Van Gogh Museum Tickets & Discounts

Updated: 5 enero 2024

This post covers tickets and discounts to the Van Gogh Museum as well as information about planning your visit here.

If you're ready to purchase ​Van Gogh Museum tickets, click here.

In addition to tips from our tour guides, we will also include suggestions from members of our Amsterdam Travel Tips Facebook group who have actually been to this attraction.

Disclosure: While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you. See the full text.


HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GO TO THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM?

Without a discount pass, general admission to the museum is €22.

TIP: If you’re looking to visit the Van Gogh Museum, it’s worth noting that admission is included with multiple tourist passes.

Make sure to read our discounts section for more details on these services.

Prices

There is no additional charge for temporary exhibits. General admission guarantees access to all exhibition spaces in the Van Gogh Museum.

It is highly recommended to purchase admission ahead of time, as this museum uses timed-entry tickets.

If you decide to get your tickets on-site during busy hours, you may be asked to wait for the next available time slot.

Tips From Tourists:

Many of our Facebook Group members suggest that you book your tickets ahead of time because they can sell out quickly.


DISCOUNTS TO THE VAN GOGH MUSEUM

There are a few different ways to save money on tickets to the Van Gogh Museum.

Arguably the most popular discounts are found in tourist attractions discount passes.

These passes can save you anywhere from 20% - to 50% on admission to many of Amsterdam’s most popular tours and attractions, including some of the following examples:

  • Rijksmuseum
  • Stedelijk Museum
  • Diamond Museum
  • Madame Tussauds
  • Heineken Experience
  • Nemo Science Museum
  • Ripley's Believe it or Not
  • Rembrandt House Museum
  • Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour
  • Hop-on-Hop-off Cruise
  • And more!
  • I Amsterdam City Card
  • Amsterdam City Pass
  • Holland Pass
  • Museumkaart

For more information, read our post about Amsterdam tourist passes.

In addition to these services, there are several combo tickets available which include one or more popular activities in Amsterdam.

Don’t forget that this museum is actually free for everyone under the age of 18. If you’re planning to take your kids, you won’t have to pay for their admission.

This is a great savings potential for families who want to spend a day at the museum.

Unfortunately, there is no discount for seniors, students, or teachers.

If you’re going with a group of 6 or more people, you may be eligible for a special rate. Book a group visit for this discount.

Sadly, there are no free days available at the Van Gogh Museum, as of Jan 2024.

It’s also worth noting that neither Groupon nor Living Social provides discounts on tickets.


Tips From Tourists:

Believe it or not, our Amsterdam Tips Facebook Group members will sometimes offer their own tickets up to fellow travelers if they can't make it.

Although there are no guarantees, it's worth checking to see if anyone has any free tickets before heading out!


PLAN YOUR VISIT

In this section, we will provide information about the best times to visit, hours of operation, where you’ll find the museum, and what you can expect upon arrival.

Make sure to check our ticket section for more details about when and how to purchase admission.


Hours of the Museum

The Van Gogh Museum is open daily throughout the year, but their hours depend upon what time of year you choose to visit.

Use the following guide to find out when you can visit during your trip to Amsterdam:

January 7th – February 28th

  • 9 am - 5 pm | Saturday - Thursday
  • 9 am - 9 pm | Friday

March 2nd – June 20th

  • 9 am - 6 pm | Saturday - Thursday
  • 9 am - 9 pm | Friday

June 21st – September 1st

  • 9 am - 7 pm | Sunday - Thursday
  • 9 am - 9 pm | Friday & Saturday

September 2nd – October 27th

  • 9 am - 6 pm | Saturday - Thursday
  • 9 am - 9 pm | Friday

October 28th – December 22nd

  • 9 am - 5 pm | Saturday - Thursday
  • 9 am - 9 pm | Friday

December 23rd – December 31st

  • 9 am - 7 pm | Sunday - Thursday
  • 9 am - 9 pm | Friday & Saturday

Holidays

  • 9 am - 5 pm | Christmas & New Years Eve
  • 11 am - 7 pm | New Year’s Day

Throughout most of the year, this museum will be open until 17:00 (5 p.m.) on weekdays (Monday to Friday) and until 21:00 (9 p.m.) on weekends (Saturday and Sunday).

