Discover Amsterdam's Cultural Heritage
Amsterdam is home to world-renowned museums and cultural institutions. Explore these exceptional destinations during your visit to the city.
Rijksmuseum
The Netherlands' National Museum
The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands, dedicated to Dutch arts and history. Founded in 1800, it houses an extensive collection of over 8,000 objects spanning from the Middle Ages to the present day.
The museum's most famous work is Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" (1642), one of the most celebrated paintings in the world. The collection also includes masterpieces by Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, and other Dutch Golden Age painters. The museum building itself is a masterpiece of Dutch Renaissance architecture, designed by Pierre Cuypers and opened in 1885.
Visitors can explore galleries featuring Dutch history, Asian art, decorative arts, prints and drawings, and photography. The museum's collection tells the story of 800 years of Dutch art and history, from the Middle Ages to Mondrian.
Museumstraat 1, Amsterdam
Daily 9:00 - 17:00
Founded in 1800, reopened in 2013 after major renovation
Moco Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art
Moco Museum is a modern and contemporary art museum located in the heart of Amsterdam's Museum Quarter. Founded in 2016, the museum is housed in a beautiful 19th-century townhouse on Museumplein, offering an intimate and accessible approach to contemporary art.
The museum features works by some of the most influential contemporary artists of our time, including Banksy, Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring. The collection focuses on street art, pop art, and contemporary masters, making art accessible to a wide audience.
Moco Museum presents rotating exhibitions that showcase both established and emerging artists, with a particular emphasis on art that challenges conventions and engages with contemporary social and cultural issues. The museum's innovative approach and prime location make it one of Amsterdam's most popular contemporary art destinations.
Honthorststraat 20, Amsterdam
Daily 9:00 - 19:00
Founded in 2016, focuses on contemporary and street art
Stedelijk Museum
Amsterdam's Museum of Modern Art
The Stedelijk Museum is Amsterdam's premier museum for modern and contemporary art and design. Founded in 1874, it houses one of the most important collections of modern art in the world, with over 90,000 objects spanning from the early 20th century to the present.
The collection includes iconic works by Dutch artists such as Piet Mondrian, Karel Appel, and Willem de Kooning, as well as international masters like Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Yves Klein. The museum is particularly renowned for its extensive collection of De Stijl movement works and its focus on contemporary art from the 1960s onwards.
The building features a distinctive modern extension known as "the bathtub," designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects. The museum regularly hosts major temporary exhibitions showcasing cutting-edge contemporary art, design, and photography from around the world.
Museumplein 10, Amsterdam
Daily 10:00 - 18:00
Collection includes over 90,000 works of art and design
Anne Frank House
A Powerful Historical Experience
The Anne Frank House is a biographical museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. The museum is located in the actual building where Anne Frank and her family hid from Nazi persecution during World War II. They lived in a secret annex behind a movable bookcase for over two years before being discovered and deported to concentration camps.
Visitors can explore the preserved secret annex where Anne wrote her famous diary, which has been translated into over 70 languages and remains one of the world's most widely read books. The museum displays Anne's original diary, historical documents, photographs, and personal belongings of the Frank family and others who hid with them.
The museum serves as both a memorial and an educational center, addressing themes of discrimination, persecution, and the importance of human rights. It receives over 1.2 million visitors annually, making it one of Amsterdam's most visited museums and a powerful reminder of the Holocaust's impact.
Prinsengracht 263-267, Amsterdam
Daily 9:00 - 22:00
Opened as a museum in 1960, over 1.2 million visitors annually
Hermitage Amsterdam
Russian Art in the Heart of Amsterdam
Hermitage Amsterdam is a satellite museum of the famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Housed in the beautiful Amstelhof, a 17th-century classical building on the Amstel River, the museum opened in 2009 and is the largest satellite of the Russian Hermitage.
The museum presents two major exhibitions annually, featuring masterpieces from the vast collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. These exhibitions cover Russian art, culture, and history, as well as international art collections. Past exhibitions have included works by Rembrandt, Matisse, Van Gogh, and Russian imperial treasures.
The building itself is a historical landmark, originally built as a home for the elderly in 1681. After extensive renovation, it now provides a stunning setting for world-class art exhibitions. The museum also features permanent displays about the relationship between the Netherlands and Russia, and the history of the Amstelhof building.
Amstel 51, Amsterdam
Daily 10:00 - 17:00
Opened in 2009, largest satellite of the Hermitage Museum