THE NETHERLANDS
The Dutch classics.
The 15 most popular museums in the Netherlands. What each one is really like, who runs it, and what it costs.
Step into Amsterdam’s Red Light Secrets Museum in a former brothel, with audio, window-seat views, and sex-worker stories.
“Very nice experience you get to see how these girls are working there. I wish it had a bit more details or something”
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Amsterdam is a fast-paced, interactive weird-museum on Dam Square, with optical illusions and bold photo views.
“I got to the museum earlier than my ticket stated however the lovely staff let me go through earlier. I was able to explore myself at my own pace it wasn’t super busy. It’s not something that can really be done twice. Would definitely recommend. Very interesting and a lot of different things to see…”
A timed entry to the Van Gogh Museum plus a 75-minute Amsterdam canal cruise with multilingual audio. Skip lines for $47.
“Really enjoyable. Van Gogh Museum was really interesting and showed the best art as well as his life. The canal tour was great as well, the guide was really funny and added extra information from what was in the audio guide. Would recommend to anyone who wanted to learn more about Amsterdam.”
Skip the line at Amsterdam’s NEMO Science Museum with hands-on exhibits, chain-reaction demos, and lab activities near Central Station.
“all were very interesting. some we didnt know how it works and what we had to do, but noone was around to guide us”
Ticketed, interactive 3-floor Cannabis Museum in Amsterdam with live plants, science tools, hemp history, and a free goodie bag.
“Great insight to the very controlled environment of cannabis usage. A drug that is misreported in national and world media and has many benefits”
Kattenkabinet is Amsterdam’s cat-art museum: Picasso, Rembrandt, odd artifacts, and resident cats in a quiet canal house.
“exceeded all expectations, fantastic art work and 3 gorgeous cats to get the real deal”
Step into Amsterdam’s WWII Resistance Museum and follow Dutch resistance stories through interactive exhibits and a multilingual audio guide.
“One of the best museums we've ever been to. My husband and I were given hand units to scan QR codes at every exhibit to read aloud to us. My back and sciatica was causing me grief so these hand units allowed me to sit down occasionally and listen. We felt like we were being…”
Escher in Het Paleis: tour a royal Winter Palace, see Metamorphosis III, and try optical puzzles on the interactive second floor.
“Excellent, very inspiring. The exhibits were great and strongly recommend”
ARTIS-Micropia in Amsterdam, the world’s only microbe museum. Scan yourself, collect stamps, and see living microbes up close.
“Price with 16€ per person is okay, but a little bit too much for the museum. The pictures and illustrations are however, very good and it's very interesting to read the information. Still it's really detailed and many creatures are being discriped, which is why this is only for people who are really interested in…”
Explore Nxt Museum’s Still Processing exhibition in Amsterdam, with six interactive art-tech installations using sound, light, and image perception.
Explore Amsterdam’s Jewish Cultural Quarter with self-paced entry to the Jewish Museum, Jewish Museum junior, and Portuguese Synagogue for $24.
“Explains the history of the Dutch Jews very well. The Jewish museum was excellent with good audio link. The Portuguese synagogue was an interesting place.”
Visit Amsterdam’s National Holocaust Museum in the Hervormde Kweekschool, plus Hollandsche Schouwburg memorial, with a $24 ticket.
“Beautiful museum to showcase a side of history that will never be forgotten. Staff are very friendly and the facilities are great.”
Small-group Van Gogh Museum tour with timed entry and an expert guide, walking you through his life and masterpieces in 2.5 hours.
“This was a great tour, our guide Josephine was amazing. The tour was very in-depth and informative. We were able to go in without a wait, and we felt like we learned much more than if we visited without a guide.”
Skip the line at Amsterdam’s Moco Museum, then enjoy a 1-hour GPS canal cruise past Jordaan, De Pijp, Westerkerk, and Magere Brug.
Visit Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder, a preserved 17th-century canal house where a hidden attic church tells Amsterdam’s secret Catholic story.
“Apparently the museum itself closes at 6pm, yet, somehow timed tickets were sold to my for a 1730 entrance time. Luckily we arrived at 1715 and we were allowed in. We were rushed and not able to spend as much time as we would’ve liked at the museum. Another customer who arrived after us was…”
