Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House (Dutch: Anne Frank Huis) is a museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank (12 June 1929 – February or March 1945). The building is located on one of the famous canals of Amsterdam, called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, in the city center of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
During World War II, Anne Frank hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in some concealed rooms behind a bookcase in a 17th-century canal house, known as the Secret Annex (Dutch: Achterhuis). From June 1942, thirteen year old Anne kept a diary in which she wrote regularly, until the family’s arrest by the Gestapo in August 1944. Following their arrest, Anne and her sister, Margot, were transferred from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, where they died (probably of typhus) a few months later.
Her father Otto, the only survivor of the Frank family, returned to Amsterdam after the war to find that her diary had been saved by his secretary, Miep Gies, and his efforts led to its publication in 1947. It was translated from its original Dutch version and first published in English in 1952 as The Diary of a Young Girl, and has since been translated into over 70 languages.
Ten years later the Anne Frank Foundation was established to protect the property from developers who wanted to demolish the block.
The museum opened on 3 May 1960. It preserves the hiding place, has a permanent exhibition on the life and times of Anne Frank, and has an exhibition space about all forms of persecution and discrimination. In 2013 and 2014, the museum had 1.2 million visitors and was the 3rd most visited museum in the Netherlands, after the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum.
Address
Anne Frank House
Westermarkt 20
1016 GV Amsterdam
More information
- Anne Frank House Official Website
- Online ticket sales
- Wikipedia, Anne Frank House
- Wikipedia, Anne Frank
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:
- Anne Frank House 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 quite small. Since the Anne Frank House is situated right in the the city center, many people visit the museum simply by foot or by rented bike. For example, a walk from Amsterdam Centraal station to the Anne Frank House would take 20 minutes and you’ll pass the busy shopping area, or if you want, the famous canal zone of Amsterdam along the way. From the Bijenkorf department store on Dam Square, it’s only a 9 minutes walk. Click here for the pictures of the walking route from Dam Square to the museum.
It is possible to park your car near the Anne Frank House. However, the number of parking places available is limited and parking your car in Amsterdam is very expensive. There are also some supervised parking garages in the area. Taxis in The Netherlands are expensive and the Anne Frank House is in a busy area, so the best way to visit the museum is by foot, rented bike, or by public transport.
Public transport options
The Anne Frank House is located right in 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 Anne Frank House from 9 railway stations in the Amsterdam area and also from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Dam Square is a nice public square. So, if you arrive anywhere near Dam Square by public transport and don’t mind to walk 10 minutes, you should be fine.
The map below shows the main tram and metro stops near the Anne Frank House.
(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, T12, T13, T17 | Westermarkt | Stops around the corner of the Anne Frank House |
| Amsterdam Zuid station | M52 | Rokin | + 10 minutes walk |
| Amsterdam RAI station | M52 | Rokin | + 10 minutes walk |
| Amsterdam Amstel station | T12 | Dam | + 6 minutes walk |
| Amsterdam Sloterdijk station | T19 > T13 | Westermarkt | Transfer at Willem de Zwijgerlaan |
| Amsterdam Lelylaan station | T17 | Westermarkt | >Stops around the corner of the Anne Frank House |
| Duivendrecht station | M50 > M52 | Rokin | Transfer at station Zuid |
| Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station | M50 > M52 | Rokin | Transfer at station Zuid |
| Amsterdam Muiderpoort railway station | T3 > T13 | Westermarkt | Transfer at De Clercqstraat |
| Amsterdam Noord | M52 | Rokin | + 10 minutes walk |
| Schiphol Airport railway station | Train > M52 | Rokin | Transfer at Amsterdam Zuid station More information |
| Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | B397 > T17 | Westermarkt | Transfer at Elandsgracht, or walk 11 minutes More information |
Entrance
The current entrance to the museum is no longer at the original house at Prinsengracht 263. The entrance is around the corner, at Westermarkt 20, just behind the famous and easy recognizable Westerkerk chuch, and close to tram stop Westermarkt (13 + 17). At the time of writing, the Anne Frank House no longer sells tickets at a ticket boot. Tickets can only be purchased online for a specific time slot. Rescheduling of tickets or refunds are not possible.
Tram 2, 12, 13, 17
These trams leave from Centraal Station and stop just around the corner of the Anne Frank House at tram stop Westermarkt. When arriving at Amsterdam Centraal station by train, most visitors should walk in direction of train platform 1/2 to an exit at the city center side. At the center side you will find metro entrances and two tram platforms. Walk towards an exit and check out at a ticket barrier with the NS logo on it. Tram 2, 12, 13 and 17 stop on the western platform. To get there, immediately turn right when exiting the railway station at the city center side.
