Amsterdam Museum

It is located in the heart of city very close to famous Dam Square. This museum tells the history of Amsterdam by films, artwork and objects covering 1000 years. The giant wooden Goliath is 350 years old. Once upon a time this building used to be city's orphanage. The paintings displayed here are very beautiful. Worth seeing !!

Enjoyed around 2 hours at the museum. I started with the panorama for the history of Amsterdam and it was also good to see other perspectives on the most common history. As well, I went to the ode to women which was another great exhibition.

It’s really small. AND if you take an audio tour, it is filled with a more honest look at Amsterdam’s history, rather than the self congratulatory tone most museums displaying history, will take. Their inner corridor exhibit on Amsterdam’s true history, part of their “experimental” exhibit, acknowledges a lot of unpleasant, violent colonialist history and I felt relaxed knowing truth was being acknowledged. The exhibit upstairs on the Lenape people of what is now called Northeast United States, and the history of enslavement, displacement, subjugation and murder is so well and compassionately captured in interviews with current day Lenape people. Very powerful!

A fascinating and enriching experience! The exhibits are well-curated, offering deep insights into the city's rich history and culture. The interactive displays and multimedia presentations make learning engaging and enjoyable. It's a must-visit for anyone wanting to understand Amsterdam's unique heritage.

The museum is small but gave a good overview of Amsterdam's history. My husband enjoyed it more than I did. I found the audio guide a little annoying that I had to hold it up to my ear like a phone. I prefer when they are hands free. There was ab amazing view of the canal from the ladies toilets and the surrounding area was beautiful.

By far, one of my favorite museums in Amsterdam. I've only visited the museum in this temporary location, which it shares with the former Hermitage Museum.But I must say the location and the space are really nice - especially the gardens and the view from the Amstel river. This is the perfect museum for those who want to escape the overcrowded, more famous museums. It features a small permanent exhibition that tells the story of Amsterdam; this is perhaps the best curatorial work I've seen in Dutch museums. The audio guide is a must. Since it is a small exhibition, it’s perfect for an early morning visit or an after-lunch break. They always have excellent small temporary exhibitions too, which are always worth seeing. I always recommend this museum to anyone visiting Amsterdam.

Now located at the Hermitage (look for the Hart Museum) while the original site undergoes restoration, this exhibit tells the story of Amsterdam starting from about the 1600s to modern times. There are audio tours available, but all the descriptions are in English so it’s not necessary unless you’re into that. It’s best to start the tour at the beginning, which is on the right side by the top steps. A solid museum with lots visuals (mostly antique paintings) that complement the written history.

It’s not the favourite! Overrated I would say, the conflict and war exhibit that was at the museum was what I enjoyed the most. There were some interesting paintings and statues. The museum doesn’t have a clear theme to follow.

It is located in the heart of city very close to famous Dam Square. This museum tells the history of Amsterdam by films, artwork and objects covering 1000 years. The giant wooden Goliath is 350 years old. Once upon a time this building used to be city's orphanage. The paintings displayed here are very beautiful. Worth seeing !!

Enjoyed around 2 hours at the museum. I started with the panorama for the history of Amsterdam and it was also good to see other perspectives on the most common history. As well, I went to the ode to women which was another great exhibition.

It’s really small. AND if you take an audio tour, it is filled with a more honest look at Amsterdam’s history, rather than the self congratulatory tone most museums displaying history, will take. Their inner corridor exhibit on Amsterdam’s true history, part of their “experimental” exhibit, acknowledges a lot of unpleasant, violent colonialist history and I felt relaxed knowing truth was being acknowledged. The exhibit upstairs on the Lenape people of what is now called Northeast United States, and the history of enslavement, displacement, subjugation and murder is so well and compassionately captured in interviews with current day Lenape people. Very powerful!

