Museum in Amsterdam

[Larainerenee]

We have time (2 hours) for 1 Museum in Amsterdam... should we chose Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum?

[Ine]

It depends, do you want to see the old Masters, like Rembrandt, (The famous Night Watch etc.) or maybe Frans Hals , Vermeer and  many others. Check their website: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/whats-on

Van Gogh is great if you like the way he painted, but indeed different from Rijks. https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en

Be aware to  book tickets online. 

[SbbquilterUT]

Very personal choice but we really enjoyed the Reiksmuseum and the large variety of items they have besides just the masters.

[ontheweb]

On our first trip to Amsterdam, we saw both, but the answer would have been Van Gogh as there were renovations going on in the Riksjmusuem and not much of it was available. On our next trip the answer was the Riksjmuseum as the line to Van Gogh was just way too long.

 

I asked my wife who is an art teacher, and she just shrugged.

 

You cannot go wrong with either choice.

[gnome12]

43 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

On our first trip to Amsterdam, we saw both, but the answer would have been Van Gogh as there were renovations going on in the Riksjmusuem and not much of it was available.

I was in Amsterdam when the Rijksmuseum was under renovation. It was actually a good time to see it, because all of the highlights of the museum were in a very small area, instead of having to go all over the whole museum to see them now.

[markeb]

You're going to be running and looking at highlights either way. I believe there are either 1 or 2 Van Gogh paintings in the Rijksmuseum; there are no Rembrandts or Vermeers in the Van Gogh museum...

 

There's probably more history and art history in the Rijksmuseum, but even at 2 hours you're only going to touch the surface. The Night Watch is brilliant, and the various stories behind it may be worth the visit. And there's more than art at the Rijksmuseum. The collection of ship models was amazing. This includes the archives of the Department of the Navy. Many of the models are scaled builder's models for the construction of naval vessels.

 

I'd always recommend both, but I'd probably go to the Rijksmuseum if I could only visit one. But look online and plan your visit. It's going to be rushed...

[ontheweb]

14 hours ago, gnome12 said:

I was in Amsterdam when the Rijksmuseum was under renovation. It was actually a good time to see it, because all of the highlights of the museum were in a very small area, instead of having to go all over the whole museum to see them now.

Interesting thought, and maybe that would work for me, buwt DW is an art teacher and would want the full experience.

[FreestyleNovice]

It may be small but at Schiphol airport (between the E and F concourse, close to most US bound flights) there's a free permanent Rijksmuseum expo; https://www.schiphol.nl/en/at-schiphol/discover/facilities/rijksmuseum

 

Slightly off topic but perhaps also worth the visit when you fly out of Amsterdam with mentioned limited time! 

[vicd1969]

Van Gogh sells out sooner than Rijksmuseum. You may be able to get a timed entry ticket for the latter the same day in the morning. Very unlikely to find one available for Van Gogh same-day or even next-day unless it's in the winter offseason.  I spent about 2 hours at Rijksmuseum and still missed a few key exhibits like the ship models. 

[Harters]

Between the two, I would choose the Van Gogh.

 

We had a long weekend in Amsterdam a couple of years back, staying in the "museum quarter". We did the Van Gogh one day, the Rijks another and the Stedelijk on the third day. Of all three, I enjoyed the Stedelijk the most - but then I'm more interested in modern art, than old masters.

[ladysail2]

Anyone do the Diamond museum? I found it compact and really enjoyable. It’s on a street perpendicular and close to the Rijksmuseum.