While most people will want to visit earlier in the day, it’s worth noting that this is a location you can visit after dark. 


Where is the Van Gogh Museum?

This site is located right in the center of Museumplein, one of the most popular museum complexes in Amsterdam, which includes a handful of different museums.

You’ll find the Van Gogh Museum South of the city center in the Museumkwartier district.


If you're coming from Amsterdam Central Station and using public transportation, the easiest way is via the Metro, Bus, or Tram.

For Metro riders, take Line 52 and alight at the "Vijzelgracht" station. From there, it's a short walk to the museum.

Bus lines 288 and 347 both have stops near Museumplein, making them convenient options.


You can also ride the tram to experience Van Gogh's sunflowers at the museum.

The "Van Baerlestraat" stop is where you should get off tram lines 2, 5, or 12.

How to Get to the Van Gogh Museum

For more details on how to reach this location, please use this Google map for directions from anywhere in Amsterdam.

There are several bus and light rail stations nearby, so it should be pretty easy to get here from anywhere in the city.

There are also hop-on-hop-off buses and boat tours nearest stops in the area, so you can use these services to reach the museum as well.

Some of the Amsterdam tourist passes that offer free admission to the Van Gogh Museum also include either free public transportation or a hop-on-hop-off service.

If you’re already planning to use one of these discount cards, keep this in mind and consider using one of their included transportation options to save money.


Best Time to Visit

There’s never really a bad time to visit the Van Gogh Museum, but there are some hours that are less crowded than others.

For a fulfilling experience, allocate 2-3 hours to explore the Van Gogh Museum.

The early morning or late afternoon hours are less crowded, offering a more serene atmosphere to appreciate the art.

Also, consider visiting on weekdays to avoid weekend tourist rushes.

If you get into the museum before the crowds start to pile up, you can avoid long lines at the ticket booth and enjoy all of their exhibits without having to weave in and out of large groups.

At this location, we recommend arriving between 9:00 am - 11:00 am.

On the other side of the spectrum, people tend to start leaving the museum as it gets later in the day.

If you plan your trip for the later opening hours, you will probably avoid the biggest crowds of the day.

To take advantage of these quieter hours, consider coming from 15:00 (3 pm) - 17:00 (5 pm).

.It’s important to note that the Van Gogh Museum gets even busier than usual during the weekends.

If you want to avoid large crowds, shoot for a trip in the middle of the week.


Security Details

There aren’t too many important factors to note when it comes to security at the Van Gogh Museum, but we’ll cover the most significant details to help you figure out what you can bring and what you should leave behind.


Luggage Storage

Although this museum does have a cloakroom, it cannot accommodate large bags, suitcases, or rucksacks.

We have some tips on where to store your luggage.

That said, the following items can be stored on-site:

  • Jackets
  • Umbrellas
  • Small backpacks
  • Small rucksacks

Permitted Items

While they don’t allow visitors to enter the building with certain objects, the following items are permitted inside the Van Gogh Museum:

  • Prams
  • Buggies
  • Wheelchairs with companion
  • Wheeled Walker
  • Walking frames
  • Other mobility devices
  • Cellphones/Smartphones

Although you can bring your smartphone inside (and in fact, they offer free Wi-Fi), this museum requests that visitors limit the use of their phone whenever and wherever possible.


Other Rules

While flash photography is prohibited, you are allowed to take pictures at designated areas in the museum like the Entrance Hall.

Photos of the artwork are not permitted and any pictures, videos, or film that is taken in the museum can only be used for non-commercial purposes.

You are not allowed to bring food or drink into the museum, but they have a café on site where you can purchase refreshments.

