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Discover the Netherlands’ legendary history with the sea, visit the 17th-century arsenal and step on board a full-size replica of the Amsterdam cargo ship.
Read more
- Explore Dutch maritime history
- Step on board a replica 18th century Dutch East India cargo ship
- Experience Amsterdam's historic harbour in Virtual Reality
Children
Child ticket for 4-17 year olds
Free entry for 0-3 year olds when accompanied by a paying adult
Opening hours
Tuesday - Sunday: 10.00 - 17.00
Languages
The free audio tour is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean
Ticket information
Ticket directly available on smartphone
Ticket can be rescheduled or cancelled up to 48 hours in advance
More information
For questions about the product, please contact hello@toursandtickets.nl
Accessibility
- Wheelchair friendly
- Free access to bathroom
- With audio description
National Maritime Museum
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Maritime history of the Netherlands
The National Maritime Museum (het Scheepvaartmuseum in Dutch) in Amsterdam is dedicated to the Netherlands’ legendary naval history. The museum contains an impressive maritime collection of historical objects including weapons, paintings, world maps, navigation instruments and scale models.
The National Maritime Museum is housed in the impressive former arsenal of the Admiralty of Amsterdam, which dates back to 1656. The courtyard now features an elaborate glass ceiling with a design reminiscent of a compass rose. The National Maritime Museum is one of the country’s most visited museums, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Discover and experience 500 years of naval domination
The Maritime Museum will give you a glimpse into Holland’s long and prosperous relation to the sea. The museum's exhibits are both in and outside the building. At the jetty there are several ships, some of which you can board, such as the replica Dutch East Indiaman ship Amsterdam. The museum also features several other exhibits and an extensive collection of historical artefacts from the Dutch Golden Age.
When you've stepped aboard the VOC ship Amsterdam you can also travel back in time to the Golden Age with the Dare to Discover VR journey. This virtual journey takes you on a flight over the historic harbour of 17th century Amsterdam. You'll experience how the harbour flourished, see how new land emerged from the sea and merchants from different countries brought in and ship out their goods. The VR tour starts every 15 minutes and is suitable for children of 7 years and up.
Book your National Maritime Museum tickets online!
Book your tickets to the National Maritime Museum on our website to guarantee entry! Tickets also include fast-track admission to the museum, so you won’t have to wait at the entrance. There is a free audio-tour available in Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
There are a number of special exhibitions geared towards children which make the museum fun and interesting for all ages. The National Maritime Museum is a fascinating attraction, don’t miss it on your next trip to the Netherlands!
3269 Reviews
4.5
Average rating from
Tripadvisor
damsel14
An inclusive maritime history museum
This is pretty close to Amsterdam Centraal and the Resistance Museum, so it's pretty easy to get to from either of those areas. We stopped in because my partner is very interested in maritime history; this one is special because the building is beautiful; it's the former trading building. It's full of art (which I didn't quite expect), and in true Dutch fashion, it is very honest about its history. They did not hide their colonial past and included achievements from their former colonies--something other colonizers appear to be allergic to. Unlike other colonizers, they also didn't whitewash anything. There's also a segment about the various environments, which was interesting. You hear the story of shipwrecked sailors who survived against all odds in the arctic. We ended the visit with a tour of a replica VOC ship, and a quick visit of a retired royal boat. The scenery is also beautiful. If you're on the fence about this museum, you can wait until you're there to decide--unlike the Rembrandt House, Riksmuseum, Anne Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum, this one doesn't sell out quickly. We also managed to snag a deal for it on Groupon, so definitely check there.
Nov 15, 2023josoyars
Great history and current exhibits
Beautiful building. Exhibits are very interesting for adults. Varied exhibits about the city as a port, its growth, past and current use, and the broader Dutch maritime history. We learned a lot. Special exhibit on whaling was great for kids to understand that history. The audio guides are free with tickets and were helpful to understand more. Cafe had some good food and wasn’t too expensive. They have a kids menu.
Oct 26, 2023C2547BKjanee
Lovely covered courtyard
Must confess we were pretty museum’d out by the time we visited but still enjoyed it. Entry included with our I Amsterdam card so we went. If you walk there, as you cross the bridge heading towards museum from centraal station direction, look across to the right and you can see the only windmill in Amsterdam city in the distance. The building is fabulous, make sure you go down to the bathrooms as the vaulted area down there is impressive. We didn’t look at everything. We took the audio guide on offer but found we read the info boards rather than listening to the guide. The replica sailing ship is well presented, quite tricky to move around if you’re not too mobile and as you’d expect, mind your head! Favourite museum displays were those related to navigation in a starlit section and the section on books/maps. Fascinating to see these early “travel guides” with their depictions of local scenes and people’s. Do sit in the courtyard area which is a lovely space, wait until there’s a burst of sunshine and see the effect of the roof line shadows across the walls because it’s beautiful.
