The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam. The museum has on display 8,000 objects of art and history, from their total collection of 1 million objects from the years 1200–2000. The collection contains more than 2,000 paintings from the Dutch Golden Age by notable painters such as Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen, Rembrandt, and Rembrandt's pupils. Probably the most well known pieces of art are The Milkmaid (c. 1658) painted by Johannes Vermeer and The Night Watch (1642) by Rembrandt.

The Rijksmuseum was founded in The Hague in 1800 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace and later in the Trippenhuis. The current main building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened its doors in 1885. On 13 April 2013, after a ten-year renovation which cost € 375 million, the main building was reopened by Queen Beatrix. In 2013, it was the most visited museum in the Netherlands with a record number of 2.2 million visitors.

The museum has taken the unusual step of making some 125,000 high-resolution images available for download via its Rijks Studio software, with plans to add another 40,000 images per year until the entire collection of one million works is available, according to Taco Dibbits, director of collections.

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Founded: 1800
Category: Museums in Netherlands

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4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Trey Eck (3 months ago)
Well done museum with a lot of paintings, models, weapons, sculptures, coins, and more. Took us about 4 hours to walk through everything but we certainly didn't linger on every piece. Could spend a week in here if we decided to read all the descriptions. The most famous pieces were easy to access and hard to miss but, they weren't really highlighted other than on the map. Glad I came and experienced it. 25 € per ticket was pretty standard and am not mad about the price to enjoyment ratio.
Munyi (3 months ago)
May have taken 3 trips staring at the the majestic building to actually find time to spend inside. The 2 hours wasn't enough to admire all the works of art and immense collection. I appreciate the straight narratives and being able to get lost in endless galleries filled with art of all shapes and sizes (some seeiously huge paintings). Even on a Saturday morning, there was enough space for all. Stunning architecture outside and inside with some stunning historically preserved rooms tucked away. A must visit for sure.
Brekky Ninja (3 months ago)
A fantastic way to spend a few hours in Amsterdam! An incredibly impressive building filled with amazing works of art by some of he world's most celebrated artists. We could have spent all day here but our stay was a short one so we had to go after just over 2 hours. Definitely one of the 'must see' attractions in Amsterdam.
Graeme Lynch (4 months ago)
This is a great museum to visit, you could spend all day here. However we only had a couple of hours so looked at the items that were most important to us. Somehow I missed the Van Gogh exhibit and I looked several times. But I caught the Rembrandt paintings so was delighted to see them. You need to have tickets before you get to the door, so book online or head to the shop to purchase.
Bithy Soptorshi (5 months ago)
Memorable experience! The building itself is stunning, and the festive vibe made it feel extra special. It’s like stepping into a mix of history, art, and culture all in one place. The collection is incredible, seeing Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid in person was amazing. Each gallery was so well done, with a perfect mix of old masterpieces and fascinating artifacts. I was hooked from start to finish! Even on Christmas, the staff were super friendly and helpful, which made the visit even better. It wasn’t just a museum trip; it felt like an inspiring dive into Dutch history and art. A perfect way to spend the holiday!
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