Where to Discover Art in Amsterdam

Amsterdam packs an outrageous amount of great art into a walkable few blocks. If you only have a day, almost everything you'd want sits around one grassy square, the Museumplein. Here's how to spend it.

The Rijksmuseum (give it the morning)

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands and the home of the Dutch Golden Age. Two paintings alone justify the ticket: - *Rembrandt's The Night Watch* — a wall-sized militia portrait, dramatic and alive, with its own purpose-built gallery. - Vermeer's The Milkmaid* — small, quiet, and perfect; a servant pouring milk that somehow stops every visitor who walks past. If you loved [Girl with a Pearl Earring*](/blog/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-secret), this is the same magician at work.

Go early — the Night Watch hall fills up fast — and don't rush the smaller Frans Hals and de Hooch rooms on the way.

The Van Gogh Museum (five minutes away)

Across the Museumplein is the Van Gogh Museum, which holds the largest collection of his work anywhere — more than 200 paintings, arranged so you walk through his whole short, blazing career in order. You'll find Sunflowers, The Bedroom, and Almond Blossom here, and you'll understand the man behind the ear story far better for it.

If you have more time

• The Stedelijk Museum, also on the square, covers modern and contemporary art — Matisse, Mondrian, and Dutch design.
• The Rembrandt House Museum (Museum Het Rembrandthuis), a tram ride east, is the actual house where Rembrandt lived and worked, reconstructed with his printmaking studio.

Practical notes

• The Museumplein puts the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and Stedelijk within a two-minute walk of each other.
• Book timed tickets online in advance for the Van Gogh Museum especially — it regularly sells out.
• If you're museum-hopping for several days, the Museumkaart (a Dutch museum pass) can pay for itself quickly.

Reacting to Dutch and Post-Impressionist works on DiscoverArt is a good way to figure out what you most want to stand in front of before you book the flight — start with the feed and see what pulls you.