Things to do near the Rijksmuseum

The national museum of the Netherlands is also the country’s largest, and boasts a collection of Dutch, European and international art that, in terms of sheer quality, puts it right up there with the likes of the Louvre and St Petersburg’s State Hermitage. 

You’ll find the Rijksmuseum in (where else?) the Museum District, right in the heart of the city. Step inside to experience world-renowned works of art including the museum’s centerpiece: The Night Watch. This Dutch Golden Age masterpiece by local lad Rembrandt is so awe-inspiring that it has a gallery all to itself! Elsewhere in the museum, you can ogle similarly stunning landmark pieces by the likes of Vermeer, Tintoretto, El Greco, Rubens, and van Dijk.

The Rijksmuseum and many more must-see Amsterdam attractions are included with the Amsterdam pass from Go City, which can save you up to 50% on regular admission prices. Click here to find out more.

And so, without further ado, here’s our pick of all of the *other* great things to do near the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam…

If you’re going to take in just one show when in Amsterdam, make it a performance at the 19th-century Royal Concertgebouw, just the other side of the Museumplein from the Rijksmuseum. The pin-drop acoustics inside the grand auditorium are considered some of the best on the planet for classical music performances, and it’s where you can hear symphonies by the renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra exactly as they’re meant to be heard. Book your seat well in advance, and nab tickets for free weekday lunchtime recitals for the win. 

Still in the museum district, the Stedelijk is where it’s at for modern and contemporary art and design – think Matisse, Warhol, Pollock, Picasso, Rothko, Kandinsky and Lichtenstein, to name just a few. Expect paintings, sculptures, installations, graphic design and more. The nearby Moco Museum, set in a striking townhouse overlooking Museumplein, brings us bang up to date with iconic pieces by Banksy, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and others.

Pro-tip: admission to both galleries is included with the Go City Amsterdam pass.

We’re in the capital of the Netherlands, so of course there has to be a museum dedicated to the work of the Post-Impressionist Dutch maestro. You’ll find the Van Gogh Museum just a few minutes walk from the Rijksmuseum in (where else?) the Museumplein. Inside, the world’s largest collection of van Gogh artifacts – including paintings, sketches and letters – features trademark van Gogh motifs galore, including sunflowers, almond blossoms, irises, wheat fields and, of course, selfies.

Don’t miss dark early masterpiece The Potato Eaters, then brighten your day by bathing in the pin-perfect artistry of Sunflowers and Self Portrait with Pipe. You can also view notable works by van Gogh’s influences and contemporaries, including paintings by Toulouse-Lautrec and Monet, and sculptures by Rodin. Be sure to pick up reproductions of your favorite van Gogh pieces in a dozen different formats (print, poster, notepad, mug) at the excellent gift shop.

All that art and culture left you thirsty? You’re in luck. Fans of the amber nectar will be in seventh heaven at the Heineken Experience, a tour and – yes – tasting experience at the original Heineken brewery, just along the canal from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Step inside this monolithic red-brick edifice, where guides will whisk you around the decommissioned brewing equipment, including Insta-perfect giant copper stills, and clue you in on the beer-brewing process.

You’ll get a chance to see, touch and sniff raw ingredients like hops before – thirst well and truly worked-up – the tour concludes in the tasting room with not one but two complimentary glasses of the good stuff. Proost!

You’re never far from world-class art in Amsterdam, and there’s plenty more eye candy to ogle in the city’s largest urban park: the Vondelpark. Take a walk 15 minutes west of the Rijksmuseum to check out the abstract (and huge!) concrete Picasso sculpture Figure découpée (aka L’oiseau/The Bird), and the towering bronze statue of park namesake Joost van den Vondel.

There’s plenty more you can see and do here, too. Stroll the park’s 120 acres to seek out its 70-or-so sculptures and statues, stop to smell the flowers in the spectacular rose garden, and scratch your selfie itch at the riverside Riekermolen windmill. 

In summer, the park’s magical Openluchttheater hosts live open-air events from theater to stand-up comedy and kids entertainment, while picnicking families sprawl in the shade of lofty poplars.

Set on the banks of the Prinsengracht canal a couple of clicks north of the Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House is – perhaps unsurprisingly – the most moving of all of Amsterdam’s museums. Visitors can step inside the warehouse’s secret annex, the Frank family’s hiding place during World War II, as described in heartrending detail in Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl.

There’s also an insightful exhibition that explores the Holocaust, viewed through the lens of Anne’s diaries. Harrowing but essential stuff.

Not far from Anne Frank House, Dam Square is home to several more must-see Amsterdam attractions, not least the neo-gothic Nieuwe Kerk. Admire its splendid 15th-century architecture and striking stained-glass windows and be sure to catch the regular exhibitions and recitals held here.

Right next door, the Royal Palace (pictured) is a flamboyant throwback to the Dutch Golden Age that’s still used for official royal receptions to this day. You can take audio tours of this baroque confection when it’s not being used by people with more money and influence than you. The kind of people, in fact that you can meet at Amsterdam’s outpost of Madame Tussauds, where King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are rendered in wax alongside Hollywood A-listers, Dutch sporting legends, and Marvel’s Avengers.

Looking for more things to do near the Rijksmuseum? Save on your sightseeing with the Amsterdam pass, which can cut the cost of entry to tours, activities and attractions in half! Hit the buttons below to find out more and to bag your Amsterdam pass...