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

Jewish Or Not - Put This At The Top Of Your List…read more.... The Jewish community in Amsterdam has a long and illustrious history dating back at least to the late 1400s when Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain sought refuge from the Inquisition. This handsome museum is dedicated to making information about the community accessible to residents of The Netherlands as well as visitors to the country. The museum is on the site of 4 former synagogues and highlights collections based on 4 themes: Traditions and customs, religious holidays, daily life and history of the local Jewish people. The scope of information and material will certainly open your eyes and probably your heart. My group of 3 tourists from California joined several other people from the US for a tour led by local guide extraordinaire, Naomi Koopmans. We spent an hour at the neighboring Portuguese Synagogue followed by 2+ hours at the museum. You can literally spend a day at the museum. One of the highlights was a walk through the Holocaust Memorial outside the building. There's plenty of room to sit and contemplate the lives of local residents lost to the madness of the Nazis. Every city should be as fortunate as Amsterdam to have an institution as worthwhile as this Jewish Museum.

Imagine. A museum…read moreis created in 1932 to showcase Jewish history, religion, culture and customs in Amsterdam's Jewish Quarter. Eight years later, on May 10, 1940, The Netherlands is invaded by Nazi Germany. Within a week, the Dutch army surrenders. Of the 210,000 Dutch victims of WWII, 102,000 are Jews who are murdered during the Holocaust. It is 3/4 of the Jewish population of the Netherlands. Following the Nazi occupation, the museum was forced to close. Much of its original collection lost. In 1955, it reopened. It moved to its current location in 1987 occupying a square of previously unconnected abandoned synagogues in the Jewish Quarter across from the Portuguese Synagogue. Today, the four former synagogues showcase collections based on different themes. Jewish traditions and customs. Religious holidays. Daily life. History of the Jews from 1600 to the 1890s. The Holocaust. Interesting to see the Amsterdam Machzor written in Cologne in 1250. How did it survive all these years? Why did Sephardic Jews from Portugal settled in Amsterdam in 1600? See the Rintel Menorah donated to the Great Synagogue by Sarah Rintel in the 1750s. It is over a meter tall and a meter and a half wide. Visit the cafe for a taste of Dutch Jewish cuisine. The fish cake sandwich served on a seeded challah bread was delicious. Grab a few biscuits from the glass jars to go with your coffee or hot tea. Admission is part of the Joods Cultureel Kwartier ticket for 30 euros. It is also included in the I Amsterdam Card. Single museum tickets are also available for 20 euros. It is sad to think how this was once a thriving Jewish community that was devastated by the Holocaust. The Joods Historic Museum Complex is the only museum in The Netherlands dedicated to telling the history, customs and religion of the Jewish people.

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!

I cried. I cried the day before…read more I cried the moment the curator said "today we're going to discuss Anne Frank." There is a window that opens on a certain day and it'll cover the next 6 weeks. If you miss this window, you won't get tickets. I almost missed the window as I completely forgot my 9hour time difference. For me, it opens midnight on Monday! Keep that in mind. So we got the 30 minute presentation + the tour of the place. There are no cameras allowed - that's to preserve the integrity of Anne's diary. There was also a section dedicated to Margot. Margot would have been 100 years old if she was here today. May god rest her soul. Turns out, Margot also kept a diary but it was lost when the bad people came to take the family away. Additionally, there was an entire team of people dedicated to keeping the family safe during their difficult time. Walking through the staircase to the annex felt - eerie and heartbreaking, you can see and experience the tight conditions in which the family lived. I had to duck my head to get to through the bookshelf that lead to the annex. Lots of the areas were bare because the bad people destroyed mostly everything. Though Anne's actual posters and pictures remained. There were also anecdotes from the friends and helpers about Anne and Margot. And even Peter as well. This is something I think every human should experience at least once in their lives. If you haven't read her diary, please do. Because sadly history tends to repeat itself.

I went into the Anne Frank House expecting something deeply moving, and while the history behind it…read moreis undeniably powerful, the experience itself felt more lackluster than I anticipated. The biggest issue for me was how crowded it was. The space is very small, which makes sense given the history, but paired with the constant flow of people, it created a "cattle line" feel that really took away from the experience. You're shuffled through room to room without much time to pause, reflect, or fully take in where you are. It felt more rushed than reverent. The museum itself is very minimal, which I understand is intentional, but combined with the crowding, it made it harder to connect emotionally. I was hoping for something more immersive or at least a bit more space to absorb the significance of it all. That said, the historical importance is undeniable. Standing in the actual place where Anne Frank and her family hid still carries weight, and the final section with excerpts from her diary was the most impactful part. Overall, I'm glad I went because of its significance, but the overcrowding and rushed flow made it difficult to fully appreciate the experience. I'd still recommend visiting, just be prepared for a tight, busy environment and manage expectations going in. Also pre-book in advance (far in advance)

The national maritime Museum is really kid friendly. After a day of dragging my child to historic…read moresites, I needed to find something that he would enjoy too. We had the I Amsterdam card and so this made good sense as a choice. We heard it was great for kids and it really was. Doris the diver is basically a play area for kids 2 to 7. There's also bathrooms right next to it that include changing tables, small sinks, and small toilets for littles. We spent most of our time exploring the replica of the Dutch East India company ship. My son and I had a great time walking around the ship and lowering our heads to crawl into tight spaces. My son especially liked the police system in the cargo hold and trying to find the drawings of the wrapin the cargo hold.The views here are nice and it was a fun place to explore on a sunny spring day.

