Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam

@Carole
You can see it all in about 1 hour.

I plan to see this museum too at the end of April, before my trip.

If you get the chance, visit the Corrie Ten Boom house in Haarlem (if you've never been). It's fascinating- I can't wait to visit it again!

We are going to the Corrie Ten Boom house that Friday morning when we arrive before going over to Amsterdam. Since the Dutch Resistance Museum can be done in an hour or two (I saw on another post someone saw it in 2 hours) then we can go there when we go to Amsterdam Friday afternoon.

Gosh, I think I spent at least 2.5 hours there and barely even looked at the section regarding the Dutch Resistance activities in Indonesia which I had no idea about. Do make sure you spend the time to start with seeing the film on the left after you enter. It really gives you a good framework for viewing the museum and for stimulating thought about how you would react to being invaded...adapt, collaborate, resist. I think you could do it in 2 hours. I did find myself getting very emotionally fatigued by the end so that time frame was just enough.

You may want to do the Haarlem things that first day so you would be closer to your lodging if you have a sinking spell and need a nap/rest!

I would not do the bus trip on the day you arrive, so I think doing it on the Saturday would be good.

Then your tour starts Sunday? If so and if the museum is open then, you could go and do it in the AM that day. I did get in to AMS, went to the Resistance museum (walked from the Centraal Station, got slightly lost, did the museum, picked up lunch in a grocery store, sat by a canal to eat and was back in Haarlem well before the meet-up time.)

I personally think you are doing too much on arrival day if I understand you correctly. You plan to arrive, go to Haarlem, see Ten Boom Museum which takes an hour and tours in English are every other hour, then go to Amsterdam, see the Dutch Museum and then a bus tour on the same day. Can you just see Haarlem on arrival day, Ten Boom Museum, see the church, etc. and then next day to Amsterdam, Dutch Museum and then the bus tour?

We loved this museum... didn't expect to and didn't allow enough time. We spent about 3 hrs there when they announced they were closing and we were only, maybe, half way through. We came back the next day before leaving Amsterdam, for about 2 hrs, and had to rush through. I would go back to Amsterdam just to spend a whole day in this museum. It was absolutely riveting.

Gail we are doing the bus tour on the Saturday not on the first day we get there (Friday). My situation is do we do the morning or afternoon tour. What we are planning as of now is go to Haarlem from the airport, take luggage to hotel, do Corrie Ten Boom house, church, then go to Amsterdam. We plan on staying out in the fresh air to help with jet lag. We just will do the Dutch Resistance Museum and Van Gogh Museum on Friday (since Van Gogh is open late that night). We want to stay busy until we crash at least 10. Our excitement from being in Amsterdam will keep us going, we hope. We are going with the idea that plans are not set in stone (except the 1/2 day tour). Just trying to get an idea on people's time in the museum. Since most of Haarlem sights are closed on Sunday we feel that we need to do those when we arrive Friday. We will be able to relax a little Sunday morning before the tour starts at 2:00.

I think a few hours would be adequate, if you only get a taste for the museum. I have a feeling we will both be more tired than we realize and i don't know about you guys, but my mind gets groggy when I'm tired!

I'm still trying to figure out how we could see Corrie ten Boom house.....I read the book, The Hiding Place and I really wish I could see that house! I may have to settle for walking by the outside :( Now I wish we had been able to take an earlier flight.....as it turns out, I am off work that entire day on thursday so we could have flown out earlier.

We spent about 2 hours there, and could have spent about 30 minutes more but they were closing. You'll love this museum. I really think it can vary wildly how long it takes. There is so much good information in English alongside each exhibit, that it can take a while if you want to read everything. You might even just want to walk briskly through the museum when you first get there to get a lay of the land, and then go back to the start and really delve into what interested you. Enjoy!!

The time needed for the Resistance Museum depends on you. It's not large and you can see the exhibits in a short time. But if you want to know about the Resistance, you need to read the exhibits and/or listen to the audio guide. That can take hours. I spent about 2-2.5 hours, including the film, and skipped more than a little.

I loved this museum. It's one of the best resistance museums in Europe, and everything is in English. Don't short-change your visit here, you won't regret it.

Carole,
we are having a time of it trying to fit in what we (I) want to see before the tour starts on that sunday!

Question for those of you who have been:
Do they literally lock the doors to the Dutch Resistence Museum at 5pm?

Hi Carole -- everyone is different, but it does sound to me like you are trying to do way too many things on your arrival day! What time does your plane arrive? You will need to get from the airport to Haarlem, then from Haarlem to Amsterdam. The Resistance Museum and the Van Gogh Museum are not in the same part of town, so you'll also need to allow time to get to each of these. If it were me, between jet lag and all that you are trying to do, I suspect it will be too much. To really appreciate the Resistance Museum you need to read a lot at all of the displays....and you will be on your feet the entire time. It would not be impossible to do everything you have planned in one day....but it might not be particularly enjoyable.

We did the BOE21 last summer. On our first day we just explored Haarlem. Walked a lot out doors, visited the windmill. Since you want to see the Ten Boom House and the church, you could easily make a day of Haarlem. Maybe add the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam in the evening...if you don't think you'll be too exhausted. We did the Van Gogh Museum and the Resistance Museum on day our tour started, but we didn't have to be back to meet our group until 4:00. It was just about the right amount of time (we stopped for a quick lunch between the two museums) but we definitely didn't see everything at the Resistance Museum. I know it's tempting to try to see everything, but it might be more enjoyable to edit your itinerary and have enough time to really appreciate a few select places.

Ruth are flight arrives at 5:55 AM so we will have a full day to see things on the Friday. We will do some things in Haarlem before heading over to Amsterdam that afternoon. We want to try to give ourselves 3 hours at the museum. Our plan is to take the 5 1/2 hour tour to Zaanse Schans in the morning then just do some simple things in Amsterdam. Sunday morning we will hang around Haarlem before the tour begins (also have to move from the place we are staying in Friday and Saturday night to the tour hotel).

"Do they literally lock the doors to the Dutch Resistence Museum at 5pm? "

The day we were there... Yes.