I am so bummed!! After being there for 5 hours, I still failed to make it to the 1700-1800 and the…read more2000s zones!! This place is HUGE! I now understand why tourists would plan an entire day there. Unfortunately, I had 2 other stops that day that I couldn't miss, so I had no choice but left at 2pm. I am soo glad I made it to the main hall first to see Rembrandt's Night Watch (granted it was through a piece of glass due to the restoration process). I would've been devastated if I couldn't. Love the info cards for almost all of the major art pieces to explain in detail on how it was created. Some tips: Buy your ticket ahead of time. Get there 15 minutes before your entrance time to get in line and for bag check. No water inside the exhibits. The coat check is your only option if you don't show up right at when they open. The lockers filled up within minutes. Don't be fooled by the opened ones because that means the lock is broken. Definitely worth a stop at the gift shop. (Like I said above) Plan to spend the whole day there.

Beautiful museum... Incredible Rembrandt and other masters…read more Love the architecture... And the café

I am beyond amazed that I get to see the actual Sunflower painting!! O.M.G!…read more I'm not posting any artwork here, because I don't want to take away anyone's experience. If I could go back to Amsterdam, I would definitely go back to this museum again. Yellow is such a joyful color. After visiting the museum, it has a deeper meaning to me. I went through entire museum floor by floor, showroom by showroom. Every corner has something that amazes me. I also got a chance to see how Van Gogh actually looked like! My goodness. I couldn't believe my eyes. A few tips: 1- you must make a reservation online ahead of time. I saw many people got turned away while I was waiting in line for security check. 1b- it's okay to be in line 15 minutes before your supposed arrival time. 2-it's best to buy the audio tour ticket along with the entrance fee instead of buying it on site. It was sold out when I got there. 3-there is a book store on the top floor, and you can actually take home a blank Sunflower coloring sheet for free! It's on an easel at the corner by the window.

TIP - order tickets ahead in time online to make sure you can get in on the day/time you want…read more A beautiful looking museum. Lots of Van Gogh art works to view and take in. Self guided tour comes with a player with headphones to that you can learn about the different Van Gogh art periods and works of art. Overall the museum was okay. You see a lot of Van Gogh art but not much about his life and world around him. I preferred the Rembrandt House as it showed his home and living arrangements - it gave you glimpse of his life at that time. I think the Rijks Museum would be a better choice to see a variety of artists.

I was able to get last minute tickets and was in here for about an hour. It wasn't a large museum…read morebut had some interesting pieces. I really did enjoy exploring this museum.

Pleasantly surprised by this museum experience! Pre booked the tickets online in combination with…read morea walking tour. You get to choose to an entry window and should arrive within 30 minutes of the time on your ticket. We arrived first thing today at opening time of 9 a.m. Three floors, a basement, and a gardenfull of pop art--you can enjoy it in an hour or so. Eye catching and thought provoking are two words that come to mind regarding the art displayed. The gallery curators did an excellent job using the since in the house that is now a gallery. They made use of every nook and cranny, which made the experience even more of an adventure. Well done! Really glad we checked it out!

Fun history of Bols and the distilling of different flavors of alcoholic liqueurs…read more Self-guided tour with audio. After you pay for your ticket at the front desk, you put your jackets and loose items in a locker (free) and pickup an audio tour device and program it for your preferred language (easy). You get a yummy cocktail to savor at the end! And there's a fun gift shop to peruse, where we bought tulip glasses for the purpose of drinking Genever . We enjoyed the Espresso martini and Red Light Negroni at the bar at the end. Both were made skillfully and tasted delicious! The highlight of the experience, honestly, was meeting Lars (aka "Larson") and Julia at the front desk. They were hilarious with each other and delightful with us. They helped us package the 6 tulip glasses in paper within styrofoam boxes for sturdy protection during travel. They are the true stars of this operation.

Wow just wow. What a great experience with my husband and friends. Great drinks and a must try.read more

A must do if visiting Amsterdam…read more ***If you plan to go, you must order tickets ahead of time. Based on where you live, you will have to make sure you purchase tickets immediately as the "window" opens for the day/time that you want to go. I had to wake up at 1am west coast time to make sure I got my tickets before they sell out. Tickets are available EXACTLY 6 weeks at 10am Amsterdam time for the day/time you want. Plan ahead! There are two tickets, one for the general tour and one that adds a presentation before the self guided tour. If you can get it, I recommend getting tickets for the presentation. It's a good intro before doing the self guided tour. But if you can't get these tickets, the general self guided tour is fine and well done. For the self guided tour you get a translator (many languages available) to guide you through the tour. You point the translator at the small round numbered placard in the wall to trigger the translator for the room/exhibit. There is a lot of walking, stairs, and standing around so be prepared. Plan for about 1.5-2 hours to do the while tour. There also a gift shop and cafe at the end of the tour. The exhibit/museum itself is very well done. It's an informative and moving experience. Be respectful as it is a memorial. Highly recommend visiting. Be prepared and plan ahead when ordering tickets online 6 weeks ahead.

