In short
The Jewish Museum explores Jewish religion, culture and history through objects, art and personal stories. Its home in four former synagogues adds a powerful architectural setting, while the family-oriented Junior museum brings everyday traditions into activities for children. This is a place to understand Jewish life across generations, as well as the events that changed it.
☰ Table of content
Jewish Museum prices and opening hours
The Jewish Museum + junior normally opens 11:00–17:00. The published calendar lists shorter 11:00–16:00 openings on 5, 24, 25 and 31 December, a 12:00 start on 1 January and closure on King’s Day. Check the calendar for other religious-holiday exceptions.
Selected partner museum-and-synagogue admission starts from €20, checked 23 October 2026. The official online duo ticket also starts from €20; a full-quarter combination and National Holocaust Museum-only entry are different categories. The institution lists a €2 supplement for tickets bought at the desk. Eligible cards and reduced categories have their own conditions.
Hours
-
Jewish Museum + junior 11:00–17:00
Regular hours; check religious and holiday exceptions.
-
Selected December dates 11:00–16:00
5, 24, 25 and 31 December on the published calendar.
-
Portuguese Synagogue Separate calendar
Closed Saturdays and religious exceptions; winter Fridays close earlier.
Prices
-
Selected duo entry From €20
Museum + junior and Portuguese Synagogue; checked 23 October 2026.
-
Official full-quarter combo From €30
Different inclusions; not the selected partner duo.
-
Eligible cards / concessions Check category
Museumkaart and other approved cards; bring valid proof.
What to see at the Jewish Museum
Start with the museum’s questions about Jewish life then and now: traditions, identity, customs and the relationship between communities and the Netherlands. The silver Rintel chanukiah is a particularly revealing object, linking a named donor, a festival and the Great Synagogue itself. Temporary exhibitions add other artistic and historical perspectives.
Rintel chanukiah Must see
Explore the silver candelabrum donated by Sara Rintel in 1753.
Jewish life and traditions
Follow objects and personal accounts through changing customs and identities.
The former synagogues
Notice how the connected buildings retain different spaces.
Jewish Museum junior
Explore family activities designed around ages 6–12.
Temporary exhibitions
Check the programme for additional art and historical displays.
Quick summary of a Jewish Museum visit
Allow around 1.5–2 hours as a planning range for a museum visit, with extra time for Junior or the separate Portuguese Synagogue. Do not compress every location into a rushed itinerary. A neighbourhood walk can add context, but has its own meeting point and does not replace entry to the museum.
Best moment
A visit with enough time for objects and personal stories
Crowd
Leave space around displays and quiet reflection areas
Kid friendly
Junior focuses on hands-on discovery for ages 6–12
Unmissable
The Rintel chanukiah in its synagogue setting
Type of experience
Independent museum visit with optional separate neighbourhood tour
What to expect
Culture, religion, art, personal stories and a complex history
How to visit the museum and plan the synagogue
The selected offers combine Jewish Museum + junior and the Portuguese Synagogue, with audio interpretation as described by each provider. The synagogue is a separate location with a different opening calendar. It closes on Saturdays, Jewish holidays and memorial days, with earlier winter Friday closing.
The National Holocaust Museum is not included in the selected duo. Hollandsche Schouwburg has free public entry under the institution’s arrangements. Official duo/combo tickets are valid for one week, one visit per included venue; follow the actual validity on a partner voucher. The checked GetYourGuide page contains conflicting one-day and one-month wording, so confirm before relying on a multi-day plan.
Jewish Museum
Amsterdam Jewish Museum (Joods Museum & Joods Museum Junior)
Jewish Museum & Portuguese Synagogue
Good to know
The museum and Portuguese Synagogue have different opening calendars.
Wheelchair entrance to the Jewish Museum is at Nieuwe Amstelstraat 3–5.
Do not assume a duo ticket includes National Holocaust Museum.
Bring any qualifying card and check the exact voucher validity.
