Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ORIENTATION
Cost:
€10.
Hours:
Daily 9:00-18:00, Fri until 20:30, closed only on Jan 1.
Sightseeing Strategies:
Friday evening is a relatively crowd-free
time to visit. If you plan to visit during the day in peak sea-
son, you can buy an online ticket—for no extra cost—ahead
of time in order to skip the long ticket-buying line (www
.rijksmuseum.nl). For more information on various options,
see “Advance Tickets and Sightseeing Cards” on page 34.
Getting There:
The entrance to the Philips Wing is clearly marked
near the corner of Jan Luijkenstraat and Hobbemastraat.
From Central Station, catch tram #2 or #5 (get out at
Hobbemastraat, directly at the Philips Wing).
Information:
The helpful information booth inside the museum
has free maps and a good guidebook,
The Masterpieces
(€5,
€7.50 combo with audioguide). An information center outside
in the garden explains the renovation (on Jan Luijkenstraat, to
the left as you enter). Tel. 020/674-7047 for automated info, or
tel. 020/674-7000 for main number, www.rijksmuseum.nl.
Audioguide Tour:
The excellent €4 audioguide gives two tours—
a “highlights” tour, and a more quirky and intimate tour
narrated by a popular local artist.
Length of This Tour:
Allow one hour.
Checkrooms:
Leave your bag at the free checkrooms.
Cuisine Art:
In the summer the museum has a fun “lunch-box-
with-a-blanket-in-the-park” deal (€13 with museum entry or
€4 for just the boxed lunch
and a loaner blanket, Mon-
Fri 12:00-14:00). There are
plenty of picnic spots on the
museum grounds.
Just a short walk away
you'll find the Leidseplein (a
lively square with cafés) and
Vondelpark (a picnic-perfect
park with the delightful Café
Vertigo). Even closer is Cobra Café on Museumplein (toward
the Van Gogh Museum, daily 10:00-18:00, tel. 020/470-0111).
For good pancakes, try the untouristy Le Soleil (€4-8, daily
10:00-18:00, share a big table with other guests, Nieuwe
Spiegelstraat 56, tel. 020/622-7147).
Photography:
Not allowed.
Starring:
Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Jan
Steen.
