Guidebook Updates for the Netherlands

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• The Netherlands has a new nationwide contactless payment system called OVpay, allowing transit users to tap-to-pay (upon entry and exit) for any bus, Metro, and second-class domestic train rides. Each passenger needs their own payment method, so families with kids may need to use ticket machines or the 9292 app. Tickets are not sold onboard.
• Per new requirements set by the UK government, all passengers on Eurostar trains to/from the UK must now enter their passport details online before boarding. Once you've bought a ticket, enter your ticket's reference number at Eurostar's Manage Your Booking page to reach the page for entering your passport info. If you don't have a reference number issued by Eurostar, head to the manual check-in desk at the Eurostar terminal. Given the UK's new procedures for border checks, it's especially important to allow plenty of time for check-in (Eurostar recommends that standard-class passengers departing from Amsterdam Centraal or Rotterdam Centraal arrive 60–90 minutes ahead of their departure time; gates close 30 minutes before departure).

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• The National Beer Museum de Boom in Alkmaar is now open Thu–Sat 12:00–17:00, closed Sun–Wed.

• Voyage Amsterdam canal boat tours has changed their departure point to the pier at Singel 359.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may also apply:

• Tickets for the Anne Frank House now go on sale six weeks in advance (released every Tuesday).
• After cutting ties with the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in 2022, the Hermitage Amsterdam has rebranded itself as the H'ART Museum and now features rotating exhibits from the Pompidou in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum of Washington, DC.
• Amsterdam Museum is closed at least until 2027 while it undergoes renovation. In the meantime, highlights from its collection are on display at the H'ART Museum.
• The modern, new National Holocaust Museum is open in the Jewish Cultural Quarter, across the street from the Dutch Theater.
• The Netherlands Maritime Museum is now free for kids 12 and under and is no longer closed Mondays off-season.
• Rembrandt's House is now open daily 10:00–18:00.
• The Museum of Canals is now open Mon 12:00–17:00, Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00.
• The Houseboat Museum has a new owner and some changes: The new price is €7.50 and includes an audioguide, there's no closure off-season, and the new phone number is +31 6 4289 3868.
• The Tropical Museum has changed its name to World Museum Amsterdam (Wereldmuseum Amsterdam). The museum café has closed.
• The Westerkerk tower is expected to reopen to visitors in January 2025.
• The Noordermarkt (the end of Westerstraat) takes place on Saturdays as well as Mondays.
• Amsterdam has moved the departure points for most long-distance buses away from Centraal station to outlying Metro stops. The EBS buses for Edam/Volendam and Marken leave from the Noord Metro station; Connexxion bus #357 to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction leaves from the Amstelveenseweg Metro station or Elandsgracht in the Jordaan, and bus #391 for Zaanse Schans leaves from the Nooderpark Metro station.
• The tourist information office at Schiphol Airport has closed.
• Cannabis College has closed its study center on Oudezijds Achterburgwal street in the Red Light District (though it still exists as an online resource).
• The Mouse Mansion has moved to Muntplein 8.
• The discount code for the Toren Hotel is "RSTEVES" (not RSSTEVES).
• Bed & Breakfast Amsterdam has a new phone number: +31 6 5109 7663.
• Max Brown Hotel has a new phone number: +31 20 710 7288.
• Hotel Hegra has a new phone number: +31 6 2447 1242.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may also apply:

• Amsterdam's three most popular museums now sell only timed-entry tickets. You'll need to book a timed entry even if you're buying a sightseeing pass (which you can do before you have your pass):
  • We recommend booking tickets for the Van Gogh Museum at least a week in advance. This museum is no longer covered by the I Amsterdam City Card.
  • If the Anne Frank House has sold out of basic admission tickets for time slots that work for you, consider the ticket that includes a 30-minute introductory talk (while about €7 more, these tickets don't tend to sell out as quickly as the basic admission tickets).
  • Though same-day tickets for the Rijksmuseum are often available, it's wise to buy your timed tickets ahead of your visit.
  • In peak season, it's also smart to buy tickets online in advance for the Stedelijk Museum.
• Tram #11 is no longer running. (The best way to reach Vondelpark is now via tram #17.)
• The city now has just two tourist information offices: one inside the Centraal train station, and the other at Schiphol Airport.
• The Amstelkring Museum is now (once again) called the Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder).
• Amsterdam's city government has banned tours of the Red Light District. But the Prostitution Information Center still offers self-guided tours bookended by an informative talk and Q&A session.
• Randy Roy's Redlight Tours are no longer in operation.
• The Westerkerk's free organ concerts are now held on Wednesdays (not Fridays; no concerts in winter).
• The EYE Film Institute is now the EYE Filmmuseum.
• The Canal House Museum is now the Museum of the Canals (Grachtenmuseum).
• The Museum of Bags and Purses has closed, as have the Biblical Museum and the Reypenaer Tasting Rooms.
• The 4:20 Coffeeshop is now Strain Hunters Coffeeshop.
• Rembrandtplein has gotten grittier since our last edition, and its sculptures are gone — we no longer recommend it as a good park for kids.
• Café Villa Zeezicht has closed, as have the Atrium University Cafeteria and Ristorante Hostaria.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• The Kröller-Müller Museum, which was previously closed Mondays year-round, is now open Mondays May–Aug from 12:00–17:00.
• At Hoge Veluwe National Park, the interior of St. Hubertus Lodge can only be viewed with a 45-minute guided tour.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• The Prinsenhof Museum has indeed closed for a giant renovation project through at least the end of 2026.
• Van der Dussen restaurant has closed.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• Ton Tweewielers bike shop in Edam has closed.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• It's important to reserve a tour of the Corrie ten Boom House as far ahead as possible — ideally 3–4 months in advance.
• Haarlem Hotel Suites has a new email address: [email protected].
• Hotel Amadeus has new ownership and no longer offers a Rick Steves discount. It also has new contact info: +31 23 532 4230, [email protected].
• Mr. & Mrs. Food & Wine has closed.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• The Binnenhof Parliament Complex has begun extensive renovations that may extend into the late 2020s. In the meantime, it has opened a free information center with displays on the 800-year history of the complex and archaeological finds.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• The Westfries Museum in Hoorn is undergoing renovations (scheduled to reopen in 2026). During the closure, a "Story of Hoorn" multimedia show is on view in the former town hall at Nieuwstraat 23 (€7.50, includes access to town walking tour app, Tue–Sun 11:00–16:00, closed Mon).
• The tourist information office in Hoorn has closed.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• Batavia Yard (Bataviawerf) and the Nieu Land Museum in Lelystad are now combined into one exhibition called "Batavialand."

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• The Aalsmeer Royal FloraHolland flower auction now mostly takes place online; visitors to the flower marketplace will likely see silent auction halls filled only with flowers, not bidders. A new 30-minute audio tour available on the Izi Travel app describes two dozen different stops along the overhead walkway above the market.
• The bus route to the flower auction from Amsterdam's Centraal Station has been renumbered to 357. Our driving directions to the auction should read: From the A-4 expressway south of Amsterdam, drivers take the Aalsmeer exit (#3) and follow signs for Aalsmeer, then FloraHolland.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• The Lakenhal Museum, with its collection of Golden Age art, has reopened (€12.50, Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00).

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• The price for a harbor cruise with Spido has increased dramatically, from €6 to €17.50.
• Zilt aan de Maas bike shop has closed.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• Sunday hours at the cathedral (Domkerk) are now 12:30–17:00.
• The DOMunder experience at the cathedral is now open daily 10:00–17:00.
• There is no longer a combo ticket for the cathedral and the Musical Clock Museum.