
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 8 museums which give free entrance to those aged 17 and under – Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk, EYE Film, Huis Marseille, Luther Museum, the Royal Palace, Van Gogh Museum and Willet-Holthuysen Museum. These could be the ones to target if you are on a tight budget.

There are a further 7 museums offering free entry up to 12 years old including the ARTIS Groote Museum, ARTIS Micropia, Diamond Museum, FOAM 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 attractions + city transport | Includes children’s version | Includes Van Gogh Museum |
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I amsterdam City Card | GO City Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass | Tiqets Amsterdam Digital Pass |
1/2/3/4/5 days | 1/2/3/5 days | package deal |
€65 – €135 | €59 – €119 | €62 |
70 attractions + transport + canal cruise + bike rental | Over 25 attractions/tours + canal cruise + bike rental | Rijksmuseum + Van Gogh Museum + canal cruise |
excludes Anne Frank House / Van Gogh Museum / tours | excludes Anne Frank House / Van Gogh Museum / transport | excludes any other attractions |
Book here | Book here | Book here |
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 Resistance Museum Junior, the Tropenmuseum Junior and the Jewish Museum Junior.
Free Child Entrance to Museums in Amsterdam (with age range)
IAMS = I Amsterdam City Card / MK = Museumkaart
MUSEUM | CHILD AGES FREE ENTRY | Card FREE ENTRY? |
---|---|---|
Rijksmuseum | 0-18 | IAMS MK |
Stedelijk Museum | 0-18 | IAMS MK |
EYE Film | 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 Museum | 0-17 | IAMS MK |
Diamond Museum | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
FOAM Photography Museum | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
ARTIS Groote Museum | 0-12 | IAMS MK |
ARTIS Micropia | 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 | – |
Hermitage 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 | MK |
Our House | 0-6 | – |
MOCO Museum | 0-6 | IAMS |
RTXP Amsterdam | 0-6 | – |
Verzets Resistance Museum | 0-6 | IAMS MK |
Body Worlds Amsterdam | 0-5 | – |
COBRA Museum | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
Fashion For Good Museum | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
Jewish Cultural Quarter | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
Museum of the Canals | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
Oude Kerk | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
Rembrandt House Museum | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
Tropenmuseum | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
Van Loon Museum | 0-5 | IAMS MK |
Allard Pierson Museum | 0-4 | IAMS MK |
Fabrique des Lumières | 0-4 | – |
Houseboat Museum | 0-4 | IAMS |
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 |
Dutch Maritime Museum | 0-3 | IAMS MK |
NEMO Science Museum | 0-3 | IAMS MK |
Rembrandt’s Amsterdam | 0-3 | – |
Youseum Amsterdam | 0-3 | – |
ARTIS Zoo | 0-2 | IAMS |
Living Horse Museum | 0-2 | MK |
The UpsideDown Amsterdam | 0-2 | – |
With many museums now charging €20-€25 it certainly makes sense to plan your itinerary in advance and take advantage of the more generous free entry policies.
Last updated 30 March 2023. This article was first published in 2013 and has been regularly updated.