Practical tips
Give the Rintel chanukiah time beyond a quick photograph.
Read personal accounts alongside ceremonial objects and artworks.
With children aged 6–12, consider the Junior museum’s practical activities.
Keep a separately booked walking tour and its meeting point distinct from museum admission.
How to reach the Jewish Museum
The main address is Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1, Amsterdam, near Waterlooplein. Wheelchair visitors use Nieuwe Amstelstraat 3–5. Plan the current transport journey and the final walk, checking the address of each venue if visiting more than the museum.
Plan a current journey toward Waterlooplein and check services and the final walk to Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1.
Navigate to the museum’s own entrance. Wheelchair access is at Nieuwe Amstelstraat 3–5; the Portuguese Synagogue and other venues have separate addresses.
Use suitable city routes and legal parking, leaving entrances and pavements clear.
Jewish Museum, Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1, Amsterdam
Official Transport in Barcelona
A museum of Jewish life in a historic synagogue complex
The museum began in the early 1930s in De Waag. German occupation brought closure in 1940 and the loss of much of its collection. Reopening in 1955 was therefore also an act of rebuilding cultural memory, rather than a simple continuation of the pre-war institution.
Read allShow less
Read allShow less
In 1987 the museum moved to the restored Ashkenazi synagogue complex at Jonas Daniël Meijerplein. The Great Synagogue, New Synagogue, Obbene Sjoel and Dritt Sjoel remain distinguishable within a connected museum. Their new use preserves buildings once central to communal life.
The setting invites visitors to consider both continuity and rupture. Objects associated with worship can be read beside the architecture they served, while personal accounts connect broad historical changes with individual experience. The museum’s subject extends beyond persecution to cultural creativity, religious practice and everyday life.
Later development placed family learning and a wider group of heritage venues within the same institutional framework. Junior gained a permanent presentation in 2006, and the Jewish Cultural Quarter was launched in 2012. These connections can enrich a visit, while the different locations retain their own roles and admission arrangements.
Objects, people and places to notice
The Rintel chanukiah was donated by Sara Rintel in 1753.
It was made for the Great Synagogue.
The museum occupies four former synagogues.
The current synagogue-complex home opened as a museum in 1987.
Junior is designed especially around children aged 6–12.
Jewish Museum tickets and neighbourhood history tours
Find your stay near the Jewish Museum
Compare accommodation around Nieuwe Amstelstraat using the map below. Check the actual entrance, lift or stairs in the property and transport for the rest of your trip. Staying near the old Jewish neighbourhood can suit a history-focused itinerary, but leave time to visit each institution at its own pace.
Jewish Museum visiting questions
Does the duo ticket include National Holocaust Museum?
No. The selected museum-and-synagogue duo does not include it. Choose a separate or explicitly suitable combination if you want that institution too.
Is Hollandsche Schouwburg paid entry?
The institution lists free public entry to Hollandsche Schouwburg. Check its opening calendar.
Is the synagogue open on Saturdays?
No. It is closed on Shabbat, with additional Jewish holiday and memorial-day closures and earlier winter Friday closing.
How long is the ticket valid?
The institution’s own duo/combo tickets are valid for one week, with one visit to each included venue. For a partner purchase, follow and confirm the voucher validity; do not assume the same period.
Is the museum wheelchair accessible?
The institution lists lifts and step-free entrances. Use the Jewish Museum wheelchair entrance at Nieuwe Amstelstraat 3–5 and check any equipment needs in advance.
What is Junior?
The Jewish Museum junior is a hands-on family space especially for children aged 6–12, using a fictional family home to explore Jewish life.
Is the museum only about the Holocaust?
No. It covers Jewish culture, religion, history, identity and everyday life. The National Holocaust Museum is a distinct venue.
Is a walking tour included?
Not in ordinary museum admission. The related walking-tour guide covers separately booked neighbourhood experiences; check each tour’s inclusions and meeting point.
