Amsterdam is heaven for art lovers! The Netherlands is home to three of the most famous Dutch painters in history, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Vermeer. If you’re lucky enough to visit this beautiful city make sure to explore the art scene and pay a visit to some of these iconic art museums.

If you plan on visiting as many museums as you can, I recommend purchasing the I Amsterdam Card. We chose this option because it gave you access to the most museums and that was our goal. There are other options if museums are not your thing. The card becomes active the first time you use it. You can choose 24 hours starting at 60 euros, up to 120 hours for 125 euros. We did the 48 hours option for 85 euros. It paid for itself. I believe we managed 4 museums and a discount at The Heineken Experience.

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Rijksmuseum

The crown jewel. With more than 8000 works of art from European history, this museum can’t be missed. The museum houses iconic works from famous Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer. Many of Rembrandt’s works are here but his most famous The Night Watch is the one to see. Bucket list check! There are also four works from Dutch Artist Johannes Vermeer including The Milkmaid, The Love Letter, Woman Reading A Letter, and The Little Street. Did you know The Little Street represents the home of his aunt in the city of Delft? Free cloakroom available. Tickets are 22.50 euro or free with I Amsterdam Card.

MOCO

This museum might have been my favorite and not just because everything was pink! Amsterdam’s modern art museum, the MOCO, houses modern pop and street art from artists such as the elusive Banksy, Jean-Michael Basquiat and Andy Warhol. The interactive exhibits were so much fun. Tickets 22.95 euros or free with I Amsterdam Card.

Van Gogh Museum

All things Vincent. This museum was perfection. It houses his iconic Sunflowers and The Bedroom. Also on display is Almond Blossom. Vincent painted this as a gift for his brother Theo when he and his wife gave birth to their son. They named their son Vincent, after Van Gogh. The young Vincent would later go on to found the Vincent Van Gogh Museum. While there, we were lucky enough to be able to view the Pokemon exhibit. So cute! Free lockers available. Tickets 22 euros.

Rembrandt House

Tour the 17th century home of Rembrandt, where he lived for 19 years. While some of it is recreated to look as it once did, there are some items original. There is a lot of artwork and etchings from Rembrandt himself. You can also take a moment to paint in his actual studio. It is rumored, though no one really knows, that he may have painted The Nightwatch in the courtyard that you see when you first walk in. Free lockers and audio tour available. Tickets 19.50 euros or free with I Amsterdam card.

Anne Frank Museum

This is somewhere I urge everyone to visit. This is the main house and annex where on July 16, 1942, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding. It was her father Otto’s business. You are able to tour the house and secret annex. Anne’s room still has magazine cutouts on the wall. Her famous diary that she received for her 13th birthday is on display as well. No pictures are allowed in the house or annex. If you choose to take the introductory program, which I recommend, there are artifacts in that room you can take pictures of. It is a 30 minute session that gives you a quick refresher course over that time period. The tour comes with free audio and cloakroom. Tickets 23 euros with the program. You must book ahead of time. Time slots open each Tuesday 6 weeks out.

KattenKabinet

This was a quirky little museum that was all about cats! What an odd place to find a Rembrandt and a Picasso! Small and absolutely adorable though. If you love cats it is a must. Tickets 10 euros.

Mauritshuis

Just a short train ride from Amsterdam to Hague is the Mauritshuis. Here you’ll find some Rembrandt but more importantly you will find, in my opinion, the second most famous woman in the world, The Girl With The Pearl Earring. Most famous being the Mona Lisa ,of course. This was on my bucket list to see list and it was definitely worth the trip as an art lover. Tickets 19.50 euros.

There were some places I didn’t get a chance to go to, such as Zaanse Schans to tour the windmills. I would also have loved have visited the Tulip Museum and the Nemo Science Museum. There just wasn’t enough time. Maybe a spring or summer trip to Amsterdam should be on the to do list. I would love to see the tulip fields in bloom!

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Plan your perfect itinerary! One Week In Amsterdam – An Art Lover’s Itinerary

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