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9 Cool Amsterdam Museums You’ll Want To Visit

9 Cool Amsterdam Museums You’ll Want To Visit

Despite being famously hedonistic, Amsterdam is a great cultural capital, boasting dozens of museums. Ranging from showcasing the Dutch masters to modern art, from film to science, Amsterdam museums have something to offer nearly every visitor to the city.

For a relatively small city, it’s pretty incredible how many museums it has to offer! This “over-sized village” is truly an artistic and cultural powerhouse, and has been for centuries. Try choosing just one of Amsterdam’s museums below – it’s hard to just stick to one!

Some of them are Insta gold! All you have to do is snap up a photograph and pair it with your favorite Amsterdam quotes and captions before you rack up all those likes on IG.

But serious if you are in Amsterdam for a day or a week make sure that you squeeze as many of these museums into your itinerary as you can! I mean visiting the Amsterdam museums is one of the coolest things to do in Amsterdam.

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The Most Famous Amsterdam Museums At Museumplein

1. Rijksmuseum

⭐️ Rating: 4.7/5 (11,710 Reviews) Price: $26 per person Duration: Valid for 1 day 📍Meeting Point: Rijksmuseum Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!

Address: Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam

Timings: Open everyday from 9am to 5pm

The Rijksmuseum is a must visit on a trip to Amsterdam.

“Had a wonderful time at the museum. Easy access thanks to Get Your Guide app. Recommended”

Blake (read more reviews now!)

It’s world famous collection showcases the work of the Dutch masters from the 17th century including but not limited to Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen.

On you visit, don’t miss Rembrandt’s iconic Nachtwacht (Night Watch) or The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp. During peak tourist season I’d recommend buying your tickets online ahead of time, and downloading the Rijksmuseum app so you can have your own guided tour through the museum.

2. Van Gogh Museum

⭐️ Rating: 4.7/5 (19,954 Reviews) Price: $25 per person Duration: Valid for 1 day 📍Meeting Point: Van Gogh Museum Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!

Address: Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam

Timings: Open everyday from 9am to 6pm

It goes without saying, this Amsterdam museum houses the works of the great Vincent Van Gogh.

“Van Gogh museum was great. The audio tour was a great help to understand what I was looking at.”

Sylvia (read more reviews now!)

The museum is organized chronologically by Van Gogh’s life.As you follow the route you’ll see how Van Gogh developed not only as an artist but also as a person, and learn about he came to meet his tragic end.

Many of Van Gogh’s famous pieces are housed in this museum such as the Potato EatersSunflowers and Almond Blossom, but don’t expect to find Starry Night here (you’ll find that in NYC’s MoMa). Avoid long lines here by purchasing your ticket ahead of time.

3. Stedelijk Museum

Amsterdam museums stedelijk

⭐️ Rating: 4.4/5 (981 Reviews) Price: $25 per person Duration: Valid for 1 day 📍Meeting Point: Stedelijk Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!

Address: Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam

Timings: Open everyday from 10am to 6pm

“One of the best modern art museums I’ve been to in the world!”

Ashley (read more reviews now!)

A third mammoth museum awaits you in Museumplein, the Stedelijk, or city museum. This Amsterdam museum is less frequented by tourists who typically stick to Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum, but is well worth a visit if you are a modern art lover.

The Stedelijk houses rotating exhibitions from artists and designers alike, and is a hotspot for creatives in the city

These Museums In Amsterdam On Film Or Photography

4. Foam

Amsterdam museums foam museum

⭐️ Rating: 3.9/5 (56 Reviews) Price: $14 per person Duration: Valid for one day 📍Meeting Point: FOAM Museum Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!

Address: Keizersgracht 609, 1017 DS Amsterdam

Timings: Sun-Wed: 10am – 6pm, Thur-Sat: 10am – 9pm

“Was a good museum with some interesting pieces in it.”

Ashley (read more reviews now!)

FOAM is all about photography, and in addition to being a museum, is an international photography organization which focuses on developing budding photographic talent. Located on the Keizersgracht in the city center, FOAM is a great museum to stop by if you’re looking for an hour of culture in the heart of the city.

