15 of the best museums in Amsterdam

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Amsterdam has more than 70 museums, ranging from world-famous galleries to quirky little collections. You could spend weeks working your way around them all, but if you only have a short trip then you’ll need to prioritise.

To help you plan your trip, here are the best museums in Amsterdam; from the unmissable highlights like the Rijksmuseum to my personal favourites and unusual spots you might not have heard of.

A beautiful old library, with wooden shelves, galleries to walk along in front of the bookshelves and a glazed, arched roof.
The beautiful library at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

I’ve also included tips on how to book tickets, because some of these museums sell out quickly, plus some suggestions for how to group museums together by area to make the most of your time in Amsterdam.

I’ve visited all these museums personally so let me know in the comments if you have any questions!

Rijksmuseum

The outside of the Rikjsmuseum, one of the best museums in Amsterdam. A large and impressive old brick building with two towers sits across a busy cycle path.
Outside the Rijksmuseum. The museum is so big that there’s a cycle path straight through the middle!

The Rijksmuseum is the Netherlands’ national museum and the most important art museum in the country. Inside, you’ll find an incredible collection of paintings, sculptures, ceramics and artefacts spanning 800 years of Dutch history.

The museum’s star attraction is Rembrandt’s Night Watch, but don’t miss Vermeer’s Milkmaid, the Delftware ceramics and the magical and surprisingly difficult to find library. The last time I visited, I’d just read The Miniaturist, so I was particularly keen to see the dolls houses, with all their tiny, astonishing details. The building itself is also stunning, with beautiful vaulted galleries and stained glass windows.

A hand holding a mobile phone. On the screen is information about Rembrandt's The Night Watch. The real The Night Watch painting is in the background.
I highly recommend using the excellent Rijksmuseum mobile app to guide yourself around the huge museum. Here I am learning more about Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.

How to get there: The Rijksmuseum is just south of the city centre canal ring on Museumplein, near the Van Gogh Museum, Moco and the Stedelijk Museum. The nearest tram stops are Rijksmuseum and Museumplein. Google maps link.

Ticket information: Tickets are timed and need to be booked in advance on the Rijksmuseum website, even if you’re using the I amsterdam city card. Entry is free with the I amsterdam card or €25 without.

Tips for visiting: If you can, book the first morning slot; you’ll have the Night Watch almost to yourself. Be aware that the Rijksmuseum is huge and you’ll definitely get lost! The excellent free app will help you get to the highlights – bring your own headphones.

Read more: Is the I amsterdam city card worth it? Full review with prices and value

Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It looks like two modern buildings from the outside, one square, one curved. They connect underground.
The Van Gogh Museum is one of the busiest museums in Amsterdam. It’s essential to book online, and book early!

Just across Museumplein from the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum is one of Amsterdam’s busiest attractions. It tells the story of Vincent van Gogh’s life and work, from his early sketches to masterpieces like Sunflowers, The Bedroom and Almond Blossom.

The galleries are arranged chronologically, so you can see how Van Gogh’s style developed and learn more about the struggles he faced.

The square atrium at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Details from Van Gogh's painting 'Sunflowers' are being projected on the white walls, while there's a staircase connecting the gallery floors. It's quite busy, with people on the stairs, on the balconies and on the ground floor.
Inside the Van Gogh Museum. The museum is arranged chronologically, and you start on the ground floor and work your way up through Vincent’s life and work.

How to get there: The Van Gogh Museum is on Museumplein, near the Rijksmuseum. You can take a tram to either the Rijksmuseum or Museumplein stops. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: The Van Gogh Museum is one of the few museums in Amsterdam where the I amsterdam city card isn’t valid, so tickets will set you back €24 per person. Under 18s get in free.

Tips for visiting: You’ll need to book your ticket at least 3 to 4 weeks before your visit to be sure of getting in, although if there are only one or two of you you might get lucky a few days in advance.

While the artworks are obviously stunning, I found the crowds detracted from the experience a bit, and the museum’s low ceilings can feel slightly oppressive. If you can, I recommend booking one of the first slots so you can have a more peaceful experience.

