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The entrance into the museum is under a large and beautiful tunnel that has a busy bike path you need to watch out for. There were so many amazing art pieces I really enjoyed seeing. I breezed through some exhibitions I wasn't as interested in but felt I saw most everything I wanted. I was here for about 2 1/2 hours before leaving. A really beautiful museum set up with some amazing items to show.
This museum is the Louvre of the Netherlands. It contains an unbelievable collection of art and Dutch history. We spent a little over three hours here and barely made a dent in it. We did a private tour in October 2025 with a personable and knowledgeable guide. He got us in at opening and took us straight up to the third floor's Galley of Honour. Here we saw The Night Watch as well as many other notable creations by Rembrandt. This collection is the pride of this museum, and rightfully so. The Great Hall was also impressive, and the history of it developed as the religious powers in the Netherlands changed - influencing even the floor designs and paint schemes in here. One can spend all day here and not get it all in - so I recommend hitting the third floor first before working your way down. It fills up quick and by lunch time you will be overwhelmed by people as well as your surroundings. If you even barely appreciate art, you will love your time here.
This museum was huge! Beautiful to look and on both the inside and the outside. Beautiful gardens and greenery and the building was an architectural masterpiece. Our story is a little funny because even tho we paid to enter, we were so tired from the day already that we only entered for a mere 3 minutes and then stepped out to go look for Stroopwaffles. We barely saw anything here, but hey everyone says it's a must-see when you're visiting Amsterdam.
To say there's a lot to see here is an understatement...the Rijksmuseum ranks up there as a world class art institution and for good reason! With over 1 million objects in the collection, only about 8000 are displayed at a given time, including a veritable collection of Dutch art from famous painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, Steen, van Ruisdael and Van Gogh which are displayed prominently in the museum's keystone display halls. Located in the Museumwartier (museum quarter) part of town, you can't miss this building with its red brick facade and tunnel passageway running thru the center splitting the building into two halves and connecting the surrounding streets. Established in 1798 as a national museum in the style of Paris' Louvre, the museum collections were originally located in The Hague and moved several times before arriving to its modern location. The current building was designed by Pierre Cuypers in an amalgamated Neo-Gothic and Dutch Renaissance style, opening to the public in 1885. The latest version of the museum interior was a result of renovations completed only 12 years ago, when the museum closed for 10 years between 2003-2013 for this overhaul. My shortsighted hopes of canvassing the entire museum within 4 hours proved unrealistic since I spent about 4.5 hours going thru two-thirds of the museum briskly, then practically ran thru the last third. A few areas may have been missed...(who's really spending a lot of time in the medieval art wing right?) though I was glad to view most of the better known pieces on my radar! A handful of the many highlights include: - Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" a portrait of a civilian soldiers in the 17th century which apparently wasn't a nighttime scene at all, the painting only looked dark due to the darkening of the varnish over time. - A number of Rembrandt's other paintings are on display, including a few "Self Portrait"'s, "The Wardens of the Amsterdam Drapers' Guild," known as 'The Syndics', "Rebecca and Isaac," known as 'The Jewish Bride', "An Old Woman Reading, probably the prophetess Hannah," and "Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem" - Vermeer's "The Milkmaid," "Woman Reading a Letter," "The Love Letter," and "View of Houses in Delft," known as 'The Little Street' - his paintings are hyper realistic for his time, and his capture of light is spectacular. - the beautiful library with vaulted ceilings, filled with art history books, the largest research library of its kind in the Netherlands. - a ground floor (floor 0) display of specialty objects like ship models, period clothing, jewelry and accessories, guns and rifles, serving ware, entertainment and household decorations--thousands of items that all warranted more time reading thru descriptions and admiring their distinctive elements. I would certainly spend more time here if I come again. Hours are 9am to 5pm daily. Adults €25, free for 18 and younger, discounted or free tickets available for those with certain membership card/pass holders. Entry time slots must be booked online in advance. My recommendation if you're interested in a number of sights, museums and activities is to book thru the "i amsterdam" card valid for a certain number of days including public transit, since ticket prices add up quickly. Cloakroom and lockers are available. Bathrooms were in ok shape. Public transportation via metro, tram and bus are nearby within 3-7 min walking distance. For more info: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en
A very large art museum and unfortunately we had a limited time to explore in, but the main area is beautiful, bright and airy. The museum is a bit confusing on how to get to certain areas, as there's wasn't clear signage and the map wasn't super clear, at least to us. I would be walking to places twice or hitting dead ends. Probably having a limited time didn't help with the anxiety of trying to see everything. I didn't take a pamphlet and reading reviews, this seems to be extremely helpful so I recommend getting that and not just relying on signage. My favorite spots was the library within as well as the versace exhibit. Will be sure to have more time allotted for next time!