A must see if you're in Amsterdam, especially if you like history! Seeing and reading everything…read moreabout the experiences that Anne and her family (along with the others hiding with her) was moving in many ways. Standing in the same room where she wrote so much of her diary brought tears to my eyes. There were also other areas that had testimonies from various people and it really brought things to life for me. IMPORTANT: You need to reserve/buy tickets online well before you go. I don't think you can just walk up and buy. We woke up at in the middle of the night (our time in the U.S.) to buy tickets when it opened online in Amsterdam. You don't have to HAVE to see the presentation to explore the house/museum because everyone gets an audio device (which was well done), but I found it interesting and the presentation and presenter helped to answer some questions I had. You're not allowed to take photos inside the actual house because it's a memorial, but that was okay with me since the focus was more concentrated on taking everything in. Online it says no backpacks or large bags because there are no lockers/storage, so we left our backpacks at our hotel. But they actually did have an area for people to check backpacks/bags. So if you can't avoid having a backpack when you go, you can get it checked and stored. I'm so glad we went and now have a true visual for things when reading her diary.

I was informed by several travel blogs that this is a tourist trap, but honestly, SO WHAT IF IT…read moreIS?? In my opinion, t's absolutely worth the time and money for a 90-minute Heineken experience! Not to mention, my husband and I each got 2 beers for free!! We had to wait a little bit to get in, even though it was a weekday. The lockers were almost full, but I heard that there was a coat check area. The tour guide was very interactive with the audience and we also had moments to sit down and watch a 360 degree video in an elevator. I didn't pay for the roof top extra access, because I wanted to spend more on souvenirs and customized beer bottles. Next time if I ever go back to Amsterdam, I would absolutely go back again just for the gift shop and the beer.

This is a classic experience that just have to do when you go to Amsterdam. Tickets are available…read moreonline as well as in person and there's plenty of tickets available for each time slots. The staff was friendly and after listening to something in the beginning you go through your own pace through the rest of the experience. You do get a small beer halfway through as well as one in their taproom. They also have a gift shop and rooftop bar!

If you're going to take in a modern art museum while in Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum is a good…read moreoption. Admission is €22.50, but if you're 18 and under - it's free! Two hours is a good amount of time to allow to explore the museum, from my experience. Prebook your time for an optimal, smooth experience. It's actually right by the Van Gogh museum so can make for a good accompaniment to that. Weekday mornings are best to avoid crowds. Grab one of their free audio tours when you walk in to get all the details on what you're seeing while walking through!

If you're into modern art and design, the Stedelijk is a must. The location is perfect--it's right…read moreon Museumplein, so it's close to everything and easy to work into a day of sightseeing. The museum is huge, and the collection is incredibly diverse, ranging from classic modernists like Mondrian and Picasso to wild contemporary installations. Definitely plan to spend at least 2 to 3 hours here if you want to see both the permanent collection and the rotating exhibitions without rushing. One of the highlights for me was the cafe (Fonda/Sandberg). It has a beautiful, airy design with lots of natural light, making it the perfect spot to recharge with a coffee after walking through the galleries. The "bathtub" architecture is just as cool on the inside as it is on the outside!

Cheese museum, you say? Well, I say heck yeah! Free admission? Even better. Free samples? Give them…read moreall to me. Educational and historical information on cheese? Yes! Interesting and awesome. We learned about Gouda, the tools used to make cheese now and in the days of olde. Tons of fun photo ops and props. And once again, the tastings. I swear we tried at least 15 different cheeses. Had the cheesiest time! A+.

I'll cut to the cheese and get straight to the gouda part, where the smells in this store are…read moredelicious (and slightly funky, as cheese can be) and there are plentiful cheese samples to try. Groow-yere cheese knowledge at the mini cheese museum downstairs or really just a small room decked out with cheese-making equipment and some plaques describing the production process. Edam if I go back to Amsterdam, I might make emmental note to drop by and try some cheese and grab a small block or two to go(at). They pack in prep for shipping in airport luggage too. Aye-siago before I hava-arti-me living these puns down :)

Not a traditional "museum" by any stretch, but with Amsterdam being the city boasting the world's…read moremost museums, I can see how the claim is made with places like this. It's a really nice spot, and the guy who runs it is extremely open and friendly with a wealth of information. He truly lives for this! If you arrive before it opens, you'll see people gathered around the door entrance, and you're there wondering what kind of place this really is. Doesn't look big from the outside at all, and looks like a shop more than a museum. Once you get inside the small space, you're greeted with black lighting above which illuminates all of the fluorescent artwork. There are paintings and sculptures with bright colors across the spectrum. Then you walk down these steps into the dark basement and see his special rock collection with the makeup of the rocks highlighted under the black lighting. Reminded me of geology class. Cool place, quick 30 minute experience.

If you are interested in learning about florescent minerals, history, and art then this place is…read moreenjoyable. Nick is a nice artist who invites you to learn more about the interesting glowing minerals. I really enjoyed this place and can't wait to put up my piece of art I bought from here!