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

This museum contains a carefully curated chronicle of Vincent van Gogh's journey as a person and as…read morean artist. I echo other reviewers who recommend buying your tickets well in advance. The audio tour is well worth the money and enriches your museum experience. The entrances for the special exhibition and the permanent exhibition are separate. I chose to walk through the special exhibition first and then view the permanent collection. The special exhibition the day of my visit is on the color yellow. I visited the site in Arles, France, that inspired Van Gogh's "The Yellow House." It was a beautiful thing to see the painting after visiting the place where Van Gogh painted it. I was moved by Van Gogh's desire to connect with the "common folk" of his period. One may know his painting, "The Potato Eaters." It stands in a collection of other paintings depicting rural life in Van Gogh's day. I grew up immersed in agriculture and wisdom from farmers. They say you won't truly appreciate the food on your table until you meet those who work the soil to grow your food. It was a deeply moving experience. If you're a fan of Van Gogh, this museum is worth a visit. Also consider visiting Arles if your travels take you to the Rhone region of France.

We were super lucky to be able to buy two tickets for the Van Gogh Museum through Trip…read moreAdvisor/Viator. The only ones available were inclusive of the audio tour. We had waited to purchase the week before. Recommend buying tickets at least 6 weeks in advance if you want to be able to have your choice of tickets. Anyway, the line is quick to get in and then to go pick up your audio sets for your language of choice. They are basically phone-sized touchscreens and have different recorded narratives for certain rooms of the gallery as well as certain works of art. You can chose the 45-minute, 60-minute, or extended tour. There was also a temporary exhibit called Yellow about the way yellow is used in the world of art, including Van Gogh's Sunflowers. The Van Gogh Museum was founded by his nephew Vincent, son of his beloved brother Theo and his wife Jo. Throughout Vincent Van Gogh's adult life as he evolved as an artist, he kept in close communication with Theo via letters. The audio tour has 3 letters read aloud to you if you choose to listen, from Vincent to Theo, from Theo to Vincent, and from Jo to Vincent. It's touching to hear them because it shows that he was much loved. I enjoyed learning about Van Gogh's journey as a painter, his exploration of color and light, his use of painting to express emotion, his desire to empathize with the farmers and rural workers in his world. The museum does a lovely job of interspersing paintings and sculptures by other artists who either influenced or was influenced by Vincent. A painting I learned about for the first time was called Almond Blossom (1890) when Vincent heard the news he had a nephew, also named Vincent. It's beautiful and full of hope. Though I have had the honor of seeing some of Van Gogh's famous works at other museums all over, I felt especially happy to see them all together here yesterday, with a narrative that filled out the bigger story.

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!

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.

This was a beautiful castle with a very large garden to explore. I took the train and then the bus…read morehere. I explored a bit of the garden before my timed castle tour ticket. It was great to learn some of the history and see all the rooms. Then afterwards I explored more around the large garden before leaving.

The largest castle in the Netherlands that was used to throw a 1-2 week long bangers every summer…read morefor royalty, celebrities and socialites. It is now a museum which only happened because there was no heir to own it next. Reading the stories gave us Saltburn the movie vibes. We took a uber here from Amsterdam to here. An XL was about $80 so not bad. Weird fact but the Uber XLs are vans that have backward and forward seats. The grounds are stunning and it was fun to explore. There's even deer if you walk down far enough. Loved crossing all the bridges too. Inside the castle itself was not the most royal, but cool to walk through. It's very unique the structure and hallways that I have never seen before in a castle. The gift shop has some really nice items and the price was more reasonable than others I've been to. Overall, a great experience and I recommend if you're in Amsterdam for a few days.

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.

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.

Touring the original Heineken brewery and learning how their beer is made was a delight. There is a…read moresmall walk-through history exhibit in the old grain silo area that describes Heineken's origins and how the business grew. I appreciated the honest look at the company's humble beginnings. Every great business venture has to start somewhere. The most critical lesson: success is rarely an overnight feat. It takes years of dedication, effort, and learning. Learning not just from your mistakes, but from other people who've gone before you. My experience featured a "Brew You" immersive attraction that puts you in the brew chamber and production line. The bottling line is (not really) transformed into a roller coaster, ending in a taste of the Heineken signature beer. There's a brewery-style bar where you can hang out and enjoy your beer. I opted to go up to the rooftop. You get a few more options for your drink and you get to enjoy views of the Amsterdam skyline. I liked their rooftop and will happily go up there again. I can see it from my hotel.

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.

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.

Fluorescence is LIFE…read more Me and my wife did this tour in March 2018. This museum opened my eyes to another world of Fluorescence. Fluorescence is pretty much a living organism. It takes energy, consumes it, produces the brightest colors you would ever see. The vibes in this place are exceptional. The location is very close to the Ann Frank Museum. Its just 5 Euros & they let you use a really trippy bathroom for free. The couple who are the owner are in their 70s but their energy and will to give back to the world, still keeps them coming back to the museum everyday. They do this without the help of a young person or receptionist to handle your reservations. Remember that before, giving a bad review and saying they cancelled your reservation. We did not have reservation but they let us in, because they could. I would advise to call them in advance, they are doing their best in their capacity to handle the online reservations. They not only let us in, but allowed us to stay for as long as we want, despite of the small space and huge crowd. Nik explained in detail, about the physics behind this & inspired me for the rest of the life to explore this amazing world. I have bought a black light even. The pigment he uses, makes his paint way more brighter than you would find anywhere else. Some of the artifacts on the first floor are for sale as well, and can spin your head around. We bought what we could. I forgot my wallet and the lady was kind enough to keep it open extra time, so i could pick it. Although the museum closes at 7 but if you are interested Nik can talk to you the whole day about it.