This is a list of the museums in Amsterdam which had the most visitors in the calendar year 2023.
Visitor numbers were up significantly in 2023 as this was the first year since 2019 without any restrictions and lockdowns. Here are the numbers:
Museums in Amsterdam with Most Visitors 2023
| Rank | Museum | 2023 Visitors | 2022 Visitors |
| 1 | Rijksmuseum | 2,702,824 | 1,765,661 |
| 2 | Van Gogh Museum | 1,686,766 | 1,364,023 |
| 3 | Anne Frank House | 1,208,646 | 887,121 |
| 4 | MOCO Museum | 769,324 | 671,402 |
| 5 | NEMO Science Museum | 727,737 | 566,363 |
| 6 | Stedelijk | 603,675 | 440,000 |
| 7 | Scheepvaart Museum | 333,447 | 257,870 |
| 8 | Royal Palace | 303,839 | 200,750 |
| 9 | Rembrandt House | 226,304 | 153,614 |
| 10 | STRAAT Museum | 200,000 | 118,000 |
| 11 | Nieuwe Kerk | 167,170 | 141,245 |
| 12 | Wereldmuseum Amsterdam | 149,780 | 133,710 |
| 13 | Hermitage/H’ART Museum | 126,239 | 88,640 |
Data Sources: Visitor numbers have been sourced from the museums themselves – either through press releases, annual reports (“bezoeker cijfers”) or via direct contact. Some museums only offer rounded-up figures rather than exact numbers. Data and rankings collated by AmsterdamTips.com. More details below.
Notes for top visited Amsterdam Museums 2023
1. Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum is the most important museum in the Netherlands. Its rich collection includes paintings from renowned Dutch masters Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen. It has some 80 rooms displaying no less than 8,000 works of art and historical objects.
The Rijksmuseum is consistently ranked number 1 as the most visited museum in Amsterdam.
In 2023 Rijksmuseum had a record 2.7 million visitors surpassing the previous 2019 record year and a 53% increase from 2022.
This was mainly due to the sell-out Vermeer exhibition which ran for 4 months and attracted 650,000 visitors – making it the most popular exhibition in the history of the museum.
Around 1 million (37%) of the 2023 Rijksmuseum visitors were Netherlands residents. US visitors accounted for 12% of the visits whilst France and Germany made up 7% each.
473,000 visitors (18%) were children – not surprising as the Rijksmuseum offers free entry children aged 0-18.
Data sources: Rijksmuseum annual report 2022, press release 14 Dec 2023 and Art Paper Visitor Figures 2023 survey.
2. Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum has the world’s largest collection of paintings from infamous Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890).
Van Gogh Museum received 1.69 million visitors in 2023 – a 24% increase on 2022.
A current cap in visitor numbers is in place which has meant attendance is slightly down on the years 2016-2019 when annual visitors exceeded 2 million.
The Van Gogh Museum has a more international visitor base than the Rijksmuseum. 341,000 (20.2%) of the 2023 visitors were Netherlands residents. The next popular visitor countries were USA (14.1%), UK (7.2%), Italy (6.4%), France (6.2%) and Germany (5.6%).
Data sources: Van Gogh Museum annual reports 2022 and 2023.
3. Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House Museum is the house on Prinsengracht, Amsterdam in which the young girl Anne Frank (1929-1945) and seven others hid in a secret annex during the German occupation in WW2. It was here where Anne wrote her world-famous diary which was published after her death.
The Anne Frank House Museum received nearly 1.21 million visitors in 2023 – an increase of 36% on 2022.
This is close to the record 1.3 million visitors the museum had in 2019. With the relatively small size of the museum the Anne Frank House is probably close to its capacity.
Data source: Anne Frank House Museum press page.
4. MOCO Museum
The MOCO Museum is an independent contemporary art museum opened in 2016. It is best known for featuring works by UK street artist Banksy and other contemporary artists. MOCO is located in the Villa Alsberg townhouse on Museumplein, nextdoor to the Van Gogh Museum.
In a relatively short time the MOCO has established itself as a popular Amsterdam visitor attraction and is firmly placed in the top 5.
MOCO Museum received an impressive 769,324 visitors in 2023, up 15% on 2022.
Data source: Direct contact with MOCO Museum press office.
5. NEMO Science Museum
The NEMO Science Museum is a very popular science and technology museum located in green building designed by Renzo Piano. It is primarily aimed at children and attracts a lot of school groups.
There are hands-on science-themed exhibitions over 4 floors with shows and demonstrations. There is a large roof terrace (free entry) which offers good views of Amsterdam.
