Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum, the Dutch national museum of art and history. Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, Vermeer’s The Milkmaid and 80 galleries trace 800 years of Dutch history.

The Rijksmuseum was designed by architect Pierre Cuypers and completed in 1885. Its grand building, a blend of red-brick Neo-Gothic and Renaissance Revival styles, is a landmark in itself. After a major renovation from 2003 to 2013 costing €375 million, it reopened, and the building still has a bicycle path running through its centre. The collection holds about a million objects, of which 8,000 are on display, arranged chronologically across 80 galleries. The highlight is the Gallery of Honour (Eregalerij) on the second floor. At its far end hangs Rembrandt’s The Night Watch (1642). On either side are Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, The Little Street and Woman Reading a Letter, Frans Hals’s The Merry Drinker, Jan Steen’s genre paintings, and Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride and The Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild. Other must-sees include the ground-floor models of Dutch East India Company (VOC) ships, Delftware, Van Gogh’s early self-portraits, medieval altarpieces and the Asian galleries. Admission costs about €22.50. Visitors under 19 enter free. Buy timed tickets in advance at rijksmuseum.nl. Photography is allowed inside without flash. The official app offers free guided tours. Head straight to the Gallery of Honour on the second floor, then explore according to your interests. Allow 2 to 3 hours. The garden is free to enter and has sculpture exhibits and a children’s fountain. Getting there: take tram 2 or 12 to the Rijksmuseum stop, about 15 minutes from Centraal Station. Across the square is the Van Gogh Museum. You can visit both on the same day, but both require stamina, so it is best to see one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The RIJKS restaurant inside is a one-Michelin-star restaurant and requires a reservation.

Rijksmuseum

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