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Free museums

Free museums in Amsterdam, and when

Official sources checked Oct 5, 2026

Amsterdam's big museums have no free days for adults. What they do have is free entry for the young: 18 and under at the Rijksmuseum, under 18 at the Van Gogh Museum, both with a booked start time. Free for everyone are the Treasury of the City Archives, the Max Euwe chess museum and the Rijksmuseum gardens. Eye's building is open to walk into, but its permanent exhibition now needs a ticket.

At a glance

Museum	Free when	For whom	Booking
Rijksmuseum for under-19s	Every day 09:00–17:00, including all public holidays	Anyone aged 18 or under. Adults pay full price	Required. Every visitor, free or paying, books a start time online
Van Gogh Museum for under-18s	Every day. Hours change with the season, so check the calendar when you book	Anyone under 18. Students pay €16 with a student card	Required. Free tickets also need a start time, booked online only. Nothing is sold at the door
Amsterdam City Archives Treasury	Always · Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 12:00–17:00. Closed Monday	Everyone	Not needed for the Treasury. Some temporary exhibitions in the main hall use a booked ticket, and the current one is free too
Max Euwe Centre chess museum	Always · Tue–Sat 12:00–16:00. Closed public holidays	Everyone	Not needed

Museums with a free day or free hours2

~~€25~~FREE

Rijksmuseum for under-19s

Museumplein

Free on certain daysBooking requiredIndoorGood with kidsArtHistory

The national museum of Rembrandt and Vermeer charges adults €25 and lets in everyone aged 18 or under for nothing, every day of the year. That includes visiting teenagers, whatever their nationality.

Rembrandt's Night Watch at the end of the Gallery of Honour
Vermeer's Milkmaid, a few alcoves before it
Quietest before 11:00 and after 15:30, says the museum

Free when: Every day 09:00–17:00, including all public holidays
Free for whom: Anyone aged 18 or under. Adults pay full price
Reservation: Required. Every visitor, free or paying, books a start time online
Time needed: 2–3h
How to get there: Tram 2, 5 or 12 to Rijksmuseum

Worth it? Yes.A family of two adults and two teenagers saves €50 here. Book the 09:00 slot, go straight to the Gallery of Honour on the second floor, and you get the Night Watch before the tour groups do.

Source: Rijksmuseum · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

~~€25~~FREE

Van Gogh Museum for under-18s

Museumplein

Free on certain daysBooking requiredIndoorGood with kidsArt

The world's largest Van Gogh collection, shown in order of his life from the dark Dutch years to the last wheatfields. Adults pay €25. Visitors under 18 get in free.

Sunflowers and The Bedroom on the first floor
The Potato Eaters, from his Dutch period
Wheatfield with Crows, among the last works

Free when: Every day. Hours change with the season, so check the calendar when you book
Free for whom: Anyone under 18. Students pay €16 with a student card
Reservation: Required. Free tickets also need a start time, booked online only. Nothing is sold at the door
Time needed: 1.5–2h
How to get there: Tram 2, 5 or 12 to Van Baerlestraat

Worth it? Yes.Slots sell out days ahead in every season, and the free child tickets come out of the same pool. Book as soon as you know your dates and take the first or the last hour.

Source: Van Gogh Museum · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

Museums that are always free2

FREE

Amsterdam City Archives Treasury

Vijzelstraat, Canal Belt

Always freeIndoorGood with kidsHistoryArchitecture

The city archive sits in De Bazel, a huge brick former bank from the 1920s. Down in the old safe-deposit vault, the Treasury shows original documents, maps and photos from 750 years of Amsterdam, free.

The steel vault doors at the Treasury entrance
Provo and squatter-riot material from the 1960s to 1980s
The tiled central hall of the old bank, straight after the entrance

Free when: Always · Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 12:00–17:00. Closed Monday
Free for whom: Everyone
Reservation: Not needed for the Treasury. Some temporary exhibitions in the main hall use a booked ticket, and the current one is free too
Time needed: 45 min–1h
How to get there: Metro 52 to Vijzelgracht, or tram 24 to Muntplein, then 5 minutes on foot to Vijzelstraat 32

Worth it? Yes.The best free indoor stop in the centre and almost nobody knows it. Go for the vault doors and the tiled bank hall as much as the papers. There is a walk-in building tour on Sundays at 14:00, which you reserve.

Source: Stadsarchief Amsterdam · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

FREE

Max Euwe Centre chess museum

Leidseplein

Always freeIndoorGood with kidsHistoryLocal life

A small museum and library about chess and about Max Euwe, the Amsterdam maths teacher who became world champion in 1935. Outside on the square, people play on a giant board.

Photo panels of Euwe's 1935 title match against Alekhine
A chess library you can browse on site
The giant outdoor board on Max Euweplein

Free when: Always · Tue–Sat 12:00–16:00. Closed public holidays
Free for whom: Everyone
Reservation: Not needed
Time needed: 30–45 min
How to get there: Tram 1, 2, 5, 7, 12 or 19 to Leidseplein, then 2 minutes to Max Euweplein 30a

Worth it? Yes.A niche stop, and a good one if you play. Staff are volunteers who like to talk. If chess means nothing to you, watch a game on the outdoor board and move on.

Source: Max Euwe Centrum · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

PAID · ONE PER CITY

If you spend on one thing in Amsterdam, make it this.

Anne Frank House

Nothing free comes close to standing in the rooms behind the bookcase, with the pencil marks of the children's heights still on the wall. Tickets are sold online only for a fixed time slot and go weeks ahead, so book before you book anything else.

Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.