Museum of the Canals

The Museum of the Canals (Grachtenmuseum) tells the story of Amsterdam's canals, past, present and future, and is run by the foundation Stichting Het Grachtenhuis. It occupies a canal house from 1665 at Herengracht 386, commissioned by the wealthy merchant Karel Gerards, who in 1663 engaged the architect Philips Vingboons to design and build it. Later residents included merchants, mayors and bankers such as Jan Willink, a co-financier of the American Revolutionary War. After renovations in 2010 the house opened as a museum in 2012.

The core of the visit is an audiovisual exhibition on 400 years of Amsterdam history and the creation of the canals: an audio guide leads you through five rooms where models, projections, special effects and audio show the canals and the city emerging around you. An interactive dollhouse uses the Pepper's ghost technique to reveal life inside the rooms of a 17th-century canal house. Afterwards you can see temporary exhibitions in the period rooms on the first floor and the monumental Andriessen Room, with 18th-century wall paintings by Jurriaan Andriessen and a modern ceiling painting by the French artist Pascal Amblard.

The audio-guided tour of the permanent multimedia exhibition takes about 45 minutes. A new tour starts every 10 minutes with a maximum of 12 people per tour, and the last round starts at 4:30 pm. The exhibition cannot be visited without the audio guide or with priority access. After the tour you can go on to the temporary exhibitions and the period rooms.

The museum is open every day: Monday from 12:00 to 17:00 and Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. It is closed on King's Day (27 April), Christmas Day (25 December) and New Year's Day (1 January), and on Monday 7 December 2026 for maintenance work; on Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December 2026, it is open from 10:00 to 17:00. The museum can be busy on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, when there may be a queue.

Admission is €18.50 for adults, €12.50 for students and CJP holders, €9.50 for children aged 6 to 17 and €11.10 for Uitpas holders; children up to 5, carers of people with a disability and holders of the Museumkaart, Stadspas, I amsterdam City Card or ICOM card enter free. The audio guide is included in the price. Only debit and credit cards are accepted (no American Express) and cash is not accepted. Tickets are sold at the box office or online; there are no time slots and e-tickets do not give priority access.

The museum is at Herengracht 386, 1016 CJ Amsterdam. From Amsterdam Central Station take metro 52 to Rokin, then walk 7 minutes, or tram 2, 17 or 24 to Koningsplein, a 4-minute walk from the museum. Walking from Central Station takes about 23 minutes (approx. 1.7 km). Parking around the museum is limited; the nearest garages are Parkeergarage Keizersgracht and Parkeergarage Kalverstraat, and there is one disabled parking space directly opposite the entrance.

The museum is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator to all floors and rooms; wheelchair users enter via a platform lift to the left of the main entrance, which staff can operate. Thresholds 3 cm high occur throughout the building and the narrowest doorway is 80 cm wide. Lightweight folding chairs and a loan wheelchair are available. There is no museum café and no tours with live guides. Pets are not allowed, except guide and assistance dogs, which must be kept on a leash.