Your guide to Amsterdam museums with the City Card
Discovering a new city can be overwhelming. This guide will help you make the most of your City Card in the locations that suit your interests the most.
If you like the works of Dutch Masters...
- Don’t miss a visit to the Rijksmuseum. Did you know that the Rijksmuseum also has several artworks by Van Gogh on show, including his self-portrait and the famous Potato Eaters?
- Consider going beyond the work of Rembrandt van Rijn in Rijksmuseum and learn about his life at the Rembrandthuis Museum, situated in the house where the artist lived. For a more interactive dive into his life visit Rembrandts Amsterdam, a 5D peek into the artist’s last studio.
Both the Rijksmuseum and Rembrandthuis are free with the City Card, and card holders get a 25% discount on Rembrandts Amsterdam.
If you are interested in World War II history...
- Aside from the well-known Anne Frank House (it can be tough getting tickets in time), a wealth of information awaits at the Jewish Cultural Quarter. Visit the recently reopened National Holocaust Museum, which sheds light on the historic events behind the persecution of Jews in the Netherlands. As part of the Quarter, you can also visit the Jewish Museum, Hollandsche Schouwburg and Portuguese Synagogue.
- A visit to the Dutch Resistance Museum will shed light on the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
If you are interested in Amsterdam's heritage...
- The canal houses on the Amsterdam canal belt are an integral part of the city's charm. Aside from the Museum of the Canals, you might like to visit Museum van Loon and Huis Willet-Holthuysen. While the Museum of the Canals sheds light on how Amsterdam came to be, the other two canal museums offer a unique look into historic houses turned museums.
- Take a peek into the churches that formed Amsterdam's landscapes. De Nieuwe Kerk or Oude Kerk hold a long-time history, but you should not miss the one-of-a-kind church hiding in the Our Lord in the Attic Museum: a 17th-century canal house hiding a place of worship under its roof.
- Peel back the layers of jewelry making history in the sparkling Royal Coster Diamonds before going one step further. Discover how these beautiful diamonds are perfected during a tour of the GASSAN Diamonds factory.
If you like modern & contemporary art...
- Do not miss the contemporary art on show in the Stedelijk Museum. Another must-see is the collection of the Cobra Museum. Its permanent collection showcases works by Karel Appel, Corneille, and Asger Jorn.
- For more impressionist and modern art, venture out to the Singer Laren Museum to view works by artists such as Piet Mondriaan, Auguste Rodin, Tonia Stieltjes and others.
- If you enjoy street art, consider hopping on the ferry to the STRAAT street art and graffiti museum in NDSM, where street artists come to create works inside an 8000 m2 warehouse.
If you like natural science...
- ... and the exploratory nature of the science-focused NEMO museum, stop by the ARTIS Micropia and Groote Museum. These two museums adjacent to the ARTIS Zoo are definitely worth a separate visit. While the Micropia museum sheds light on the invisible world of microbes, the Groote Museum ponders the big questions of existence. Both museums are highly interactive and engaging.
- Enjoy a walk through the gardens and pavillions of the Hortus Botanicus botanical gardens. Originally founded in 1638 to serve as a herb garden for the city’s doctors and pharmacists, it’s one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world.
Enjoy free entry to over 70 attractions and museums across Amsterdam and the area, including a free canal cruise and a bike rental with the I amsterdam City Card.
