Why go

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands and the essential first stop for anyone who wants to understand the country’s Golden Age. Behind its red-brick facade on Museumplein, more than 8,000 works of art and history tell the story of the Netherlands across 800 years, from medieval altarpieces to Delftware, model ships and 20th-century design. The building itself, with its stained glass, painted ceilings and grand central passage, is part of the experience.

Most visitors come for the paintings, and the collection of Dutch masters is the finest anywhere. Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen are all here, and the museum also owns several works by Vincent van Gogh, including one of his self-portraits. The surrounding gardens are free to enter and are a peaceful place to sit between museums.

The Rijksmuseum reopened in 2013 after a ten-year renovation, and the galleries now mix paintings with furniture, silver, costume and weapons from the same period, so each room feels like a window on its time. It is a museum you can return to again and again.

What to see

  • The Night Watch. Rembrandt’s huge group portrait of a civic militia company is the museum’s centrepiece, at the end of the Gallery of Honour.
  • The Milkmaid. Vermeer’s small, luminous painting of a kitchen maid pouring milk draws a constant crowd.
  • The Gallery of Honour. The long main gallery brings together the great names of the Golden Age, including Frans Hals and Jan Steen.
  • The Library. The museum’s 19th-century research library, with its iron galleries and spiral staircases, is one of the most photographed rooms in Amsterdam.
  • Dolls’ houses and ship models. Elaborate 17th-century dolls’ houses and a hall of model warships show everyday life and the power of the Dutch Republic.

Plan your visit

The Rijksmuseum is open every day from 9am to 5pm, including public holidays. An adult ticket costs €25 in 2026, rising to €26.50 from 2027, and visitors aged 18 and under go free. Everyone needs a ticket with a start time, including Museumkaart holders, so book online before you travel. Tickets are sold at the entrance only if slots remain.

The best time to arrive is at opening, when you can reach The Night Watch before the tour groups. Allow two to four hours for a full visit, although the museum suggests that the highlights can be seen in about an hour. The free Rijksmuseum app has hundreds of audio stories and themed tours, so bring headphones. There is a café inside for a coffee break, and the shop sells posters, books and gifts.

The museum stands at the north end of Museumplein. Trams stop right outside, and the walk from the canal ring takes about ten minutes. A passage runs through the middle of the building, so cyclists and pedestrians pass beneath the galleries on their way to and from the square.

Nearby

The Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum and Moco are all on Museumplein, a few minutes’ walk away, and the Vondelpark is just beyond. The Heineken Experience and the cafés and markets of De Pijp are about ten minutes’ walk to the east, across the Singelgracht.