Amsterdam's major museums

Amsterdam's notorious Museumplein square is a great starting point for museums. The square is home to the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum, among others, and we will dive into what you can expect to find in each of them, as well as ten other renowned Amsterdam museums, entry to most of which is free with the I amsterdam City Card.

Rijksmuseum

Everything from 17th-century masters to contemporary photography

A must-visit for classical art lovers, this museum has an impressive collection from the 800-year period between 1200 and 2000, with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer on display. The building itself is a triumph of Dutch architecture, an exquisite blend of Gothic and Renaissance styles, and it is the only museum in the world that you can cycle through.

Highlights:

1. Rembrandt’s The Nightwatch and countless more masterpieces by Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen and Breitner
2. Cuypers Library, the most extensive and oldest art history library in the Netherlands, with a beautiful spiral staircase that begs to be photographed
3. The fascinating collection of dolls' houses which shows life in the 17th-century

Read more about unmissable Rijksmuseum highlights here.

Rijksmuseum | Museumplein, Centrum | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

Stedelijk Museum

Modern art, design and blockbuster solo shows

A stone’s throw from the Rijksmuseum, this modern art museum displays 90,000 works from the early 20th and 21st centuries and is one of the city's best contemporary art spaces. Expect pieces by Kazimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian, Gerrit Rietveld, Nola Hatterman, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Karel Appel, Andy Warhol and more. The 2012 renovation added a wing dubbed 'the bathtub' by locals because it looks like a giant, shiny-white bathtub plopped smack in Museumplein.

Highlights:

1. Masterpieces such as Composition No. IV With Red, Blue and Yellow by Piet Mondrian or Jacqueline Kennedy II by Andy Warhol
2. Regular guided tours and curator's talks
3. 700 pieces strong and growing, the permanent collection brings together paintings, furniture, jewellery, sculptures, everyday objects, accessories, photography, drawings, installations, video art, posters, and interiors into one unique integrated experience

Stedelijk Museum | Museumplein, Centrum | Free with the I amsterdam City Card 

Van Gogh Museum

All things by Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries

Truly a must-visit for Van Gogh fans, here you’ll find the most extensive collection of his work in the world, with 200 of his paintings, 400 drawings and 700 letters. In addition to the curation of Van Gogh’s masterpieces, there are also rotating exhibitions and works by his contemporaries, including Monet and Pissarro and later artists who were inspired by Van Gogh, including Steven Aalders and Zeng Fanzhi. This sleek museum is also on Museumplein, alongside the Stedelijk and the Rijksmuseum, but don’t try to fit visit all three in a single day; there is simply too much to see. 

Highlights

1. The Potato Eaters, Vincent van Gogh
2. The Bedroom, Vincent van Gogh
3. Tulip Fields near The Hague, Claude Monet

Van Gogh Museum | Museumplein, Centrum

Anne Frank House

A window into a life in hiding during World War II 

Step into the pages of The Diary of Anne Frank by exploring the house where 13-year-old Frank hid with her family for two years during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. Opened in 1960, this museum on Prinsengracht preserves the annexe where they lived and showcases objects, photographs and historical documents from the time, piecing together a moving narrative of the events that took place.

Highlights:

1. Anne Frank’s original red-checked diary 
2. Exploring the beautiful house on Prinsengracht and seeing the meticulously preserved annexe where Anne lived
3. The hinged bookcase that led the way to the secret annexe

Anne Frank House | Centrum

Moco Museum

Rockstar artists, rising stars and experiential installations

For the perfect introduction to some of the contemporary and modern art world's icons, Moco has long established itself as one of Amsterdam's most popular art museums. Situated at Museumplein in the historic Villa Alsberg, with an adjacent sculpture garden, explore a mesmerising display of street art, sculpture, photography, installation works and much more. Alongside various changing temporary exhibitions which showcase rising stars and recent masters, the permanent exhibition has a particular focus on Banksy, and the gift shop is the ideal place to pick up articles from your best-loved artists. This is one of the museums that stay open till late, perfect for an end of the day visit.

Highlights:

1. The playful sculpture garden, filled with contemporary art pieces
2. Laugh Now, the permanent exhibition dedicated to all things by the iconic street artist Banksy
3. Modern Masters, the permanent exhibition filled with iconic works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Yayoi Kusama

Moco Museum | Museumplein, Centrum | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

Rembrandt House Museum

Rembrandt’s former home and studio

Rembrandt House Museum is the only place in the world completely dedicated to the world-renowned Dutch master and it's one of the museums hidden along the canals. Step back in time to the 17th century and get inspired by all things Rembrandt: the man, the artist, his home, his city and his time. You can’t get any closer to Rembrandt than this.

Highlights:

• Visit the original house where Rembrandt lived and worked for nearly two decades
• Get a unique glimpse into the artist’s day-to-day life
• See etching and paint-making demonstrations, and learn about how Rembrandt worked
• Enjoy a free multi media tour, available in 13 languages

Rembrandt House Museum | De Plantage | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

H'ART Museum

Blockbuster exhibitions of art from around the world

Hermitage Amsterdam reopened as H'ART Museum in September 2023, in an intensive collaboration with the British Museum, Center Pompidou, and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Find out what art is currently on show at H'ART Museum in our exhibitions agenda.

Highlights

1. The riverfront building itself, the Amstelhof, was built in 1682 as a retirement home
2. The church hall and historically reconstructed rooms in The Amsterdam Wing
3. The tranquil courtyard garden with special events like open-air film screenings and farmer's markets

H'ART Museum | De Plantage | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

Amsterdam Museum

Fascinating objects revealing the history of Amsterdam

Set in a former orphanage, this museum will give you an engaging overview of Amsterdam’s origin story. Its curation of art, household items, books, ancient artefacts, journals and reference papers, interactive displays and multimedia exhibits chronicles how this 1000-year-old trading city has maintained its culture of creativity and free-thinking through the millennia.  

