Going to Amsterdam and have only three full days there. Want to know which museum to go visit

If you have 3 full days in Amsterdam, you can easily visit both museums. I wouldn’t do it on the same day though.
If you only want to visit 1 museum, it’s up to you to make the decision. Other than the fact that they both display art, they are very different museums. You should visit the one which appeals to you the most. Not the one that people who don’t know you believe you should visit.

heard that the Rijksmuseum should not be missed.

This depends on how much of an art fan you are. I don't believe anything is truly "not to be missed." It depends on the interests of the visitor. Maybe check online to see how much their collection appeals to you https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio?ii=0&p=0&from=2024-04-10T19%3A49%3A02.8931653Z

I would say if you could only pick one, pick the Rijksmuseum, and I say that as someone who is a Van Gogh fan.

Note that the two museums are very close by each other, so visiting both in the same
day (maybe with a lunch break in between, for example) is an efficient use of time.

Especially if it's a rainy day.

My husband and I visited the Rijks last month (we visited the VG on a previous visit). My extremely unscientific opinion is that the Rijks is best enjoyed when you have some knowledge/interest in Dutch/Amsterdam history. As stand-alone art, it's not nearly as inspiring as VG's art. I read the book "Amsterdam" by Russell Shorto (a history of the city) before we visited in March and it greatly enhanced my visit to the Rijks. If you go to the Rijks without any historical context for what you're seeing, you might find it dull (except for the couple of Vermeers, which are stunning). VG's art can be thoroughly enjoyed without knowing the first thing about him or the time in which he lived.

As noted, it depends on your preferences. The Rijksmuseum has some spectacular paintings worth seeing (especially by Vermeer and Rembrandt). If you think you only have one art museum in you, know that the Rijksmuseum does have some Van Gogh paintings, including this small special exhibit. Booking a time slot ahead, especially on a weekend, could save you some time.

If you pick the Van Gogh museum, make sure to book your tickets online and as soon as possible, for some days in June there are already limited tickets available for midday times. You cannot walk up and purchase tickets at the museum.

Its been decades but seeing Rembrandt's The Night
Watch remains one of my favorite travel moments. Stood there for at least 30 minutes staring at the masterpiece.

Given the proximity of both museums you could visit each of them.

We preferred the Van Gogh, but it depends on your interest/background knowledge on different types of art. The Anne Frank Museum was at the top of our list in Amsterdam.

When I was in Amsterdam in November this past year, I visited both the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh on the same day. I wanted to visit the Rijksmuseum first in the morning and then VG, but I stumbled upon a Pokemon exhibit at the VG museum which was nearly sold out by the time I was able to book my online time slot. So, I ended up seeing the VG as soon as it opened in the morning and then the Rijks. I was able to grab a quick snack outside of the VG museum while waiting to enter the Rijks, so that definitely helped carry me over until the closing time. However, I was very pleasantly surprised at how vast the collections were at the Rijks - VG was great as well, but TBH, I was just so astounded at the Rijks that I know I need to re-turn for another visit.

I believe you could go to both.
The Rijks museum can take more than 1 day if you want to see everything.
When we went to Amsterdam we spent about 6 hours there and it wasn’t enough time.
The next day we went to the Anne Frank House in the morning and the Van Gogh in the afternoon.
The Van Gogh museum took me approximately 2 hours to see all of it.

Disclaimer: while I can appreciate Van Goghs work, I'm not a great fan. I visited that museum once, and was there 2 hours, including stops for coffee and the gift shop. I've visited the Rijksmuseum 3 times, each for 4-5 hours. And would go back again. It excels in its concentration on Dutch art over the centuries, including the great Dutch Masters, and a few Van Goghs; but not to the exclusion of others. And of course it always has special exhibits.

It all depends on your taste in art. If you are primarily interested in Impressionism, then perhaps just the VG museum is for you. If your interest in art forms is broader, then you might appreciate the Rijks more. But since advance reservations are needed for both museums, I think you need to sketch out a daily itinerary for your stay to see how much time (and on which days) you have for these. Who knows, you may have time for both; although I personally wouldn't do both on the same day.

Most of Van Gogh’s more well known pairings are in other museums around the world, not in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

My experience is unusual, but I'll share it and hope it's helpful.

When I was in Amsterdam for three days in 2012, the Van Gogh Museum was the art museum I was most looking forward to seeing, but it was closed for renovations. The day after I left the city, it opened again. And though the Rijksmuseum was open, the building was being renovated. The museum had set up a temporary viewing area in an annex with most of its top works, and I bought a ticket to see the top works in the annex, but I wanted to see more. In other words, the experience was a disappointing experience because of bad luck -- the Van Gogh closed and the Rijksmuseum with only limited viewing.

However, the Anne Frank Huis museum was my No. 1 pick of all museums -- the reason I went to Amsterdam in the first place. That was a superb museum to see and I loved every second of it. I strongly recommend the Anne Frank Huis.

I also recommend the Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum): https://www.verzetsmuseum.org/en/world-war-ii-in-the-netherlands. I have seen four museums about World War II (France, UK, Poland and Holland) in Europe with the Dutch Resistance Museum being the best.

Let me add to your decision problems. The Hermitage had some great exhibits. They be rotating so check to see what is there.

“ The Hermitage had some great exhibits”

The Hermitage in Amsterdam closed 2 years ago because the Russian invasion in Ukraine forced them to cut the ties with their Russian counterpart. The museum reopened as H’art Museum, but the days of the spectacular exhibitions with loans from the Hermitage in St Petersburg are no more.
I wouldn’t recommend this museum to someone who feels they only have time to visit one museum. It’s more a type of museum for a return visitor or for someone who spends more than 5 days in Amsterdam.

Thanks for the update. So sorry to hear that. We haven't traveled since before the pandemic. So, we have to get updated.

Hi there,
I want to thank everyone who responded to my request about information about Amsterdam and its museums. I am totally blown away or to put another way, taken aback at the many wonderful
Responses I received. I gave a wealth of information from all the people who wrote me and I cannot thank you enough.
Warmest Regards to you all,
Marlene

The Van Gogh museum is spectacular and I wouldn't miss. The Rijks has a beautiful collection of gorgeous and famous paintings. You could spend just an hour at the Rijks and see the very best there.

We're so looking forward to visiting both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum this summer. I can't imagine limiting ourselves to one or the other.

We haven't had much time in the Netherlands to date; really excited to spend some time this summer seeing the sites and enjoying the Dutch vibe.

Didnt go to Van Gogh but we enjoyed the Rijks. I believe we spent about 2 hours there. Anne Frank museum was moving.