Anne Frank, Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum: When to Book Each

Book the Anne Frank House first and earliest: every ticket is released online at 10:00 Amsterdam time on Tuesdays for visits six weeks later, and good slots go quickly. The Van Gogh Museum is online-only too, so book it two to four weeks ahead in spring and summer, sooner for weekends. The Rijksmuseum is the most forgiving: a few days ahead is usually enough outside summer weekends.

Anne Frank House: six weeks out, on a Tuesday

The Anne Frank House is the one you plan your trip around, because there is no second chance once a date sells out. The museum's own rule is simple: every Tuesday at 10:00 (Amsterdam time), all tickets for the visit date six weeks later go on sale, and only on annefrank.org. There is no ticket desk at the door, no waiting list and no refund or rescheduling, even if your train is cancelled.

Work out your release Tuesday. Count back six weeks from your visit date and put 10:00 Amsterdam time in your calendar, converted to your own time zone. Travelers often get caught by the time difference and log on hours late. Guides that track the release say you may be placed in an online queue before you can pick a time, so be logged in early with a card ready (the museum takes bank or credit cards only).

Prices, October 2026. €16.50 for adults, €7 for ages 10 to 17 and €1 for ages 0 to 9, all including a €1 booking fee. Museumkaart holders pay the €1 fee but still need a timed ticket, and the I amsterdam City Card gets no discount. The optional 30-minute introductory program in English adds €7.

Ignore tour sellers. The museum warns that look-alike websites sell invalid tickets and that commercial "Anne Frank tours" do not include entry. If a walking tour promises the house, it is showing you the outside.

Use the late hours. The house is open 9:00 to 22:00 on most days, which is the trick for stressed planners: an evening slot leaves the whole day free for the two Museumplein museums.

Van Gogh Museum: weeks ahead, not days

The Van Gogh Museum sells only timed tickets online, and in busy months the slots you want are gone well before you arrive. Its tickets page is blunt: no start time, no entry, and that applies to under-18s and Museumkaart holders who get in free.

How far ahead. The museum does not publish a sell-out window, so this part comes from booking guides and traveler reports. The pattern they describe is consistent: between roughly March and October, and on weekends and school holidays at any time, slots disappear days to weeks in advance. Booking two to four weeks ahead for a spring or summer visit, and as soon as your dates are fixed for a summer weekend, is the safe call. In quieter winter weeks travelers report finding weekday slots with only a few days' notice.

Prices. €25 for adults (rising to €26 from 1 January 2027), €16 for students with a card, free under 18. The museum stopped accepting the I amsterdam City Card in 2022.

If it's sold out. Buy only from tickets.vangoghmuseum.com or the resellers the museum lists (Tours & Tickets, GetYourGuide, Tiqets, Musement and Klook), because the museum warns that criminals sell fake tickets elsewhere. Booking guides note that cancelled slots come back regularly, so check again a few days before. The Friday late opening to 21:00 on most weeks is another way in.

Rijksmuseum: days, with one exception

The Rijksmuseum needs a booked start time, but it is the least likely of the three to block your trip. Its visit page says everyone, including free under-18s and Museumkaart holders, needs a start time, and that tickets are sold at the entrance only while they last. Its own FAQ says tickets come online only, so treat the door as a gamble rather than a plan.

How far ahead. For most weekdays a few days is enough, according to guides that track availability. The exception is a summer weekend or a big temporary exhibition, when the popular morning slots go first. Book those two to four weeks ahead.

Pick your hour. The museum says it is quieter before 11:00 and after 15:30, and that Tuesday and Wednesday are relatively quiet days. Adult tickets are €25 and it is open 9:00 to 17:00 daily.

Putting the three together

Lock in the Anne Frank House first, because its date is fixed by a single release. Then book the Van Gogh Museum around it, and the Rijksmuseum last. The two art museums face each other on Museumplein, so a Van Gogh morning slot and a Rijksmuseum afternoon slot (or the reverse) fit one day. An evening Anne Frank ticket can go on that day or the next.

A booking timeline that works. Six weeks out on a Tuesday: the Anne Frank House. Two to four weeks out: the Van Gogh Museum (earlier for summer weekends). A few days to a week out: the Rijksmuseum. All three are non-refundable on the official sites, so book once your dates are firm.

For where to stay near Museumplein, the canal-belt sights worth pairing with the Anne Frank House and the quieter museums the crowds skip, see our Amsterdam travel guide.