Oct 13, 2023Sightseer13151099910
A must visit experience,unforgettable.🙏
An excellent interactive stunning display...! A must visit museum in Amstedam. Give yourself at least 5 hours, or come back again.😁👍
Oct 9, 2023marissajanep
Really fascinating!
Stunning museum and full of such amazing artefacts and information. My husband and I are specifically interested in boats and sea history etc which is the main reason we went here but I think it would suit anybody. Some really interesting things to look at in a very beautiful building. Really enjoyed it.
Sep 5, 2023StewartEm
Interesting speciality museum, especially if you like the sea.
A lovely waterside location in a very impressive building. It's displays are well presented and clearly themed. An interesting range of items, both large and small, inside and out, that tell a lot about Dutch maritime history. As a family we are interested in maritime things, so we spent about five hours in it (including a drinks break) and didn't see everything. Entrance was speedy (we didn't prebook) and being offered a free locker to put bags and coats in was helpful. The one thing that's almost completely missing is anything related to the 20th Century, which is surprising given the key role that the Dutch played in salvage and oil transportation, and their brave if doomed sea battles against the Japanese in 1942.
Aug 19, 202365sakist
Great experience, great presentation, not to be missed.
Great experience. I chose to start "navigating" in the museum from the East wing, next the West , leaving the ships (in the North) for last. Great concept to move in the museum with the signs of the compass! Many great concepts! From the presentation of the navigation apparatus, to the presentation of life of a ship owning Dutch family (through a "moving portrait"), and the presentation of maps of the journeys of the Doutch mariners. Not to be missed!
Aug 13, 2023J2414VRdennisl
Leuk om doorheen....
Best een mooi en leuk museum. Zeker een keer doen met je museumjaarkaart. We zijn er zo'n 1,5 uur geweest. Het schip buiten is het leukst. Maar binnen is er ook genoeg te zien. Mooi pand. We hebben er niet gegeten. Je rugtas moet in een kluisje.
Nov 19, 2023lotta858
Viel zu sehen und hören
Sehr gut organisiert und nicht zu voll. Dank des Audiogeräts in vielen Sprachen, konnten wir viele neue Informationen mitnehmen. Leider ist das Gerät für Kinder nicht auf Deutsch, das wäre nochmal eine riesige Bereicherung. Die Krönung ist das riesige Schiff auf dem Wasser, das komplett besichtigt werden kann. Wie klein die Betten waren oder wie eng die Räume. Auch richtig gut fanden wir die Animation eines Vogels, der über die alten Schiffe im Hafen von Amsterdam fliegt. Wir würden auf jeden Fall wiederkommen.
Oct 21, 2023the_nick63
Anders als viele vergleichbare Institutionen
Das Schiffahrtsmuseum befindet sich im früheren Magazin der Admiralität, einem mächtigen quadratischen Bau im Hafen. Mit meiner I amsterdam City-Card ist der Eintritt frei. Gepäck müssen Besuchende im absurd komplizierten, dafür jedoch bargeldlosen, Schließfachsystem des Museums einschließen. Pro-Tipp: Foto des Schließfachs machen, um es später leichter wiederzufinden ;) Unter dem Glasdach des Innenhofs kann man sich entscheiden: Erst ins Café, oder einen der 3 Museumsbereiche (die jeweils eine Seite des Gebäudes einnehmen) erkunden? Ein Muss ist der kostenlose Audioguide, der ebenfalls dort erhältlich ist. Auf Englisch und Holländisch bietet er weitere Hintergründe zu den, bereits gut in den gleichen Sprachen betexten, Exponaten. Anders als viele vergleichbare Institutionen nähert sich Het Scheepvaartmuseum dem Thema Seefahrt eher historisch und gesellschaftlich in unterschiedlichsten Ausprägungen an. Gezeigt werden Karten, Gemälde, überraschend wenige Schiffsmodelle, aber auch moderne Kunst und Multimedia-Installationen. Interaktiv auf hohem Niveau, und für alle Altersgruppen interessant. Wer hier die technischeren Aspekte der Schiffahrt vermisst, findet diese exzellent aufbereitet im Rijksmuseum. Ein Besuch des Nachbaus eines East Indiamans am Kai des Museums (anfassen ausdrücklich erwünscht) vervollständigt das Erlebnis. Ambiente: 5 Sterne Besucherführung: 5 Sterne Schließfachsystem 1 Stern Museumspädagogik / Wissensvermittlung: 5 Sterne Empfohlene Besuchsdauer: 2 bis 4 Stunden Wiederbesuchs-Faktor: 5 Sterne
Oct 21, 2023
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