A visit to the Van Gogh Museum is a unique experience. The museum contains the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world. It provides the opportunity to keep track of the artist’s developments, or compare his paintings to works by other artists from the 19th century in the collection. The museum also holds an extensive offer of exhibitions on various subjects from 19th century art history. The van Gogh Museum is listed at our Top 10 things to do in Amsterdam.

The museum consists of two buildings, the main building designed by Gerrit Rietveld and the Exibition Wing designed by Kisho Kurokawa. The museum exhibits more than 200 paintings, 437 drawings and 31 prints including The Yellow House, Sunflowers and the White Orchard.

If you would like to book a guided tour, you can contact the cultural organisation bureau ARTTRA (T +31 (0)20 625 93 03 or www.arttra.nl). Arttra provides guided tours by art historians as well as by contemporary artists.
Anyone can show people round the Van Gogh Museum. Making reservations is not required, but the groups are not to consist of more than 15 people. The permanent collection in the Rietveld building is open to groups from September up to the end of May, with the exception of the busy weekends during Easter, Whitsuntide, Ascension, and Christmas. During June, July, and August guided tours of the Van Gogh collection are not permitted.

The exhibition wing is open to guides the entire year round.

The audio tour for the permanent collection is available for € 5 in the following languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Mandarin. Group reservations should be be made in advance, as of 15 persons (T +31 (0)20 673 68 24). Group price is € 4,50 p.p. for groups of more than 20 persons.

Van Gogh Museum
Address: The Van Gogh Museum is on Museumplein in Amsterdam, between the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum. The museum entrance is at Paulus Potterstraat 7 (see the map below for exact location).
Opening hours: Museum – daily 10.00 to 18.00, Friday 10.00 to 22.00. Ticket office – daily 10.00 to 17.30, Friday to 21.30
Admission fees:
Adults: € 12.50
13-17 years: € 2.50
0-12 years: free admission
Members of ICOM: free admission
I amsterdam Card holders: free admission

Downstream from the Pont Neuf is the Louvre, a former royal palace. At one time the world’s largest palace, currently the world’s largest museum. It’s a classical grand building that stretches for about 1 km between the Seine and the rue de rivoli.

The Louvre is home to the Mona Lisa, you can find it in the Denon wing. The work is owned by the Government of France and is perhaps the most famous and iconic painting in the world. The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic.

The Museum houses some 400.000 items. The collections are divided into eight sections: Greek, Egyptian antiquities, Oriental antiquities, Islamic art, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, paintings, sculptures, graphic arts and objects d’art.

The Louvre
Opening hours: Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (rooms begin closing at 5:30) every day except Tuesday and the following holidays: January 1st, May 1st and December 25, 2009.
Admission fee:
Tickets for the Permanent Collections: between EUR 6,- and EUR 9,-
Tickets for Exhibitions in the Hall Napoléon: EUR 11,-
Combined Ticket: between EUR 11,- and EUR 14,-
Getting to the Louvre:
Métro: Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre station.
Bus: The following bus lines stop in front of the Pyramid: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, and the Paris Open Tour bus.
Car: An underground parking garage is available for those coming by car. The entrance is located on avenue du Général Lemonnier. It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Plan of the Louvre (PDF)

The British Museum is the largest museum in the United Kingdom and therefore it is impossible to see everything in one day. A vast repository of the world’s cultures, with entire sections devoted to Egyptian, Greek, and Middle Eastern artifacts, as well as the piece which united them all: The Rosetta Stone. Led by a guide, you can choose one of the three free “Eye-opener tours” to see a few highlights of the museum in 50 minutes. It’s one of our Top 10 things to do in London.

Near the entrance you can find one of the highlights: the Rosetta Stone, the key to the deciphering of hieroglyphs. Another highlight is the Parthenon Sculptures, a series of pediments, metopes, and friezes from the Parthenon in Athens, in the Duveen Gallery.

You can also find a mummified cat. Cats and sacred cows were mummified in Ancient Egypt. This cat comes from Abydos and dates from around 30 BC. Many Egyptian deities took on animal shapes, as seen on wall paintings and other artifacts.

the remains of the colossal granite statue of Rameses II (c1275 BC) from his memorial temple at Thebes are worth to see aswell. The statue was acquired in the late 18th century by Charles Townley, British ambassador to Rome.

Exhibition and event ticket booking
Tel: +44 (0)20 7323 8181
Fax: +44 (0)20 7323 8616
Email: tickets@britishmuseum.org
Website: www.britishmuseum.org

The scent of genuine cannabis plants welcomes the visitor when entering the Museum. Inside, all aspects of hemp, cannabis and hashish are explained in detail using a variety of media, including short films and photo collections. The Museum houses a large collection of traditional smoking devices from all over the world. There is also an extensive library of books, photos, posters, and magazines concerned with the culture of cannabis, which range from the 19th Century to the Jazz era and on to contemporary pop culture. This is one of our Top 10 things to do in Amsterdam.

Although cannabis is considered controversial in many places of the world, the Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum aims to provide an objective picture of this remarkable plant. It is to be expected that scientists will discover many more uses for the cannabis plant. At the museum, visitors will be able to gain a deeper insight into all of this, because a visit will bring a wealth of information. In the Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum, the past, present and future of the cannabis plant are merging together.

The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum
Oudezijdsachterburgwal 148
1012 DV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
tel: +31 20 624 89 26

Open all week from 10.00 until 23.00 hours.
Admission: € 9.00
Groups, 10 persons or more € 7.00
Free admission for children under 13 yrs. accompanied by adults.
Tram stop: De Dam.
5-minute walk from Central Station.

Housed in a rambling amalgamation of buildings, the old civic orphanage, this museum takes you through all the fascinating twists and turns in Amsterdam’s convoluted history. The focus is on the city’s 17th-century Golden Age, when Amsterdam was the world’s wealthiest city, and some of the most interesting exhibits are of the trades that made it rich. This makes the Amsterdam Historical Museum one of the top 10 landmarks in Amsterdam.

You can also view famous paintings by the Dutch Old Masters in context. The Schutters Gallery is filled with huge, historic portraits of city militias. You’ll also find models of old homes, religious objects and a detailed history of Dutch commerce.

Hours Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat-Sun and holidays 11am-5pm
Address Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 357, Kalverstraat 92
Location Next to the Begijnhof
Transportation Tram: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25 to Spui
Phone 020/523-1822
Web site www.ahm.nl
Prices Admission 6€ adults, 4.50€ seniors, 3€ children 6-18, children under 6 free
Season Closed Jan 1, Apr 30, Dec 25