The Rijksmuseum is beautiful and is filled with amazing pieces. If the weather isn't great, I would make this a priority while sightseeing. We visited on a hot summer day and my favorite part was the gardens outside the Rijksmuseum. Had the weather been worse, I'm sure I would have enjoyed being inside more. There is lots to explore inside, something for everyone, along with a gift shop when you leave. Bathrooms are readily available. We purchased our tickets in advance and had no delay at time of entry.
Great visit. Initially we intended to only still the gardens but we're so taken by the building that we bought tickets. Also, why go to Van Gogh museum when in limited time and you can see Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Vermeer all here? It's a beautiful museum full of paintings and other artifacts. We only stayed about 1.5 hours as it didn't hold our 8 and 10 year old's attention, but we enjoyed. The laminated cats that you could pick up and read about painting details was very cool and my kids liked that. The highlights were the large library, from any book lovers dreams. I've seen it on tik tok and was excited to visit such a place. Disappointed to find out that you only see from a balcony, but still loved it. The main highlight was the opportunity to watch Rembrandt's famous Night Watch being restored. What an incredible process and so special to see.
The museum is huge and can be overwhelming. As I get older and weaker, I find it harder to get through an entire museum comfortably. I've held true to the belief that it's okay to whizz by a gallery or rooms that don't hold your interest, but with added pain, it makes sticking around even tougher. That being said, there are a lot of elevators that, in my experience, were only used by those that actually needed it, and not the lazy entitled tourist. There are many benches throughout the galleries as well. People using said benches to watch reels at full volume. We've failed as a species. Violent fantasies increase. By coincidence, the special exhibit was on "American Photography" and there's nothing wrong with a little Robert Frank when you're museum hopping. The special exhibit might be a little hard to find, and it's a bit like a mouse in a maze trying to find its cheese to get there. Staff is friendly and helpful. You have to buy tickets before entering. There's a nondescript dude standing somewhere random you can buy a ticket from. There's a huge fascist style banner with a QR code you can do it on your phone. You can do it online ahead of time, but then you're restricted to the entry time you chose, though they may not be strict about it, depending on crowd volume. Spent about two hours there and barely saw what they have. Must visit, when in Ams.
Absolutely amazing museum filled with wonderful art -- so inspiring to spend time in the galleries. The Dutch Masters paintings just glow. We spent hours just enjoying the art with a delightful break for lunch in the museum cafe.the shop was fun to browse in too. I would suggest a visit - and a reservation. You won't be sorry.
What a nice museum! It was convenient to get here--there was a direct tram route from my hotel, but I decided to walk, and it was only about fifteen minutes, and getting my ticket online was as easy as pie. There is lots to see for sure, but it's still manageable. The museum is clearly laid out, so you can easily navigate. (It's essentially by time period.) You'll find work by many masters as well as a potential new favorite, along with all sorts of media, as well as items of more archaeological interest. I really loved some of the small sculpture, the doll houses, and the (not so small) model ships. Don't forget to admire the building itself--it's got gorgeous architecture. I recommend going earlier in the day, as traffic does pick up.
