The museums, along with the tulips, were my main reason for visiting Amsterdam. However, busy museums are not ideal places for people, like my partner, with walking difficulties and wheelchairs merely provide good views of people's rears! I decided my best mode of attack was to perform a speedy foray on the afternoon of our first day in the city so I could plan out a quick tour for my partner. It is very confusing – spread over four floors and split into two halves by grand staircases, I had some difficulty finding the Gallery of Honour full of the iconic Old Masters. the lifts were extremely well hidden.
I had to be very speedy on my foray as, after queuing 30 minutes for my ticket, and walking around trying to find Nightwatch, the attendants started ushering us out of the galleries well before 5.00 pm. I had read somewhere that the museum closes at 6.00 pm but this only refers to the shop and restaurant. Tickets are 15 Euros each per day and can be bought online – not tied to any day – to save queueing.
I returned with my partner the following day (Monday lunchtime), and, delighted to find no queues this time, was able to enjoy the fabulous Vermeers and Rembrandts in relative peace and quiet. After dropping my partner back at our hotel, I was able to reuse my ticket to explore the rest of the exhibits: amazing cabinets, ships, masks and dolls houses; quirky modern art and a full-size aeroplane on the top floor; medieval art on the ground floor. Although I felt it slightly lowered the tone, I also enjoyed Alain de Botton's "Art is Therapy" curating with giant post-it notes getting us to rethink the purpose behind a visit to a museum.
I could quite happily have returned for a fourth visit. It is a very large museum so it is well worth visiting their web site https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/ to plan what you wish to see in advance. More details and photos of my trip can be found here.