A fascinating and enriching experience! The exhibits are well-curated, offering deep insights into the city's rich history and culture. The interactive displays and multimedia presentations make learning engaging and enjoyable. It's a must-visit for anyone wanting to understand Amsterdam's unique heritage.

The museum is small but gave a good overview of Amsterdam's history. My husband enjoyed it more than I did. I found the audio guide a little annoying that I had to hold it up to my ear like a phone. I prefer when they are hands free. There was ab amazing view of the canal from the ladies toilets and the surrounding area was beautiful.

By far, one of my favorite museums in Amsterdam. I've only visited the museum in this temporary location, which it shares with the former Hermitage Museum.But I must say the location and the space are really nice - especially the gardens and the view from the Amstel river. This is the perfect museum for those who want to escape the overcrowded, more famous museums. It features a small permanent exhibition that tells the story of Amsterdam; this is perhaps the best curatorial work I've seen in Dutch museums. The audio guide is a must. Since it is a small exhibition, it’s perfect for an early morning visit or an after-lunch break. They always have excellent small temporary exhibitions too, which are always worth seeing. I always recommend this museum to anyone visiting Amsterdam.

Now located at the Hermitage (look for the Hart Museum) while the original site undergoes restoration, this exhibit tells the story of Amsterdam starting from about the 1600s to modern times. There are audio tours available, but all the descriptions are in English so it’s not necessary unless you’re into that. It’s best to start the tour at the beginning, which is on the right side by the top steps. A solid museum with lots visuals (mostly antique paintings) that complement the written history.

It’s not the favourite! Overrated I would say, the conflict and war exhibit that was at the museum was what I enjoyed the most. There were some interesting paintings and statues. The museum doesn’t have a clear theme to follow.

The Amsterdam Museum is a small museum that covers some portions of Amsterdam's history. I'd say no more than 2-3 hours of content. There is some good stuff there, but what the museum covers is somewhat arbitrary. One full room deals with a plane crash that happened in the 90s, while the museum has almost nothing about the canals. Half the museum is about slavery in Suriname and nearby areas. Almost everything is in English. The Amsterdam Museum has moved to a temporary location at Amstel 51. It's inside a building called "The Heritage", which also houses other museums. While walking to the museum, you'll see signs for "The Heritage", though you probably won't see any signs for "Amsterdam Museum".

OK........I have two days in Amsterdam, on a recent trip there, and the Amsterdam Museum is at the top of my list. I go there at their address on Kalvertstraat- which is listed in EVERY guidebook. They have a big poster saying they've moved to Amstel 51. Now there's an Amstel and there's and AmstelPlein in Amsterdam and neither are near each other. On their poster there's no map - only a QR Code. I think maybe it's too challenging for the Miseum staff to actually provide a map- maybe they're too inconsiderate, too lazy, too stupid, too thoughtless to provide a map- that visitors could actually follow. Maybe maps are too complicated that staff at the Museum do not know how to draw one.............. BUT ..........PROVIDIDiNG A QR CODE TO A STORE OR MUSEUM - INVADES MY PERSONAL PRiVACY......... I should be able to get directions to the temporary location of the museum without sacrificing my personal information or privacy. Because no map was provided- I spent whole day goin from Amstel 51 ( a non- exisitant address Amstel 50 then Amstel 52; to Amstelplein 51- which also does not exist. As a result of the incondierwtion and lazyness of the staff of the Museum of Amsterdam, I was also unable to visit the Franz Halls Museum in Haarlem. ---------------------------------- Below is an article bout how QR Codes compromise personal privacy from the New York Times, dared July 26, 2021. ( New York Times, dated July 26, 2021) QR codes -- essentially a kind of bar code that allows transactions to be touchless -- have emerged as a permanent tech fixture from the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants have adopted them en masse, retailers including CVS and Foot Locker have added them to checkout registers, and marketers have splashed them all over retail packaging, direct mail, billboards and TV advertisements. Story continues below advertisement Continue reading the main story But the spread of the codes has also let businesses integrate more tools for tracking, targeting and analytics, raising red flags for privacy experts. That's because QR codes can store digital information such as when, where and how often a scan occurs. They can also open an app or a website that then tracks people's personal information or requires them to input it. As a result, QR codes have allowed some restaurants to build a database of their customers' order histories and contact information. At retail chains, people may soon be confronted by personalized offers and incentives marketed within QR code payment systems. "People don't understand that when you use a QR code, it inserts the entire apparatus of online tracking between you and your meal," said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union. "Suddenly your offline activity of sitting down for a meal has become part of the online advertising empire."

