Museumplein
Amsterdam's three greatest museums all face the same open square — with an underground supermarket directly beneath your feet.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Amsterdam offline.
What started as marshy meadow and a wax candle factory became the city's cultural anchor after Pierre Cuypers finished the Rijksmuseum in 1885 — his street plan shaped the whole square. Landscape architect Sven-Ingvar Andersson redesigned it in 1999, adding a central pond and underground parking. The Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, and Concertgebouw concert hall all ring this one space.
What to look for
- The Rijksmuseum's brick facade — Cuypers designed both the building and the square's original street plan
- The central pond, which converts to a public ice rink in winter
- The empty stretch in front of the Rijksmuseum where the I AMsterdam letters stood until the city council had them removed in December 2018
An underground supermarket sits beneath the square — useful for a quick break between museums without leaving the area.
Museumplein is one of 36 sights worth the detour in Amsterdam, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Amsterdam pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Amsterdam
- RijksmuseumOne million objects collected over 200 years — and the 8,000 on display include the Dutch Golden Age painters who changed what art could be.
- Amstel RiverAmsterdam literally means "Amstel Dam" — the city takes its name from a medieval dam built across this river.
- Van Gogh MuseumThe world's largest Van Gogh collection exists because his sister-in-law spent years refusing to let his unsold work disappear.
- WeespA town that Holland deliberately over-fortified — then flooded on purpose to hold back armies.
- Johan Cruyff ArenaThe Netherlands' largest stadium exists because Amsterdam lost the 1992 Olympics bid to Barcelona — and built something better anyway.
- Defence Line of Amsterdam (Stelling van Amsterdam)Dutch engineers turned the polder itself into a weapon: flood the fields to about 30 centimetres — too shallow for boats to cross — and Amsterdam becomes an island.