Van Gogh Museum: Tickets and Hours
Van Gogh Museum: The Ten-Year Career That Fills Four Floors
Van Gogh painted for barely ten years, sold one canvas while he was alive, and still ended up with the museum holding the largest collection of his work anywhere: about 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 letters. Tickets are timed, online only, and roughly EUR 25 for adults in 2026 (free under 18 with an adult), booked through vangoghmuseum.nl . In high season, slots disappear seven to ten days out, faster around long weekends and August, so this is a book-first, plan-around-it museum.
Key facts before you go
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | Roughly EUR 25 adult, free under 18 with an adult |
| Hours | Daily 9:00-17:00, Friday until 21:00 |
| Time needed | 2 to 2.5 hours for the full chronological collection |
| Booking lead | 7 to 10 days ahead in high season; longer over long weekends |
| Getting there | Museumplein, trams 2 and 12 from Centraal, about 15 minutes |
How far ahead do I really need to book?
Outside peak season, a few days’ notice is usually enough. From spring through summer and around school holidays, popular time slots vanish seven to ten days out, and long weekends push that further. There is no walk-up ticket office, so treat the online booking window as the actual constraint on your itinerary, not a formality.
What makes this collection different from a typical art museum?
The museum organizes the work chronologically across four floors and threads Van Gogh’s own letters to his brother Theo through the galleries, so you read his explanation of a painting a few steps from the canvas itself. By the top floor, the jump from the sombre early Dutch period to the rapid, saturated late work at Auvers-sur-Oise is genuinely a different experience than seeing the same paintings out of order in a survey show.
Should I do this and the Rijksmuseum on the same day?
Yes, if you start early and stay selective. Van Gogh first thing in the morning and Rijksmuseum tickets and how to visit in the afternoon is the logical split, since both museums are a three-minute walk apart on Museumplein and both require their own separate timed entry. Trying to do both at a leisurely pace in one day still means skipping side rooms in at least one museum.
For background on the museum and current programming beyond the permanent collection, vangoghmuseum.nl is the source to check before you book, and I amsterdam covers the wider Museumplein area. Want a guided version instead of going solo? Search Van Gogh Museum tours on GetYourGuide . For the rest of the city’s landmarks, Amsterdam’s places guide is the jumping-off point.
Concrete tip: book the Friday evening slot if your dates allow it. Same collection, same ticket price band, noticeably thinner crowds after the day-trip groups clear out.