Van Gogh Museum tours — which include admission tickets — have availability when normal entry tickets have sold out. This guide, updated in September 2026, shows you how to get inside Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum when there are no tickets left.
Visiting Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is one of the highlights of a visit to the Netherlands. One of Europe’s most popular art museums, it is home to more than 200 Van Gogh paintings, and exhibitions about the ear-cutting artist’s life.
However, the Van Gogh Museum is surprisingly small, and its massive popularity could cause many visitors a problem – namely, that the entrance tickets are usually sold out.
How far in advance do Van Gogh Museum tickets sell out?
If you want to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, advance booking a ticket is pretty much essential. And, by advance, I mean at least a week or so in advance.
I looked on the official site at about 3pm on a Tuesday afternoon. The tickets for the Van Gogh Museum were not only sold out for today, but for the next five days as well.
5 great Amsterdam experiences to book
- 🌷 Zaanse Schans day tour: Combine windmills, cheese and clog factories on a day tour to Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken.
- 🚤 Amsterdam canal cruise: Take a cruise along the canals with unlimited beer and wine.
- 📖 Anne Frank and Jewish Quarter tour: Follow in Anne Frank’s footsteps on a WWII walking tour of Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter.
- 🔴 Red Light District tour: Let a knowledgeable guide explain Amsterdam’s red light district and ‘coffee’ shops.
- 🧀 Amsterdam food tour: Taste Amsterdam’s local specialities on a food and culture tour.
Visiting the Van Gogh Museum when tickets have sold out
However, there is a sneaky – if more expensive – workaround. There are many tours that include entrance to the Van Gogh Museum. Some of these are basically just museum tickets with a prebooked audioguide. Others are small group guided tours.
However, these tour companies are clearly given an allocation of tickets. Which means the tour operators sometimes have availability when the official Van Gogh Museum site does not.
Van Gogh Museum tour
A quick scout through the Van Gogh Museum tours on Tuesday afternoon showed that, instead of having to wait until the following Monday, I could get in tomorrow – Wednesday.
Given the Van Gogh Museum tickets are sold out nearly a week in advance, getting next day admission when searching in the afternoon is an absolute result.
Look through the Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum tour options here.
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- 🏢 Access 30+ Top Attractions: Enjoy entry to Amsterdam’s most popular sites, including the Heineken Experience, Rijksmuseum, Moco Museum, and This is Holland.
- 🚤 Iconic Canal Cruise: Includes a quintessential 1-hour cruise through the historic UNESCO-listed canal belt, the best way to see the city’s unique architecture.
- 💰 Substantial Savings: Save up to 50% on admission prices compared to purchasing individual tickets at each attraction.
- 📱 100% Digital & Easy: No need for physical tickets; simply download the pass to your smartphone and scan it for instant entry at every stop.
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How much do Van Gogh Museum tickets cost?
Via the official site, Van Gogh Museum tickets cost €25. Tours that include the Van Gogh Museum cost from €38, although you may have to pay upwards of €50 to find one that has the elusive next day availability.
These Van Gogh museum entry fees were checked and updated in January 2026.
Things to do near the Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum is on Museumplein, putting several of Amsterdam’s major museums and attractions within easy walking distance.
- Rijksmuseum – The Netherlands’ national museum houses an extensive collection of Dutch art and history, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer.
- Stedelijk Museum – Amsterdam’s leading museum of modern and contemporary art and design occupies a distinctive building on Museumplein.
- Moco Museum – This small private museum displays modern and contemporary works, including pieces by Banksy and Salvador Dalí, a few minutes’ walk from the Van Gogh Museum.
- Vondelpark – Amsterdam’s largest public park begins just a few minutes’ walk from Museumplein and provides paths, lawns and ponds for a break from the museums.
- Rembrandt House Museum – Rembrandt’s former home and studio in central Amsterdam has been reconstructed to show how the Dutch master lived and worked in the 17th century.
Alternative attractions
For alternatives to the Van Gogh Museum, the strongest choices are other art museums within roughly two hours of Amsterdam, particularly those with substantial collections of European or Dutch art.
- Rijksmuseum – Amsterdam’s national museum covers 800 years of Dutch art and history, with major works by Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Dutch masters.
- Stedelijk Museum – The Stedelijk focuses on modern and contemporary art and design, with works ranging from late 19th-century modernism to the present day.
- Rembrandt House Museum – This former Amsterdam home and studio explores Rembrandt’s life, work and surroundings through period interiors and collections.
- Mauritshuis, The Hague – This compact museum houses major Dutch Golden Age paintings, including Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and works by Rembrandt.
- Museum Flehite, Amersfoort – This historic city museum explores the art and history of Amersfoort and the surrounding region, with a collection spanning several centuries.
Disclosure: There are affiliate links within this article. If you buy a product after clicking through on these links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to yourself.
More Amsterdam travel
Other Amsterdam travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Discover the history of smoking and tobacco culture at the Amsterdam Pipe Museum.
- Taste the world’s oldest distilled spirit brand at the Bols Cocktail Experience.
- Practical guide to visiting the Amsterdam Tulip Museum.
- What to expect at the Rembrandt House Museum.
- How to make the most of the STRAAT Museum.
