Why go

The Van Gogh Museum holds the largest collection of Vincent van Gogh’s work in the world, and it is one of the most visited museums in Europe. More than 200 paintings, hundreds of drawings and many of the letters he wrote to his brother Theo follow his short, intense career, from the dark peasant scenes of his early years in the Netherlands to the blazing colour of Paris and the South of France.

The museum tells Van Gogh’s story clearly and movingly, room by room, and places his work alongside that of friends and contemporaries such as Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Monet. Even visitors who know only a handful of his paintings tend to leave with a much fuller picture of the man behind them.

The museum is in two connected buildings: the main building by Gerrit Rietveld, opened in 1973, and an exhibition wing by Kisho Kurokawa, linked by an underground hall and a glass entrance on Museumplein. Temporary exhibitions change through the year and are included in every ticket, so even repeat visitors usually find something new to see.

What to see

  • Sunflowers. One of Van Gogh’s famous series of still lifes, painted in Arles to decorate the room he prepared for Gauguin.
  • The Potato Eaters. His first major work, a dark and deliberate portrait of a peasant family at supper.
  • Almond Blossom. Painted to celebrate the birth of his nephew, with white blossom against a bright blue sky.
  • The self-portraits. Van Gogh painted himself repeatedly in Paris, partly because he could not afford models.
  • The letters. Extracts from his correspondence with Theo reveal his ideas, ambitions and struggles.

Plan your visit

All tickets are sold online with a start time, and every visitor must book one, including children and Museumkaart holders. There are no tickets at the door. An adult ticket costs €25 in 2026 and €26 from 1 January 2027, under 18s go free, and students from the EU or EEA pay €16. The audio tour costs extra. Buy from the museum’s own ticket shop or an official reseller, as the museum warns about fraudulent tickets sold elsewhere.

Opening hours vary through the year. From 2 November to 18 December 2026 the museum opens from 9am to 5pm, with late openings until 9pm on Fridays except 27 November. Over Christmas it opens daily, with shorter hours on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December, and from 11am on New Year’s Day 2027. From March 2027 it opens until 6pm, with most Fridays until 9pm. Popular slots sell out days ahead, especially at weekends and in school holidays.

Allow two to three hours. Once inside, you can stay until closing, and every ticket includes the current temporary exhibition. Lockers are provided for coats and larger bags. The main entrance is on Museumplein, a short walk from the Rijksmuseum.

Nearby

The Stedelijk Museum is next door and Moco is across the road, so a combined museum day is easy. The Rijksmuseum stands at the far end of Museumplein, and the Vondelpark and the Concertgebouw are both a few minutes away on foot.