Just awful. I guess I am spoiled because I was at the British museum last week. Comparing the Amsterdam museum to the British museum would be like comparing a great bottle of wine to spoiled milk. I felt more than a little ripped off. The museum does little to tell you that they no longer have any items from the Hermitage collection because of the Ukraine war. Very deceptive. BTW, the museum manager is rude, obnoxious, condescending, and overall not helpful at all. She should be locked in the back of the museum far away from paying visitors. Most definitely will not be coming back and would not recommend it either.

We spent about 2 hours on a self-guided tour of this museum, with an audio guide. There were 3 floors to visit. We climbed many stairways during the tour. There is an elevator, but only in one section of the building. We used it to exit. The museum is divided by time period. Each time period is housed in 1 or more rooms. Taking your time to watch the videos, listen to the commentaries and read the placards will be the most immersive way to learn the most here.

Amazing spot. 1) The location of the museum is excellent. 2) The museum has a section that is free. I will recommend to stick with the free section. It has everything you want to see. 3) Will for sure come back.

What a cool 17th Century building. They have the permanent collection of Dutch art as well as a temporary exhibit. I didn't get to see all of the rooms in the museum, unfortunately. I arrived there so late, and the place was about to close. The museum has a massive collection of artworks, sculptures, and archaeological finds. There's also films, photos and interactive presentations of how their city blossomed from poverty to prosperity. It cost 10 Euro to visit this place and it's tucked between the stores in the shopping district of Kalverstraat. When I arrived there and didn't get to see, much because I felt rushed I suggest going there early in the morning, so you don't miss out on anything.

When I travel, I like to get a sense of a city's history, but in hindsight, I wish I had skipped this museum. The exhibits are not very informational. Even though I read all the placards and watched all the videos, I'm pretty sure I could sum up everything I learned in a sentence or two: "Amsterdam was historically a merchant hub. Today, Amsterdam is known for its diverse culture." The audio guide system was pretty dated, and a lot of the features were broken. Also, all the videos play on a loop, so even if you're the only person in the exhibit, you have to wait for the video to end before you can watch it from the beginning. I guess it wouldn't hurt to pass through if you already have a museum card, or if you have small children, but it's not worth the €12.50 for admission otherwise. You can walk through the main hall of the museum for free, and you can pretty much glean everything you need to know from that. The museum is conveniently located in the central district right next to the Begijnhof, so I would recommend passing through the free area for 10-15 minutes on your way there.

I liked this museum more than the other museums in Amsterdam due to it being more interactive in terms of utilizing multimedia. It's a great way to learn about the history of Amsterdam. I learned that the city of Amsterdam was built on pylons...alot of them. The city is below sea level and thus the reason for the canals and dikes. The museum helped explained why the Dutch soccer team uniform is all orange and why there were so many Indonesian restaurants in the city. One thing that the museum tried to minimize was their heavy involvement in the African slave trade. It's a smaller museum than others and some parts were under renovation. It's also a little difficult to find while walking down the street.

We enjoyed our time here! They had a student rate available that came with audio guides. Lots to see here. Took about 1-1.5 hours to go through. Would recommend if you want some Amsterdam history!