We had limited time in Amsterdam so chose going to the Rijksmuseum over the Van Gogh museum because there are some Van Gogh paintings here along with so much more. The architecture of the Rijksmuseum building is impressive and quite interesting with its stained glass windows. It is the national museum in the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history. You can see relics of the Dutch colonial days here along with amazing art. I loved seeing all the Rembrandt paintings, and while The Night Watch is pretty spectacular to see in person, I also loved seeing the details (like the hands) in another of his paintings, The Jewish Bride. A painting that I especially loved, Young Italian Woman, with 'Puck' the Dog, is by an artist I hadn't hear of before, Thérèse Schwartze. Overall, I enjoyed my time here but thought it was way too busy (even with timed tickets).
3 years ago
I had the opportunity to visit the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam thanks to the special cultivist museum pass that I received as part of a credit card offer. Thanks, Capital One! It was such a great perk that allowed me to explore this iconic museum without having worry about purchasing a ticket. The Rijksmuseum was one of the included museums on the cultivist pass, and it was a highlight of my trip The pass not only granted me access to the museum, but it also allowed me to skip the ticket line and enter directly. This was a huge time-saver, especially considering how busy the museum can get. Very cool museum. It was a privilege to admire the masterful techniques and the amazing details captured by Rembrandt and other artists. read more
On the second day of our brief stop in Amsterdam before embarking on a river cruise, the Rijksmuseum was our last stop before heading to the ship. While preparing for the trip a couple months back tickets for the Van Gogh and Anne Frank museums were already sold out. We gambled that tickets would be available for Rijks when we visited so that we weren't nailed down to a specific time. We lucked out, probably helped by a cold, rainy November day, and tickets were available early afternoon on a Sunday. The museum is impressive - the architecture and the sheer volume of works alone. We only had a couple hours and saw what we could: the extensive Rembrandt collection and the other Dutch masters a highlight. Museum staff was helpful in directing us. One disappointment was the few Vermeers on hand during our visit, most loaned out to other museums. However, we did see The Milkmaid, The Love Letter, View Of Houses In Delft and Woman Reading a Letter. Alas we could only be envious of the huge Rijks Vermeer show that took place earlier in the year. We were not aware that tickets are not sold at the museum; instead, you are directed a couple blocks down where a joint ticket office serves the Rijks and Van Gogh museums. This would have been less of a hassle if it wasn't pouring at the time! Also there is a gift shop, dominated by Van Gogh images - a frustrating experience when the real thing can't be seen! The Rijks is a wonderful museum we were fortunate to experience. read more
2 years ago
We loved this museum. Let me first start by saying you should create a game plan before entering because it is definitely over whelming (in a good way). I don't even know where to start with the review. This is the most extensive painting collection I have ever seen. This museum has some of my most favorite paintings ever and I never realized I would have the chance to see them in real life. The model ship collection is amazing and so intriguing and intricate. The sword and gun area was also just so intriguing. There was not anything I was dissatisfied with. This museum met and exceeded any expectation I could have. I would return here and go through it again. The staff was friendly and there were free lockers for your belongings too! read more
1 year ago
This is the most beautiful museum that I have been to to date. I did pay $25 for admission but it was 100% worth it. Every room i walked into I found something to marvel at. It is a beautiful collection. I was amazed at the use of colors, techniques, and mediums that were shown throughout. I spent in total 2 hours here but felt like I could've spent 5. Though only visiting Amsterdam for less than a day this was a great introduction. 8 months later and I still think about the art I saw. If I went back and could do nothing else I would go back to this museum. I obviously would love to go back and look forward to it in the future. I would love to pick the brain of the curator of these collections. read more
I was disappointed by the Rijks. Hard to find the entrance, really hard to navigate within the museum, stairs are all hidden. Mostly Renaissance works and not much else. The most famous painting, Rembrandts The Night Watchmen is on a multi year restoration and behind a bunch of scaffolding. Overall, it was just meh. I did like the free garden outside! read more