I also recommend getting the audio tour; I’m not normally the biggest fan of audio tours but it was really helpful in a busy museum to be able to stand back and listen rather than needing to get close to the displays.

Read my full guide to visiting the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House Museum by the side of the Prinsengracht canal. The building that held the Secret Annexe is to the left; to the right there is a modern museum building. A canal boat tour is dropping people off outside.
The Anne Frank House museum on Prinsengracht. The house where Anne and her family hid in the Secret Annexe is the one with the black ground floor, to the left of the Flagship boat.

Few museums are as moving as the Anne Frank House. This is where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis during World War II, and where she wrote her famous diary.

Walking through the narrow, cramped rooms of the Secret Annexe brings her story to life in a way that words on a page can’t. I first visited the Anne Frank House in my early teens, so I was close to the age Anne was when she was writing her diary. Needless to say, it was a very moving experience.

The Anne Frank House museum also includes exhibitions on discrimination and human rights, making it one of the most thought-provoking places to visit in Amsterdam.

A small statue of Anne Frank beside the Westerkerk in Amsterdam. Flowers have been left on the statue's plinth.
The small status of Anne Frank beside the Westerkerk

How to get there: While Anne’s secret annexe was at Prinsengracht 263, the entrance to the museum is around the corner on Westermarkt. The nearest tram stop is Westermarkt. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: Tickets are only sold online via the official website and cost €16.00 for adults. They’re released every Tuesday for visits six weeks ahead, and they sell out extremely quickly, so it’s important to plan ahead.

Tips for visiting: If you don’t manage to get tickets, you can still see the outside of the house at Prinsengracht 263 and visit the Anne Frank memorial outside the Westertoren church a few doors down. If you have time, I also recommend visiting the Dutch Resistance Museum.

Stedelijk Museum

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has what looks like a giant white bathtub added to the front of a traditional brick building.
The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has what looks like a giant white bathtub plonked in front of a traditional brick building.

Next door to the Van Gogh Museum is the Stedelijk, Amsterdam’s museum of modern and contemporary art. Its collection covers painting, sculpture, design and applied arts from the late 19th century to today. I still can’t pronounce its name despite very patient Dutch friends trying to teach me, but it’s well worth a visit.

The Stedelijk Museum includes works by big names like Picasso, Mondrian and Kandinsky, alongside Andy Warhol’s pop art and striking contemporary installations.

An exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. This part of the collection includes art and objects which were inspired by the space race, like a TV shaped like an astronaut's helmet.
The Stedelijk Museum focuses art and design from the 20th century onwards

How to get there: The Stedelijk Museum is another one on Museumplein, near the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Moco. The nearest tram stop is Museumplein, just a couple of minutes’ walk from the museum. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: Entry is free with the I amsterdam City Card. If you don’t have an I amsterdam card, entry costs €22.50 for adults. In general you won’t need to book a slot to see the permanent collection but some temporary exhibitions do require advance booking.

Tips for visiting: The Stedelijk is much less busy than the Van Gogh Museum or Rijksmuseum, and with its spacious atrium and high ceilings, there’s plenty of space and quiet to really take in the exhibits. On my last trip to Amsterdam I visited the Stedelijk straight after the Van Gogh Museum and found it a really lovely, peaceful experience – I had most of the rooms completely to myself! I also liked the first floor cafe, which had great coffee overlooking the busy street outside.

Foam Photography Museum

The grand canal house which houses the Foam Photography Museum
The Foam Photography Museum is in a grand canal house

Set in a canal-side house on the Keizersgracht, Foam is Amsterdam’s leading photography museum. Its exhibitions change regularly, showcasing everything from photojournalism to experimental art. When I visited there was an exhibition by fashion and advertising photographer Carlijn Jacobs exploring themes of AI.

A photography exhibition with AI-augmented images of the human body in a gallery with a mirrored floor.
Part of the Carlijn Jacobs exhibition I saw at the Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam

It’s a great place to discover new photographers, and because the exhibitions rotate with up to four at any one time, you’ll always see something different.

