In short
The Museum of the Canals gives the water outside a story. Inside Herengracht 386, a multimedia route explains how Amsterdam grew around its canals; historic rooms then bring the scale back to one house and its residents. Visit early in your trip if you would like the next canal-side walk to feel more revealing.
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Museum of the Canals prices and hours
Regular hours are Monday 12:00–17:00 and Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00. Last entry is 16:30. The museum closes on 1 January, 27 April and 25 December. Busy weekend afternoons can involve a queue.
Adult admission starts from €18.50; children aged 6–17 from €9.50 and students/CJP from €12.50 on the official price list checked 23 October 2026. Children aged 0–5 and eligible Museumkaart, I amsterdam City Card, Stadspas and ICOM holders enter free under the museum’s conditions. Bring any qualifying card.
Hours
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Monday 12:00–17:00
Regular hours; last entry 16:30.
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Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00
Weekend afternoons can be busy.
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Annual closures 1 Jan / 27 Apr / 25 Dec
Check the calendar for other exceptions.
Prices
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Adult admission From €18.50
Official price and selected Tiqets offer checked 23 October 2026.
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Children 6–17 From €9.50
Official rate; ages 0–5 enter free.
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Students / CJP From €12.50
Bring proof; eligible museum/city cards have separate free-entry conditions.
What to see inside the canal house
The permanent exhibition uses five multimedia rooms to show the development of the canal belt. An included audio guide sets the pace. Afterwards, look at the period rooms and the Andriessen Room: these spaces reward attention to surfaces, symmetry and the changes made by later residents.
Multimedia rooms Must see
Follow the making of Amsterdam’s canal belt through five rooms.
The canal house
Notice the architecture of Herengracht 386.
Andriessen Room
Explore painted landscapes and their clues to a later relocation.
Period rooms
Look for layers of seventeenth- and nineteenth-century design.
Temporary exhibitions
Check the programme for the displays on your date.
Quick summary of your museum visit
The museum gives around 40 minutes for the multimedia route. Allow extra time for the period rooms and any temporary exhibition. A new round starts every ten minutes, with room for twelve people, so arriving with some flexibility is useful even when you already hold an e-ticket.
Best moment
Before a walk around the canal belt
Crowd
Weekend afternoons may involve a queue
Kid friendly
Ask for colouring sheets or a treasure hunt for ages 6–14
Unmissable
The five-room multimedia route
Type of experience
An independent museum visit with audio
What to expect
Canal history and historic interiors, with no boat trip included
How to visit the Museum of the Canals
The offers below are for museum admission with an audio guide. They cover an indoor visit on Herengracht; a canal cruise is a separate activity with its own boarding point. Compare language, date and cancellation conditions when choosing a provider.
The museum does not use timed admission slots and an e-ticket gives no priority access. The permanent route is followed with audio interpretation; the museum does not offer live guided tours of the galleries. Its audio guide is available in Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Russian.
Museum of The Canals: Entry Ticket + Audio Guide
Amsterdam Museum of the Canals Admission Ticket with Audiotour
Museum of the Canals + Audio Guide
Good to know
The museum is cashless and does not accept American Express.
Bring a valid card for a free or reduced admission category.
Ask the desk for a printed audio script if useful.
Wheelchair access uses a staff-operated platform lift; mobility scooters cannot enter.
Practical tips
Visit before a canal walk so the street plan has more meaning.
Look up at Pascal Amblard’s ceiling, painted in 2022.
Leave room around the multimedia displays for others in your group.
There is no museum café; plan refreshments in the surrounding streets.
How to reach Herengracht 386
The address is Herengracht 386, 1016 CJ Amsterdam. The museum lists metro 52 to Rokin, then around seven minutes on foot, or Koningsplein with a shorter walk. Confirm current routes and service changes before setting off. The Nine Streets are close enough to continue your visit outside afterwards.
The museum lists metro 52 to Rokin, around a seven-minute walk away, and tram access at Koningsplein, around four minutes away. Confirm current lines and services in the journey planner.
Navigate to Herengracht 386. The museum estimates around 23 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal, depending on route and walking pace.
Use suitable city cycle routes and legal parking nearby, keeping the entrance and pedestrian pavements clear.
Museum of the Canals, Herengracht 386, Amsterdam
Official Transport in Barcelona
A canal house shaped by merchants and changing tastes
Merchant Karel Gerards commissioned architect Philips Vingboons in 1663 to create this canal house, which dates from 1665. Its elegant rooms belonged to a city where trade, wealth and urban expansion transformed the waterside. The house makes an appropriate setting for a museum about that larger development.
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Later residents altered the building rather than preserving one unchanging seventeenth-century interior. Among them was banker Jan Willink, whose lending connected Amsterdam finance with the American struggle for independence. The rooms therefore hold successive layers of domestic, commercial and international history.
The Andriessen Room contains landscapes painted by Jurriaan Andriessen in 1776. The museum explains that the paintings were probably made for another room and moved later: cut-off details and the direction of the painted shadows offer clues. The room’s ceiling is much newer, a 2022 work by Pascal Amblard.
Restoration for museum use revealed older floors and wall coverings. The period rooms combine surviving elements with researched restoration, including nineteenth-century styles. Rather than treating everything as the original furnishings of 1665, look for evidence of changing tastes. The multimedia exhibition adds the wider urban story to this history of one address.
Small details that connect the house and the city
The house dates from 1665, following a commission in 1663.
The permanent multimedia route passes through five rooms.
The audio guide is included in nine languages.
Andriessen’s landscapes date from 1776.
The ceiling painting above them was made in 2022.
Museum tickets and canal experiences in Amsterdam
Find your stay near the Museum of the Canals
Compare accommodation around Herengracht 386 using the map below. Check the final walking route, stairs or lifts in the property and transport for the rest of your plans. The canal belt is convenient for exploring on foot, but the details of the building matter as much as the neighbourhood.
Museum of the Canals visiting questions
Does the museum ticket include a canal cruise?
No. The selected museum offers cover admission and audio interpretation. Book a cruise separately if you want to go on the water.
Do I have to book a time slot?
The museum says it does not use admission time slots. Small rounds of the multimedia route start every ten minutes, so there may be a wait.
Does an e-ticket skip the queue?
No. The museum explicitly says e-tickets do not give priority access. Have the ticket scanned at the desk.
How long does the visit take?
The permanent multimedia route takes around 40 minutes. Add time for period rooms and temporary exhibitions.
Which audio languages are available?
Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Russian. A printed script is also available at the desk.
Is the museum wheelchair accessible?
A staff-operated platform lift is beside the entrance and an internal lift reaches the museum floors. There are 3 cm thresholds and the narrowest doorway is 80 cm; mobility scooters cannot enter. Confirm arrangements for your needs.
Are young children admitted free?
The official list gives free entry for ages 0–5 and a reduced category for ages 6–17. Check the correct category when booking.
Is there a live guide or a museum café?
The museum uses audio interpretation rather than live gallery tours. It has a small shop but no museum café.