Highlights

1. “The Little Orphanage” is an interactive exhibit for kids and families that shows what life was like in a 17th-century orphanage
2. The “World - City” permanent exhibition explores  Amsterdam’s relationship with the rest of the world
3. An aerial map of Amsterdam that dates back to the Middle Ages 

Amsterdam Museum | Centrum | Free with the I amsterdam City Card
*currently at a temporary location, Amsterdam Museum aan de Amstel, within H'ART Museum

NEMO Science Museum

Kid-centric science and fun

NEMO Science Museum, known for being one of the best family museums in Amsterdam, invites families to interact with science and technology in an informal and engaging setting. The five-story building itself is a landmark on the Oosterdok, jutting out of the water like the hull of a copper-green ship. The 19,000 artefacts show how technology has developed over the years, in an anthology of the first electrical home appliances and everything from the parlograph to the Walkman.

Highlights:

1. The outdoor roof terrace atop the building where you’ll find a stunning view of Amsterdam, a lovely restaurant and the open-air Energetica exhibition with interactive sculptures and a cascading water feature
2. Sensational Science exhibition helps kids unravel the mysteries of everyday physics in action through fun experiments like blowing giant bubbles and making rainbows

NEMO Science Museum | Oostelijke Eilanden | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

National Maritime Museum

All things seafaring and maritime history 

The Maritime Museum has endless entertainment for sea-faring families looking for more to do with kids in Amsterdam. On a swashbuckling tour of the East Indiaman Amsterdam ship, Rinus the Rat guides visitors through firing a cannon, scuttling through the hold and other hands-on activities that will give you an idea of what life was like aboard the real 18th-century ship all those years ago.  The museum collection of 400,000 maritime objects, including paintings, models of ships, navigation instruments, and maps of the world, is one of the largest in the world.  

Highlights:

1. A life-size replica of the 1749 VOC East Indiaman ship docked directly in front of the museum for visitors to explore
2. Maps & Marvels shows how 17th-century Dutch sailors navigated the seas and how their travels impacted the Netherlands and the world at large 
3. In the main hall, the Republic at Sea exhibition displays more than 50 masterpieces that demonstrate the Netherlands’s history as a maritime nation

National Maritime Museum (Scheepvaartmuseum) | Oostelijke Eilanden | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

Eye Filmmuseum

An archive of cinematic history and incredible film and photo-based exhibitions

A landmark on the IJ, the Eye Filmmuseum is an architectural wonder designed to play with light, space, and movement in much the same way as film. Inside the slick, multi-faceted white structure is an impressive complication of movie posts, project equipment, almost 40,000 films and other objects that reflect Dutch film culture. The four intimate cinemas onsite screen blockbusters and limited-release art-house films that are hard to find elsewhere in the country. It's a must for fans of cinema and film in Amsterdam.

Highlights:

1. The panoramic cafe-restaurant which has a jaw-dropping view over the River IJ
2. The permanent Panorama exhibition which showcases film devices that were pivotal in the history of cinema as an homage to film history
3. Daily movie screenings across four cosy cinemas and an outdoor cinema in the summer

Eye Filmmuseum | Noord | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

FOAM

World-class contemporary photography

This stylish address on Keizersgracht is dedicated to photography and is recommended in our Amsterdam for photography lovers guide. Using a mix of exhibitions, publications, debates and educational projects, its mission is to inform and involve the community in contemporary photography, with displays organised by categories including documentary, art and fashion. You’ll find historical works by world-famous photographers hanging alongside modern shots by emerging artists.

Highlights:

1. FOAM Magazine, which is published three times a year around a specific theme
2. Foam 3h, a programme focussed on exhibiting the work of recently graduated artists and photographers
3. Free tours of the exhibitions led in English every Thursday at 19:30  

Foam | Centrum | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

Wereldmuseum Amsterdam

World cultures and thought-provoking exhibitions

The architecture alone in this spectacular building makes it worth a visit. It took almost ten years to build and was officially opened in 1926 by Queen Wilhelmina. The central atrium affords an expansive, light-drenched view of the museum’s various floors and exhibits. The permanent collection explores culture, where visitors can peruse beautiful artefacts from all over the world, each with its own story to tell. The museum addresses colonial history and dives into stories that must be told.

Highlights:

1. Incredible family activities, including the Wereldmuseum Junior, where kids can explore interactive exhibitions
2. Things That Matter permanent exhibition considers themes that connect people across borders
3. Our Colonial Inheritance exhibition, which explores Dutch colonial history and presence, in Indonesia, Suriname, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and many other countries

Wereldmuseum Amsterdam | Oost | Free with the I amsterdam City Card

Amsterdam museums: frequently asked questions

Which museums in Amsterdam are free?

There are a few Amsterdam museums that are free to the public. One such museum is the Amsterdam City Archives, the permanent exhibition of which is always free. For others, read our free museums in Amsterdam guide.

Which museums are on Museumplein?

You will find the Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Moco Museum, Van Gogh Museum, Bols Cocktail Experience, Miniatuur Museum Amsterdam, and the Diamond Museum on the Museum Square.

Which museums are included with the I amsterdam City Card?

Find a full list of City Card participants here.

Looking for more inspiration? Read on to find out which iconic masterpieces to see in Amsterdam and in which museum or dive into our shortlist of unusual museums in Amsterdam.