How to get there: Foam is on the Keizersgracht in the southern section of the canal ring. The nearest tram stops are Muntplein and Keizersgracht. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: Tickets can be booked online and cost €16.00 for adults. Entry is free with the I amsterdam city card.

Tips for visiting: Unlike most other Amsterdam museums that close at 5pm, the Foam Photography Museum is open until 6pm 5 days a week and 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays.

Eye Filmmuseum

A dramatic sloped white building with an eye logo
The dramatic sloped building of the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam Noord

Across the water from Centraal Station, the Eye Filmmuseum is unmissable thanks to its futuristic white building. Inside, the permanent exhibition explores the history of film with vintage cameras, projectors and film clips.

I loved the lower level where you can explore over 100 years of film fragments using a big video wall, and the mini cinemas where two or three people can choose a film to watch together. There are also temporary exhibitions (at the moment there’s a major Tilda Swinton retrospective) and four cinemas showing everything from classics to new releases.

A wall in a black room, with lots of little screens all showing a different video. A woman is standing at a control screen, deciding what to watch next.
The video wall at Eye Filmmuseum. I loved this part of the museum which has all kinds of interesting video clips to explore.

How to get there: Eye Filmmuseum is just over the IJ river from Centraal Station in the Amsterdam Noord area. The free Buiksloterweg ferry from behind Centraal Station takes you there in just five minutes. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: Tickets for the permanent museum collection are free with the I amsterdam city card or €16.00 without. There’s a small extra fee for some exhibitions.

Tips for visiting: The Eye Filmmuseum has one of the best museum cafes in Amsterdam, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the IJ river and a large terrace. It’s a lovely spot to take a break.

NEMO Science Museum

The NEMO museum looks like a big green ocean liner in the middle of the Oosterdok.
The NEMO museum looks like a big green ocean liner in the middle of the Oosterdok. It’s actually a mirror image of the road tunnel underneath.

If you’re visiting Amsterdam with kids, the NEMO Science Museum is the place to go, although there’s plenty for adults too. This huge science centre looks like a giant green ship, and inside you’ll find five floors of interactive exhibits. You can try out experiments, join workshops and watch live demonstrations.

Don’t miss heading up to the top floor cafe with doors open to the sloping rooftop square, which is free to visit and has some of the best views over Amsterdam.

To see everything properly, you’ll want to give yourself at least 2-3 hours.

A woman's hand touching a meteorite inside the NEMO Science Museum, one of the best museums in Amsterdam
NEMO is full of fun, interactive exhibits for both adults and kids. It was so cool to be able to touch a meteorite!

How to get there: NEMO is on the Oosterdok, a 14 minute walk or 14 minute bus from Centraal Station. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: NEMO is very popular, so it’s best to book tickets in advance, especially at weekends and during school holidays. Entry is free with an I amsterdam city card or €21.50 without.

Tips for your visit: Try to catch one of the demonstrations. I saw one on chain reactions which was all in Dutch and aimed at kids, but it was so entertaining, with office chairs sliding through the air, balloons popping and lots of audience participation.

National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum)

A huge (replica) sailing ship outside the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvartmuseum)
The replica sailing ship Amsterdam outside the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvartmuseum)

Housed in a 17th-century naval storehouse, the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) explores the Netherlands’ seafaring history. The exhibits include ship models, old maps and navigation instruments, as well as stories of trade, exploration and naval power.

The highlight for me was the full-size replica of the Dutch East India Company ship Amsterdam, which you can climb aboard to see what life was like on a Dutch trading vessel. You can also see the 200-year-old Dutch Royal Barge in a specially constructed boathouse.

On sunny days, the light coming through the huge glass roof in the old warehouse’s courtyard makes beautiful patterns on the walls.

Inside the National Maritime Museum's historic courtyard. A modern glass roof is making patterns on the walls.
Inside the Maritime Museum’s historic courtyard. This building was built in the 1600s as a storehouse for the Admiralty.

