Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Dutch National Museum

Discover masterpieces by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Vermeer and so much more

Rijksmuseum will be one of the highlights of your stay in Amsterdam. Rijksmuseum is one of the worlds most renowned art museums and holds the largest collection of Rembrandts in the world. Its official opening took place in 1885 after it was decided to establish a dedicated Dutch National museum. The design of the building is gothic and renaissance influenced, echoes of which can be seen in the Centraal Station building, also designed by the same architect, Pierre Cuypers.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to companies and services we trust. If you purchase something after clicking any link, then we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (policy page).

Rijksmuseum tickets

Rijksmuseum tickets are currently only available online. The only free Rijksmuseum ticket is for children (age 18 and under) and friends of the Rijksmuseum. Adult tickets cost €22.50 and holders of EYCA €11.25. Other tourist cards like I Amsterdam City Card and the Museumkaart also have ‘free’ admission.

The world has changed since Coronavirus and although in the past you would be able to walk up to the door and buy a ticket and walk straight in, we suspect that those days are gone now. Even before the Coronavirus epidemic, museums across the world were looking at timed tickets due to the vast increases in tourism. Now, with potential social distancing requirements, it is likely that most museums will move their ticket structure to that of limited entry and timed tickets.

This does take away the freedom of just popping in quickly on a whim, but also means that when visiting Rijksmuseum, you wont be overwhelmed by crowds, each straining for a look at the masterpieces through gaps in the shoulders of those in front. During off-peak times, you can be more flexible, but if visiting in high season, we do recommend planning ahead.

The Rembrandt exhibition already had timeslots to help with overcrowding for example. Once inside the museum you can stay as long as you want, so you will not have to rush around in a given time period. The staggered entry times should help aleviate the crowds and help keep everyone safe. Looking at time slots they are spread out in 15 minutes intervals.

To check ticket availability use our links below. We have also included links to various guided tours and combination tickets that feature Rijksmuseum.

Amsterdam Digital Pass

This ticket is designed for arguably the two biggest museum attractions in Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. These hugely popular museums are both located in the Museumplein area of Amsterdam and are very close by to one another.

The Amsterdam Digital Pass includes entry to both Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum and includes a one hour canal cruise too. So, that is three main Amsterdam attractions for an ideal day out in Amsterdam.

The vast majority of visitors to Amsterdam are likely to want to see these two museums and travel on the canals, so we think this card is a really good option, especially if you are only staying in Amsterdam for a short period of time.

Where is the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum is in the south of Amsterdam (Amsterdam Zuid). It sits within Museum Square and has the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Moco Museum as neighbours. The Royal Concertgebouw is also located here for any music lovers. The Museumplein is a huge draw for culture and art lovers. It has an underground car park and supermarket and the space is often used for events and festivals. The pond is often transformed into an artificial ice rink in the winter.

Rijksmuseum Address:

Rijksmuseum
Museumstraat 1
1071 XX Amsterdam

How long do you need at the Rijksmuseum

If you love museums and enjoy exploring everything they have to offer then you’ll want to allow around 4-5hrs when visiting Rijksmuseum. Most visitors will spend a morning or afternoon perusing the art and history showcased at the museum. You can though take a bucketlist approach to the art and head straight to the museums’s most famouse attraction, Rembrandt’s masterpiece ‘The Night Watch’ housed in its Gallery of Honour. You should also see paintings by Frank Hals, Vermeer, Rembrandt and Jan Steen. Other famous attractions in the museum are the collection of Delft Blue pottery and Cuypers Library, the oldest art history library in Holland.

Recently the Rijksmuseum took the most detailed photograph of the Night Watch ever. It is hosted online and is so detailed that you can zoom in and see individual brush strokes in the characters eyes. It is a truly magical experience to be able to see Rembrandt’s masterpiece in so much close up detail, which only adds to the attraction of seeing the original painting in person.

Photography at Rijksmuseum

In normal operating times the photography and video rules are as follows. You are allowed to take photographs, but are not allowed to use flash or any support for the camera such as a selfie stick or tripod (hand-held only).

You are also allowed to use video, but again cannot use supports like tripods or any on-board or additional light(s).

The Night Watch was recently taken out of its frame and renovated, something you could watch live in person. There is also a research project looking at details of the painting and discovering new previously un-noticed elements.

What paintings are in the Rijksmuseum

Visiting Rijksmuseum brings you face to face with some of the masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age. The museum has over 1 million works of art in its collection, but where it really excels is in its collection of paintings. Masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer and Van Gogh are among the most famous.

The Night Watch is the most famous painting in the Rijksmuseum, much like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, the Rijksmuseum and The Night Watch go hand in hand. This is a huge painting, so big in fact that in its original home in the Town Hall, parts of it were cut off to fit it on the desired wall. Something unthinkable now. The Night Watch is currently being restored and recently a digital photograph was taken of it that is so detailed you can see individual brush strokes on the light reflecting in the characters eyes. The digital photograph of the Night Watch is quite something to explore on your screen at home.

Other iconic paintings are the ‘Self Portrait’ by Van Gogh, Vermeers ‘The Milkmaid’, ‘Worship of the Golden Calf’ by Lucas van Leyden, ‘Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters’ Hendrick Avercamp, ‘Morning ride along the beach’ Anton Mauve, ‘Woman reading a letter’ Johannes Vermeer, ‘The Windmill at Wijk bij’ Jacob van Ruisdael and ‘Cimon and Pero’ Peter Paul Rubens. These are shown in our gallery above.

