Best Amsterdam Tickets

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and one of the most famous cities in the world, especially for its broad concept of freedom and the spirit of fun that permeates all its attractions, but also because it is the epicentre of Dutch art and culture and home to some of Europe's most famous museums.

Things to do to get to know every corner of Amsterdam include visiting the popular Van Gogh Museum, experiencing the Heineken Experience, seeing the Royal Palace and taking a stroll along the Amstel River. In this guide I'll tell you which are the best tickets so you can enjoy the main activities.

Vincent van Gogh is the Netherlands' most famous artist and the museum dedicated to his work is one of the most popular in Amsterdam. This exhibition has the largest collection of the artist's works andhouses the works of other contemporary impressionist and post-impressionist painters such as Gauguin and Monet. The best way to enjoy this museum is to book your Van Gogh Museum tickets in advance.

During your tour of the museum you will be able to discover the history of this particular artist, his relationship with his brother Theo and the influence his work had on later generations of painters. Among the most striking works you can see at the Van Gogh Museum are Self-Portrait with a Grey Felt Hat, Skull with a Cigarette and Almond Blossom.

Heineken is one of the best known companies in the Netherlands and in Amsterdam you can book tickets for the Heineken Experience where you can tour the brewery and experience a full sensory experience, where you can learn about the fermentation and storage of the beer. You can also learn about the history of the brewery and its most famous owner, the ineffable Freddy Heineken.

At the end of the tour, you'll be able to do your tastings in the bar, where you'll have free time to relax in a former warehouse of this 18th century brewery.

The Rijksmuseum is Amsterdam's largest and most important museum in the Netherlands, where you can find paintings by Francisco de Goya, Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Pieter Brueghel the Elder on a tour that will take you through many of the most representative works of the Dutch Golden Age. To avoid the crowds and get an in-depth look, book a guided tour of the Rijksmuseum.

The total tour takes about 2 hours and among the exhibitions you will also find collections of Asian and Egyptian art and rooms with audiovisual content that will give you an insight into the development of the country, from the 1970s onwards, when a definitive revaluation of Dutch art began. A site not to be missed during your trip to Amsterdam.

If you want to see one of the most iconic buildings in the history of the Netherlands, you must book tickets to the Royal Palace, which is the epicentre of royal and state events and is noted for its majestic marble halls, sculptures and frescoes from the Dutch Golden Age, as well as the galleries containing the Crown's art collections.

During your tour you will get to know every corner of the Royal Palace, which is not currently the official home of the Dutch royal family, but it is the site of their public activities, where royal and state banquets, New Year's gatherings and award ceremonies hosted by the Dutch kings are held.

Amsterdam has historically had a very deep relationship with the Amstel, the river that crosses the city and divides it in two. For centuries it has been the epicentre of Dutch international trade and commerce, which led to the country being considered one of the great representatives of maritime power in the 17th century.

During your trip you can make the most of the Amstel with tickets for a canal cruise. You have several options:

• Amsterdam highlights cruise, from AED 57.
• Open boat cruise on Amsterdam's canals, from AED 78.
• Guided Amsterdam canal cruise, from AED 87.
• Amsterdam panoramic canal cruise, from AED 99.
• Pizza cruise on the canals of Amsterdam, from AED 146.
• Amsterdam historic canal cruise, from AED 159.
• Amsterdam canalcruise with aperitif and drinks, from AED 222.

Among the sites you can discover from the river during the tour are Anne Frank's house, which is now a museum and is the site where the young woman was hidden during World War II, and the Magere Brug bridge, which is also one of the most famous br idges in the Dutch capital.

Save money by combining the cruise with the following entrance fees

• If you are someone who enjoys a good drink, you can combine your cruise with tickets for a tasting at the ice bar.
• If you prefer a more traditional experience, be sure to take a cruise that includes tickets to the Madame Tussauds Museum.
• Get a truly Dutch experience with a cruise tour that combines the tour with tickets to the Van Gogh Museum or a cruise tour with tickets to the Rijksmuseum.
• Enjoy two of Amsterdam's most famous activities with the cruise tour including tickets to the Heineken Experience.

The Red Light District is one of Amsterdam's biggest enigmas, so if you want to learn all about its mysteries you must book tickets for the Red Light Secrets Museum, which is located in a former medieval brothel. Here you can retrace the history of the neighbourhood and prostitution from its beginnings in the 16th century to its legalisation in the 2000s.

During your tour you' ll hear the stories of the city's sex workers, learn about the myths of the neighbourhood, visit a workroom and understand the legislative changes that took Amsterdam from a place of white slavery to one of the safest places for sexual activity.

Without the fame of the Van Gogh Museum or the collection of the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk is one of Amsterdam's top must-see exhibitions, especially if you're a fan of modern art and design. You'll find everything from paintings by Kandinsky, Matisse, Mondrian, Warhol and Picasso to themed exhibitions of Bauhaus, abstract expressionism and conceptual art.

Book your tickets to the Stedelijk Museum and discover more than 700 exhibits, audiovisual exhibition halls and a wide range of interactive activities. You can explore the museum in depth with a two-hour audio guide, which is available in several languages.

Do you enjoy curiosities and eccentricities? Then make sure you book your tickets to visit the Ripley's Museum, the world of the incredible and the impossible, of natural, scientific, artistic and human oddities and some of the most striking objects, such as the 7-metre high robot on display, right next to the world's smallest car and the shrunken heads of the Amazonian tribes.

The museum will also test your sense of wonder, with a realistic sculpture of Robert Wadlow, who is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest man in history, a cut-out of the world's longest fingernails and an interactive 5D room that allows you to play Believe It or Not games and challenges.

