One of the must see museums when visiting Amsterdam…read more We also enjoyed taking a break at the cafe located inside the Rijksmuseum.

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.

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.

A well laid out museum with a large collection of masterpieces from artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer…read moreand Ruebens. The famous Girl with the Pearl Earring is captivating but there are many others worth viewing. Check out the lower level and its presentation about how the museum dealt with occupation during WWII.

I'm not typically an art fan but as it houses some very famous paintings I decided it was a must…read moresee! It's well laid out and easy to move around even when it's busy. I recommend going when they open to avoid any crowds around the girl with the pearl earring. It was amazing to see The Bull in person. I never realised the scale of the paining but it's fast and incredible to see in person. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff and a fun gift shop if you're into trinkets and educational books. Well worth a visit, even if you're not a museum/art person.

A very unique experience, though a bit pricey at around $24 USD (€20-22). It's important to know…read morethat this isn't a traditional museum; it's a high-tech art storage center that happens to be open to the public. The focus is really on the "behind-the-scenes" of art preservation--how pieces are crated, cleaned, and stored in climate-controlled rooms. The building itself is a masterpiece. It spans several floors, and while the individual sections feel small, the central atrium with its zig-zagging staircases is massive. There's an elevator if you want to skip the stairs! They offer free 10-minute "walk-in" tours of the storage compartments, plus more detailed "behind-the-scenes" tours that are worth the extra look. The top floor has a great cafe/restaurant (Renilde) and an outdoor space with a forest of birch trees. The 360-degree view of Rotterdam is breathtaking. If you love architecture or are curious about how museums actually work, it's worth the price. If you just want to see a standard art gallery, you might find it a bit expensive.

The Boijmans is the main art museum in Rotterdam. It opened in 1847, originally with the collection…read moreof Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans. Since then, it has grown and now contains some of the preeminent works of art. Not just Dutch artists, the collection includes Rembrant, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, René Magritte and Salvador Dalí. And those are just the more famous. There are Rubens and Bosch and many more! A friend of mine had visited a few months ago and found the Rembrant/Dali wing was closed. That wing was open this time, but the Kandinsky wing was closed. I'm a big fan of Kandinsky and I have a few posters of his work and his contemporaries. I was bummed. Even bummed, I still enjoyed the Bruegel "Tower of Babel", one of the most famous paintings in Rotterdam. And the Rodin sculptures. Amazing artworks! The museum wasn't particularly crowded on this weekday and they had no issue with photographs, as long as the flash was disabled. An audio tour is available, which I strongly recommend. Note: The museum is a member of the Museumkaart system, so if you're planning on visiting more than three or four museums in the Netherlands, get the card!

Never quite seen so many music makers…read more There is a good kids attraction where they can do a scavenger hunt There is a guided tour that looks interesting Took about one hour for us to go through and feel like we were able to see everything

I seriously can't fathom why this museum is so poorly rated. This was probably my favorite museum…read moreon our trip. If you are going, make sure to take the TOUR. We made the 10:30am one. It's free and the young man, in addition to explaining what the automatons and musical instruments were and the history behind them, actually wound up all the ancient relics so you could see them in action. Some of this stuff is really old, which is mind boggling. Exceptional museum and so much fun (and I don't have children and am not a child!). A must-visit in Utrecht. Also, a separate note about Holland for those planning their trip. Utrecht and The Hague were our favorite cities. We found Amsterdam to be touristy and overrated. Delft is a nice day trip (20 minutes from The Hague) but don't go to the Delftware factory, it is a tourist trap. Skip Leiden: university town but not that interesting and not much in it.

Loved this museum. It's a small museum but very interesting. It captures storytelling of Escher's…read morelife and how it is portrayed in his art. Loved how the rooms are laid out for this purpose as well. Good labeling on the pieces and useful to have the free audio tour accessible via phone.

Fantastic museum for any one who appreciates interesting art or is an Escher lover. The museum has…read morea QR code that you can scan which provides a free overview of the most popular prints. You can read or listen to the guide. This was very helpful in getting the background story on the art and covers the top 12. There are 2 floors of prints from Escher and artists who were inspired by him. No parking.

This castle is close to Amsterdam, but it's not that big and there isn't much to do outside of it…read more The GoCity Pass does cover the ferry from Amsterdam to Muiserslot but you have to reserve online. To proud pronounce Muiserslot, you have to say it as "Mouse-sir-slow" btw. Yes, the Castle is cool if you do the self guided tour and ferry ride but I finished about a hour early and got lunch there. You'll learn about this 11th century castle and its history where most of it was built up in the 1500s, and the various tools used to keep invaders out. It has never been attacked hence its great condition. As for the cafe at the bottom floor, the sandwich was actually pretty good and about €6 when I went. We had a little too much extra time so we actually walked to the garden where Schoolchildren grew their vegetables and read through everything, we finished so early. The ferry ride was pretty comfortable with drinks so if you're into getting a pint this is the way to go. Overall the only downside is that the way to and from via ferry takes a long time, almost the whole day, which if you want a faster trip take the car. Overall, a soldi day trip from Amsterdam.

Amsterdam and castles are two things that I didn't associate together; however, on a previous trip…read moreto Amsterdam, I was intrigued after reading the many different place where the IAmsterdam card was accepted that Muiderslot was included. Highlights/Tips: + First and foremost, this is not located in Amsterdam, but outside it. If you are using the IAmsterdam card, your transportation will not be covered. You will have to either pay each individual bus/tram used, or purchase a regional card. Also, expect a bit of a walk, because if getting dropped off by bus, you will need to walk into the town to the castle itself. It is an easy ~15 minute walk to the castle from the bus. + With your ticket, a guided tour is included. It is important to note that the tour is only offered in Dutch; however, they offer information in English during the tour. You will also need to take the voucher provided when you receive your ticket to the kiosk to determine the time of your guided tour. + There are self guided tours where you can follow a suggested route, such as the Medieval Tower Route. There are plaques and additional information (offered in Dutch/English). + Seemed to be very kid friendly and offered a quest type passport where a route/activities are to be done and stamps are collected as you go. Information can be found at the ticket office. + Locker can be found by the cafe/gift shop/restrooms to store backpacks + Outside the castle , you can explore a small garden area, as well as falconer that offers a display of his birds of prey during select days/time ** On extremely hot days, the dungeon is the place to stop for a cool dark place to beat the heat.

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!

If you want to do something in red light district and not party, I recommend coming to this museum…read more It is self guided and very educational on the history of the world's oldest profession. It is very detailed and informative on what the workers go through by showing POV visuals and hearing their stories. The museum took about 1-2 hours

I really enjoyed this museum and learning about the red light district and its prostitutes. Far…read moremore interesting than I thought it would be. I learned way more than I thought I would, especially because the tour has audio included. My favorite section was the confessions. I really loved all the interesting facts you learn as you walk through. The only thing I didn't like is the terribly annoying voice of the woman who narrated all the audio for the tour.

SRembrandt van Rijn owned a house nearby from 1639 to 1656. There were early markets & the Butter…read moreMarket was here. In the early twentieth century, this square became a center of nightlife drawing artists, young people & laborers. Hotels, cafés & entertainment venues opened around the square. Rembrandt's statue is in the middle of the square.

Yo this place was so cool. My second time in Amsterdam was just as fun as the first. I first…read morethought these were chess pieces. After getting closer i saw they were Rembrandt statues. This place is also in the party district of town.