When you leave the tram at tram stop Westermarkt, just walk in direction of the Westerkerk church you see. The entrance of the Anne Frank House is just behind the church.
Metro 52
Since July 2018, metro 52 (North/Southline) runs between station Zuid and Centraal Station (and on to Amsterdam-Noord). The stop at Rokin, exit Dam, is just a 10 minutes walk from the Anne Frank House. 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) Dam.
Use the 2 escalators to go upstairs and exit the station using the exit at Dam (Dam Square). As soon as you’ve left the last escalator, walk straight ahead in direction of Dam Square (Dam). You’ll probably see GASSAN Dam Square and the famous Scheltema bookstore. You’ll see Madame Tussauds Amsterdam at the other side of Rokin, at the corner of Dam Square.
Use the pedestrian crossing next to GASSAN Dam Square to cross Rokin in direction of Madame Tussauds Amsterdam. Take your time and wait for the green pedestrian light. 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.
At the corner of Dam Square, at Madame Tussauds Amsterdam, you’ll see the famous Royal Palace of Amsterdam (Koninklijk Paleis or Paleis op de Dam) and the Nieuwe Kerk church. The walking route to the Anne Frank House basically starts between the Royal Palace and the church.
At the end of the short street between the palace and the church, use the pedestrian crossing to cross the street in the direction of the front-left corner of the monumental Magna Plaza shopping mall building. 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 of the street, turn around the front-left corner of Magna Plaza shopping mall building, into Raadhuisstraat. From this point it’s a 4 minutes walk to the Anne Frank House. Just keep walking straight ahead. You’ll cross the bridges of the famous Amsterdam canals: Singel, Herengracht, Keizergracht.
The entrance of the Anne Frank House is near the fourth canal (Prinsengracht), just behind the small building behind the famous and easy recognizable Westerkerk at the right side of Raadhuisstraat. The quickest way is to turn right at the church and walk around the Westerkerk church counterclockwise. You’ll see the entrance to the museum almost immediately.
Do not want to walk?
Alternatively, if you don’t want or can’t walk to the museum, you can transfer to tram 13 or 17 at Dam Square, next to the Bijenkorf department store. Make sure you take the tram in the opposite direction, in direction of Dam Square, leaving from the stop in front of Pott Change and the Tours & Tickets office. It’s only 2 stops to tram stop Westermarkt, around the corner of the Anne Frank House.
Tram 3
Tram 3 circles within the old part of Amsterdam, but outside the city center and canal area, passing the city center and the Anne Frank House at the west side. You can take this tram for example, if your starting point is near Amsterdam Muiderpoort railway station in the old east part of Amsterdam. Transfer to tram 13 at tram stop De Clerqstraat.
Tram 3 also stops just in front of exit Ceintuurbaan of De Pijp metro station at metro line 52 (North/Southline), so transferring here to metro 52, direction North (Noord)is also a good option. Exit the metro train at metro station Rokin, Uitgang (Exit) Dam. Click here for further information on this route.
Metro (51), 53, 54
This is the old metro line (Eastline), starting at Amsterdam-Southeast (Bijlmer, Amsterdam Zuid-Oost) and heading to Amsterdam Centraal. You can still take all 3 metros and transfer to tram 14, just outside metro stop Waterlooplein, exit Waterlooplein/Stadhuis/Nationale Opera & Ballet.
Get off the tram at tram stop Dam. From this tram stop it’s an 11 minutes walk to the Anne Frank House.
Do not want to walk?
Alternatively, if you don’t want or can’t walk to the museum, you can transfer to tram 13 or 17 at Dam Square, next to the Bijenkorf department store. Make sure you take the tram in direction of Dam Square, leaving from the stop in front of Pott Change and Tours & Tickets.
It’s only 2 stops to tram stop Westermarkt, around the corner of the Anne Frank House.
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 8 minutes later at Rokin, exit Dam. From Rokin, it’s an 10 minutes walk to the Anne Frank House. So, it’s possible to travel from Schiphol Airport railway station to the Anne Frank House in about half an hour. Click here for further information on this route.
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 to Busstation Elandsgracht, Amsterdam. Outside the bus station, near the canal opposite the Esso gas station, you can transfer to tram 17, which stops just around the corner of the Anne Frank House at tram stop Westermarkt. You can also go on foot, it’s only an 11 minutes walk.
‘We cannot change what happened anymore. The only thing we can do is to learn from the past and to realize what discrimination and persecution of innocent people means.’
– Otto Frank –
Last update: May 9, 2021