9 months ago
Gotta see the Rijks! Amsterdam has lots of great museums. We went to a few but if you only had time for one, then you gotta make time got the Rijksmuseum. Besides the great Dutch masters, make sure you go see the library! read more
This is a museum you should probably go to while in town as it has some Van Gogh and Rembrandt inside. Thought it was cool, I'm not into art that much. I appreciate it but I don't hang around and look at it as much. They do, however, have these papers or sheets for some of the art that explains what's in the art and what it means which I thought was cool. For example, I wouldn't have known that the Rembrandt on display, he put himself in it sort of hiding as well as they think his wife. I wouldn't have known that just by looking at it. So definitely check out those cheat sheets! They don't let you bring in any water so hydrate before coming in. Coat check is fast. They are very organized and helpful as to how you get in and exit. At first your like "where do I go?" But then they help you out. Information desk said start on the 2nd floor, then 1st, then 3rd, then the 0 floor. Four floors total. So that's sort of what we did. But what's weird is the 3rd and 1st floors aren't designed very well because you are on one side of the building but it doesn't connect in a continuous flow like the second floor and floor zero. You gotta go up or down the stairs to the second floor, to then go to the other side, to then go up or down the stairs again to see the other sides of the 1st and 3rd floor. So bizarre. Not designed very well. It's also really busy with lots of tourists in here so if you aren't really into art, old weaponry, China, jewelry, furniture etc, then I would just skip this one. If all those floors had connected smoothly I would have been in and out in an hour, but alas, it took us 3. The store should sell ornaments too as that is all I buy in other destinations... Just a suggestion. read more
2 years ago
The Rijks is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history. There are over 1 million objects in their collection buts let's point out a few. 1. The Night Watch by Rembrandt, 1642, and probably the most famous Dutch Golden Aged Paintings. You can Google what the painting is. Let's talk about it's history. It's been through a lot. It first hung in the Great Hall The Kloveniersdoelen ("'musketeers' shooting range"). Then, it was cut on all 4 sides to fit in Amsterdam Town Hall, presumably, to fit the painting between two columns. This alteration resulted in the loss of two characters on the left side of the painting, the top of the arch, the balustrade, and the edge of the step. The missing portions have not been found. The painting then moved to the Trippenhuis, which housed the Dutch Academy of Sciences. And finally moved to the Rijks Museum. This painting was attacked and vandalized on 3 different occasions. You get the idea. It has been through it. 2. The Standard Bearer by Rembrandt. Instead of being in the private Rothschild family art collection, it was acquired by The Netherlands in 2022 so now we can all enjoy it! Its provenance is quite rich. This was awesome I had the opportunity to see this painting in person. read more
We got there not knowing about having a reservation and told we needed one. We stepped aside, made the reservations online for 30 minutes later. It's easy. Truly a large and magnificent museum. Just be sure to make a reservation online. Afterwards you can rest in this enjoyable park outside the museum. read more
You could spend an entire day here admiring so many great works of art ranging from Rembrandt, Van Gough, and Vermeer. Rembrandt's most famous masterpiece The Night Watch can be found in a special gallery. I highly recommend buying tickets in advance since we were told tickets tend to sell out quickly. read more
Beautiful selection of pre-modern art! I recommend going earlier in the day, as later on in the afternoon, it gets more stuffy and crowded, and each wing fills up with lots of foot traffic. This is a great escape from the heat on hot days as well. This museum is at least a half day's worth of enjoying; there's other museums in the area that you can combine into a single trip, but this is one of the largest! read more
Definitely worth the time to visit and be sure to leave plenty of time. I entered at about 9:15 and had to rush because I also had a ticket for a 1 o'clock entry at the Van Gogh Museum just a few minutes away. It took a lot of time to try to see everything and I still felt rushed at the end. Was hoping to see the garden as well, but it was closed to visitors (open April 1st to November 1st, I believe); had it been open, it would've been a quick run through anyway! Very large facility with two separate sides, so make sure you see both! read more
2 years ago
