Amsterdam Passes

[Joanandjoe]

We'll be in Amsterdam from 11 to 14 August, before we board our cruise on the 14th.  Usually, we buy some type of discount pass, and the choice is often easy.  For example, in both Stockholm and Copenhagen last year, we bought passes (Stockholm Card, Copenhagen card) that included 3 day attraction passes and public transit passes.  In Amsterdam, choices are much harder.  There are many passes, and none of them seems to include both transit and all of the attractions we want to see. We figure that, on a given day, our maximum sightseeing amounts are two museums and either a park or a tour (which, in Amsterdam, probably means  a walking or canal tour).  In effect, we have only two full days, since we'll be jet lagged on the 11th and will board our cruise on the 14th.

 

Skipping long lines is vital to us, since we both have some mobility impairments.  A pass that lets us skip the lines might be worth buying even if it costs more than the cost of individual attractions.

 

We've pretty much exhausted most of the attractions near the train station and Dam Square on our three previous trips to Amsterdam; but have barely touched Museumplein.  (Rijksmuseum was fully open only during our first trip in 1971.) Therefore, our "must dos" include a canal tour, Vondelpark, some concerts at the Grachten Festival, and the following museums (although we probably won't get to all of them):  Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, Stedelijk, Jewish Quarter and (maybe) Hermitage.  We'll be staying near Museumplein; so a transit pass would be nice, but not essential.

 

Any suggestions?

[Ine]

Indeed I donot think there is one card to covers it all. Apart from the I Amsterdam card there is a special Museumcard. For on residents it is now valid for 5 museums. However that covers entrance fee but not always skip the line. In o.a. Rijksmuseum, van Gogh, Anne Frankhuis and some other populair museums you also need to make reservations.

Rijksmuseum has a special exhibition of all Rembrandts, for which you absolutely need reservations. However I was told most dates are fully booked for a long time already. 

check which museums are in the museumcard here: https://www.museumkaart.nl/

Or check the Holland Pass that also covers various items: https://hollandpass.com/museums-attractions?gclid=CjwKCAjw583nBRBwEiwA7MKvoKImhK0zMDsFllwIW6T-2953ANhnwY8PYB3YNfkL6CDGH8o1-FKeLRoCwqUQAvD_BwE

If you buy single tickets for various museums online you most of the times can skip the lines.\I copy a link that someone made about various cards: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1labXdTlcgItAoFUUrfcl4_BglIPGBM6mf5cJQ4n_bVM/edit

Hope this helps

 

[Joanandjoe]

Thanks, Ine.  I knew about reservations needed for Anne Frank & Van Gogh, but didn't know they were necessary for the Rijksmuseum. Apparently, the cards are as confusing as they seemed when I researched them yesterday - that's why I decided to do a CC post.

 

I guess we still have more than 2 months to decide which card, if any, to choose.

 

Am I correct that few, if any, nuseums give discounts for seniors?  We are 74 and 72 years old.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We were just there and used the IAmsterdam  card; our first trip there.  It worked out great for us, especially the transportation option, as our hotel was in East Amsterdam ? I think.  An easy 10 min. or less with a Metro stop right outside the hotel.  We also used buses, trams and a canal boat ride; a couple of train rides we did were not covered.  I think we could have bought a card that covered them, but they weren't expensive.

 

It did not cover the Anne Frank house, but did cover everything else we wanted or had time to see plus a lot else.  We did go to the Frank house, also the Rjksmuseum and Van Gogh, plus toured a couple of canal houses.  

 

We did get a time for Van Gogh, just the night before we went there; didn't realize we needed advance tickets for the Rembrandt exhibit, but they were readily available in the museum; we had about an hour wait, which we spent in other parts of the museum.  Lines and crowds weren't too bad at the museums in early May.

 

The last thing we did was use the one time included canal boat ride; it was one of the highlights of the trip.  We took it from a stop right outside the museums back to Central Station; you could have ridden it all the way around and I think done hop on, hop off.

