Rick Steves Tour: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

By Rick Steves

By Gene Openshaw

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$2.99 CAD

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ebook (Digital original)

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ebook (Digital original) $1.99 $2.99 CAD

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Rick Steves Tours eBooks are straightforward, self-guided tours of some of Europe’s most popular museums, ancient buildings, and other points of interest, designed for easy reference on your mobile device or eReader.

In Rick Steves Tour: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam-for less than the price of a cappuccino-Rick shares his candid advice on how to get the most out of a visit to the Rijksmuseum, including when to go, how much it costs, and what’s worth your time once you’re there. With Rick’s knowledgeable, humorous writing in hand, you’ll also learn some interesting historical facts about the museum along the way.

Packed with indispensable tips and recommendations from America’s expert on Europe, Rick Steves Tour: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam is a tour guide in your pocket-and on your smartphone.

Rijksmuseum Tour

ORIENTATION

Map: Rijksmuseum—Second Floor

THE TOUR BEGINS

Gallery of Honor

Frans Hals

Johannes Vermeer

Jan Steen

Rembrandt van Rijn

The Rest of the Rijks

At Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum (“Rijks” rhymes with “bikes”), Holland’s Golden Age shines with the best collection anywhere of the Dutch Masters—from Vermeer’s quiet domestic scenes and Steen’s raucous family meals to Hals’ snapshot portraits and Rembrandt’s moody brilliance.

The 17th century saw the Netherlands at the pinnacle of its power. Trade and shipping boomed, wealth poured in, and the arts flourished. Upper-middle-class businessmen hired artists to paint their portraits and decorate their homes with pretty still lifes and unpreachy, slice-of-life art.

Dutch art is meant to be enjoyed, not studied. It’s straightforward, meat-and-potatoes art for the common man. On this visit, we’ll enjoy the beauty of everyday things rendered in exquisite detail. Set your cerebral cortex on “low” and let this art pass straight from the eyes to the heart, with minimal detours.

ORIENTATION MAP

Cost: €17.50, covered by Museumkaart and I Amsterdam City Card.

Hours: Daily 9:00-17:00.

Information: Tel. 020/674-7047, www.rijksmuseum.nl.

Advance Tickets: Buy tickets online at www.rijksmuseum.nl (good any time) and you can enter the building through a less-crowded entrance, skip the ticket-buying lines, and go directly to the ticket taker.

Avoiding Crowds/Lines: The museum is most crowded on weekends and holidays, and between 11:00 and 14:00. It’s least crowded after 15:00.

Getting There: From Centraal Station, catch tram #2 or #12 to the Rijksmuseum stop. The museum entrance is inside the arched passage that cuts under the building at its center.

Tours: The museum’s free app offers tours, maps, and useful info (download in advance or use the museum’s free Wi-Fi). Guided tours are often offered at 11:00, 13:00, and 15:00 (€5). A multi-media videoguide (€5) provides a 45-minute highlights tour and an in-depth version.

Length of This Tour: Allow 1.5 hours.

Services: The helpful info desk in the lower-level Atrium has free maps and baggage check.

Cuisine Art: The Rijksmuseum Café is in the Atrium. (No museum ticket required to eat here.) Beyond the museum complex, you’ll find the Cobra Café on Museumplein. Vondelpark and Museumplein are perfect for picnics.

Starring: Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen.

The Rijksmuseum, on pleasant Museumplein

The Atrium has tourist services.

THE TOUR BEGINS MAP

Descend into the lower-level Atrium. Show your ticket (and download the museum app or rent a videoguide), then follow the crowds up the stairway to the top (second) floor, into the

Genre:

On Sale: Jul 30, 2019
Page Count: 19 pages
Publisher: Rick Steves
ISBN-13: 9781641713535

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Rick Steves

About the Author

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Gene Openshaw

About the Author

Since 1973, Rick Steves has spent about four months a year exploring Europe. His mission: to empower Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. Rick produces a best-selling guidebook series, a public television series, and a public radio show, and organizes small-group tours that take over 30,000 travelers to Europe annually. He does all of this with the help of more than 100 well-traveled staff members at Rick Steves' Europe in Edmonds, WA (near Seattle). When not on the road, Rick is active in his church and with advocacy groups focused on economic and social justice, drug policy reform, and ending hunger. To recharge, Rick plays piano, relaxes at his family cabin in the Cascade Mountains, and spends time with his son Andy, daughter Jackie, and his new grandson…baby Atlas. Find out more about Rick at http://www.ricksteves.com and on Facebook.

Connect with Rick:
facebook.com/RickSteves
twitter: @RickSteves
instagram: ricksteveseurope

Gene Openshaw has co-authored a dozen Rick Steves books, specializing in writing walks and tours of Europe's cities, museums, and cultural sites. He also contributes to Rick's public television series, produces tours for Rick Steves Audio Europe, and is a regular guest on Rick's public radio show. Outside of the travel world, Gene has co-authored The Seattle Joke Book. As a composer, Gene has written a full-length opera called Matter, a violin sonata, and dozens of songs. He lives near Seattle with his daughter, enjoys giving presentations on art and history, and roots for the Mariners in good times and bad.

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