Amsterdam's history wrapped in a museum. That summed it up! In this day and age when everyone's online and glued to their smart phones in 2014, it's interesting to immerse yourself in history these days especially when you can easily search for the information online. To be able to experience it, see it, and embrace it as your own. The Amsterdam museum is one of such places where you can immerse yourself in the history of the city and take heart that you are in one of the most amazing places in all of Europe, Paris and Rome notwithstanding. The Amsterdam museum is a wonderfully small museum that helps it's visitors learn about how the city grew from its humble roots to the majestic city that it is today. Quite amazing when you think about it. With its many exhibits, paintings, and a self guided audio tour, the Amsterdam museum is the quintessentially the place to learn about the history of the city and the early years of how Amsterdam came into existence. I did enjoy the rustic nostalgia of the early era paintings. Even though I am an American, I can certainly appreciate good art and submerge myself in good history and art to help me understand how everything evolved here in Amsterdam to see where traditions and values come into making a great city. From early beginnings to the present day, the Amsterdam museum presents its program in a fantastic style, giving it's visitors a sense of what it was like living in Amsterdam in the early settlement days till the World Wars and in more recent times. It's definitely fun to learn stuff while on vacation. Thankfully that they had their audio tour in English. If not, I would have wandered around the museum without it and get lost in the moment. I spent a good 2 hours here before finding a spot to buy some souvenirs for folks back home. The Amsterdam museum is located at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 359. There is street parking abound, but I walked here aimlessly from the Anne Frank Haus after exploring there. No car or public transit. The city is definitely walkable for sure. The admission to the Amsterdam museum was 4 €, which wasn't too bad. In fact, I thought that was pretty cheap. I loved the audio tour as well as the paintings the museum had up at the time. This museum makes you appreciate the simpler times the city of Amsterdam had enjoyed, minus the craziness of World War I and World War II. Enjoyable experience for me to learn what you don't read or see online. Impressed with the staff here, if there are any questions that you may have. Thanks Yelpers for giving me the confidence to go in and check things out! Definitely for locals and tourists to know more about Amsterdam and her history! If you have the time, come here! Much more enjoyable than sitting in front of your computer! Guaranteed! Support local! B+

Great museum to learn history of amsterdam. Great interactive content and very informative. The audio guide is great too gives a lot of information. The staff were friendly and helpful. Reasonable price.

I never get bored when I go to the museums in Amsterdam. There are more then fifty museums in Amsterdam geared towards local history, golden age paintings, modern art and impressive models of Dutch culture. I have visited Amsterdam museum a few times and it's always a plus in my book. Last Sunday I adored the experience once again. The exhibit was on the middle ages of Amsterdam to the present time. Amsterdam museum is about the history of the Netherlands. Focus primarily on the culture of Amsterdam. Visiting this museum is easy and convenient. You will find so many things to do in this area. For example here is a list of suggestions to get you acquainted with this busy tourist district. -Courtyard of the Museum - Visit Begijnhof -Shop on Kalverstraat -Visit local Restaurants - Enjoy tasty fries at Vleminckx Vlaamse friet -Enjoy a few local pubs and so on....

This museum is pretty large, and I definitely learned quite a bit about Amsterdam's history, but there were a lot of things that the museum could have done better, which a lot of people have already addressed. I will say that we had a very hard time finding the Entrance, so be sure and glance at the picture of it here. There is a courtyard and several different doors, and the actual Entrance door is a small sliding glass door so it didn't seem like more than a window to us. There are lockers for coats for a small fee if you have coins. Go if you've got a few hours to spare, but don't try to squeeze this in to a packed itinerary. Read a couple of pages on Wikipedia about the history and you come out about the same.

Sam L's review reminded me that I'd never written a review for this museum....we visited it twice, of which the second time was 3 1/2 years ago. I've been to Amsterdam eleven times and obviously I love it, so I feel this museum is a "must" for those who want a better understanding of the city's history. I really think visitors would have a heightened appreciation for Amsterdam after visiting the museum. My inclination would have been to give four stars instead of five, but there are two aspects of the museum that made me change my mind: the lovely interior courtyards and the wonderful/extensive selection in the bookstore.

