Dutch Museum Card (Museumkaart): is it worth it for tourists?
· by Federico Cassani · Updated
The short answer: the Dutch Museum Card, the Museumkaart, costs €75 for adults and €39 for anyone under 18, and it pays for itself once you visit about four of the big paid museums. As a visitor you buy it at a museum desk as a temporary card, which is valid for 31 days and up to 5 museum visits.
That makes it a good deal for a week in the Netherlands with the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Mauritshuis on the list, and a poor one for a weekend with a single museum.
What is the Museumkaart?
The Museumkaart is the national museum pass of the Netherlands. A full card is valid for a year and gives access to more than 500 museums across the country. Most of them let you in for free with it, a few give a discount, and a small number do not accept it at all.
It is a museum pass only. It does not include public transport, canal boats or guided tours.
How much does the Museum Card cost?
As of October 2026, on museum.nl:
- Adults (19 and over): €75
- Young people (13 to 18): €39
- Children (up to 12): €39
- Renewing after a year: €69
When does it pay for itself?
Add up the museums you actually plan to visit. For reference, adult tickets for four of the most visited museums cost about €25 at the Van Gogh Museum, €16.50 at the Anne Frank House (Museumkaart holders still pay its €1 booking fee), €25 at the Rijksmuseum and €21 at the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
Those four alone come to €87.50, so the card saves you about €11.50 per adult, and every further museum is free on top. With only two or three museums on your list, single tickets are cheaper.
For children the sum is different: many museums let children in free or at a low rate, so check before you buy them a €39 card.
The temporary card for visitors
You do not need to order anything before your trip. Buy the card at the ticket desk of one of the participating museums and you get a temporary card on the spot. It is valid for 31 days and for a maximum of 5 museum visits.
For most visitors that is all they need. If you want more than 5 visits, register the card online: the permanent card with your photo is then posted to you, but only to an address within the EU. The digital card in the Museumkaart app is only available to EU residents, and the app does not work on phones registered outside the EU. Without an EU address, plan on the temporary card and its 5 visits.
Do you still need to book a time slot?
Most museums do not need a reservation, but the busiest ones work with time slots, and you book yours online with the card. The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House and the Mauritshuis all do. Book these as early as you would book a normal ticket; the card gets you in free, not past the queue for a slot. Our Mauritshuis visitor guide explains how the time slot works there. This winter one painting is away: Vermeer’s View of Delft is on loan to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid until 10 January 2027, while Girl with a Pearl Earring is on view in The Hague.
Museum Card or a city card?
A city card such as the I amsterdam City Card bundles museums with public transport and a canal cruise, but only in one city and only for a fixed number of hours. The Museumkaart has no transport, works in every Dutch city and is valid for 31 days as a temporary card. For a few days in Amsterdam with lots of tram rides, compare the city card. For a week that also takes in The Hague, Delft, Haarlem or Utrecht, the Museumkaart usually wins. Check which museums each card covers before you buy.
If art is the main reason for your trip, our list of the five unmissable art museums in the Netherlands helps you choose, and a guide makes a big museum far easier to take in: a private tour of the Rijksmuseum covers the highlights in an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Museumkaart worth it for 3 days in Amsterdam?
Only if you visit about four paid museums in those three days. The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House come to about €66.50 together, less than the €75 card. Add a fourth museum, such as the Stedelijk or a day trip to the Mauritshuis, and the card starts to save money.
Does the Rijksmuseum accept the Museumkaart?
Yes. With a Museumkaart your entry to the Rijksmuseum is free, but you still reserve a time slot online before you go. The same applies at the Van Gogh Museum and the Mauritshuis.
Museumkaart or I amsterdam City Card?
The Museumkaart is a museum pass for the whole country, valid 31 days and 5 visits as a temporary card, without transport. The I amsterdam City Card adds public transport and a canal cruise but is limited to Amsterdam and to a set number of hours. Compare the museums each card includes against your own list.
How much does the Dutch Museum Card cost?
€75 for adults and €39 for young people and children up to 18, as of October 2026. Renewing a card after a year costs €69. Prices are set by the Museumkaart foundation and usually change once a year, so check museum.nl before you buy.