Just a great museum! I particularly like the ships and keys/locks exhibits. They're down by the cafe. read more
2 years ago
This is an absolutely stunning museum! Even if you don't have time to go in, don't care for museums or just don't want to pay for it, I think it's worth visiting the grounds for the hell of it. The exterior is beautiful, massive, has several fountains, gardens, benches and walking "trails" for you to either sit and enjoy or walk and enjoy. They consider the exterior to be an extension of the museum due to the history behind the architecture, gardens and fixtures so you really will be visiting the museum itself even if you just walk the grounds. I loved it there and recommend visiting. read more
The Rijksmuseum is the most beautiful museum I've ever been to. Everything was immaculate. I had the opportunity to visit the Johannes Vermeer exhibit (which sold out and sold online upwards of $600 a ticket) in the evening, and the museum itself during the day. Such a wonderful experience. The exterior of the building reminded me of Royce Hall at UCLA. Loved the tulips surrounding the area. Overall, one of the must sees things to do when in Amsterdam! read more
To stand before these great works, that were created by such Masters is truly awe inspiring. We were captivated and couldn't believe that we were standing so close to such magical pieces. Surreal experience for certain. read more
January 30th, 2024 3 adults at 1:45pm (closed at 5pm) $73.25 Their gardens were closed as it was too cold We absolutely enjoyed our time on each and every floor Spent about 2-3 hours Lovely classical artists playing their instruments as we walked it Highly recommended to any and all read more
The Rijksmuseum was an Amsterdam must see and it didn't disappoint. It is so much larger inside than it looks. We could've spent days wandering through there. Make sure you have enough time to visit all the rooms! I loved the organization of the floors being from different time periods in ascending order and the cafe inside was pretty nice too. They also provide free guests for lockers and have many clean restrooms. We went on a weekday and didn't have any wait. We bought tickets beforehand but the other line wasn't long either. This was in June. read more
This museum is uber huge and there are countless treasures here to view. Per usual, it will behoove you to book your ticket online and come at an earlier time in the day to avoid crowds. You of course don't want to miss (and it'll be impossible to) any of Rembrandt's paintings, especially the Night Watch. Also don't miss out on all the cool old weapons, model ships, porcelain objects, and dollhouses. If you're a lover of art, you will love the Rijksmuseum! read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
Nice museum. So much to see it's definitely overwhelming. Lots of great Dutch artists. Definitely a must stop if you've never been in Amsterdam. read more
The Rijks is one of the most iconic Amsterdam attractions. The collection of paintings lend to a historic tour of Dutch art over the years. It's quite a large museum. That said, it's easily achievable in one afternoon and not too daunting for those who don't enjoy walking. We went on a Thursday afternoon in autumn and didn't wait more than 10 minutes to get in. The museum was not too busy. A must see in Amsterdam. Note: the "Iamsterdam" sign is no longer at the front of the museum. read more
a must stop for museum-loving tourists visiting Amsterdam, its collection is comparable to the other 'national' museums throughout Europe. It was my second time here, so stopped by the exhibits that my group wanted to focus on. Every national museum deserves multiple days to fully appreciate its contents...but foot-weary tourists who had already walked for 3 plus hours beforehand exploring Amsterdam...we didn't do it justice...but was thankful for the many comfortable benches. It's a really big space with a central outdoor courtyard, and they do a really nice job of spacing the art so you don't have to wait for too long to get a close view, even with so many people (one can get tickets day of, to keep your options open...over €20 for each adult ticket). And you can definitely quickly see which displays are the most popular in a given room, if you are looking for a particular piece. The most famous piece is the Rembrandt 'Night Watch' and is worth the visit in itself...just in awe of how much time was spent painting that giant canvas in such detail. (They now have a large glass barrier so you can no longer get very close). They have a lot of other Rembrandts as well. Currently, they have a Vermeer exhibit going on, in the museum, requiring a separate fee (which isn't a problem except THOSE tickets are sold out until June '23)....which means the permanent Vermeers in the Rijks permanent collection couldn't be seen this time. The museum is the front of Museumplein (Museum Square) and is very close to the Van Gogh museum (which did sell out the day we wanted to visit). They have a really useful mobile app that one can download for free. When away from the museum, it shows all of the permanent pieces in all its HD glory along with relevant audio blurbs for the most important pieces. Once inside the museum , one can enable location services AND Bluetooth for the app, then at which point it can tell where you are and can give visual directions for any piece that you want to see. If you have headphones, you can get audio commentary for many pieces as well while you are intently staring at a piece. It seems photography/video is allowed (not sure about flash photography). Large bags are allowed inside, though you are required to wear any backpack as a 'front'back. Three thoughts on that: 1. reminded me of baby bjorn...it's been a while 2. i shudder to think what incident caused this rule to be implemented. 3. they should implement this rule for passengers entering an airplane in the later groups...for the safety of those aisle passengers. read more
3 years ago
A delightful museum in the heart of Amsterdam. I learned a lot about Dutch culture here. I love when there are a collection of the same item: the muskets, glassware, swords. You can notice the intricate change in detail in each. The cafe also delivers spectacular meals and coffee. I had a drunken chicken pie here. If you want just pastries and coffee there is a much smaller coffee stand around the 2nd floor. Please prepare to spend 3 hours here to really absorb the culture from this museum and country. Cheers! read more
When we told people we were going to Amsterdam, one of the first things they would say to us is that we had to go to the Rijksmuseum. We're not huge museum people, but when multiple people tell you something, you tend to listen! (We're glad we did!) In my opinion, the museum is HUGE! I'm not sure we even saw everything! If you can't make it to the Van Gogh Museum (what's wrong with you?!?!), you can catch a couple of his pieces here, including a self portrait. The claim to fame here is a painting called The Night Watch, which to be honest, we had never heard of. At our visit, it was undergoing a restoration. It was still viewable by the public, but was within a glass enclosure which kept you at least 20 feet from the painting. One of my favorites was The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer. It's just a simple, yet beautiful painting. Paintings not your thing? There are sculptures, furniture, dishware, a fancy barometer, model ships and parts of real ships, an entire hall dedicated to Asian art...you name it, they got it! There's even a real library with four floors worth of books that you can go into. You can't access any of the books from where you enter in the museum, though; I think you have to make a reservation to look at the books and you probably enter from somewhere on the first floor. It's floor to ceiling books, with an iron spiral staircase in the corner, and looks like something straight out of a movie set in Victorian times. There are 2 bookstores on the ground floor. One is a true bookstore, and the other is the museum gift shop. Both are fun to peruse, with the gift shop having some fun and interesting items. If you get lost, just ask one of the guides. We somehow exited out of an exhibit into the main lobby and when I explained what happened, we were let back in and were able to finish seeing everything. Because of it's size, plan on spending most, if not all, of your day here. I think we here for 3-5 hours before heading over to our next stop. You can also take photos here, so make sure you have a decent camera with you. This is a definite must-see in Amsterdam, and I am so very glad we listened to everyone's advice! 15/2020 read more
Rijksmuseum means National Museum in Dutch. It's an art and history museum that covers 800 years of history. To get there, go to the Museumplein, or Museum Square. That's in Amsterdam Zuid. The Museumplein has three main museums and it's a pretty place to walk around. The museum was located in other places before being opened here in 1885. This building was designed by Pierre Cuypers, and it's really cool. They have some beautiful masterpieces here. The museum is open every day from 9-5. The entrance fee is 20 euros. You'll probably want to visit more than once because there's so much! Look at the pictures! Beautiful art! read more
More info about Rijksmuseum
Museumstraat 1
1071 XX Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Museumkwartier, Zuid
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020-6747000
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https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/
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Rijksmuseum - museums - Updated July 2026
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