Nice museum to discover the history of Amsterdam. It mostly contains paintings and wall diagrams showing different periods of city development. Combined with audioguide it leaves the impression of reading a book with illustrations.

Great kids exhibit on what an orphanage looks like Also great interactive quiz for the kids I the rest of the museum- seemed more suited for older kids

Amsterdam definitely has history. the museum reads kind of like a school project with a really good visual & audio timeline. if you're interested in learning about how Amsterdam became Amsterdam i highly recommend a visit to this museum. i do wish it gave a bit more information about the artist popular during the eras but there are plenty of other amazing museums in Amsterdam to see that. there was also an exhibit on Claude Vaneye's photography. Not sure if it's a permanent or temporary collection on "famous pop stars in amsterdam" this was fantastic. he does a superb job on capturing these high profile musicians on film. i thoroughly enjoyed it. because i was here for the first time on Museumnacht it was crowded and a bit hard to see everything on the Amsterdam timeline. i will definitely be going back to view it peacefully on my own. also, it's worth buying the museum card. for about 40 euros, i think (?) you get unlimited entrances to all the museums in Amsterdam for one year. worth every penny and there are LOTS of museums in this beautiful historic city!

This was a decent museum for learning about the city's history, but it could have been better organized. The audio tour was really awful in terms of where you could use it. I found myself getting bored.

Came back and got the museum pass this time- so of course we decided to revisit some museums, starting with this one. It's just as great as I remember. Someone described it as "rat maze like"- I found the Stedelijk to be like that, but not the Amsterdam Museum. There's a pretty clear path through the exhibits. Most people enter though the hall with the civic guard paintings (and the giant statue) and then you go in and get your tickets, and go up some stairs, and follow the history of Amsterdam from settlement, to now. There is so much here, it's hard to take it all in at one time. But this is a great place to start- so that when you go elsewhere, you have a timeline in your head.

Good museum with highly modern vibe which doesn't really much its content the history of Amsterdam. It has a lot of interactive audio equipment which is great for people with visual impairment. The Museum didn't have a big quantity of objects to look at.

Frames the history of Amsterdam well. This was an interesting museum since I didn't know much about the history of Amsterdam. There are a lot of interactive exhibits where you press your language card and watch a video. Unfortunately, although this is great in theory, it gets backlogged quite easily since only one language can be viewed at a time. Therefore, I skipped a lot of videos because I was not willing to wait. When I got back to the states most of the facts I learned about Amsterdam was what I learned from this museum. It is not an exceptionally large museum, but it is a good size. They had this cute exhibit where children curated it. I thought it was really interesting and a good opportunity for the children who participated. If you want to learn more about Amsterdam, you should visit this museum.

Great museum. Close to shopping. They have a free section and a paid section. Price is 13 euros. Easily can be done in 1-2 hours. Recommend.

I came here when I first moved here to get to know how this city (and it's cute little quirks) came to be. I was not disappointed. It has a natural flow to it by taking you thorough the full timeline of the city's existence all the way to present day. I guess that's the best way to do it. You'll learn about the city's origins, which canals are the oldest, bike culture, immigration, how generations of Amsterdammers lived, and more. I would highly recommend this museum to locals and tourists alike. Explanations and diagrams are largely in either English only or English and Dutch. PRO TIP: if you want to avoid the craziness of the iamsterdam sign at museum plein, there is an identical one in the courtyard of this museum around the corner from the entrance. It's largely empty and while the size of the sign is smaller, at least you're pretty guaranteed not to have your pic photobombed.

