Is a city pass worth it in Amsterdam?
Amsterdam's passes cover a lot — transport, museums, a canal cruise, Heineken — but every one of them shares the same blind spot. The Anne Frank House sells its own tickets directly and never joins a pass program, so the real decision is which pass fits everything else on your list, and when to book that one attraction separately.
🚲 Passes available in Amsterdam
What each one costs, covers, and who it’s actually for.
Top attractions & single-ticket prices
The walk-up prices we compare every pass against.
Run the numbers for your Amsterdam trip
Your dates, your travelers, your attractions — one clear verdict.
What the passes actually cover
I amsterdam City Card (€69 for one day, up to €144 for five) is the broadest option: unlimited public transit plus full entry to the Rijksmuseum, Heineken Experience, a canal cruise, A’DAM Lookout, NEMO, the Royal Palace, Artis Zoo and the Stedelijk, with the Van Gogh Museum included as a reservation — admission is waived, but you still book a timed slot. Moco Museum, Madame Tussauds and the Hermitage are discounts on this card, not free entries.
Museumkaart (€74.90, valid a full year) suits people who’ll be back, or who are staying long enough that an annual card beats a multi-day one. It covers the Rijksmuseum, NEMO, the Royal Palace, the Hermitage, Artis Zoo and the Stedelijk — real museums and institutions — but skips anything commercial: no Heineken Experience, no canal cruise, no Moco. It also carries no skip-the-line access, so you queue like anyone else at busy houses.
Go City: Amsterdam Explorer Pass (from €64 for two attractions to €139 for seven) is pick-N across roughly the same commercial-and-museum list as the City Card, minus the transport. It suits visitors who don’t need public transit and would rather choose their own combination than pay for a fixed bundle.
The Anne Frank House gotcha
None of the three includes it, and none ever will. The Anne Frank House sells its own timed tickets exclusively through annefrank.org, released weeks ahead, and no pass carries an allocation. At €16 a ticket and the highest popularity score in our data, it’s on almost every visitor’s list — so book it first, directly, before deciding whether a pass makes sense for everything else.
The Van Gogh Museum is nearly as strict, just less punishing: every pass includes it, but “included” only waives the €22 admission fee. You still need a timed online slot before you go, pass or no pass, because the museum caps entries regardless of how you paid.
How to decide
- Multiple days, want transport bundled with a wide museum-and-experience list → I amsterdam City Card.
- Longer stay, or planning to return within the year, mostly interested in museums, don’t need transit → Museumkaart.
- Want to cherry-pick a handful of stops without paying for transport you won’t use → Go City Explorer Pass.
- Anne Frank House is the priority → book it directly regardless, then run the rest of your list through the calculator to see if a pass adds up on top.
Head-to-head
Which should you buy?
Frequently asked questions about Amsterdam passes
Does any Amsterdam pass include the Anne Frank House?
No. The Anne Frank House sells tickets exclusively through annefrank.org, released weeks in advance, and no pass — not the I amsterdam City Card, not Museumkaart, not Go City — carries an allocation. Book it directly and early, separately from any pass decision.
Is the I amsterdam City Card worth it?
Often, if you're staying a few days and will use the included public transport. It covers full entry to the Rijksmuseum, Heineken Experience, a canal cruise, A'DAM Lookout, NEMO, the Royal Palace, Artis Zoo and the Stedelijk, plus a reserved Van Gogh Museum slot. Run your list through the calculator to see if the transport and museum mix pays off for your trip.
What's the difference between Museumkaart and the I amsterdam City Card?
Museumkaart (€74.90) is an annual card covering genuine museums — Rijksmuseum, NEMO, the Royal Palace, the Hermitage, Artis Zoo, Stedelijk — with no transport and no skip-the-line access. The City Card is a short-stay pass that adds transport and commercial attractions like the Heineken Experience and a canal cruise, which Museumkaart excludes entirely.
Do I still need to book a slot for the Van Gogh Museum with a pass?
Yes. Every pass we track includes the Van Gogh Museum, but only in the sense of waiving the €22 admission — you still need a timed online slot before you go, pass or no pass, since capacity is limited.