 

We don't have mobility problems so I didn't especially notice availability for that.  I did get Anne Frank tickets ahead of time, as required.  We also did a lot of walking around various areas and just sightseeing on our own; churches, canals, shops, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruisen Elf]

You may want to consider a tour that includes skip the line tickets.  Last Fall, we did the "Skip the Line: VanGogh Museum and Rijksmuseum Tour Including Amsterdam Canal Cruise and Lunch," and felt it was worth every penny.  The guide was very knowledgeable, and knew just where to go in each of the museums to show us the most important works.  The museums were crowded, and having a guide helped immensely.  We had lunch in the Rijkmuseum, took a short walking tour and a canal tour in between museums, so there are rest spaces built into the itinerary. There was a person in a wheelchair on our tour, and they were able to manage with assistance from others in their group.  We booked the tour through Viator, and the provider was Keytours Excursions.   Just something to consider to optimize your time in Amsterdam.

 

As for transportation, we purchased tram/bus/subway passes for the number of days we were in Amsterdam.  (Our pass covered everything except trains.)  It was inexpensive and covered all the places we wanted to visit.  We were able to buy our passes right at our hotel.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Cruisen Elf

[Ine]

7 hours ago, Joanandjoe said:

Thanks, Ine.  I knew about reservations needed for Anne Frank & Van Gogh, but didn't know they were necessary for the Rijksmuseum. Apparently, the cards are as confusing as they seemed when I researched them yesterday - that's why I decided to do a CC post.

 

I guess we still have more than 2 months to decide which card, if any, to choose.

 

Am I correct that few, if any, nuseums give discounts for seniors?  We are 74 and 72 years old.

I just now realise you have mobility issues. Be aware in Anne Frankhuis you need to use a steep stairs, so maybe skip that. Also another nice option can be the Royal Palace on Dam and have an audio tour there. Not always open to the public but you can check that on their website: https://www.paleisamsterdam.nl/en/

There are hardly any places nowadays that give senior discount.

[Joanandjoe]

Thank you, Ine and Elf.

 

Elf, was your trip with Keytours simply tickets to the attractions or an acrual tour?  If it was a tour, did you have time on your own in the museums.  I would guess that Joan and I will spend a minimum of 3 hours each in Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh.  We are looking forward to seeing the Petronella Oortman doll house in the Rijksmuseum, and that might not even be on a guided tour.

 

Ine, we're not going to Anne Frank house anyway:  our two visits to date are sufficient.  Joan can walk up and down stairs slowly, and can walk 1 or 2 km.  I can walk about 10 km - in fact, I did so earlier today - but standing in lines for more than 10 minutes is painful due to a ligament problem.  That's why "skip the line" is more important to me than saving money.  

[Nebr.cruiser]

We did not need reservations last month for the Rijksmuseum itself.  Reservations were needed for the special Rembrandt exhibit; you could pick them up right outside the door for that exhibit; we had to wait an hour or so as they only let a certain amount of people in at one time and we had just missed the last open slot. 

 

I enjoyed the museums, but personally would not have needed 3 hours each, but of course each person has different interests.  

[Cruisen Elf]

On 6/4/2019 at 2:10 PM, Joanandjoe said:

Elf, was your trip with Keytours simply tickets to the attractions or an acrual tour?  If it was a tour, did you have time on your own in the museums.  I would guess that Joan and I will spend a minimum of 3 hours each in Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh.  We are looking forward to seeing the Petronella Oortman doll house in the Rijksmuseum, and that might not even be on a guided tour.

 

It was an actual tour.  The guide went with us as we toured the museums and explained the artwork.  We did have a little bit of time to ourselves in each museum, but not long - just enough time to purchase a souvenir at the gift shop.  (I tend to buy picture books of the places we visit as a a memento.)  Without a guide, you could be in line INSIDE the museum as well, as you wait to see specific pieces.  (As I mentioned, the museums were crowded.)  We did see the doll house in the Rijkmuseum, but didn't have a lot of time to explore it.  As I recall, we walked through its room on the way to another section of the museum, and we took some pictures.  So you could request a route that includes the doll house and I would think the guide could easily accommodate that.

 

I guess it depends what kind of experience you want.  Sure, I could spend hours in a museum (my DH, not so much!), savoring the artwork and displays, but we were glad we took a tour.  That way, we were able to see more in a shorter time, and fit in everything we wanted to see in those museums in one day.  The Rjksmuseum , especially, is huge, so having a guide really helped.  We were glad we didn't have to wait in line.  We were trying to maximize our time in Amsterdam, and it worked out well for us.  That may not be your preferred style, so I say, do what works for you!  But I would recommend getting skip the line tickets if you don't take a tour or have a pass that includes museum admissions.