Tickets for the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam must be bought online in advance – tickets are no longer sold at the museum itself.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has the largest collection worldwide of artworks and letters by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. This art gallery claims to be the most-visited museum in The Netherlands and is clearly a must-see site for many visitors to Holland. Queues used to be norm but tickets are now only sold online and with specific entry times. Buy time-slot tickets online before arriving at the museum. Even visitors qualifying for free (e.g. museum card and children) or discount tickets must get timed tickets in advance. Tickets are no longer sold directly at the Van Gogh Museum itself.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is home to around 200 paintings, 400 drawings and 700 letters by the Dutch artist Vincent can Gogh. The museum also has a large collection of works by Van Gogh’s contemporaries and works that influenced his own style, including his collection of Japanese prints.
The artworks on display change often with the permanent collection frequently enhanced by loaned works as well as temporary exhibitions. The temporary exhibitions are usually of exceptional quality and included in the general admission ticket.
A new visitors entrance opened in 2014 between the main Rietveld Building and the oval Kurokawa Wing, which is usually used for temporary displays. This new building improves the visitors experience but changing to only online time-slot tickets in 2018 finally cut down the endless queues of visitors trying to enter the museum each day.
Buying Tickets for the Van Gogh Museum
Admission tickets for the Van Gogh Museum are currently €18 (free for children under 18, if not part of a school group) – no student or other age-related discounts are offered. Ticket prices may be higher with some temporary exhibitions. The Dutch Museum Card (Museumkaart) is accepted (but getting a free e-ticket online is essential).
Tickets are only available online and no longer sold at the museum itself. All Van Gogh Museum tickets are time-slot tickets with a specific 30 minute admission window. (It is not valid after this half hour but if you miss it, it may still be worth a try.)
The cheapest online tickets are from the from the museum shop while many other resellers such as Tiqets and Get Your Guide also sell tickets, which may be a good deal if combined with further sights.
It is essential that children and bearers of the Museumkaart or other discount vouchers also obtain timed e-tickets for free (or with discount depending on the offer) online.
Opening Hours of the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is open daily at a minimum from 9 am to 5 pm (10 pm on Fridays). During the high season (usually Easter to early November), the Van Gogh Museum closes at 6 pm (10 pm on Friday). During the summer holidays from mid-July to early September, the Van Gogh Museum is open from 9 am to 7 pm, closing at 9 pm on Saturday and 10 pm on Friday.
On Friday nights from 7 pm, the museum is turned into a semi nightclub with cocktails and loud DJ music but also some free guided tours. This experience is not everyone’s idea of Van Gogh, so avoid the museum, or especially visit, on Friday nights.
The Van Gogh Museum is at the heart of Amsterdam’s Museum District – the Stedelijk Museum (modern art) and Rijksmuseum are in the immediate vicinity, as are Vondel Park, the Zuiderbad swimming pool, and the Heineken Experience.
The second largest Vincent van Gogh collection is in the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo – around an hour to the east of Amsterdam.