5. Eye Film Museum

Address: IJpromenade 1, 1031 KT Amsterdam

Timings: Open everyday from 10am to 7pm

Located in Amsterdam Noord, the EYE Film Museum is one of the icons of this neighborhood. This film museum has rotating exhibitions (think Martin Scorcese, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock) in addition to its permanent collection.

It also houses a cinema and a cafe looking out over the Ij (body of water) between the museum and Central Station. To reach EYE, you’ll need to take a (free) ferry from behind Central Station.

Museums In Amsterdam If Your Travel With Kids

6. Nemo Science Museum

⭐️ Rating: 4.4/5 (1,007 Reviews) Price: $20 per person Duration: Valid for 1 day 📍Meeting Point: NEMO Science Museum Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!

Address: Oosterdok 2, 1011 VX Amsterdam

Timings: Open everyday from 10am to 5:30pm

“Super interesting museum for kids and adults! To see everything you need to spend a day there.”

Oleksandra (read more reviews now!)

I say this museum is for people with kids, but to be honest, it’s fun for all ages – you’re never too old to be amazed by science!NEMO has permanent exhibitions educating visitors on a plethora of science topics, from light and sound to the universe and how your brain works.

If you visit NEMO on a sunny day, be sure to grab lunch on the roof where you can sit outside and take in sweeping views of the city… and no, this Amsterdam museum is not named after the Disney movie.

Museums In Amsterdam If You’re A Sucker For History

7. Scheepvaart Museum (National Maritime Museum)

Amsterdam museums scheepvaart museum

⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 (299 Reviews) Price: $ per person Duration: 📍Meeting Point: Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!

Address: Kattenburgerplein 1, 1018 KK Amsterdam

Timings: Tuesday to Sunday: 10am to 5pm. Monday closed.

Take a step back into the Dutch Golden Age and learn about how the Dutch traveled the world by ship, expanding their empire through their unique trading skills.

“There is simply so much to do and see here that you’ll need to allow yourself a full day really. There were also interesting interactive things on the ‘docked’ sailing ship for the children to do down in the hold. Over all a highlight for visitors to Amsterdam and an asset to the city!”

Anonymous (read more reviews now!)

This Amsterdam museum is housed in an arsenal building dating back to 1656 when Amsterdam was the largest port and trading market place in the world.

You’ll see the museum’s most famous piece from the outside already when you arrive – the East Indiaman Amsterdam, a nearly exact replica of the Dutch ship that set sail to the “Far East” in the 17th and 18th centuries.

8. Hermitage Museum

Address: Amstel 51, 1018 DR Amsterdam

Timings: Open everyday from 10am to 5pm

The Amsterdam Hermitage Museum is a sister museum to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, and features exhibitions from the St. Petersburg. It also houses rotating collections from other museums, mostly focusing on classical artists.

Seated on the Amstel River just a short walk from Rembrantsplein, you’ll find a new collection every time you visit.

9. Anne Frank House

See where Anne Frank went into hiding and wrote the pages of her famous diary. Learn about her life and step back in time to the Annex which has been authentically maintained, and learn about the family who hid her, and learn about how it was to be in Amsterdam during WWII. Be sure to buy your tickets ahead of time online.

This museum consistently has many hours’ long waiting times to get in. You can even take a walking tour through her life in the city.

There are so many gorgeous museums in Amsterdam that you can’t visit them all in a single trip. We have been heading back to Amsterdam at frequent intervals just to see more of them.

Which Amsterdam museum have you visited? Leave your answer in the comments below!

Amsterdam museums author

About The Author

Gabby is a native Californian who has called the Netherlands home since 2010. Switching from sunny to grey skies hasn’t been easy, but she’s come to love her second home in Amsterdam.

Besides living as an expat in Europe, she loves traveling and enjoys it best when she can combine it with exploring the outdoors and being active.

She’s got an opinion about everywhere she’s gone, and isn’t afraid to tell you the good, the bad and the ugly.

To read more from her, visit her blog Boarding Call or follow her on Facebook

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** Photographs and pictures have been provided by the author for use in this  post and do not belong to Globetrove.

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