Posted on: januari 5, 2024
Are you looking for unforgettable and fun things do in Amsterdam? Do not wander around the city aimlessly. That is a waste of your precious time! Discover these 10 unusual museums in Amsterdam and experience something unique!
Did you know that Amsterdam was ranked as the most cultural city of the world in 2017? The creators of the ranking (The World’s Most Cultural cities) used TripAdvisor to determine the number of theaters, museums, art galleries, concert halls and Michelin restaurants. They did this for the thirty cities worldwide that received the most international visitors who also stayed in the city. For these cities, the list looked at the number of inhabitants in relation to the number of cultural attractions in the city.
These 10 unusual museums in Amsterdam probably helped with that high ranking!
In 1990, cat lover Bob Meijer set up the Kattenkabinet, in honor of his deceased red male cat named J.P. Morgan. In the museum you can admire all kinds of paintings, sculptures and drawings with a cat theme. Presented are works by, among others, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec.
The museum is located in a beautiful old canal house from 1667, making a visit to this peculiar museum an interesting experience even for people who do not like cats.
Adults | € 7,- per person |
Students & Pupils | € 4,- per person |
Children | Free |
✦ Monday through Friday: from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm.
✦ Saturday through Sunday: from 12:00 noon till 5:00 pm.
Number two of our unusual museums in Amsterdam list is the Torture Museum Amsterdam, and it is not suitable for the weak. This intriguing museum gives you a realistic look at a dark past, where gruesome torture techniques and public executions were everyday occurrences. More than 40 different torture instruments and methods from different parts of Europe are presented in the Torture Museum.
Adults | € 7,50 per person |
Children up to the age of 12 | € 4,- per person |
✦ From 10:00 am till 11:00 pm.
In this cozy museum you can view peace pipes, clay pipes and historical price lists. As a visitor you get a personal tour of the hundreds of pipes and all related smoky objects. The tour guide tells all stories behind the objects, which makes it very interesting.
Adults | € 10,- per person |
Children aged 6 – 18 | € 5,- per person |
Children aged 5 or younger | Free |
✦ Monday through Saturday: from 12:00 noon till 6:00 pm.
How do we look on the inside? How are our organs and body parts built up and where is everything exactly? Where do the muscles and blood vessels run in your forearm? In Vrolik Museum you’ll find a collection where the normal and abnormal development of the human body play a central role. It was amassed in the late 18th century, the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century.
Adults | € 7,50 per person |
Children up to the age of 12 | € 3,50 per person |
✦ Monday through Friday: from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm.
Are you interested in cannabis? Then this is something you should experience!
De Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum in Amsterdam is the world’s oldest and most important museum that is solely dedicated to Cannabis Sativa L, also known as hemp or marijuana.
This museum fulfills an important informative function. It has a unique collection that covers all aspects of cannabis. It functions as an educational center and facilitates scientific research and fulfils an important informative function.
The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum was founded by Ben Dronkers – one of Holland’s most important cannabis pioneers. He is also the CEO of Sensi Seeds.
All ages | € 8,50 per person |
✦ From 10:00 am till 10:00 pm.
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In 1997 the House Boat Museum was opened. The owner got the idea for the museum because of the many questions he got about living in a house boat. Now visitors can see and experience what it is like to live on a houseboat in Amsterdam. The unique location at the Prinsengracht, on the edge of the famous Jordaan, provides a magnificent backdrop for the historic museum ship.
Adults | € 4,50 per person |
Children aged 5 – 15 | € 3,50 per person |
Opening hours can be found on the website of the HouseBoatMuseum.
Number 7 on our unusual museums in Amsterdam list is the largest museum for bags and purses in the world. With more than 4,000 bags, the museum shows the history of the bag and purse in the west. From the Middle Ages to the present. The oldest bag is a goatskin leather bag from the sixteenth century. The collection hosts the weirdest and craziest types of bags including iconic ones from Margaret Thatcher’s and Madonna.
Adults | € 12,50 per person |
Students | € 9,50 per person |
Pupils aged 13 – 18 | € 7,50 per person |
Children aged 7 – 12 | € 3,50 per person |
✦ From 10:00 am till 5:00 pm.
Tucked away in the heart of De Wallen lies a small uniquely preserved wonder: the Our Lord in the Attic Museum. Walk through the narrow corridors of this seventeenth-century canal house. Climb the wooden stairs and discover living rooms, kitchens and bedsteads all furnished in the style of the Dutch Golden Age. This all leads up to the attic of the museum where you’ll find an entire hidden church.
This museum is also a part of Amsterdam Audio Tours.
Adults | € 11,- per person |
Children aged 5 – 17 | € 5,50 per person |
Children aged 4 or younger | Free |
✦ Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am till 6:00 pm
✦ Sunday from 1:00 pm till 6:00 pm.
Us humans cherish life, but we need death to give it all meaning. Dutch society is constantly changing and this affects the forms of funeral services, funeral rituals and the way we Dutchies mourn. Tot Zover delves into how the Dutch deal with death in four different themes: rituals, the body, Mourning and remembrance, and reflection on mortality.
Museum Tot Zover gives an overview of the traditions and customs in the field of dying, burial and grief processing in the Netherlands. There are, for example, objects relating to the funeral industry, such as the uniform of an undertaker’s man and an atomizer, which was used to dispel unpleasant odors in death rooms. Attention is also given to modern funeral rituals, for example in other cultures.
Adults | € 7,- per person |
Pupils aged 13 – 18 | € 5,- per person |
Children aged 12 or younger | Free |
The last one on our unusual museums in Amsterdam list is a museum named after one of Jimi Hendrix’s best records, and that can only mean one thing: psychedelic art. Electric Ladyland is an ode to fluorescent art, which can sometimes have hallucinatory (side) effects. In this museum you are not merely an observer, you take part in a world full of weird shapes and colors. Ideal for anyone who does not like the passive view of art and prefers to be a part of the adventure.
Aged 12 and older | € 5,- per person |
Children | Free |
Open: Wednesday through Saturday from 2:00 am till 6:00 pm.
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