How to get there: The Maritime Museum is on the edge of the Oosterdok near NEMO. The nearest bus stop is Kadijksplein. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: There’s no need to book a timed entry slot at Het Scheepvaartmuseum. Entry is free with the I amsterdam city card or € 18.50 for adults.

Tips for visiting: During bad weather access to the Amsterdam ship might be restricted, but I visited during some very blustery and stormy weather and was able to go aboard.

ARTIS-Groote Museum

The entrance to ARTIS Groote Museum. A tall arched door in a brick building.
The entrance to ARTIS Groote. The museum reopened in 2022 after being closed for 75 years.

Part of the ARTIS complex which includes the ARTIS Zoo, the ARTIS-Groote Museum is a natural history museum housed in Amsterdam’s oldest museum building. Closed since 1947, it reopened in 2022 after a major renovation and reimagining of what a natural history museum should be in the 21st century.

Rather than showing the differences between humans, animals and plants, ARTIS-Groote Museum explores our place in the natural world, with interactive exhibits and intriguing displays. My favourite part of the museum was the interactive spine analyser which got you to move your spine in front of a display and then matched you with an animal – I kept getting a wiggly salamander!

An airy museum exhibition hall. The building is old, with wooden floors and galleries on either side, but the exhibits are very modern.
The Groote Museum building feels like a traditional natural history museum but the exhibits are anything but.

How to get there: The ARTIS complex is in the lovely De Plantage district just east of the city centre, with lots of other museums and attractions nearby. The nearest tram stop is Artis/Holocaust Museum. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: The ARTIS-Groote Museum is included in the I amsterdam city card with no need to book a timeslot in advance. If you don’t have an I amsterdam card, an adult ticket costs €17.50; there are discounts for visiting two or more ARTIS attractions.

Tips for visiting: ARTIS-Groote Museum has regular drop-in workshops and group activities. When I visited, I took part in a ‘Food for the Future’ workshop.

ARTIS-Micropia

The entrance to ARTIS Micropia. A tall glazed entrance in an old brick building.
ARTIS Micropia is just a couple of minutes’ walk from ARTIS Groote Museum.

ARTIS-Micropia is the world’s first museum dedicated to the hidden world of microbes, and it’s absolutely amazing; definitely one of the best museums in Amsterdam!

Your visit to ARTIS-Micropia begins with an animated video showing the bacteria living on your eyelashes while you travel in a lift up to the top floor. Once you’re up there, you can look through microscopes at bubbling vats of bacteria, see bioluminescent microorganisms and discover how many microbes live in your belly button.

I loved the wall of petri dishes where Micropia’s resident scientists had cultured a whole range of everyday microbes. Some of them were strangely beautiful, almost like flowers. I wasn’t quite so keen on the dead baby giraffe, but I couldn’t stop looking at the jars showing how different foods decompose.

A backlit display of petri dishes with different types of microbes at Artis Micropia, one of my favourite museums in Amsterdam
A backlit display of petri dishes with different types of microbes at Artis Micropia, one of my favourite museums in Amsterdam

How to get there: ARTIS-Micropia is right next to the ARTIS Zoo on Plantage Kerklaan. The nearest tram stop is Artis/Holocaust Museum. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: Like the ARTIS-Groote Museum and the ARTIS Zoo, ARTIS-Micropia is included in the I amsterdam city card. The normal entry fee is €17.50.

Tips for visiting: ARTIS-Micropia is recommended for children age 8 and above. If you’re easily upset I recommend skipping the baby giraffe exhibit.

Dutch Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum)

A room in the Dutch Resistance Museum. A desk is set up in a grey room, with rows and rows of drawers stretching up to the ceiling. The effect is very menacing.
The Dutch Resistance Museum tells the story of the rise of Nazism, World War II and how the Dutch people reacted. This room describes how Dutch citizens were required to register with the Nazi authorities after the Netherlands was invaded.

The Dutch Resistance Museum really surprised me. I visited because tickets were included in my I amsterdam city card and it was close to the ARTIS museums, but it ended up being one of the best museums I’ve visited in Amsterdam.

