Van Gogh Museum tickets and tours

Van Gogh was largely self-taught, beginning his education with a powerful focus on figure and landscape drawing. He found he was able to use colored chalk, charcoal, reed pen and pencil to quickly capture images before later adding watercolor detail. He also experimented with lithographs to reach a larger audience.

Van Gogh used muted colors in these early years to suit his subjects (peasants and manual workers) but his move to Paris in 1886 showed him the work of the Impressionists and inspired him to use more color. He also began to experiment with broken brush strokes and pointillist technique (see Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat, 1885).

In 1888, van Gogh moved to Arles and lived with Gauguin, emulating his friend’s habit of painting from memory. This resulted in more fantastic, less realistic images that used colors according to mood rather than to represent the truth of nature. He was also influenced by Japanese prints, as seen in The Flowering Orchard.

The subjects portrayed by Van Gogh are mainly self-portraits, still lifes, landscapes and in particular paintings with cypresses, grain fields and sunflowers. Tragically, Van Gogh committed suicide at the age of 37 after a life full of unhappy love stories and persistent depressive crises. The master left behind more than 840 paintings and 1000 drawings, many watercolors, lithographs and sketches on letters currently located in the Van Gogh Museum as well as in hundreds of other renowned museums and art exhibitions around the world.

Opening times:

2 September to 27 October 2019:

• Saturdays to Thursdays 9.00am to 6.00pm
• Fridays 9.00am to 9.00pm

28 October to 22 December 2019:

• Saturdays to Thursdays 9.00am to 5.00pm
• Fridays 9.00am to 9.00pm

23 December to 31 December 2019 (with the exception of public holidays):

• Sundays to Thursdays 9.00am to 7.00pm
• Fridays and Saturdays 9.00am to 9.00pm

Public Holidays:

• Christmas (25 December) and New Year’s Eve (31 December) 9.00am to 5.00pm
• New Year’s Day (1 January ) 11.00am to 7.00 pm

About the Van Gogh Museum:

Home to the world’s largest collection of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam transports visitors on a fascinating journey through the life of the artist and his contemporaries. The museum introduces the complete story: the artist, the context, Van Gogh’s personal ambitions, his emotions, the myths that surround him and his influence right up until this very day. The Van Gogh Museum’s collection includes world-famous paintings such as Sunflowers, Almond Blossom and The Potato Eaters. The museum also organises three temporary exhibitions every year.

Van Gogh had many heroes whose work he greatly admired. One of these artists was Jean-François Millet. From 4 October 2019 to 12 January 2020, the Van Gogh Museum will illuminate the work of this French painter and the prominent 19th-century artists who followed in the exhibition Jean-François Millet: Sowing the Seeds of Modern Art.

The Van Gogh Museum is open 365 days a year. Tickets are available online only. Don’t miss out, book in advance. Visitors can discover more about Van Gogh and his contemporaries with the multimedia guide, available in 11 languages. For those not able to visit the museum, the Van Gogh Museum offers the collection and a virtual journey through Van Gogh’s life on its website, Facebook and Instagram.

Address:

Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam

Getting there:

For the most up-to-date route: Click here

Public Transport:

• The nearest stops are Van Baerlestraat (tram 2, 5 or 12) or Museumplein (tram: 3, 5 or 12, bus: 347 or 357)

From Amsterdam Central Station:

• Tram 2 or 12
• Tram 11: change at Leidseplein to tram 2, 5 or 12
• Metro 52 (Noord/Zuid route) until De Pijp station, change to tram 3 (direction Zoutkeetsgracht) or tram 12 (direction Central station)
• Bus 347, direction Uithoorn
• Bus 357, direction Kudelstaart
• From Zuid WTC Station
• Tram 5 (direction Westergasfabriek)

From Amsterdam Amstel Station:

• Tram 12

From Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station:

• Tram 19, change at Leidseplein to tram 2, 5 or 12

From Muiderpoort Station:

• Tram 3 (direction Zoutkeetsgracht)

Parking:

• Located underneath Museumplein, Q-Park (entrance Van Baerlestraat) is the closest car park to the Van Gogh Museum. Please note that paid parking applies on the streets near the museum