During our visit to Amsterdam, my father and I had a lot of questions over the history and how exactly the canals and buildings had been built. We went here looking for answers and found a lot more. The current exhibition is around the 'DNA of Amsterdam" which shows how the city started (a simple dam over the River Amstel) and how it progressed to being one of the most important ports in the world. It was an extremely informative, entertaining and engrossing exhibition. After we had finished, we went straight into the different ages of Amsterdam. My favourite was the 20th century and the liberation exhibition. The staff were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. I highly recommend this museum. Oh, it has free WiFi too!

We visited 10+ museums over a two week trip to the Low Countries and they were universally slick and neatly designed. This one was no exception. The overview of Amsterdam history in timeline form that they direct you to first is pretty comprehensive, and the exhibits are varied enough (art, artifacts, videos, etc) that you can spend an afternoon there without museum overload. The coverage of the 20th century was also much better, although I suppose that's to be expected in a city that is less focused on centuries-old history than, say, Ghent. Favorite exhibit: the WWII room, particularly the grim but fascinating film made by a group of Jewish hideaways.

This museum focuses mainly on the history of Amsterdam, as clearly reflected in the name. It is very interactive and takes full advantage of technology (like scanning barcodes, etc). It may be confusing at first on how to interact with the exhibits but just make sure to read the instructions when you first enter. The exhibits are a timeline and you start at the very beginning of when Amsterdam was founded and you watch a small village morph into the amazing city it is today. One of the museum's themes is "Amsterdam DNA" and it highlights the origin of many Dutch characteristics that we have are familiar with, (e.g. openness, entrepreneurship). My favorite is the time lapse video that shows how Amsterdam expanded and reclaimed land. You literally watch the city explode in size! I recommend this for tourists and locals alike. If you plan on visiting several museums, it may be wise to invest in a Museum Card.

I'm conflicted about this museum. On the one hand, I loved learning about Amsterdam. My husband and I, both history buffs, really enjoyed the collection and how the information was presented. The surroundings are beautifully designed, and the objects and art are fascinating. One the other hand, we never got the hang of the "DNA" interactive component. In fact, we didn't understand that it was only one exhibit in the larger museum. (We actually ran out of time to see everything else!) We couldn't even figure it out by watching other people, because no one else in the galleries was using it either. It's great that this museum is trying to showcase history in an innovative way. But I wish that the technological component was more intuitive. It's a missed opportunity, but one that I think can be corrected--perhaps with a staff member on site to get visitors started?

My apologies, AHM. This review rating is completely for the "Meh. I've experienced better". Heard so many wonderful things about this museum and especially the Amsterdam DNA. Indeed, the idea of such an interactive concentration of knowledge about a single city is appealing -- especially a city with a history like Amsterdam. But wow. Even as the English speaker in a group also containing Spanish and Italians, I was as lost as they were concerning how to use the interactive materials (and in some cases, even what purpose they served). The layout was bordering on sensible, and with a few tweaks would be much more straightforward in terms of orienting the visitor to the proper flow of the tour. However, either I missed some big explanation at the beginning, or the Amsterdam DNA was the closest-to-cool-but-finally-Meh museum experience I had in Amsterdam. I ended up rushing through the other collections, which seemed meager although thoughtfully laid out. I'd go back again, though, to see if I could have the experience everyone raves about, and to which I was so much looking forward.

Pretty cool place to spend some time and learn about the city. I'm studying here and visited the museum after my first week here. It was great way to become acquainted with my new home. I only saw a little bit of this place, but I especially liked the recreation of Amsterdam's first gay bar and the projected map that shows the expanding city boundaries and population across time. I didn't look at too much art since there are so many other art museums to visit for that sort of thing. However, I did see an awesome set of paintings Overall, this place is great for tourists, especially those who are history buffs. It isn't too big either, so you don't have enough space to get bored in. Three starts because though it's fun to walk through, if you miss this place it isn't the end of the world.

