most famous gay pubs, along with a wide ranging collection of artworks, artefacts, photographs, media and clothing. Tickets can be purchased online in advance. 

The resistance museum Amsterdam

The Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1940-1945, and this museum chronicles that dark period in Dutch history, one of war, dictatorship, persecution and rebellion. A huge resistance movement grew up in the Netherlands, which helped people to go into hiding, published underground newspapers and organised general strikes. You’ll hear personal stories of what life was like for people in Amsterdam during this time, the choices they had to make and the horrors they endured. The resistance museum is near the Amsterdam Royal Zoo in the Oost area.

For families and children

Amsterdam also has a wealth of family-friendly attractions, including museums that will keep the very youngest entertained. 

NEMO science museum

The NEMO science museum

The largest museum dedicated to science and technology in the Netherlands, NEMO is where science comes alive for children. There are three main elements to the museum – the exhibitions, ranging from the science behind everyday life, to water power and science through the ages; the collection of around 20,000 artefacts, telling the story of scientific progress in the past, with a special focus on electrical appliances; and activity areas where kids can conduct science experiments and see scientific phenomena in action, like popping balloons and toppling dominoes. 

ARTIS Micropia

You can’t see them with the naked eye, but without microbes, life would be impossible. There’s more than one hundred thousand billion of them in the human body alone, and the whole family can learn more about the fascinating world of the microbe at Artis Micropia, the world’s first microbe museum. You’ll get to see these extraordinary organisms under the microscope, magnified to exceptional levels of detail, and discover just how beautiful and important they are. 

Artis Micropia is part of the  Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo complex – but you’ll need a separate ticket for the Artis Micropia attraction.

National maritime museum

Walk the decks of an 18th-century ship at the National Maritime Museum

The Dutch have deep historical links with the sea through trade and war, and this museum has one of the world’s largest maritime collections, with over 400,000 items. Its main attraction is the full-size replica of an 18th-century trading ship, the East India Company’s Amsterdam, permanently moored in the museum’s wharf. You can walk the decks of the ship, hang out in a hammock and get an understanding of what life would have been like on board for the crew on a long voyage. Elsewhere in the museum there are interactive experiences for little ones and a child-friendly whales exhibition.

For budget-conscious travellers

It’s true that some museums in Amsterdam aren’t cheap, so to save on the purse strings here are a few free places to visit which still have a cultural aspect. 

Rijksmuseum gardens

The gardens of the  Rijksmuseum are free to enter, with plenty of seating. The gardens are ‘outdoor galleries’, arranged in three distinct sections – a Renaissance style garden, formal Baroque garden and a landscaped park. Sculpture and architectural fragments are placed around the gardens, and there is a large water fountain too. It’s a wonderful place to relax, have a quiet lunch or meet friends. 

Relax in the Rijksmuseum gardens

Civic Guards Gallery

Accessible from Kalverstraat, this feels like it should be a shopping arcade, but it is actually a free gallery exhibiting the large civic guard paintings that are distinctive to the Netherlands, the most famous of which is Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. That as you know is in the Rijksmuseum, but you’ll see works by other Golden Age artists here, as well as, somewhat curiously, portraits of modern Amsterdam citizens, celebrities and sports personalities.  

Amsterdam City Archives

You might not need to do any historical research, but the Amsterdam City Archives is still a fascinating place to visit. As well as holding 750 years worth of documents about Amsterdam, there are free exhibitions on historical themes, and a cinema showing archive films and documentaries. Grab a bite to eat in the retro-style cafe with views over the shopping street. This is a real hidden Amsterdam gem. 

Top tips for visiting museums in Amsterdam

•    Book your Amsterdam museum tickets in advance – queues on the day can be lengthy, and for some museums (like Anne Frank Huis) there is no chance of admittance otherwise.

•    Consider visiting early in the morning and late afternoon, or on weekdays during school term times. This way you’ll avoid the busiest times.

•    Plan your route through some museums beforehand. The Rijksmuseum in particular is very big – its app will enable you to download interactive guides so you are not wandering its rooms aimlessly! 

•    Passes or cards giving free entry to Amsterdam museums are worth considering. As well as the Netherlands Museum Pass there is the Amsterdam City Card, which also offers free public transport in the city during the time covered by the card.

Plan a museum-hopping holiday in Amsterdam

Book your trip with LeShuttle today and experience all the beauty, wonder and emotion of Amsterdam’s amazing museums.