Eye Filmmuseum and ITA: Films and Theatre in English in Amsterdam

This guide is for people who have moved to Amsterdam from abroad and want to keep going to the cinema and theatre, with or without children in tow. It covers how Eye Filmmuseum and Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) work in practice: getting there, tickets, house rules, what to check before booking and which shows suit younger visitors.

• Getting to Eye and opening hours
• Choosing a film and buying tickets
• Discounts and the exhibition
• Eye with children
• Theatre at ITA
• FAQ

Getting to Eye and opening hours

Eye is the white building on the north bank of the IJ, directly opposite Amsterdam Central Station. At the station, follow the signs to the IJzijde exit and take the ferry towards Buiksloterweg (line F3). It is free, runs 24/7, leaves every few minutes and takes less than five minutes. From the landing it is about a three-minute walk. From elsewhere in Amsterdam-Noord you can take bus 38. The address is IJpromenade 1, 1031 KT Amsterdam, but Eye’s visitor page recommends setting your GPS to Overhoeksplein 1, because many navigation systems do not recognise the IJpromenade. Mopeds and scooters are not allowed on the promenade. Eye has no car park of its own, and the nearest garage is A’DAM Parking under the neighbouring A’DAM Tower.

The box office opens at 10:00 from Tuesday to Sunday. It closes at 22:00, or 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, depending on when the last show starts. On Mondays outside school holidays it opens at 18:00 and the exhibition is closed. The bar-restaurant is a good place to wait for a film and is open until midnight every day, though only for drinks on Mondays. Eye is closed on King’s Day (27 April) and opens as usual on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Choosing a film and buying tickets

The films section of Eye’s website lists everything playing now or coming soon. The visitor page does not say which screenings have English subtitles, so check the language and subtitle details on each film’s own page before you buy. Each film page also says whether audio description is available through the Earcatch app.

You can buy tickets at the box office or online. Online sales close 90 minutes before a screening, and after that the box office is your only option. Eye does not accept cash anywhere. Pay by debit or credit card at the desk, or by iDeal or credit card online. Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged once bought. Only U&Eye and KNF members and Cineville cardholders can reserve seats, and even those reservations are cancelled half an hour before the film starts.

From 20 October a standard film ticket costs €14. The reduced price is €12.50 if you show a valid student ID, CJP or EYCA card, or an I amsterdam City Card. Long films cost extra: €2.50 for screenings over 150 minutes and €5 for screenings over 210 minutes. Screenings with live music, special introductions, lectures, 3D or 70mm may also carry a supplement. A Cineville card covers most regular screenings, but Cineville holders still pay these supplements.

Two rules often surprise newcomers. Seats are not assigned, so if you care where you sit, arrive when the doors open, usually 15 minutes before the start. And because Eye shows no adverts, the film starts on time. Once the feature has begun, you will not be let in.

Discounts and the exhibition

If you have an Amsterdam Stadspas, a film costs €2 and the exhibitions are free. You can use this for one cinema ticket and one museum ticket per month, for any film or exhibition except festivals. If you have a Museumkaart, the exhibition is free too. You can also buy a Museumkaart at the box office and use it straight away.

The temporary exhibition and the permanent exhibition, What is Film?, make a good afternoon before an evening screening. A standard exhibition ticket costs €16.50 and students pay €11.50. With an Uitpas you get 40% off exhibition visits from Tuesday to Thursday, between 10:00 and 13:00. The exhibition is open from 10:00 to 19:00, Tuesday to Sunday. It closes while exhibitions are being set up or taken down, so check the exhibition dates before you go. You cannot take bags or umbrellas into the exhibition. There are lockers and an unattended cloakroom, but there is no space for suitcases, folding bikes or other large items.

Eye with children

Children aged 11 and under pay €8.50 for a film ticket from 20 October. Anyone aged 0 to 17 gets into the exhibition free. Children under 12 must be with someone aged 18 or older at all times. Films are rated under the Dutch Kijkwijzer system. At films rated 16+, staff may ask for ID and can refuse entry to anyone who cannot prove they are 16 or older, so teenagers should bring theirs.

During school holidays Eye opens at 10:00 every day, including Mondays, and the exhibition is open too. Eye also lists children’s activities on its website. The whole building is wheelchair accessible, every floor can be reached by lift and the cinemas have hearing loops. Dogs are welcome in the restaurant but not in the cinemas or exhibition spaces. Guide dogs are welcome everywhere.

Theatre at ITA

Internationaal Theater Amsterdam performs at the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam. Its English homepage lists this season’s productions but does not say which performances have English surtitles. Check each production’s page, or ask ITA directly, before you book. The homepage does not list ticket prices either, so look on ITA’s own site for current prices and performance times.

The main ITA productions listed this season are:

• The Copenhagen Trilogy, directed by Eline Arbo, runs until 21 December. It brings together Tove Ditlevsen’s autobiographical novels Childhood, Youth and Dependency in one production, with themes of love, motherhood, class and addiction.
• The Hours, also by Eline Arbo, runs from 6 to 22 November. It follows three women in three eras.
• The Incident, by June Yanez, Leila Sahir and Zephyr Brüggen, runs from 16 November to 4 December.
• Wuthering Heights, by Kjersti Horn, runs from 3 December to 7 March.
• Richard, by Alize Zandwijk, runs from 25 February to 13 March.

If you would rather avoid the language question altogether, there is dance. Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT 2) performs Blast a universe from 4 to 7 November, and the Nederlands Balletgala is on 2 November. If you sign up for ITA’s updates, you will hear about new productions, extra performances and special offers.

ITA’s family programme has age guidance. Nu is het nog rustig (8+) plays on 1 and 2 November. Alice in Wonderland (8+) runs from 10 November to 28 December. Oh oh oh dennenboom (6+) is on 26 December. The Bookshop Kids runs from 1 November to 6 June, and a Bookshop Kids Tour runs from 15 November to 20 December. The homepage does not give the language of these shows, so check each listing before you book with children who do not yet speak Dutch.

FAQ

Do films at Eye have English subtitles?

Eye’s visitor page does not give a general rule on subtitles. Look at the individual film page on Eye’s website, which has the details for that screening, before you buy a ticket.

Can I pay cash at Eye?

No. Eye only accepts debit and credit cards at the box office. Online you can pay by iDeal or credit card. Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged once bought.

Can I bring my children to any film at Eye?

Children under 12 must be with someone aged 18 or older. At films rated 16+ under the Kijkwijzer system, staff may ask for ID and can refuse entry to anyone who cannot prove they are 16 or older.

Are ITA performances surtitled in English?

ITA’s English homepage does not say which performances have English surtitles. Check the page for the production you want to see, where you will also find current ticket prices and performance times.

Official sources: eyefilm.nl · ita.nl

Last checked: 23 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.