Van Gogh Museum

So many of Van Gogh’s works have been reproduced as posters, cards and so on that his art is readily familiar. Among the must-sees in the Van Gogh Museum are The Yellow House, The Bedroom and Sunflowers, all of which he painted in Arles in the years before his death in 1890. Other highlights include the moody self-portraits Van Gogh painted and sketched of himself. Of particular interest is Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, in which he adapted pointillism by replacing the points by short stripes to create a halo effect around his head.

There are multiple options for visiting the Van Gogh Museum, from general entry to combined tours. You can follow your inner compass and admire his creativity on your own with a self-guided audio tour, or you can get the all the detail and background on his life on a private guided tour. Then there are options that combine the museum with other activities, such as a 5.5-hour guided tour of both the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. And you can also combine with a canal tour.

Some 3 hours should suffice for seeing most of the works on display. Guided tours tend to be about 2.5 hours long. The Van Gogh Museum often runs especial exhibitions, and these may add some time to a visit should you decide to check one out.

Amsterdam is one of those cities that are busy no matter what time of the year, and this means plenty of visitors looking to discover its top attractions. And the Van Gogh Museum is one of the most popular. All said, the quietest time is usually the early morning, between 09:00 and 11:00. The afternoon, from 13:00 to 15:00, is when footfall is at its highest in the museum.

One of the Van Gogh Museum’s most famous paintings is Almond Blossom. Behind the allegory of the blooming of new life in spring lies the tale of a heart-rending family history. Van Gogh painted it just five months before his death, and it was a gift to his brother, Theo, and sister-in-law Jo following the birth of their only son, Vincent Willem. Tragically, Theo died a year later. The painting reflects Van Gogh’s Japanese influences and always held a special place in Vincent Willem’s affections. When the museum opened its doors in 1973, Vincent Willem would visit it every day until his own death five years later.