Amsterdam Museum and the City’s Smaller Galleries Worth Knowing

This guide is for international residents of Amsterdam who want to know the city better than a weekend visitor does, whether you moved here alone, as a couple or with children. You will learn how the Amsterdam Museum’s locations fit together and how to find smaller museums and galleries in the neighbourhoods where you actually live.

• One museum, several addresses
• Westergas and the Herengracht
• The centenary year and the Kalverstraat renovation
• Finding smaller galleries by neighbourhood
• What works for children
• FAQ

One museum, several addresses

If you arrived in Amsterdam expecting the city museum to be one building, you are not alone. The Amsterdam Museum calls itself a network museum. It works with creators, organisations, communities and residents across the city, and its exhibitions and events take place at several locations instead of one central address.

It has two permanent locations. Amsterdam in Motion is in Westergas cultural park, and Huis Willet-Holthuysen is on the Herengracht. Programmes also run at changing locations with local partners, and the Amsterdam City Archives appear among the exhibition venues. Expect the museum to turn up in places you would not look for a museum, so it pays to check the agenda on its site before you go.

The main building on Kalverstraat, the old Burgerweeshuis (civic orphanage), is closed for renovation. If a friend tells you to “just go to the Amsterdam Museum in the centre”, that advice is out of date for now.

Westergas and the Herengracht

Amsterdam in Motion

Amsterdam in Motion at Westergas tells the city’s story through a multimedia model. For a newcomer it is a good first step: you get the shape of the city’s history before you start reading street names and canal names that mean nothing yet. Westerpark is also I amsterdam’s current neighbourhood of the month, so you can easily make a half day of it in the park and the surrounding streets.

Huis Willet-Holthuysen

Huis Willet-Holthuysen is a canal house full of period rooms and stories. It shows how wealthy Amsterdammers lived behind the façades you walk past every day. The museum currently runs an exhibition there called Plantation along the Canal: stories of people and power, about the financing of Surinamese plantations. It is a serious exhibition for adults, and it changes how you look at the grand houses of the canal ring.

The museum also lists an exhibition called Amsterdam – A Work of Art, which asks how the city was depicted in the 17th century. Check the location filter on the museum’s exhibitions page to see where it is on view.

The museum’s site does not give prices or opening hours on its home page. Use the “Plan your visit” section of the Amsterdam Museum website for current details before you set off.

The centenary year and the Kalverstraat renovation

The Amsterdam Museum is 100 years old, and it is marking that with the Amsterdam Museum Festival: 100 days of workshops, tours, exhibitions and free cake around the city. You can also listen to 100 personal stories linked to objects in the collection. If you are trying to build a social life here, festival events are a relaxed way to meet people who care about the city.

Several other centenary projects are worth looking up. The photographer Robin de Puy has photographed 100 Amsterdammers. A new walking guide, ‘Amsterdam door Gijs & Floor’, has been published for the anniversary. The museum is also taking part in World Pride across the city, and the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress marks its 10th anniversary during World Pride 2026.

While the Kalverstraat building is being rebuilt to a design by Neutelings Riedijk Architects, some of the museum’s masterpieces are on display at the Rijksmuseum. The collection includes the Bird’s-eye View of Amsterdam from 1538 by Cornelis Anthonisz., a fragment of Rembrandt’s Anatomy lesson of Dr. Jan Deijman from 1656, and Jacob van Campen’s 1648 maquette of the new Town Hall.

You can also look through the collection at home. The museum has put its collection database online, and you can save images for your own use. Researchers can run detailed searches. This is useful if you are curious about the history of your own street.

Finding smaller galleries by neighbourhood

The big museums are easy to find. The smaller galleries and local museums take a bit more work, and the most reliable starting point is the city’s own listings. The I amsterdam What’s On pages have an Art and exhibitions category, a monthly Culture Guide and a weekend guide. Use them to see what is on this week rather than relying on old blog lists.

Then think about it neighbourhood by neighbourhood. The I amsterdam neighbourhood guides divide the city into groups. The historic areas include the Canal Ring, Oud-Zuid, the Oostelijke Eilanden, the Jordaan, the Museum Quarter and the Nine Streets. The up-and-coming areas include De Pijp, Oud-West, De Plantage, Oost, NDSM in Amsterdam Noord, Westerpark, and Bos en Lommer and De Baarsjes. Zuidoost, Nieuw-West and Weesp are grouped as green and relaxed.

Living in Oud-West or De Baarsjes? Start with your own area’s guide before you cross town. If you are near Westerpark, there is a dedicated art and culture in Westerpark page, and you can pair it with Amsterdam in Motion. Noord residents should look at NDSM. Small galleries change their shows and sometimes their opening days, so check each venue’s own website for current hours and any entry fee.

What works for children

The Amsterdam Museum runs the ELJA Children’s Museum Lab for Amsterdam children aged 9 to 12. If your child is in that age range and settling into a new school, it is a way for them to get to know their new city on their own terms. Younger children and teenagers are not covered by that programme, so look at the museum’s agenda for other family activities.

For a family visit, the multimedia model at Westergas is a more natural fit than the period rooms on the Herengracht, and the park outside gives everyone somewhere to run around afterwards. The plantation exhibition at Willet-Holthuysen is better suited to adults and older teenagers. Older teens with creative interests may want to look at AM Talent, the museum’s project for young creators from the city.

FAQ

Is the Amsterdam Museum on Kalverstraat open?

No. The main location on Kalverstraat, in the former Burgerweeshuis, is closed for renovation. The museum is open at its permanent locations, Amsterdam in Motion in Westergas cultural park and Huis Willet-Holthuysen on the Herengracht, and at changing locations with partners around the city.

How much do tickets cost and when is it open?

The museum’s home page does not list prices or opening hours. Check the Plan your visit section of the Amsterdam Museum website for current ticket prices, opening times and booking rules for each location.

Is there anything specifically for children?

Yes. The ELJA Children’s Museum Lab is for Amsterdam children aged 9 to 12. For other ages, see the museum’s agenda. Amsterdam in Motion at Westergas, with its multimedia model, tends to suit families better than the period rooms of the canal house.

How do I find smaller galleries near where I live?

Start with the Art and exhibitions listings and the monthly Culture Guide on I amsterdam, then read the I amsterdam guide for your neighbourhood, from the Jordaan and De Pijp to NDSM, Westerpark and Zuidoost. Check each gallery’s own site for current hours and any entry fee.

Official sources: amsterdammuseum.nl · iamsterdam.com · iamsterdam.com

Last checked: 30 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.