As with all museums, there really is too much to explore and the Rijksmuseum can only show 8000 pieces of art at any one time. As it houses over 1 million pieces of art, it is able to constantly refresh making every trip there a new experience.

When is the best time to visit Rijksmuseum

If you did not have a ticket then visiting Rijksmuseum early in the morning (before 10am) and later in the afternoon (after 3pm) were the quietest times. Now that you have to pre-book Rijksmuseum tickets and times it remains to be seen if all times available will be equally busy. In theory at least, even with pre-booking timeslots, the early morning and late afternoon times will be less in demand.

If you are visiting Rijksmuseum in April, May or August you will coincide with the museums busiest months, so you can expect ticket demand to be high.

The only way to guarantee your entry is to book your Rijksmuseum tickets online in advance.

Night Museum Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum features in the annual Amsterdam Night Museum event. This takes place every year in November and you can visit over 60 museums after dark.

Rijksmuseum facilities – restaurant, cafe and shop

The restaurant at Rijksmuseum is called Rijks and first opened in 2014. The ethos of the restaurant is to use produce grown on Dutch soil and blend international flavours that have influenced Dutch cuisine for centuries. It has 120 seats with a terrace that seats 100. It is open Wednesday-Sunday for lunch and from Tuesday- Sunday for dinner.

The cafe is open again after modifying for Coronavirus social and hygiene guidelines. They now also have an online order and payment system where you can scan in a QR-code on your table using your smartphone, this will open up the online menu where you can choose, order and pay without contact. The cafe opens between 9am-6pm. You can download a pdf map of the cafe, espresso bars and restaurant so you can pre-plan your trip. You can visit the cafe without a museum ticket between 5-6pm.

There is also a gift shop in the museum where you can purchase prints, gifts and souvenirs all releated to the art treasures showcased at the museum.

Acessibility at Rijksmuseum

Visitors with disabilities

The Rijksmusem, as you would expect, is accessible for disabled visitors. It has lifts and all museum galleries are wheelchair accessible. Electronic wheelchairs are permitted, the museum also has a number of wheelchairs available for use. To obtain one of the wheelchairs you need to go to the ticket office or information desk, but as these are limited their availability cannot be guaranteed. The museum is accessible for wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, electric (Segway) wheelchairs, rollators and other small-scale wheeled mobility aids. However, mobility scooters are not allowed inside the museum.

Walking sticks, walking frames and crutches are allowed, so long as they are not pointed. Guide dogs and walking canes are allowed in the museum.

It is also possible to bring a companion with you for free if you are unable to independently get around the museum. This companion entry ticket is picked up at register 1.

Pushchairs and backpack carriers

Pushchairs are permitted in the museum but backpack carriers are not. These need to be left in the cloakroom. The museum also has a limited number of pushchairs to use.

Where can I leave my bags

The museum has a free cloakroom that is supervised. You can leave your backpack carrier, bag, umbrella, daypack or school backpack. You cannot turn up with your luggage, folding bikes, instruments, skateboards etc as they will not be stored for you.

The museum does allow small handbags to be taken inside the museum. 

Where to stay near Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is in Museum Square or Museumplein in Amsterdam Zuid. This is where the Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum are also located, which makes the area very attractive for those interested in culture as a place to base yourself. It provides easy access into Centraal Amsterdam and offers more green space with nearby Vondelpark a lovely place to relax after a days exploring.

We have a dedicated page featuring where to stay near Van Gogh Museum which is just as applicable for Rijksmuseum as the two buildings are virtual neighbours.

Rijksmuseum and coronavirus – how to visit in the socially distanced world

Although not a distant memory and with the knowledge that the coronavirus will be with us for some time now, most of the attractions and venues have returned to a more normal operating procedure.

We have decided to keep this section here as a guide to how Rijksmuseum reacted previously, so you are aware of what could change during your visit should the need arise.

Rijksmuseum tickets and start times

To keep numbers under control and everyone as safe as possible, Rijksmuseum now have online only booking where you will book a time slot in advance. You arrive at your timeslot and gain entry. You can then stay as long as you like after entry. This is designed to keep control of the number of visitors on any given day and allow any social distance rules to be effective if required.

COVID rules for visiting museums in the Netherlands

From 25 February 2022 these conditions apply:

• If you’ve got symptoms, stay at home – even if you’ve been vaccinated
• Book your visit in advance.
• Give each other space: 1.5m is a safe distance.
• Face masks are not mandatory, it is a personal choice

You no longer need to show a coronavirus vacination pass. Things can change quickly, so it is worth checking just before travel, to be sure.

Social distancing at Rijksmuseum

In Holland the distance prescribed is actually a little less than the 2m rule in the UK. In Holland, 1.5m is the accepted standard of distance required from another person not in your household.

You can explore at your leisure and all one-way routes have now been removed. The app (link below) can help you find your way round the museum.

Masks are no longer mandatory, its personal choice.

Disinfectant hand gel is available at various points throughout the museum.

Staff are on hand to give help if needed.

Multimedia tour devices at Rijksmuseum

When booking you can choose to add on the multimedia tour device for an extra €5. Rijksmuseum will disinfect every device before your use. These devices provide background information along the main routes of the museum. You can though use the Rijksmusem App on your own smartphone which is free to download. Remember to bring your own headphones with you.

All areas of the museum are now open again. This includes the shop, cloakroom, toliets and lockers. The Cafe and RUIJS restaurant are also open. You do need a COVID Certificate in the cafe and restaurant. Guided tours are also running again, as is the Family Game.