I didn't have the highest expectations of this place, I not sure why - I had yet to be let down by Amsterdam museum's. So I was very happy to find that I really enjoy my time going around here, it is very must a modern museum with a lot of interactive displace a must off what it is showing you is via video (my fav medium for learning stuff) and a well though out layout. Place is well worth going to

I really enjoyed the first part of the museum, Amsterdam DNA, which was a good overview of the highlights in Amsterdam's history in particular and the Netherlands in general. It struck the perfect balance between brevity and making sure they hit all the important points, and provided great insight into how the culture of Amsterdam evolved. I also loved the stations where you could watch videos in your language of choice by scanning the language-specific barcode on a little card you carried around. The rest of the museum was okay - nowhere near as interesting as the DNA Amsterdam exhibit, but it's more traditionally history museum-y and is good if you want more depth on any of Amsterdam's historical periods. I thought the audio tour (which costs a few euro extra) would be a good idea, but honestly, it's not worth it.

I was really impressed with this museum! amsterdam DNA goes through amsterdam's history and philosophy of the people. Visitor's get a "your DNA" card so that you can scan your code at different sites to hear an explanation in your language (seeing as to how many different cultures visit). Videos were projected onto glass screens with great animated visuals and information. You can see that there is a clear effort to make the exhibits interactive. One piece was a moving hologram projected over art pieces to bring the pieces to life. I also visited the little orphanage which is geared towards children and families. It was again interactive and clever. Overall, I loved the traditional artworks but was impressed by the clear desire for innovative methods of presenting museum materials. I really think nyc museums have a little something to learn here.

WOW! Awesome collection of items related to Amsterdam and you learn so much. Mix of painting, pottery and items. Would totally recommend

None of the reviews for this Museum I read on the Internet do justice to how good the experience is. I had thought it was going to be a bit boring but worthy history lesson. w While it is educational it is anything but dull. In fact it is a bit of a thrill ride though time and the breadth of what is covered is almost overwhelming. Whether you go in on auto pilot and just enjoy the spectacle or whether you go around and pay attention in class you will feel well satisfied. One of the high points of my trip to Amsterdam so far.

I wasn't expecting much from this museum but I was pleasantly surprised and blown away! I really enjoyed the Amsterdam DNA interactive exhibit. I've never seen anything like it, the idea of scanning a bar code and watching video clips in your home language. There's definitely a lot to digest, and if you could, I'd recommend making 2 visits. However, my fiancé and I didn't have much to do so we spent our entire afternoon here. Everything from the glory days of the Dutch to the legalization of soft drugs are covered here. Their exhibit on the Dutch's ties with Turkey was also quite interesting. Keep up the good work!

It was a nice museum, and a good way to spend a few hours. They have a free audio tour that comes with entrance to the museum, and there are some interesting displays. I think that perhaps the other museums may be a bit more comprehensive, but overall it was a pretty good time. :-)

This is one of my favorite museums in the city. It's got some wonderful interactive exhibits that are fun to experience and play with. It also does a great job at documenting how Amsterdam was born and grew over the years. It's also not so large as to be tiresome. It seems to have just the right amount of exhibits to keep it lively and interesting. It's also not as crowded as the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museums. It's worth coming back to multiple times.

I've been here several times since i moved in around the corner and it's really something else. I've taken visitors there and sent friends. It's a perfect mix of art, history, culture and everything you always wanted to know about our lovely city. I will be back soon!

A great visit for kids and their adults. The way the interactive technology was tied to the exhibits made the latter come alive. Too often museums' attempts come up short. This city has history. Come here and you'll get more than snippets. There was a special kids section too, but frankly the main exhibits we're enough entertainment. Amsterdam really has the best museums in the World ( after my hometown of DC).

I love history museums and stop at city museums as often as I can while traveling. Most city history museums lean too heavily towards specific information that would only be interesting to a local and expect a certain level of local knowledge, which often outside visitors do not posses. The Amsterdam Museum does a great job of giving a good quick overview on the physical, social, and political aspect of the city's history with interesting interactive exhibits and films. If you would like more information after this intro you can continue to the more detailed oriented part of the museum that would appeal more to locals. Either way it's great.

