Visit Over 400 Museums and Castles in the Netherlands for Less Than €45

Imagine stopping in your tracks, intimidated by a roomful of oversized ceremonial masks belonging to the Oceania tribes.  Perhaps later you will attempt to avoid bumping your head while you explore below deck, the 1868 moored naval ship, De Buffel.  Or maybe you prefer to gaze into the eyes of Johan Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.  All of these adventures and many more await you inside the museums of the Netherlands.

But forget spending your hard earned cash on entrance fees and opt for the Museumkaart instead.  The Museumkaart, a great value-for-money alternative to paying the regular entrance fee, grants you access to the majority of the country’s museums and castles for free or at a discounted rate.  As a  Museumkaart holder you will glide effortlessly through the doors of more than 400 castles and museums, including the famous Rembrandt House and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, as many times as you like in a year.   In addition, members also receive a regular E-Magazine, filled with articles, discounts, special offers and exclusive events.

An adult annual card costs €39.95 and with entrance fees typically costing between €7 and €15, it only takes a few museum visits to re-cover the cost of the card.  Purchasing a card can be completed online or even easier, at any one of the 135 locations listed on the website under Waar koop ik de Museumkaart? (Where do I buy the Museumkaart?).

If you are lacking inspiration when it comes to selecting which museum to visit next, you can check the Museumkaart website under Welke musea doen mee? (Which museums participate?).  Primarily a Dutch website, the opportunity to search by city, postcode and province, means that even if your Dutch language skills are not as good as you would like them to be, you will still experience success when selecting a museum to visit.  Alternatively, you can check the booklet provided with your card, which lists all the participating museums.

Do you have a Museumkaart?  Which museums throughout the Netherlands would you recommend?  What was the last museum you visited and why did you choose it?

Helpful Information

Museumkaart 2011 Prices: €39.95 for adults, €19.95 for students and individuals under 24 (an additional one-time administration fee of €4.95 is applied to new subscriptions)

Website: www.museumjaarkaart.nl