Amsterdam museums itinerary

I'd recommend Ann Frank and Van Gogh, then add a smaller boat canal cruise. I was overwhelmed by the Rijk Museum because of the crowds. They place the most popular works in the Hall of Honor, so that's where most folks gather. Even with timed tickets, I felt there were too many people in there.
Oops- next month. Can you still even get Van Gogh tickets ?
Have a wonderful family trip.

You have a day and a half and you want to do all those museums? And wander, explore, eat and enjoy the culture. How? I would do Option 3 or less. Just visit Anne Frank. It's quite an emotional experience. Take that in. And then explore the city. A canal cruise is a must. Your teens will thank you!

The Rijks is really busy. We had a tour via a private guide through our RS group tour. It was 1 1/2-2 hours, which I found to be plenty with the Versailles equivalent crowds.

I think 2 museums + Anne Frank’s house on one day is too much. I definitely packed in a lot with my kids, but I think multiple museums might be too much unless your family loves art.

When we went to Amsterdam , we did Anne Frank house in the morning and then Van Gogh museum in the afternoon. This was enough time to view the whole museum.
We reserved a whole day for the Rijkmuseum but it’s just too massive to see it all.

I agree with prior posts you should drop one of the art museums in such a short time. As was noted by Pat, you might not even be able to get Van Gogh tickets at this late stage, so that may be the deciding factor. The Anne Frank house is quite a heavy experience so whatever you do the afternoon of your full day should balance that out as best you can. Given you will be there in July, I'd say a canal cruise is in order (search this forum for many, many recs on that topic) either that afternoon or possibly on your arrival evening as you won't be jet lagged.

Anne Frank House is one of my favorite things we've seen in all of Europe. Amsterdam is amazing and so walkable and so unique. Personally, I'd do Anne Frank, a canal cruise w/Amsterdam Boat Adventures (so much better than the generic canal cruises), and I'd see CHURCH IN THE ATTIC and be done. Less is sometimes more when you have such a short amount of time.

First of all, congratulations on getting Anne Frank House tickets.

I’m with Pat. Because of its smaller size and focused exhibits I’d chose the Van Gogh museum in the late afternoon of your arrival. Then a canal boat ride before or after dinner. This will leave your next day open after Anne Frank.

Get your tickets ASAP if you decide on the Van Gogh Museum. I just did a quick search with dummy bookings for several random dates in July and found the Van Gogh still has some availability.

Thank you all for your responses. This is helpful! And yes, there are still Van Gogh tickets for our dates.

One more thing I was debating, since a few of you mentioned it: we'll be in Paris the week before and are doing a nighttime Seine cruise there. Would you still do a canal cruise in Amsterdam? Obviously they're very different cities, I know, just trying to keep activities varied enough.

I go on canal cruises in each city I visit, (where the cruises are offered.) You experience the city from a different angle, hear different local stories, along with resting your feet. Each cruise is different, as each city has its own unique personality. I do recommend the smaller boats in Amsterdam, about a dozen people, for better views and interacting with the captain. An evening cruise would have the lights reflecting on the canal. But do book the smaller boats in advance.
Have a great time.

Scrap Rijks, for sure. I don't know if I would have enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum as much if I had to have a timed ticket and was dealing with July crowds. I know my son would not have. A museum that might appeal more to teens is the Eye Film Museum, near the Amsterdam Lookout (where they can go on the rooftop swings if they're crazy). Amsterdam is a great place for teens to explore on their own, in case the parents want to hit up the museums without them.
Evening is the best time for the canal tour, IMO. I like Those Dam Boat Guys, but there are lots of options. Small boat, for sure. Here is a great place to pick up some food and drink to enjoy on the boat or elsewhere. https://www.sterkstaaltje.com
Some food places I didn't get to on my last trip: https://www.foodhallen.nl/en (I love a food hall!), https://mooieboules.nl/amsterdam/, FEBO (like an automat), and https://lewmormedia.com (Effendy, which serves "Turkish pizza").

Re: doing both Seine cruise and Amsterdam canal cruise - I agree with everything that Pat said, again.

Thanks everyone. Final decision was small boat canal cruise on the first night, and the next day we'll do Anne Frank House in the morning and Van Gogh in the afternoon. If we have time to go to the Church in the Attic without feeling too rushed, we will. Thank you again!

We did all three museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh and Anne Frank) a couple of years ago.
I think we spent over three hours in the Rijksmuseum, so don't wait too late in the PM.

Don't try to do all three in one day. It takes a while to go through Anne Frank Museum, because the time of your scheduled visit takes longer and you go through a lengthy pre-brief before admittance.

Also, I don't know about you, but I can only handle about 3-4 hours a day in Museums.

Loved our canal cruise as well as a tour from the train station that took us into the countryside to see windmills and more.

In February 2024 we did this canal cruise on the recommendation of our hotel and it was fabulous!!! I have recommended it here many times and many people have taken it and said the same thing.

http://amsterdamprivateboattour.com

We have done the Seine cruise a number of times and it is nice, but just different.