Smoking is prohibited in the Van Gogh Museum.


VAN GOGH MUSEUM EXHIBITS

As you might expect, this museum includes several notable pieces of art from throughout the career of Vincent van Gogh.

However, you might be surprised to find that this main building, designed by Gerrit Rietveld, also houses artwork that Vincent owned himself, works that were inspired by him, and even some created by his friends.

There is a lot of great artwork in the Van Gogh Museum, and we will provide a few details about their most notable exhibits in this section.


Vincent van Gogh’s Works

There are over 1400 paintings and drawings created by Vincent van Gogh in this museum.

In addition to a lot of his less notable work, you’ll also find popular paintings like his Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, The Potato Eaters, The Bedroom, Irises, and many more.

If you’re a fan of his unique style of artwork, this is a wonderful opportunity to see not only how he got his start, but also how he developed into one of the most famous artists in the world.


Friends of Vincent

This collection includes several pieces that were created by friends of Vincent van Gogh. Several of these artists actually did portraits of Vincent which are on display in this museum.

You can expect to see notable paintings from friends such as Georges Seurat, Paul Gaugin, Henri de Tolouse-Lautrec, Émile Bernard, John Peter Russell, Charles Laval, and more.


Japanese Prints

Vincent was a big fan of Japanese artwork, and he had a pretty sizable collection of prints from Japan.

The Van Gogh Museum has several of these prints on display for visitors to enjoy.

This Japanese art was a notable inspiration for Van Gogh’s work, and if you look closely enough, you may even find a few areas where he borrowed some ideas for his own creations.


Van Gogh Inspirations

As you can probably imagine, Vincent Van Gogh’s work became so popular and notable that it inspired a number of different artists more than 125 years after his death.

The Van Gogh Museum houses several works that were inspired by Vincent, including pieces by Edvard Munch, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach, John Chamberlain, Zeng Fanzhi, and more.


VAN GOGH MUSEUM TOURS

There are two different private tours available at the Van Gogh Museum.

Each tour is exactly the same price, and it might be a little bit too expensive for most budgets.

That said, if you’re interested in learning more about the artists, these privately guided tours are a wonderful opportunity.

If you’re looking for something cheaper, there is also a tour you can take with professional audio guides or local tour guides who don’t work with the museum.

There are also similar tours available with some of the combo tickets listed in our discount section.


Visita privada

An expert guide will show you some of Vincent’s earliest Dutch works and explain their significance to his style of art.

Then, you will find out how his approach to painting changed in Paris after meeting fellow artists in the area and how his style further developed in France.

  • Tickets: €18 per person
  • Group size: 60 people max
  • Availability: Daily | Every half hour
  • Duration: 50 minutes
  • Languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Italian
  • Purchase tickets or learn more

Family Tour

This option is aimed more at a family audience, with the goal of teaching visitors about some of the most popular artwork that Vincent van Gogh was responsible for creating.

If you’re looking for something of a beginner’s course, this is definitely the best option provided by the museum.

  • Tickets: €18 per person
  • Group size: 60 people max
  • Availability: Daily | Every half hour
  • Duration: 50 minutes
  • Languages: English and Dutch
  • Purchase tickets or learn more

Skip-the-Line Tour

While the Van Gogh Museum offers its own professionally led tours, this service is provided by an unaffiliated tour guide in Amsterdam.

Not only is their tour more affordable, but it also lasts much longer than either of the options offered by the museum.

This outing includes a skip-the-line ticket and a guided tour which covers a lot of ground.


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About The Author

Stephen Pickhardt

Stephen is the CEO of Free Tours by Foot and has overseen the transformation of a local walking tour company into a global tour community and traveler’s advice platform. He has personally led thousands of group tours in the US and Europe, and is an expert in trip planning and sightseeing, with a focus on budget travelers. Stephen has been published and featured in dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Yahoo, Washington.org, and more.
Updated: enero 5th, 2024
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