Is the Stedelijk worth your Amsterdam museum slot?
The Stedelijk stands at Museumplein 10, the third point of the museum triangle, its 2012 extension — Amsterdammers never settled for anything but 'the bathtub' — gleaming white behind the 19th-century brick of the original building. It is the Netherlands' national museum of modern and contemporary art: Mondrian's road to abstraction, De Stijl, Cobra, Malevich, Warhol, and a superb design collection, all hung in a building you can genuinely finish in two hours. Tickets start at $26 booked, under-19s go free, and of the three Museumplein giants this is the one you can still decide about at lunchtime. It rounds out the museums in Amsterdam trio better than any workaround.
About This Experience
Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam — beside the Van Gogh Museum, across from the Concertgebouw
Trams 2, 5, 7, 8 or 12 to Van Baerlestraat or Rijksmuseum
Daily from 10:00; closing times shift seasonally — the quietest hours are weekday afternoons
€22.50 adults official, under-19s free, free audio guide included; booked from $26
Mondrian's evolution to total abstraction and the Malevich room, with the Whiteley marble hall under the bathtub
Check Live Availability & Prices
Timed booking is recommended but the Stedelijk rarely runs dry — current prices below.
Which Stedelijk Ticket to Pick
The plain entry ticket is the right purchase for almost everyone: €22.50 official, audio guide included, under-19s free, and a collection that explains itself well. Where a guide earns its keep is context — Cobra's post-war revolt, De Stijl's utopian arithmetic and the design floors reward storytelling more than the average visitor expects. The private guided format (with an optional Rijksmuseum extension from the same guide) suits art-focused groups; solo travellers do perfectly well with the audio guide and two hours.
- Standard timed ticket — €22.50 official, $26 booked; the audio guide is included, which is rare at this price.
- Private guided tour — about two hours with a specialist, extendable into the Rijksmuseum; the deep-dive format.
- Museumkaart / City Card — both cover entry; reserve the free slot online as the desk queue says.
All Stedelijk Tickets and Tours
Entry plus the guided options, including the Rijksmuseum double.
from $26
Stedelijk Museum Entry Ticket
Entry to the Netherlands' main modern-art museum: Mondrian, De Stijl, Cobra, Warhol and the Whiteley marble hall, in the bathtub-shaped extension.
- Modern & contemporary art
- Mondrian to Warhol
- Under-18s free
from $283
Stedelijk Guided Private Tour
A private two-hour guided tour of the Stedelijk, with the option to extend the day into the Rijksmuseum with the same guide.
- Private guide
- Rijksmuseum option
- 2 hours on the top floors
Side by Side
| Ticket | Format | Price | Book | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timed Entry | Self-paced, ~2 hours | $26 | Check Availability | 4.4★ | Everyone; audio guide included |
| Private Guided Tour | ~2 hours, Rijks option | $283 | Check Availability | — | Groups who want the whole story |
What You'll See
The collection runs from 19th-century painting to work made this year, but its spine is Dutch. The Mondrian rooms trace the whole journey from windmills-in-oil to the grid; the De Stijl and Cobra cabinets sit close by; the Malevich canvases anchor one of the strongest Russian-avant-garde groups outside Russia. The design floors — chairs, posters, industrial objects from Rietveld's own Red and Blue chair onward — are the quiet revelation, and the marbled stair hall of the old building, with Willem de Kooning's enormous painting at its head, is the best photo you are allowed to take.
- The Mondrian sequence — evolution on one wall, ending at the grid, better told here than anywhere in the country.
- Malevich and the avant-garde — a room of Russian painting that alone justifies the ticket for art travellers.
- The design floors — Rietveld, Gispen, Droog and the present: the Netherlands arguing with itself about objects for a century.
- Cobra & post-war — the Danish-Dutch revolt of colour and crude line, hung to be understood, not just survived.
- De Kooning in the old hall — the marble staircase under the 19th-century brick, the museum's grandest moment.
How a Visit Flows
-
First hour
The bathtub's top floor backwards
Most visitors start at the ground and thin out by the time they reach the strong rooms. Go up first and walk down against the current.
-
Mid-visit
Mondrian to Malevich
The two pilasters of the collection sit a floor apart; an hour covers both without hurry.
-
Last stretch
The design floors
Give them twenty minutes even if design is not your lane — the Rietveld chair sequence is the fastest history lesson in the building.
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After
Concertgebouw or the lawn
Across the square the Concertgebouw's café terrace is open to non-concertgoers; the lawn handles the rest.
Know Before You Go
- €22.50 adults official; under-19s free; Museumkaart and City Card both valid with a free reserved slot.
- Free audio guide included in every ticket — collect it at the desk in the bathtub's underbelly.
- Opening from 10:00 daily; weekday afternoons are reliably calm even in season.
- Photography without flash is fine in the permanent collection.
- The bathtubs' smooth white walls are climbable for photos from the square — the city's most patient selfie backdrop.
Where You're Headed
Stedelijk Museum FAQ
How much are Stedelijk Museum tickets?
€22.50 for adults on the official site, with under-19s free and a free audio guide included. Platform-booked tickets run from $26. Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card holders enter free with a reserved slot.
Do Stedelijk tickets sell out?
Almost never. Unlike the Van Gogh next door, the Stedelijk's timed booking is a queue-management tool, not a scarcity one — you can usually decide at lunchtime and book the same afternoon.
How long do you need at the Stedelijk?
Two hours covers the collection properly; ninety minutes works if you skip the temporary exhibition. It is the most finishable of the three Museumplein museums, which is exactly why it pairs well as the third visit of a day rather than the first.
Is the Stedelijk good with kids?
Under-19s enter free and the design floors hold attention better than most modern-art hangings, but this is still a museum of looking. For hands-on energy, NEMO remains the family anchor; the Stedelijk is the one to add when the children are older.
What Visitors Say
A real surprise after the crowds elsewhere on the square — the Mondrian rooms and the design floors were worth the trip on their own.
Excellent modern collection and the audio guide was included, which made it easy to just start walking.
The bathtub is odd from outside and works inside. Two hours and we saw everything without once feeling herded.