Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum is an Dutch art museum dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries in Amsterdam. The museum contains the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world. The Van Gogh Museum opened on 2 June 1973. In 2017, the museum had 2.3 million visitors, and was the most visited museum in the Netherlands, and the 23rd most visited art museum in the world.
The museum consists of two buildings, the Rietveld building, designed by Gerrit Rietveld, and the Kurokawa wing, designed by Kisho Kurokawa. The Kurokawa wing is used for temporary exhibitions and the Rietveld building displays the permanent works. There you will find over 200 paintings, 400 drawings and 700 letters by the Dutch artist. Some of the most well-known pieces on display include the Van Gogh Sunflowers (1889), Almond Blossoms (1890) and The Potato Eaters (1885).
The museum also houses works by some of Van Gogh’s contemporaries, including Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat and Odilon Redon, amongst others. During your visit to the Van Gogh Museum, you’ll be able to learn about the painter’s captivating history and his influence on the development of modern art during one of the tours.
The museum is located at the Museumplein (Museum Square) in the borough Amsterdam South, just south of the city center between the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum, and close to the Concertgebouw.
Address
Van Gogh Museum
Museumplein 6
1071 DJ Amsterdam
Floor plan
Download a floor plan of the Van Gogh Museum by clicking on the icon below (opens in new tab).
More information
- Van Gogh Museum Official Website
- Get your tickets to the Van Gogh Museum
- Wikipedia
Other sources
This article is meant for the vast majority of travelers and covers the most important options. If you are looking for detailed information, or if you are traveling to or from less visited locations, then consult other sources:
- Van Gogh Museum on Google Maps & Google Street View
- Travel planner NS (Dutch Railways)
- GVB The municipal public transport operator for Amsterdam
- 9292 For planning the entire trip, including bus, tram and metro
- 9292 Bus/tram stop Rijksmuseum > Departures
- OV-chipkaart Home
How do I get there?
The city center of Amsterdam is small. Since the Van Gogh Museum is situated just a little south of the city center, many people visit the museum simply by foot or by rented bike. For example, a walk from Dam Square to the Van Gogh Museum would take 25 minutes and you’ll pass the famous canals of Amsterdam along the way. It is possible to park your car near the Van Gogh Museum. However, the number of parking places available is limited and parking in Amsterdam is very expensive. Under the Museumplein is a supervised underground parking garage. The entrance is at the side of the Concertgebouw, next to the Albert Heijn supermarket. Taxis in The Netherlands are expensive and the Van Gogh Museum is in a busy area, so the best way to visit the museum is by foot, rented bike, or public transport.
Public transport options
The Van Gogh Museum is located just south of the city center of Amsterdam, in a busy area. There are many public transport options, which can make it slightly confusing. The one which is the best for you, depends on your starting point (e.g. hotel or railway station). You can reach the Van Gogh Museum from 9 railway stations in the Amsterdam area. Located at the Museumplein (Museum Square) are three major museums. Museumplein is a nice public square. So, if you arrive anywhere near Museumplein (Museum Square) by public transport and don’t mind to walk a couple of minutes, you should be fine.
The map below shows the main tram and metro stops near the Van Gogh Museum.
(Click to open a large map in new tab)
The metro/tram map below, might help you to find the best options for you.
(Click to open a large map in new tab)
Best options
T = Tram, M = Metro, B = Bus, > = Transfer
| From | Number | Stop | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam Centraal station | T2 or T12 | Rijksmuseum or Van Baerlestraat | Stops next to Museumplein (Museum Square) |
| Amsterdam Amstel station | T12 | Rijksmuseum or Van Baerlestraat | Stops next to Museumplein (Museum Square) |
| Amsterdam Sloterdijk station | T19 | Spiegelgracht | + 5 minutes walk |
| Amsterdam Lelylaan station | T1 | Spiegelgracht | + 5 minutes walk |
| Amsterdam Zuid station | M52 | Vijzelgracht | + 8 minutes walk |
| Amsterdam RAI station | M52 | Vijzelgracht | + 8 minutes walk |
| Duivendrecht station | M50 > M52 | Vijzelgracht | Transfer at station Zuid |
| Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station | M50 > M52 | Vijzelgracht | Transfer at station Zuid |
| Amsterdam Muiderpoort railway station | T1 | Spiegelgracht | + 5 minutes walk |
| Amsterdam Noord | M52 | Vijzelgracht | + 8 minutes walk |
| Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | B397 | Rijksmuseum | Stops next to Museumplein (Museum Square) |
| Schiphol Airport railway station | Train > M52 | Vijzelgracht | More information |
Entrances
Since September 5, 2015 visitors enter the Van Gogh Museum through a spectacular new glass structure at the west side of Museumplein (Museum Square). You can purchase tickets opposite the entrance. To avoid the lines and save time, you can also buy your tickets online, prior to your visit. To save even more time and money, ticket companies offer tickets for the Van Gogh Museum in combination with other activities in Amsterdam click here for more information (Tours & Tickets).
Group Entrance
Note that the entrance for large groups is still at the grey brick building at Paulus Potterstraat 7.
