5 Wheelchair-friendly museums in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam is a museum-lover’s paradise. Whether you’re into history, art, photography, science, fashion, or even cheese, there’s a museum for just about everything. While not all museums are wheelchair-friendly, a growing number are acting on the importance of making Amsterdam’s arts and culture scene inclusive to everyone. In no particular order, here are 5 wheelchair-friendly museums in Amsterdam:
Van Gogh Museum
Portraits at the Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum houses a large collection of Van Gogh’s masterpieces, as well as selected works by Gauguin and other artists. The museum is accessible thanks to spacious exhibition rooms, ramps, lifts, accessible toilets with grab rails, and several other features. With the exception of the third floor book shop, the museum’s restaurants and gift shops are also wheelchair-friendly.
Micropia
Colourful petri dishes at Micropia
Micropia educates visitors of all ages about microbes and bacteria. The museum is home to fascinating jars of fungus, microscopes revealing bacteria on household objects (I can never look at a remote control the same way again), and petri dishes full of colourful substances, to name a few. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Entrance doors are automatic, the layout is spacious, and there’s a massive lift. The only points of inaccessibility are the lockers (stairs only), some of the jars, dishes and microscope installations (hard to see from wheelchair-level) and certain interactive features (up on a platform). There’s an accessible toilet with support rails on the 1st floor.
Stedelijk Museum
The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam
The Stedelijk Museum is a great place to check out modern and contemporary art. Home to paintings, photos, sculptures, film projections, and holograms. Tickets to the Stedelijk Museum can be purchased here.
The Stedelijk Museum has large exhibition rooms and (platform) lifts where needed. Mobility aids and accessibility floor plans can be borrowed. There is a spacious accessible toilet with grab rails. The only potential challenges for wheelchair users include the heavy entrance doors and plastic curtains leading to some of the exhibitions.
H’ART Museum
Cyclists in front of the H’ART Museum building in Amsterdam
H’ART Museum (formerly the Hermitage) is an art museum located along the banks of the Amstel river. Its galleries are filled with various (temporary) exhibitions from artists around the globe.
From personal experience, the bumpy ride through the cobble-stoned courtyard is the only thing that comes close to a challenge for mobility aid users. The museum entrance is threshold-free with automatic doors. Inside, there’s an amazing amount of space to twirl around and pop a wheelie. Lifts lead to every floor and collection. H’ART’s accessible toilets have grab rails and everything is within reach.
Amsterdam Museum
The Amsterdam Museum entrance
Last but not least, the Amsterdam Museum is the place to learn more about the history of Amsterdam. The museum features interactive installations, maps, photos, paintings, and videos depicting Amsterdam at different stages in history.
Between 2022-2025, the Amsterdam Museum is housed in H’ART while the Burgerweeshuis undergoes major renovations. The same accessibility features apply as written about in the section above.
