Are you planning to visit Amsterdam with children? The following is a listing of museums in Amsterdam that give children and young adults free entry.
As you will see below, there is a wide discrepancy of age ranges for museums offering free entrance. By careful planning you could potentially save a significant amount of money.
Amsterdam has a wide-range of museums that can provide visual, historical and educational stimulus for kids as well as plenty of fun activities.
There are 10 museums which give free entrance to those aged 17 and under – Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk, Amsterdam Museum @H’ART, COBRA Museum, EYE Film, Huis Marseille, Luther Museum, the Royal Palace, Van Gogh Museum and Willet-Holthuysen House. These could be the ones to target if you are on a tight budget.
There are a further 9 museums offering free entry up to 12 years old including the ARTIS Groote Museum, ARTIS Micropia, Diamond Museum, FOAM, Maritime Museum and STRAAT Museum.
It should be noted that the museums and attractions that are of particular special interest to children – such as NEMO Science Museum, ARTIS Zoo and Johan Cruyff ArenA – only allow very young children free entry.
If you wish to visit some of these it may be worth investing in an I Amsterdam City Card for you and your child(ren) – this offers free entry to most of Amsterdam’s main museums and attractions and we have marked this in the table below. You can get value from this card but only if you plan to visit multiple museums.
Alternatively, the GO City card offers a children’s version of their card – however the selection of attractions is less than the I Amsterdam card.
| Most museums + city transport | Includes children’s version |
 |  |
| I amsterdam City Card | GO City Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass |
| 1/2/3/4/5 days | 1/2/3/5 days |
| €60 – €125 | €59 – €124 |
| 70 attractions + transport + canal cruise + bike rental | Over 25 attractions/tours + canal cruise + bike rental |
| excludes Anne Frank House / Van Gogh Museum / tours | excludes Anne Frank House / Van Gogh Museum / transport |
| Book here | Book here |
| I amsterdam City Card info | GO City Amsterdam Pass info |
Dutch residents should certainly invest in a Museumkaart for themselves and their children. Since this card is valid on an annual basis it is easy to get good value. Note, this card is difficult for non-residents to purchase.
Many Amsterdam museums offer special activities (such as treasure hunts) for children.
Also note that 3 museums have a separate children’s section – the Verzetsmuseum Junior, the Wereldmuseum Junior and the Jewish Museum Junior.
Free Child Entrance to Museums in Amsterdam (with age range)
IAMS = I Amsterdam City Card / MK = Museumkaart / GO = Go City Amsterdam All Inclusive
| MUSEUM | CHILD AGES FREE ENTRY | Card FREE ENTRY? |
|---|---|---|
| Rijksmuseum | 0-18 | IAMS GO MK |
| Stedelijk Museum | 0-18 | IAMS GO MK |
| Amsterdam Museum @H’ART | 0-17 | IAMS MK |
| COBRA Museum | 0-17 | IAMS MK |
| EYE Film Exhibition | 0-17 | IAMS MK |
| Huis Marseille | 0-17 | IAMS MK |
| Luther Museum | 0-17 | IAMS MK |
| Royal Palace | 0-17 | MK |
| Van Gogh Museum | 0-17 | MK |
| Willet-Holthuysen House | 0-17 | IAMS MK |
| Diamond Museum | 0-12 | IAMS GO MK |
| FOAM Photography Museum | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
| Groote Museum @ARTIS | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
| Micropia @ARTIS | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
| National Maritime Museum | 0-12 | IAMS GO MK |
| Museum of the Mind (Outsider Art) | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
| STRAAT Museum | 0-12 | – |
| Tot Zover Museum | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
| Van Eesteren Museum | 0-12 | MK |
| Cat Cabinet | 0-11 | – |
| H’ART Museum Amsterdam | 0-11 | IAMS MK |
| Nieuwe Kerk | 0-11 | IAMS MK |
| Embassy of the Free Mind | 0-10 | IAMS MK |
| Anne Frank House | 0-9 (€1 supplement) | MK |
| Our House | 0-6 | GO |
| MOCO Museum | 0-6 | IAMS GO |
| RTXP Amsterdam | 0-6 | GO |
| Verzets Resistance Museum | 0-6 | IAMS MK |
| Body Worlds Amsterdam | 0-5 | – |
| Da Vinci Genius | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
| Fashion For Good Museum | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
| Jewish Cultural Quarter | 0-5 | IAMS GO MK |
| Museum of the Canals | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
| Oude Kerk | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
| Rembrandt House Museum | 0-5 | IAMS GO MK |
| Van Loon Museum | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
| Wereldmuseum Amsterdam | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
| The Allard Pierson | 0-4 | IAMS MK |
| Fabrique des Lumières | 0-4 | – |
| Houseboat Museum | 0-4 | IAMS GO |
| Johan Cruyff ArenA Stadium Tour | 0-4 | IAMS |
| Museum Vrolik | 0-4 | – |
| Nxt Museum | 0-4 | – |
| Op Solder Museum | 0-4 | IAMS MK |
| Het Schip Museum | 0-4 | IAMS MK |
| NEMO Science Museum | 0-3 | IAMS MK |
| Rembrandt’s Amsterdam | 0-3 | GO |
| ARTIS Zoo | 0-2 | IAMS |
| Living Horse Museum | 0-2 | MK |
| Madame Tussauds Amsterdam | 0-2 | GO |
| The Upside Down Amsterdam | 0-2 | – |
| WONDR Experience Amsterdam | 0-2 | – |
These days many museums/attractions are charging anything up to €28 for standard entrance with a slight discount for older children. It does make some sense to plan your itinerary carefully in order to benefit from some of the more generous free children’s entry policies.
Last updated 16 January 2024. This article was first published in 2013 and has been regularly updated.