If you want to visit an attraction that combines a tribute to the Instagram universe with optical illusions and modern art installations then The Upside Down Museum is an eclectic museum for the whole family. You can take selfies and photos in the mirrors and scenographies and tour the more than 20 rooms with discos, amusement parks and surreal sets.

One of the most striking experiences is the Infinity Room, an exhibition that consists of a life-size digital projection of life below sea level and that will allow you to do an immersive activity impossible to find in other exhibitions. A must if you plan to visit Amsterdam with your family or children.

Madame Tussauds is the world's most famous wax museum and at its Amsterdam location you can get up close and personal with over 250 figures including artists, singers, politicians, celebrities and sports personalities. There you can also interact with the most famous representations and take some of the funniest photographs of your trip.

While Amsterdam's is not the largest in Europe, it is one of the largest with the most figures on display. Because of its well-organised floor plan , you'll be able to walk through it in less than 2 hours. With tickets to the Madame Tussauds Museum you can also take part in a virtual reality experience, where you can play a football match with the stars of the game and then watch the filming.

If you want to learn about anatomy in a fun and interactive way, book tickets for the Body Worlds museum, where you can learn all the details of the human body in an exhibition with representations, but also with more than 200 real human bodies with all their peculiarities.

This exhibition is suitable for adults and also for children, and in each of the rooms you will find different parts of the body, from bones to muscles, including vital organs, brain functions and the lesser-known functions of human systems. Throughout the tour you will be able to see the strengths and weaknesses of the body and its most striking curiosities.

This is not only a recreational art museum, but also the epicentre of one of Amsterdam's most exciting immersive experiences. Book tickets for the WONDR Experience to combine art activities with entertainment and experience the decorated halls, photography rooms and the main courtyard of the complex, where you can take part in activities such as sugar cloud baths.

This immersive experience is ideal for families or children, but can also stimulate the senses and imagination of adults, making it an ideal attraction to escape the hustle and bustle of traditional Amsterdam activities and combine it with other cultural activities.

If you dream of flying and use your gift to see Amsterdam from the air then you can take part in the 5D experience at This is Holland, a unique and different journey where you can see all the cities of the Netherlands without leaving your seat, thanks to the films that were filmed from the air and which recreate the landscapes and picturesque canals of the country.

Plus, thanks to the attraction's special effects, you can feel the wind on your face, get damp from the mist, witness the scent of the places you visit and feel your hands and feet dangling below you, as the 5D flight simulator includes a feature that will make you feel like you're in the air.

Banksy is one of the world's most famous street artists and with the enigma he has built up around himself he has also established himself as one of the global representatives of contemporary art. If you visit Amsterdam, you can learn a great deal about his history and a detailed recreation of his work with tickets to the Museum of Modern Contemporary Art, MOCO.

Among the most famous Banksy works in the museum are Laugh is the Air, Barcode and the famous Girl With Balloon, as well as the works of other artists, mostly European, whose work has addressed the variants of contemporary art in recent times.

If you are one of those who don't want to miss the best exhibitions of scientific creations when you visit a city, don't miss the NEMO Science Museum, which will surprise you with its interactive experiments. It will also surprise you with the spaces designed for the whole family, which deal with the subjects of chemistry, physics, biology and engineering.

Some of the most fun activities you can do if you book your tickets for the NEMO Science Museum include touching Tesla balls, blowing bubbles and getting inside them, discovering the elements of the laboratory on your own and taking part in scientific competitions in which you will have enough time to develop your invention project.

Like all major European cities, Amsterdam also has an outstanding zoo with penguins, zebras, elephants, giraffes, lions, a planetarium, a botanical garden and a museum with ancient artefacts. If you book tickets for the Artis Royal Zoo you can also see the art collection in the main building of the Artis Royal Zoo.

The zoo also has its own planetarium where you can watch space projections and learn about the history of the planets, so it's also one of the best things to do as a family with young children, as they won't get bored and can learn while having fun.

For a different experience in Amsterdam and to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you can visit the popular Xtracold Ice Bar, an ice bar at 10 degrees below zero where you can sip drinks in ice cups, take some of the most striking photographs of your trip inside and enjoy the music on site.

At this bar, which is sculpted in detail from over 60 tonnes of natural ice, you'll find that absolutely everything from the bars and chairs to the glasses are made of ice. Plus, with your ticket for a tasting at the ice bar, you'll also be provided with the necessary gloves and coats to brave the cold temperatures and enjoy the experience.

Amsterdam is famous for its wide range of cultural offerings and for the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art collections in its museums, but it also has a rich past associated with the conquest of the seas and overseas territories. You can discover all this and more with your tickets for the Historical Museum, which has more than 70,000 objects on display, including paintings, ceramics, sculptures, drawings, plans and models.

In the more than 20 rooms of the museum you will find historical references to understand how a small medieval settlement on the banks of the river Amstel evolved into a maritime power first and then into a prosperous and modern city. And from the third floor of the building you can get one of the best open views of the city's skyline.

If you don't want to miss a corner of the city and want to save money, you can buy the Amsterdam All Inclusive Pass, a tourist card that gives you access to more than 25 top attractions, including entrance to most museums, cruises on the Amstel River and bike rentals, which are a popular activity in Amsterdam.

You can opt for 1, 2, 3 and 5-day passes, which are activated at the time of first use and will save you up to 50% on your visit to the main attractions. In any case, remember that it's best to organise a travel itinerary before arriving in the country to optimise your travel time.