The Dutch Resistance Museum describes how the Dutch people reacted to Nazi occupation during World War II. The atmospheric displays bring different aspects of the occupation to life, while the museum uses individual people’s stories to prompt visitors to ask themselves what they would do in the same situation. The moral ambiguity of some of the stories was particularly thought-provoking, and highlighted that none of us really know how we’d react in such an awful situation.

A section of the Dutch Resistance Museum describing the persecution of Jewish people. The museum is very atmospheric.
A section of the Dutch Resistance Museum describing the persecution of Jewish people. All the exhibits are exceptionally well done and very moving.

How to get there: The Dutch Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum) is opposite the ARTIS complex on Plantage Kerklaan. The nearest tram stop is Artis/Holocaust Museum. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: There’s no need to book a timed slot to visit the Dutch Resistance Museum. Tickets cost €16.00, or entry is free with the I amsterdam city card.

Tips for visiting: The Plantage area of Amsterdam where you’ll find the Dutch Resistance Museum was one of the major Jewish quarters in Amsterdam before World War II. If you’ve visited the Anne Frank museum, the Dutch Resistance Museum is a good companion, along with the nearby National Holocaust Museum and the Jewish Museum.

Museum of the Canals (Grachtenmuseum)

The Museum of the Canals (Grachtenmuseum) is in a beautiful old canal house.
The Museum of the Canals (Grachtenmuseum) is in a beautiful old canal house.

The Museum of the Canals was another Amsterdam museum where I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I ended up finding it absolutely fascinating. Set in an elegant canal house on the Herengracht, the 45 minute long audio and video tour will give you an excellent overview of how Amsterdam developed, why it looks the way it does and what’s underneath the pretty canal house facades (millions of wooden piles).

You need to complete each section of the museum before you can move on, but it’s all so interesting and beautifully done that it held my attention all the way through.

A multimedia display in the Museum of the Canals. A video is playing on a curved wall, and there's a detailed model of Amsterdam's historic canal ring to look at.
While the ground floor of the Museum of the Canals has been preserved as an elegant canal house, the upper floors are a very modern and absorbing museum.

How to get there: The Museum of the Canals is on the Herengracht in the south west of the central canal area. The nearest tram stop is Koningsplein. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: The Museum of the Canals costs €17.50 for adults, but you’ll get in free with an I amsterdam city card.

Tips for visiting: The whole museum is wheelchair accessible, so if you have difficulty with the stairs in most other canal house museums, the Museum of the Canals might be a good option. The free audio guide is available in Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.

Amsterdam City Archives

An enormous, massively thick metal vault door at the Amsterdam City Archives.
The enormous vault door at the Amsterdam City Archives

The Amsterdam City Archives is a real hidden gem but it absolutely deserves a spot on this list of the best museums in Amsterdam. The archives are in the giant De Bazel building which was built as the headquarters for a bank; the vault now holds a museum about the history of Amsterdam, illustrated with treasures from the archives.

I wanted to visit the museum of the Amsterdam City Archives to see the architecture, but when I was actually there the displays really drew me in, with fascinating old photographs. I particularly loved the displays in the little safety deposit rooms.

A beautiful, spacious Art Deco tiled hall
The former bank vault that’s now home to the Amsterdam City Archives museum is a real stunner

How to get there: The Amsterdam City Archives are towards the south of the canal belt, between Muntplein and the Rijksmuseum. The nearest tram stop is Muntplein. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: The permanent exhibition in the vault is free to visit. There’s a ticket fee for the temporary exhibitions.

Tips for visiting: The Amsterdam City Archives are 10 minutes’ walk from the Rijksmuseum and near the beautiful Golden Bend, so it’s easy to combine a quick stop with the other museums in this area.

Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder)

Our Lord in the Attic is a beautifully preserved 17th century Catholic church, hidden in the attic of an Amsterdam canal house.
Our Lord in the Attic is a beautifully preserved 17th century Catholic church, hidden in the attic of an Amsterdam canal house.

Another literally hidden gem, this time in one of the busiest tourist areas of Amsterdam. The canal house at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40 looks much the same as its neighbours, but it has a secret. The three top floors conceal a Catholic church, built in the 1660s when it was forbidden to practice any religion other than Protestantism in public.

The Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder) is two museums in one. The lower floors show what life was like for people living in the house in the 1600s, while the church on the upper floors is beautifully preserved and a complete contrast to the house below. The church still holds monthly services in the summer months.

An ornate 17th century Catholic altar
It’s astonishing that this church can exist inside a normal-looking house

How to get there: The Our Lord in the Attic museum is a couple of streets from Damrak on Oudezijds Voorburgwal. It’s less than 10 minutes’ walk from Centraal Station. Google Maps link.

Ticket information: Tickets for the Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder cost €16.95 for adults, or entry is free with the I amsterdam city card.

Tips for visiting: While the hidden church is one of the best museums in Amsterdam, the many narrow stairs up to the top floors make it a challenge if you have difficulty walking. If this applies to you, you can book a co-visit, where you can take a virtual tour while a guide goes around the museum with a phone, allowing you to experience the building together.

The Cat Cabinet (KattenKabinet)

The KattenKabinet cat museum is in a beautiful canal house on a tree-lined canal
The KattenKabinet cat museum is in a beautiful canal house on a tree-lined canal

If you’re a cat lover like me, don’t miss Het KattenKabinet. The KattenKabinet is a small, quirky museum entirely dedicated to cats in art and culture. It’s set inside a grand 17th-century canal house on the Herengracht, once owned by a wealthy Amsterdam merchant.

Inside, you’ll find paintings, sculptures, posters and even vintage advertisements, all featuring feline subjects. The collection includes works by famous artists such as Picasso, Rembrandt and Toulouse-Lautrec, alongside kitsch cat memorabilia. And of course there are real cats wandering around getting more attention than the art!

A wall in an old house with lots of framed paintings of cats
The KattenKabinet cat art museum is full of portraits, paintings and sculptures of cats

How to get there: The Cat Cabinet (Het KattenKabinet) is towards the south of the canal belt. The nearest tram stop is Muntplein.

Ticket information: You can book tickets online but you should be fine just to walk in. Tickets cost €12.50 for adults; you can get a 25% discount with the I amsterdam city card.

Tips for visiting: The KattenKabinet is open every day except Mondays, 12pm to 5pm. This part of the Herengracht is known as the Golden Bend, and it’s one of the most beautiful, exclusive parts of Amsterdam, so it’s worth spending some time taking in the views.

How to group your visits

Amsterdam’s museums are spread across the city, but many of the best museums in Amsterdam are clustered together, making it easy to make the most of your time in the city.

Museumplein area

A tram from Centraal Station approaching the Museumplein tram stop, with the Rijksmuseum in the background
A tram from Centraal Station approaching the Museumplein tram stop, with the Rijksmuseum in the background

Museums: Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Moco Museum

The Museumplein is Amsterdam’s “classic” museum area, with four major art museums next to each other. The fancy Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat shopping street and leafy Vondelpark are both nearby if you get museumed-out.

Plantage area

A tram track curving through a park with trees. There are cyclists and typically Dutch canal houses in the background.
The leafy Plantage area is full of history, including Amsterdam’s oldest park – and some of the best museums in Amsterdam

Museums: ARTIS-Groote Museum, ARTIS-Micropia, Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum), National Holocaust Museum, Hortus Botanicus, Jewish Cultural Quarter, H’ART Museum, Amsterdam Museum’s temporary home

The leafy Plantage area is full of some of the best museums in Amsterdam. Its wide and elegant avenues, squares and parks are a great contrast to the cobbles of the canal ring, and full of history, in particular Jewish history.

Southern canal belt

A beautiful canal scene in Amsterdam, with a tour boat passing early autumn trees and canal houses
The beautiful Golden Bend on the Herengracht. The KattenKabinet cat art museum is just on the right hand side.

Museums: Amsterdam City Archives, KattenKabinet, FOAM, Museum of the Canals, Huis Willet-Holthuysen, Museum Van Loon

The southern segment of central Amsterdam’s canal belt has lots of great museums, many in elegant canal houses. If you’re looking for a day pottering around museums, antique shops and cafes, then this is a lovely part of Amsterdam to explore.

