9 of the Best Museums in Amsterdam and How To Visit

Towering over Museumsplatz, the Rijksmuseum is a top-rated Amsterdam museum attraction—and for good reason. While most visitors head straight to the Golden Age art exhibition to see the likes of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, the rest of the museum has plenty of treasures, too. Other highlights include the Asian Pavilion, the dollhouses, the library, and the Michelin-starred on-site restaurant, RIJKS.

Skip the long entry lines with priority access to the museum’s 80 rooms and galleries by prebooking tickets: A small-group tour offers an overview of the museum, while private tours can be customized to your interests.

Don’t miss: The Rijksmuseum Garden. The grounds around the museum are free to enter and include sculptures, topiaries, water features, and play areas, along with seasonal art installations and a café.

First opened in 1973, the Van Gogh Museum now attracts millions of visitors each year. The museum features more than 200 of Van Gogh's paintings, along with letters and other insights into the troubled artist's life. Here, you can also see works by other artists who inspired—and were inspired by—Van Gogh, including Gaugin and Monet.

Skip the famously long line by joining a guided tour and/or prebooking your Amsterdam museum tickets ahead of time.

Don’t miss: Famed artworks including Sunflowers (1887), The Bedroom in Arles (1888), and Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887–88).

One of the city’s most moving historical museums, Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House opened its doors as a museum 15 years after the return of Anne’s father, Otto—the only member of the Frank family who survived Auschwitz. Dedicated to the memory of the diarist and her family who spent two years living in a secret annex of a house during World War II, the museum brings the past to life with photographs, personal objects, and, of course, excerpts from the now world-famous diary.

Dive deeper into Amsterdam’s WWII history on an Anne Frank walking tour through the former Jewish Quarter, or check out the nearby Jewish Historical Museum (Joods Historisch Museum).

Don’t miss: The secret passageway behind the hinged bookcase which leads to the hidden annex where Anne Frank and her family lived for nearly two years.

Gerard Adriaan Heineken first started his family-run brewery back in 1873, and began supplying beer to restaurants in the Eiffel Tower after winning the Grand Prix at the 1899 Paris World Fair. A real treat for lovers of beer and interactive museum experiences, the Heineken Experience offers a fascinating insight into the innovation and history behind the well-known beer brand.

Observe the brewing process from beginning to end, including sampling the final product, and choose between VIP or self-guided tours, all of which are held in the canalside brewhouse—easily combined with a canal cruise.

Don’t miss: The "Brew You Ride," an immersive audiovisual experience designed to emulate the feeling of Heineken going through the brewing and bottling process.

Located in Damrak in the heart of Amsterdam, the Venustempel Sex Museum flouts itself as the first—and the oldest—sex museum in the world. Inside, you'll find exhibits as entertaining as they are informative (although you must be 16 or older to enter), including ancient artworks and curiosities, life-size wax figures of Marilyn Monroe and Mata Hari, and an array of interactive exhibitions—not to mention some of the city’s most entertaining photo ops, such as oversize phallic furniture.

Combine a visit with a guided tour of Amsterdam’s Red Light District (De Wallen) to learn more about the history of sex in the world—and in the city.

Don’t miss: The historical erotica gallery, where you can find artifacts, artwork, sculptures, sex toys, and even Victorian-era photographs documenting human sexuality through the ages.

Stedelijk may be just around the corner from the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, but this modern art hub is in a world of its own, seamlessly blending together old and new. One of the best art galleries in Amsterdam, the Stedelijk Museum is a not-to-be-missed spot for art lovers visiting the city.

Inside the museum, which includes a newer bathtub-shaped extension, you’ll find a treasure trove of modern art and contemporary design dating back to 1870. A museum admission ticket includes access to masterpieces by Picasso, Yayoi Kusama, Pollock, Lichtenstein, Van Gogh, and Andy Warhol.

Don’t miss: Stedelijk’s permanent collection of artwork up until 1950, Yesterday Today, which features elements of famous Dutch artistic movements including De Stijl, CoBrA, and Amsterdam School.

Rising up out of the waters of the IJ River, Amsterdam’s National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) is as imposing as it is impressive. While the majority of the museum’s exhibits are ensconced within the walls of the 17th-century naval arsenal (the glass-roofed courtyard inside is a real highlight), the museum also features a life-size replica of a Dutch East Indiaman ship, Amsterdam, which reveals sailing life in the 18th century. (The actual vessel was built in 1749 to sail between the Netherlands and Batavia—modern-day Jakarta—but it was wrecked in the English Channel on its maiden voyage.) You can also see it from the water on a canal boat cruise.

Don’t miss: The opportunity to explore Amsterdam, a life-size replica of the Dutch VOC ship which is docked outside the museum. Visitors are free to wander around the whole ship, from the captain’s quarters to the cargo hold.

This funky Amsterdam museum highlights all things film, cinema, and visual art. Dedicated to national and international films alike, the EYE Film Institute (EYE Filmmuseum) is housed in a striking, spaceship-esque building in northern Amsterdam.

Tour temporary and permanent exhibitions, catch film screenings, and enjoy the picturesque views from the glass-walled bar and restaurant—the perfect spot for a rainy Amsterdam day. You can get to the EYE Filmmuseum by taking a free 5-minute ferry across the IJ River, departing from Amsterdam Central Station (Amsterdam Centraal Station).

Don’t miss: The museum’s permanent exhibition What is Film? which, along with chronicling the history of film—and how the first cameras worked—also gives you the chance to make your own flip book or be in front of a green screen.

Great for families visiting museums in Amsterdam, the NEMO Science Museum—which is as quirky inside as it is out—sits right at the waterside edge of the IJ-tunnel. It's also chock full of interactive exhibitions, experiments, and activities where you can learn about humanity; space and the universe; and the past, present, and future of science.

Admission to the museum includes a children’s play area, a café, and a public viewing deck offering great views over the city. Enjoy free events during the summer: live music, outdoor cinema screenings, and yoga classes.

Don’t miss: The fascinating Elementa exhibition that takes you on a journey from the Big Bang all the way to the evolution of life on Earth.