Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam Tickets, Prices and Hours

Scheepvaartmuseum ticket prices

The museum's opening hours and admission page lists these day-ticket prices (checked 12 October 2026):

The same page lists free entry for holders of the Museumkaart (Museum Card), the ICOM card, the I amsterdam City Card and Rembrandt Society membership, and for members of the museum's own supporters' associations. A visitor who cannot get round the museum independently may bring one companion free.

Some example totals at these prices:

• Two adults: €40.
• Two adults with children aged 15, 10 and 3: €57 (€40 + €8.50 + €8.50; the 3-year-old is free).
• An adult and a student: €28.50.
• Two adults who already hold a Museumkaart or I amsterdam City Card: €0.

The student rate applies at any age, so a 25-year-old student pays €8.50 rather than €20. The admission page does not say which student cards it accepts, so carry your student card and be ready to show it; the visitor conditions let staff ask to see the ticket, voucher or discount card you entered with.

Should you book online?

You do not have to. The museum's visit page says you can either buy a ticket at the museum or make a reservation, and the ticket shop asks you to pick a time slot when you book. The visitor conditions say every visitor needs a valid ticket and, where required, a time-slot reservation, and that tickets cannot be exchanged or, as a rule, refunded.

The short summary text of the admission page mentions a €1 discount on online e-tickets, but the price list itself shows only the prices above, and the ticket shop's readable text did not show ticket prices on 12 October 2026. Treat €20 and €8.50 as the prices to budget, and expect possibly a little less online (checked 12 October 2026).

Booking online is the better choice when:

• You want to pay with something other than a debit or credit card. The ticket shop lists iDEAL/Wero, Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, Bancontact, Alipay and WeChat.
• You are coming on a busy day, such as a weekend or a school holiday, and want a fixed slot.

Turning up at the door is fine if you have a card the museum accepts and your plans are flexible.

Opening hours and closed days

According to the admission page (checked 12 October 2026):

• Museum: every day, Monday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00
• Museum shop: every day, 10:00 to 17:00
• Library: Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 17:00
• Closed on King's Day (27 April 2026), Christmas Day (25 December) and New Year's Day (1 January)

Because the museum opens on Mondays, it is a useful fallback when other plans fall through. The ticket shop also showed a notice that the museum will close at 14:00 on one day because of television recordings, without the date being visible in the text we could read, so check the shop for notices before you go.

The replica ship: East Indiaman Amsterdam

The East Indiaman Amsterdam is a replica of an 18th-century Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship. The original was lost on its first voyage in 1749, according to the museum's ships page. The replica was built in 1985 as an employment project for young people and has been moored at the museum's jetty since 1991. The visit page lists it as part of what a day ticket gives access to.

On board, the museum covers daily life and food at sea in the 17th and 18th centuries, the VOC's ships and trade routes and the violence linked to them, and the story of the replica, with a video room that simulates the 17th-century port of Amsterdam.

Two conditions matter on the day:

• Wind. The museum limits access to the ship from wind speed 5 or 6 and closes the ship and jetty at 7 or higher. On a stormy day you may get the museum but not the ship.
• Maintenance. The page says minor maintenance is under way on several decks, but the ship remains open.

How long to plan

The museum does not publish a visit length. Its free audio tour takes about 60 minutes and is offered in 11 languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Dutch. Add the time you spend on the ship and the other jetty vessels, and plan for roughly two to three hours. That figure is our planning estimate, not a museum figure.

With a 10:00 opening and a 17:00 close, arriving by 14:00 leaves room for both the audio tour and the ship. If the wind forecast is strong, see the ship first in case access is limited later.

How to get to the Scheepvaartmuseum

The museum is at Kattenburgerplein 1, 1018 KK Amsterdam, east of Centraal station on the water. The address and route page gives these options (checked 12 October 2026):

For bus and tram fares, including paying by bank card, see our guide to GVB fares and paying by card. Arriving from the airport, the museum says Schiphol to the centre takes about 15 minutes by train; our Schiphol to the city centre guide compares the routes.

If you want to see the harbour from the water after your visit, our canal cruises comparison covers the main boat options.