One of the best museums illustrating the the Dutch colonial past. Along with a replica of an actual…read moreboat, you could explore with an amazing video transposing you back in time, it had artifacts, paintings, tapestries etc all with excellent audio explanations to accompany you. Really great find! Not to be missed when in Amsterdam

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.

I enjoy distillery tours when I travel. I browsed the list of attractions that accept the I…read moreAmsterdam card and came across Bols Amsterdam. It's located near Museumplein by all of the major museums which was so convenient. I was interested in doing a cocktail class with the tour, but wasn't sure if I could book the class with the I Amsterdam card. I sent an email through the website and a DM on Instagram and no one responded, which was disappointing. When I arrived, I inquired about it. They offered to let me upgrade my ticket, but I declined. Once I got checked in, I received a vial of a mystery flavored genever to taste at the end of the tour. The tour is self guided and it is truly a sensory experience. The tour starts with the history of Bols, then goes into the process of making genever. There are interactive elements throughout. It was really cool to see Lucas Bols' original recipe book from 1820. Towards the end of the tour, I tried the mystery genever in the sensory booth. I don't remember the flavor, but it was red and it was sweet. The sensory booth contains a camera that records your reaction as you're tasting it. At the end of the tour, guests are able to enjoy a complimentary cocktail. The bar area was really cool. They have a flair booth where you can learn how to spin and throw cocktail bottles. They also had house music playing which created a fun vibe. The bartender that made my drink was Serchan (pronounced "Sar-John"). He was so nice and let me sample a couple of genevers. I ordered the First Aid cocktail. It was citrus forward and refreshing! He also printed out a receipt with the cocktail recipe. I threw some cash in the tip jar and learned that they accept cash in any currency! This was a fun experience! Any activity where I can have a delicious cocktail and learn something new is right up my alley.

This museum contains a well-preserved snapshot of Rembrandt's life and his career. You step into…read morethe same house that the artist lived and worked in. You see how life was like in his era. You see how he made a living. You tour his studios and read a chronology of his life. The main studio remains an active creative space with local artists giving demonstrations on how to make paint from pigment powders. The final exhibition is your chance to learn Rembrandt's workmanship and technique. I loved the ability to learn how to become my best creative self (as a photographer). Accept your mistakes, grow from them. Look to others and learn from them. Invite them for conversations. Improve yourself through iteration. Leave inspired, ready to take the next step.

Even though it was late May, it was a cold and rainy morning in Amsterdam in 2024. Took the tram…read morefrom the Central Station to the house where Rembrandt lived. Five story house that Rembrandt purchased early in his career. Not for those with problems climbing stairs, as you climb up five different levels connected by a very narrow circular staircase, one way traffic only. Not sure how they got major furniture into the place except through a pulley through the windows. Studio, drawing boards, and a lot of paintings on the walls both Rembrandt's and other painters whom he collected. Furniture and possessions recreated in detail in each of the floors, as the originals sold off by creditors during repossession during Rembrandt's bankruptcy. How did such a world famous painter go bankrupt? He was a shopaholic, and went around buying other paintings, and evaded creditors, until late in his life, when he lost everything.

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!

Wonderful museum that allows you to learn about WW II through the accounts of Dutch/suriname…read morepeople. It is a reminder of the impossible choices that both Jews and non-Jews had to make. Allow 2 hours and consider this instead of Ann Frank house if you need to choose between them. This was unforgettable and one of the highlights of our trip. Especially timely for those from the U.S. that we must learn from the past.

"Don't be intimidated, commit sabotage!" - Ernst Sillem…read more I visited the Verzetsmuseum (Resistance Museum) in May 2024. I used the I Amsterdam card to purchase a ticket. Scheduling a time slot in advance wasn't necessary. I'm a history buff, but I don't remember learning much about the Resistance movement in history class. Watching "Swing Kids" in 8th grade is about all I can recall. The museum is divided into six areas and takes you through life in The Netherlands from 1940-1945. The first hand accounts of ordinary people living in The Netherlands during WWII are very moving. The permanent exhibit (The Netherlands in WWII) explains the German invasion, occupation, and the rise of the Resistance movement. The exhibit also explains the various ways that the Dutch resisted. Some tactics were passive while others were not. I wasn't aware of the violent aspects of the movement. One of the themes that I noticed throughout the museum is choice. There were a few sections in the museum that really make you think about the life altering choices that Jewish people had to face during the Nazi occupation. Adapt or resist? Register, flee, or go into hiding? I found myself thinking about what I would do if I were in that situation. I visited the museum for about two hours and it wasn't enough time. I had an audio guide which in hindsight, slowed me down. I wasn't able to spend much time in the temporary exhibit "Resistance Against Slavery." If you're short on time, consider skipping the audio guide, or maybe select a few accounts to listen to. I am so glad that I made time to visit Verzetsmuseum. It was an interesting and enriching experience and I highly recommend visiting, especially if you enjoy history.