I found this museum a little too "rat maze" for me. Go up the stairs to start, go back downstairs for the more contemporary temporary show, but once you go downstairs through the weirdly lit bright orange hallway (which I thought must have been the start of the contemporary show, but no, apparently they just like orange, as in "house of orange", the ruling class of Amsterdam back in the day). Anyway, through the orange haze that then turns into an orange hallway with mirrors giving it a funhouse effect. Okay, through that, back up some stairs and there you are in the Transmission show. This show has transgender/transvestite/transexual themes and there is a glossary of terms on the wall explaining the different types of gender and gender association and identification. There is also a photo exhibit featuring the work of two Amsterdam photographers who both apparently encountered the same transvestite/transgender subject, one encountered the subject in the park walking the dog, and the other at the hospital for sexual reassignment. I don't really know what I think of this show. The topic is not new to me after living in the Bay Area of SF for over 10 years, To me when a photographer gloms on to a 'flamboyant' subject, it is more about the flamboyance than the meat of the issue or the talent of the photographer. The photographer doesn't have to do much with a subject who is getting off vogueing for the camera. This is falling for the surface appeal of a character and not allowing the viewer to see what is behind the mask. The subject can deflect examination with the smoke and mirrors of performing for the camera. There is a real person there and this a person of a certain age that most likely had a lot of suffering earlier in life before society was aware or tolerant of such things. To make it through that harshness and emerge on the other end fully embracing yourself is the story but that story isn't told, it's all about the wig and the costume and the make-up. It is lazy on the photographer's part and I was left feeling cheated because it may have been a series of portraits but they were not too revealing. What was kind of cool about the show, however, is that the brochure invites commentary and suggestions for other inclusions. The viewer is invited to email the curator about other things to add or submit their own story. I think there must be a much more powerful story out there to be told and this show is inviting that story to have a voice. So, while I didn't think this show was very good overall, I see a curator who is willing to consider tweaking it and building from this point and moving forward with this work in progress. For the other part of the museum featuring the history of Amsterdam, I found it surprisingly light on content and too heavy with narrated short film clips and interactive activities. Some of that is good, but this museum seemed to rely on it too much. Perhaps this venue is more geared for school field trips and if so, then it is probably entirely appropriate. I just found it tiresome that everything was 'dumbed down' for a 3 second attention span. Maybe that's just me.

When I went there they had the Amsterdam DNA exhibition which was excellent. The rest of the museum was good. A great way to get to know Amsterdam. BTW my audio tour was a waste of money

Amsterdam is great, but expensive (if you're not willing to be stoned 24/7 because the weed is cheap!) so the sex museum was a fantastic surprise. Cheap and entertaining. No, it is not the Anne frank house (which if you're interested is a must) however it is great fun and guarantees a laugh or two! Was €4 on my last visit, particularly perfect if you find Amsterdam is taking your euros away too quickly!

Great museum for kids and adults! I spent the WHOLE day here with my 7 and 11 year old children and they never complained "I'm BORED" like often happens during a museum day. We began at the kids exhibit about the history of the building as an orphanage which is aimed at kids under 12. It was great with interactive wrist bands that made the exhibits talk to us (script varies depending on child's age). The rest of the museum was a great balance of art, objects, and interpretive displays. Some of the more unusual displays were a bar started by a lesbian and one of the first white "smart cars". The special exhibit was one called "Amsterdam DNA" which was definitely a self-aggrandizing tale of Amsterdam but that's OK. The cafe is large and has a reasonable assortment of food at fair prices. Glad we spent the day here!

Last summer (2013) I visited a number of museums in Amsterdam. This is just one of them. Not too boring, but not exciting either.

A good museum with lots of information about the history of Amsterdam. Well set up with lots of information in the movies. The queues were not long as we went round.