Metro 52
Since July 2018, metro 52 (North/Southline) runs between station Zuid and Centraal Station (and on to Amsterdam-Noord). The stop at Vijzelgracht, exit Vijzelgracht, is just an 8 minutes walk from the Van Gogh Museum. Make sure you travel in the right direction. Use the metro map below to determine whether you have to take metro 52 in the north or south direction.
After exiting the metro train follow the signs Uitgang (exit) Vijzelgracht / Museumplein (Museum Square).
Use the 2 escalators to go upstairs and exit the station. As soon as you’ve left the last escalator, turn to the left and make a 180 degree turn. Walk to the corner at Weteringschans (only 30 meters). At the corner, turn to to the right. There’s a signpost pointing to the Museumplein (Museum Square) at the corner.
Now follow the Weteringschans to the tram stop Spiegelgracht. When you look to the left at Weteringschans, you might see the Rijksmuseum. Museumplein (Museum Square) and the Van Gogh Museum is just behind the Rijksmuseum. Use the pedestrian crossing at the end of the tram stop to cross Weteringschans. Take care, at busy moments cars, trams, taxis, and bicycles usually come from everywhere at this point. Cyclists in Amsterdam might ring their bicycle bells, but usually don’t stop and might kill you.
Now just follow the sidewalk to the Rijksmuseum. You’ll cross the bridge at Stadhouderskade. Use the pedestrian crossing to cross the street. Take your time and wait for the green pedestrian light, as this street is usually very busy.
As soon as you’ve reached the other side, you walk trough the arcade of the Rijksmuseum to the Museumplein (Museum Square) at the south side of the museum.
During the cold months of the year you might see an artificial skating rink in the middle of Museumplein (Museum Square). Keep walking straight ahead at the right side of the square.
To make sure you walk in the right direction, take a look at the green signpost. Follow the walkway and keep walking straight ahead for 3 minutes. You’ll pass the independent Moco Museum at your right side. Soon you’ll see the glass entrance building of the Van Gogh Museum.
Metro (51), 53, 54
This is the old metro line (Eastline), starting at Centraal Station, and going to Amsterdam-Southeast (Bijlmer, Amsterdam Zuid-Oost). You can still take all 3 metros and transfer to tram 1, 7, 19 just outside metro stop Weesperplein. Get off at tram stop Spiegelgracht. From the tram stop it’s a 5 minutes walk to the Van Gogh Museum.
Tram 1, 7, 19
These trams pass the Rijksmuseum and the Museumplein (Museum Square) behind it at the city center (north) side. Get off at the tram and bus stop Spiegelgracht. From the tram stop it’s a 5 minutes walk to the museum. You can find the images of this route HERE.
Tram 2, 5, 12
These trams stop next to the Museumplein (Museum Square) at tram stop Rijksmuseum and tram stop Van Baerlestraat. This is close to the Van Gogh Museum. Walking to the entrance takes a minute or 3. When exiting the tram, cross the street in opposite direction of the Rijksmuseum. Just follow the side walk, starting at the red Mailboxes as shown below.
At Honthorststraat, cross the street using the pedestrian crossing in direction of the Moco Museum. Note the pink flags opposite the street.
Walk to the corner at the Moco Museum and turn to the right. Soon you’ll see the glass entrance building of the Van Gogh Museum.
Tram 3
Tram 3 circles within the old part of Amsterdam, but outside the city center and canal area, passing the Museumplein (Museum Square) at the Concertgebouw (south) side of the Museumplein. This is the closest tram stop near the Van Gogh Museum. You can take this tram for example, if you’ve visited the neighborhood called De Pijp (The Pipe) with it’s lively Albert Cuyp Market, just south of the city center. Tram 3 also stops just in front of exit Ceintuurbaan of De Pijp metro station at metro line 52 (North/Southline).
Get off at tram stop Museumplein. Cross the street to Museumplein (Museum Square) and simply walk to the Van Gogh Museum at the left/west side of the square. This might take 3 minutes. Tram 5 and 12 also stop at tram stop Museumplein.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
The Amsterdam Airport Express is a fast and easy way to travel by bus between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the center of Amsterdam. Every 7.5 minutes bus line 397 departs from bus stops B15-19 at Schiphol. The bus brings you directly to bus and tram stop Rijksmuseum, next to the Museumplein (Museum Square). Walking to the entrance takes only a minute or 3. You can find the images of this route here.
Schiphol Airport railway station
The railway station is beneath the airport. Every 6 minutes, you can take a train to Amsterdam Zuid station. 7 minutes later you’ll arrive. From station Zuid, you can take metro 52 (also every 6 minutes) and exit 5 minutes later at metro stop Vijzelgracht. From Vijzelgracht, it’s an 8 minutes walk to the Van Gogh Museum. So, it’s possible to travel from Schiphol Airport railway station to the Van Gogh Museum in about half an hour. For a description of the walking route to the museum, click here.
Enjoy your trip to the Van Gogh Museum!
Last update: December 8, 2019
