Museums, Coast

Buy a ticket online for each museum for a certain entry time to avoid the long lines.
There is the I am amsterdam card that covers public transportation and entry into museums but I'm not certain that it allows you to skip long lines.
Here is a link to the details
http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/i-am/i-amsterdam-city-card

Fortunately there are some locals on the forum that may see this and tell you more as far as coastal towns you should see in the Netherlands.

Also the tourist board has a sight of tourist information
http://www.holland.com/global/tourism.htm

I would not recommend the Amsterdam card that Jazz & Travels refers to. You want the Museumkaart. You can skip the ticket sales line which speeds up the process. At the vanGogh, I was able to go straight to the security checkpoint (no one gets out of going through the security checkpoint lines - regardless of whether you have a timed ticket or a pass). At the Rijks, it almost depends on the mood of whatever guard is watching over the main entrance to the building. I had a few guards that let me bypass the giant line outside of the Rijks and go straight inside to any of the multiple security checkpoint entrances, and I have also had a few guards that didn't care I had a Museumkaart and wanted everyone in the same line until you got through the main entry doors and then you could split off and go to security while everyone else made their way to the ticket counter.

One of the posters that lives in the Netherlands could recommend a coastal town, but I know when I asked about going to one in May, I was told how cold it was going to be and to not waste my time - so I'd imagine March will be far colder, but if that town interests you because of the chess tournament, then by all means, go for it and dress very warmly.

1. With the Museumkaart you can skip the ticket queues. It does cost you EUR 60. If you're only interested in the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh, you'd rather buy tickets online.
2. Zandvoort (near Haarlem) is the easiest to reach: it has a direct half-hourly train connection with Amsterdam Centraal, taking half an hour. You can break your journey to have a look in Haarlem, which won't disappoint you.

Thanks everyone. Is the Museumkaart a one-day pass for all museums?

If you buy a ticket for Van Gogh online is it a reservation for a certain hour or just any time on one day? Also can you get the ticket to your cell or do you have to print it?

Thanks again.

The Museumkaart is valid for one month. (Actually for a whole year, but only after applying for a permanent card with a photograph.) The nicest thing about the Museumkaart is that it invites you to visit the lesser-known museums, which you otherwise would have skipped. On their website you find all the participating museums by province and city (Amsterdam is in the province of Noord-Holland).
The website of the Van Gogh museum has all the information on tickets and reservation.

Thanks Tom. The Museumkaart sounds like a great deal. I assume I can buy it in any of those museums? (If yes it might be a good idea to buy it in a small museum that has shorter lines - any of those near Amsterdam Centraal?)

First time visiting the museums so when people say the lines are long I am not sure how long long is.

Thanks again.

Some smaller museums selling the Museumkaart not far from the Centraal Station are: the Nieuwe Kerk (opposite the Royal Palace on the Dam), the Allard Pierson Museum, and the Cromhouthuis (on the Herengracht).

Super. Heading off tomorrow. Really excited.

Thanks so much for the tip about the Museumkaart. I got it in the Rijks early one morning and was really happy. When I went to the Van Gogh yesterday the line was indeed long and the line is outside (that surprised me as it is rainy quite often here). With the Museumkaart you go in through the group entrance.

As Tom said it makes it easier (more attractive) to go to the smaller museums too. There is an El Greco painting in the Nieuwe Kerk for example with a video about him. Very nice.

At the moment it's good museum weather. You've a long list to go. Enjoy!