Western canal belt

Wobbly canal houses on the Prinsengracht near the Anne Frank House Museum
Wobbly canal houses on the Prinsengracht near the Anne Frank House Museum

Museums: Anne Frank House, Houseboat Museum, Van Gogh & Rembrandt in Amsterdam immersive experience

The museums of the western canal belt aren’t super close to each other, but you can explore some of the prettiest canal streets in Amsterdam as you walk between them, go shopping in the Jordaan area or find a cosy cafe for some apple pie.

Oosterdok

An expanse of water in Amsterdam city centre, with a floating Chinese restaurant on the right and a large church in the background
Looking across Oosterdok towards Amsterdam Centraal station and the city centre. Oosterdok is a fascinating and underrated area in Amsterdam.

Museums: NEMO Science Museum, Maritime Museum

The Oosterdok area is just to the east of Amsterdam’s Centraal Station and is full of both history and interesting modern sights. This area, together with the islands further east, was the main dock for Amsterdam in the 1800s, the base for the Dutch Admiralty, and where sailing ships were built during the 17th and 18th century.

Today the area is vibrant with everything from big company HQs to urban farms and even an open water swimming area with sauna.

Amsterdam Noord

A ferry taking bikes and foot passengers across the river IJ in Amsterdam
The free, 24/7 Buiksloterweg ferry makes getting to Amsterdam Noord easy. You can also catch the Metro.

Museums: Eye Filmmuseum, STRAAT Museum, Nxt Museum

Amsterdam Noord on the north side of the IJ river is one of the most rapidly developing areas in Amsterdam, thanks at least in part to the museums, galleries and other attractions that have sprung up in the area over the last decade.

The GVB ferries from the dock outside Centraal Station are the easiest way to get over to Noord; the one to the A’DAM Lookout and Eye Filmmuseum runs every few minutes, 24 hours a day.

Tips for visiting Amsterdam’s museums

Book early

The Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum need to be booked several weeks in advance. The Rijksmuseum can also sell out. I like an early slot as they’re quieter and it’s easier to see the exhibits compared to later in the day.

Save money and see more with the I amsterdam city card

The I amsterdam city card includes free or discounted entry to almost every museum in Amsterdam, and during my trips to Amsterdam I’ve always found that having the card helps me see more of the city.

Using the I amsterdam city card at an Amsterdam metro station
The I amsterdam city card includes tram, bus, ferry and metro travel across Amsterdam, as well as free or reduced price entry to museums and attractions in the city.

There are a couple of significant exceptions; the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House aren’t covered at all. Some museums require you to book a free timeslot even if you hold the I amsterdam pass.

I’ve written a full review of the I amsterdam city card, based on my experience using both the digital and physical versions of the card during my last three trips to Amsterdam, and comparing the overall savings of using the city card vs paying for attraction tickets and transport individually.

Take your time

Some of these Amsterdam museums can be intense and deeply affecting. Mix in canal walks, cafes and lighter sightseeing to recharge and reflect – or take one of the great day trips from Amsterdam for a change of scene.

Final thoughts

Amsterdam’s brilliant museums are one of the city’s biggest draws, and with so much variety there’s something for every interest. Whether you want to admire great art from the Dutch Golden Age, understand how your body works or explore the history of cinema, you’ll find it in Amsterdam.

Tell me which Amsterdam museums you love in the comments!

photo of Helen Rapp

About Helen

Hi! I’m Helen, and I’ve visited Amsterdam and the Netherlands multiple times. I really love Amsterdam but I always tell people not to sleep on the rest of the Netherlands as there’s so much else to see! You can see my other posts from the Netherlands here.

I live near Manchester, UK and work full time, so I’m all about making the most of my annual leave with day trips, weekend getaways and short breaks.

Read more about me

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Amsterdam's museums range from world-famous galleries to quirky collections, but which are the best? Here are my tried-and-tested best museums in Amsterdam.

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