Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum is the museum in Amsterdam dedicated to Vincent van Gogh, holding the world’s largest collection of his work: more than 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 700+ letters. You’ll find it at Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, open daily from 9:00 to 18:00, with 25 euro tickets sold online only. As a local tip before anything else: book your timed-entry ticket well ahead, because the Van Gogh Museum routinely sells out and there are no tickets at the door.

This is the short, honest local review: what to see, when to go, how to skip the queue, and where to get a proper coffee afterward instead of an overpriced one on the square.

Where is the Van Gogh Museum and how do I get there?

The Van Gogh Museum is at Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, in the Museum Quarter (Oud-Zuid). The entrance is the glass hall facing Museumplein, the modern wing added in 2015, not the older brick building behind it, which trips up a lot of first-time visitors. It sits directly beside the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk, so it’s easy to pair two museums in one Museumplein visit.

• By tram: Trams 2 and 12 stop at Van Baerlestraat, a 2-minute walk away; tram 5 and the 3/12 also run close by.
• By bike: The most local way to arrive, with bike parking around Museumplein. Tap on with OVpay if you’re using trams instead.
• On foot: About a 25 to 30 minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal through the canal belt and Vondelpark.
• By car: Park underground at Q-Park Museumplein, directly beneath the square. Street parking here is scarce and expensive.

What are the Van Gogh Museum’s opening hours?

The Van Gogh Museum is open daily from 9:00 to 18:00, with many Friday evenings open late until 21:00. Opening hours shift month to month, and the late Friday dates vary throughout the year, so always confirm your exact date on the museum’s official website before you travel. The last entry is typically 30 minutes before closing, and the galleries start clearing in the final hour.

Van Gogh Museum tickets: prices and how to book

Tickets cost 25 euro for adults, and entry is free for anyone under 18, but every ticket is a timed-entry ticket sold online only. There is no ticket office at the door and no same-day walk-up sales; the museum regularly posts “all time slots fully booked” signs by midday. During peak season (roughly June to August) slots sell out two to three weeks ahead, so the safe move is to book 6 to 8 weeks before your visit to lock in your preferred time.

If you’re visiting several museums, an Amsterdam city card or pass can cover entry, though you usually still need to reserve a Van Gogh time slot separately. Prefer a guided experience? Compare Van Gogh Museum tours that bundle skip-the-line entry with an expert guide.

Disclosure: some ticket, pass, and tour links on Amsterdam Local Gems are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps keep our local recommendations independent.

The best time to visit (a local’s crowd strategy)

The quietest times to visit the Van Gogh Museum are the 9:00 opening slot and the last two hours before closing, especially on Tuesday to Thursday. Book the very first entry and you’ll have the early galleries almost to yourself before the tour groups arrive around 10:30. Late Friday evenings, when the museum stays open until 21:00, are a local favorite: calmer crowds and a more relaxed atmosphere. Avoid weekend midday (12:00 to 15:00), which is the busiest window of the week.

What you’ll see inside

The collection is arranged to walk you through Vincent van Gogh’s life and development as an artist, from the dark early Potato Eaters to the luminous late work. Highlights include Sunflowers, Almond Blossom, The Bedroom (painted in Arles), and a wall of self-portraits, alongside letters between Vincent and his brother Theo that give the art its emotional context. The museum spans the original Gerrit Rietveld building and the Kisho Kurokawa exhibition wing, with rotating temporary exhibitions in the latter.

Plan on roughly two hours. If you have appetite for more Dutch art, the neighboring Rijksmuseum and its Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces are a five-minute walk across the square.

Where to eat near the Van Gogh Museum (skip the square)

Skip the overpriced food stalls on Museumplein and walk five minutes south into De Pijp or Oud-Zuid for a proper local coffee or lunch. In nearby De Pijp you’ll find local favorites like Bakers & Roasters (New Zealand-style brunch), Scandinavian Embassy (Nordic specialty coffee), and Coffee & Coconuts in a converted cinema, all a short stroll from the museum and a fraction of the tourist-square markup. Watching the budget? Our guide to visiting Amsterdam on a tight budget has more local money-savers around the Museum Quarter.

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