Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands, is one of the most interesting places to visit in Amsterdam.

It is located on the famous Museumplein square, where the three main museums of the Dutch capital, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk and the Rijksmuseum, are to be found. It is an enchanting place surrounded by an immense green garden accompanied by majestic fountains and sculptures.

The Rijksmuseum houses the greatest works of Flemish art and a remarkable collection of Asian art, as well as Delft ceramics, historical documents and engravings.

The Rijksmuseum Collection

The museum houses more than 8,000 works in 80 galleries on four floors and offers an in-depth overview of Dutch art. The various collections on display include the art of the Dutch royal family, Delft ceramics and works by Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Vermeer.

The museum also contains Dürer’s engravings, Monet’s Impressionist landscapes, Rubens’ drawings for his battle between Centaurs and Lapiths as well as Michelangelo’s fabulous drawings.

Inside the Rijksmuseum, you can admire the greatest works of art by Rembrandt, Steen and Vermeer. Each floor tells the story of a different historical period with a vast exhibition of objects from the past, historical documents, weapons, photographs, textiles, artefacts and various finds.

On the second floor is the Honour Gallery, where masterpieces from Amsterdam’s Golden Age can be admired.

Main works

Among the main works to be admired at the Rijksmuseum are the Still Life by the Flemish artist Barthélemy d’Eyck, the Madonna and Child by Giovanni Battista Cima known as Cima da Conegliano, the Saint Mary Magdalene by Carlo Crivelli, the Gentle Courtship by Willem Buytewech, but above all several works by Rembrandt, one of the most important Dutch painters, including:

• The Night Watch
• The Draper Mayors
• The Jewish Bride
• Dr Deyman’s anatomy lesson
• Concert of costumed musicians
• Jeremiah laments the destruction of Jerusalem
• Child with dead peacocks
• Denial of Peter
• Titus in the guise of Saint Francis

Also of interest is the collection dedicated to the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, whose works on display include:

• Milkmaid
• The Love Letter
• Woman in Blue Reading a Letter
• Street in Delft

The Building

The Rijksmuseum building, designed by the Dutch architect Petrus Cuypers, consists of several elements reminiscent of the Gothic and Renaissance periods. The museum was founded in 1800 in The Hague, the third largest city in the Netherlands, but following an order from Louis Napoleon, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, it was moved to Amsterdam in 1808.

Over the years, the Rijksmuseum underwent several renovations until 2003, when Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortis, two Spanish architects, started the complete renovation. The work lasted ten years and the museum was only reopened in 2013.

Tickets for the Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including Christmas and New Year. Tickets can no longer be purchased at the museum’s ticket offices but necessarily online: you will need to indicate the day and time of entry from among those available. Even if you have purchased the I Amsterdam Card or one of the Go City tourist cards, you must book your visit on the Rijkmuseum’s official website. Children under the age of 18 enter free of charge.

Ticket + guided tour of the Rijksmuseum

If you would like to learn more about the museum and its collections, we recommend that you have an experienced guide accompany you on a tour of the museum. The guided tour we offer is in several languages and includes the admission ticket.

Combined tickets

If you would like to combine your visit to the Rijkmuseum with other attractions or activities such as a cruise on the Amsterdam canals, purchase a combination ticket that will save you money on individual entries.

Free entry with the I Amsterdam Card

Holders of the I Amsterdam Card are entitled to free admission to the Moco Museum and over 70 of the city’s attractions, such as the Moco Museum or the Rembrandt House.

How to get to the Rijksmuseum

The museum is very easy to reach by public transport:

• By tram: numbers 2 and 5, which have the Central Station as their terminus.
• By bus: 170, 172, 174, 758, N97
• By airport bus number 197

If you land at one of the Dutch airports, it is possible to get to the Rijkmuseum with a rental car; there are a few pay car parks in the immediate vicinity, and a supervised car park under Museumplein: Q-Park, which is located at number 33b on Van Baerlestraat street, with the entrance next to the Concertgebouw.