NEMO received a record 727,737 visitors in 2023, up 28% on 2022. This is the first year over the 700,000 level breaking the previous 2017 record of 665,649 visitors.
Data sources: NEMO annual report 2022; NEMO Jaaroverzicht 2023 page
6. Stedelijk
The Stedelijk Museum is a Amsterdam’s modern and contemporary art museum. The permanent collection includes pre-war works, avant-garde, De Stijl and pop-art.
Visitor numbers came in at just over 600,000 in 2023, an increase of 37% on 2022. However this is significantly below the 2014 record of 816,000.
Data sources: Stedelijk annual reports 2022 and 2023.
7. Scheepvaart Museum
The Dutch National Maritime Museum (Scheepvaartmuseum) is found in the eastern docklands area of Amsterdam. This modern museum presents Dutch maritime history and includes the probably the world’s finest collection of atlases and globes.
The Scheepvaartmuseum received 333,447 visitors in 2023, an increase of 29% from 2022. The 2023 figures are split as 283,210 museum visitors and 50,237 event visitors.
Data sources: direct contact and Scheepvaartmuseum annual reports 2023 and 2022.
8. Royal Palace Amsterdam
The Royal Palace Amsterdam (Koninklijk Paleis) is the palace building on Dam Square which was built as Amsterdam Town Hall in the 17th century.
The palace is open to the public and its remarkable 30m high Citizen’s Hall (Burgerzaal) contains the largest maps in the world.
The Royal Palace received 303,839 visitors in 2023, an increase of 51% from 2022. In 2023 it was open for 229 days of the calendar year. Visitors were split as 30.8% Netherlands residents and 69.2% foreign residents.
Interestingly Royal Palace published that 43,139 visitors (14%) in 2023 entered for free using a Museumkaart.
Data sources: Paleis Amsterdam Jaaroverzicht 2023 and 2022.
9. Rembrandt House Museum
The Rembrandt House Museum is the house in Amsterdam where renowned Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) lived and worked.
It contains an excellent collection of Rembrandt etchings and holds temporary exhibitions of other Dutch artists from the Golden Age period.
The Rembrandt House Museum welcomed 226,304 visitors in 2023, an increase of 47% from 2022. Top country visitors were Netherlands (18.5%), USA (15.9%), France (10.0%), Germany (7.2%) and Italy (4.2%).
Data source: Rembrandt House Museum annual report 2023.
10. STRAAT Museum
STRAAT Museum is a street art museum located in a former shipping warehouse at NDSM-wharf in Amsterdam.
STRAAT only opened in 2020 but has quickly become one of the most visited museums in Amsterdam.
It received “almost 200,000 visitors” in 2023, a growth of 70% on 2022 figures. Visitor demographics are 40% international, 20% from greater Amsterdam and 40% from the remainder of the Netherlands.
Data source: STRAAT Museum press release dated 21 Dec 2023. STRAAT would not give us precise figures.
11. Nieuwe Kerk
The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) is the main church in Amsterdam located on Dam Square in the heart of the city. It is used for state functions and is an exhibition space hosting a major exhibition in the winter/spring as well as the annual World Press Photo in early summer.
Nieuwe Kerk had 167,170 visitors in 2023, an increase of 18% from 2022.
Data source: Direct contact with Nieuwe Kerk press office.
12. Wereldmuseum Amsterdam
The Wereldmuseum Amsterdam (formerly Tropenmuseum) is an ethnographic museum contains fascinating exhibitions on many non-Western cultures.
It is located in the eastern Plantage neighbourhood of Amsterdam just outside the city centre.
Wereldmuseum Amsterdam had 149,780 visitors in 2023, a small 12% increase from 2022.
Data source: Wereldmuseum Amsterdam Jaarrekening van 2023.
13. H’ART Museum (formerly Hermitage)
The H’ART Museum is a major museum in Amsterdam allied to the British Museum in London, Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
It was formerly named Hermitage Amsterdam, but the museum cut ties with the State Hermitage in Russia in 2022 and rebranded to H’ART in September 2023.
H’ART/Hermitage received 126,239 visitors in 2023, an increase of 42% from 2022.
Data source: Direct contact with H'ART Museum press office.
Other museums which may have just made the list:
- FOAM Museum – which had 193,000 visitors in 2019 – stated they no longer release public visitor figures.
The top visited museums in Amsterdam was originally published in 2016. The 2023 update was published on 26 June 2024.
