Rijksmuseum and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the museum generally considered to be Amsterdam’s primary national art museum.  The museum has recently reopened to the public after massive renovations

Originally housed in The Hague where it was founded in 1800, the museum contained the art collection of the Dutch heads of State. In 1808, King Louis Bonaparte, ordered that the museum be moved to Amsterdam on the orders of brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, and it has resided in its current location in Museumplein since 1885.

The Collections:

The Rijksmuseum houses a wide collections of art an historical pieces, but its best known for its collection of paintings by the Dutch Masters, including Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen and Rembrandt, as well as those of Rembrandt’s pupils. This collection includes The Night Watch, one of Rembrandt’s most famous works.

Another excellent exhibit features the massive doll house belonging to Petronella Oortman, a wealthy wife of a silk merchant. The amount she spent on her doll house could have purchased an actual house along the canals in Amsterdam.

The Rijksmuseum also hosts traveling exhibitions. To find out what’s currently on display, check their museum website for more information.

www.rijksmuseum.nl

You can purchase a 5euro ticket for their new “Multimedia tour” and truly get the most out of the new and improved home of so many masterpieces.

Location:
The Rijksmuseum
Jan Luijkenstraat 1

Hours:

Open daily from 9:00 to 18:00 (ticket counter closes at 17:30)
Closed: January 1

Admission
Adults: €12,50 (or free with the I Amsterdam card or Museumkaart)
18 and under: free

The museum also offers an in-depth interactive site with more information on their collection, exhibitions and services offered by the museum (link).

Or follow their FaceBook page.

Rijksmuseum Schiphol

The Rijksmuseum also operates a small annex at Schiphol airport. If you’re at the airport on a layover, take a look at this impressive collection, located behind passport control. Admission is free, and the museum is open from 7:00 to 20:00.

For more information on current exhibitions at Rijksmuseum Schiphol, take a look at their website.