Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is the Netherlands' national museum and the best place anywhere to understand Dutch art and history. Set in a vast 1885 Cuypers building facing Museumplein, it holds 800 years of masterpieces — and for many visitors it is the highlight of a trip to Amsterdam.

What to see

The Gallery of Honour leads to Rembrandt's monumental Night Watch, the museum's star attraction, shown alongside Vermeer's luminous Milkmaid and works by Frans Hals and the other Dutch Masters.

Beyond the Golden Age the collection runs from medieval art and Delftware to dolls' houses, ship models and Asian art, with a peaceful garden outside. Allow three to five hours; the free Rijksmuseum app maps a shorter route if you're pressed for time.

Good to know

Entry is by timed ticket — book online a few days ahead, and note you need a time slot even with a museum card. Weekday mornings and late afternoons are the quietest.

It's a short walk from the trams at Museumplein, and the I amsterdam City Card includes entry. Hours and prices change, so check the official website before you go.

The Cuypers Library offers a different kind of spectacle from the paintings: towering bookshelves, decorative ironwork and a reading room devoted to art history. It is a working research library, so quiet matters here. Elsewhere, look beyond the exhibits to the building itself. Stained glass, painted decoration and elaborate brickwork make the museum’s architecture part of the experience, reflecting an ambition to give art and national history a suitably grand setting.

One of the museum’s most Amsterdam features is the public cycle passage running through the building. Watch for bikes as you cross: this is a city route, not just a museum entrance. Afterwards, you can stay with art at the nearby Van Gogh Museum or Stedelijk Museum, or change the pace with a walk towards De Pijp. Its cafés and Albert Cuyp Market offer a lively contrast to the museum galleries.