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, EYE Film, H’ART Museum, 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 10 museums offering free entry up to 12 years old: the COBRA museum, Diamond Museum, FOAM, Groote Museum, Maritime Museum, Micropia, Museum of the Mind, STRAAT Museum, Tot Zover and van Eesteren 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 museums is less than the I Amsterdam card – and some of the attractions are more adult-oriented.
| Most museums + city transport | Includes attractions + tours |
| I amsterdam City Card | GO City Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass |
 |  |
| 1/2/3/4/5 days | 1/2/3/5 days |
| 24 hours basis | calendar day basis |
| €65/€90/€108/€123/€135 | €99/€119/€144/€194 |
| 70 museums + 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 for children such as treasure hunts (speurtocht).
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 |
| EYE Film Exhibition | 0-17 | IAMS MK |
| H’ART Museum | 0-17 | IAMS GO 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 |
| COBRA Museum | 0-12 | 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 | IAMS |
| Tot Zover Museum | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
| Van Eesteren Museum | 0-12 | MK |
| Cat Cabinet | 0-11 | – |
| Nieuwe Kerk | 0-11 | IAMS GO MK |
| Embassy of the Free Mind | 0-10 | IAMS MK |
| Nxt Museum | 0-10 | – |
| Anne Frank House | 0-9 (€1 supplement) | MK |
| MOCO Museum | 0-6 | IAMS GO |
| Verzets Resistance Museum | 0-6 | IAMS MK |
| Body Worlds Amsterdam | 0-5 | – |
| 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 | – |
| 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 |
| The Upside Down Amsterdam | 0-2 | GO |
| WONDR Experience Amsterdam | 0-2 | GO |
| Madame Tussauds Amsterdam | 0-1 | GO |
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 29 January 2025. This article was first published in 2013 and has been regularly updated.
