Will be there in August and want to visit the key sites like Anne Frank House, the great art museums, take a canal cruise, etc.
I was there in 1982 and didn't need to book in advance. What sites do I need to book in advance?
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6471 posts
Absolutely book Anne Frank and the VanGogh museum in advance. For canal boat we just went to the harbor and picked one. Our BnB owner said there was little difference between the tours. Our canal boat tour was enjoyable, but I can't compare it to anything else and I can't remember the name of the one we used.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14738 posts
I've not been to the Anne Frank house in ages but definitely get the tickets to the VanGogh Museum.
The website for the VanGogh Museum says they are not selling tickets onsite so all have to be purchased online. They do not have an official museum app so I booked this one ahead so I could print my ticket at home. I also did a screenshot of the email of the ticket and filed it in an album in my photos on my phone. They are completely sold for tomorrow but it doesn't look like they are sold out any other days this month so maybe a week or so ahead or just before you leave would be fine. I'd watch the times on the ticket sales and see what's going quickly.
I've been kind of stalking the Rijksmuseum site and it does not look like you need to book too far ahead on this one. There are still a lot of open times for tomorrow (Sunday) so not selling out right now. Definitely download the app and book thru that so your tickets will show up there. It's also one of the best museum apps I've seen.
Posted by
The Netherlands
1588 posts
You must absolutely book the Anne Frank house well in advance. The house was never meant to be a museum, so capacity is limited. Even before COVID the Anne Frank house required visitors to book a specific time slot online in advance and this policy hasn’t changed. There is no ticket sale at the door. On the first Tuesday of the month, tickets are released for the next month. So tickets for August become available on the first Tuesday of July.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14738 posts
I wanted to add information about the Dutch Resistance Museum which is wonderful if you have an interest in WWII history. In looking at the website it doesn't say you can't buy at the door so I suspect you may be able to turn up and get in. I've not been in a few years but it's probably still an under-visited museum. If you haven't read Diary of Anne Frank in a long time and have a few days in town, I'd go to the Resistance Museum first and then the Anne Frank House. It just gets your head in the context of the time. I'd not do both on the same day.
https://www.verzetsmuseum.org/en/world-war-ii-in-the-netherlands
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
In addition to the great recommendations up thread, I would also highly recommend a private Jewish walking tour with historian Naomi Koopmans. It was the highlight of our time in Amsterdam! Following her tour we visited the Dutch Resistance Museum & Anne Frank the following day. We were in walking distance of the Van Gogh & Rijksmuseum. Our BnB host recommended the Stromma Canal Cruise. It was a 75 min. Cruise. Lovely on a sunny day.
https://jewishamsterdamtour.com/
Edited https://www.stromma.com/en-nl/amsterdam/sightseeing/canal-tours/100-highlights-cruise/
We booked the cruise about an hour before.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8882 posts
If you are interested, you can pre- book an English tour at the Corrie Ten Boom house in Haarlem. She is featured in the book "The Hiding Place", the movie of the same title and in a recent documentary, "Corrie Ten Boom, a faith undefeated," available on Amazon Prime. Corrie and her family rescued many Jewish people during the German Occupation before eventually being caught and sent to Concentration Camps.
I found touring their home above the watch shop and actually standing in the small space that Jews hid from the authorities very moving. Some people are put off by the fact that the house is run by a Christian organization, but it was Corrie and her family's Christian faith that caused them to give their lives over to this work.
https://www.corrietenboom.com/
As I side note, I had to the opportunity to hear Corrie speak in the 70's. She was an amazing woman.