Tips on Getting Tickets to the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam

We must not forget what history has taught us. History has shown us that people can be cruel, unjust, and unrestrained in their destruction of people. While in Amsterdam, making a visit to the Anne Frank Museum is an absolute must to keep the lessons from history seared into our minds. 

The entrance to the Anne Frank Museum

The museum is the house in which Anne Frank, her family, the Pels, and Fritz Pfeffer. Do note that photographs inside the museum are not allowed as respect for people connecting with the meaning of the house. Visiting the location where one of the greatest works of literature was written during the darkest hours of history is something that many others want to do.

You can purchase tickets to the Anne Frank House, but you should do it well in advance. There are regular admission tickets (9 euros) to the museum, and there are special tickets (14 euros) that include an introductory program with museum staff. The special tickets typically had much fewer time slots available. When I looked at tickets in October, the regular tickets were sold out for several weeks in advance as were the special program tickets. On occasion, a few tickets would become available on same day or a few days in advance. 

 

Model of the house in the museum gift shop.

My best guess about why this happens is because new tickets for existing time slots are uploaded into the schedule. My experience in trying to catch one of these newly added tickets is to check the website early in the morning Amsterdam time zone. My first day in Amsterdam, I found six regular tickets for same day. The other days I was in Amsterdam showed no tickets available, but I kept checking to see the website regularly to see if any there were any available tickets. And that’s how I discovered the addition of available tickets the same day or a few days in advance.

I wound up spotting available special tickets that worked well for our schedule, and I snagged them. It appears that the museum staff schedules are solidified a few days in advance so it is more likely that you’ll find the special program tickets being added, particularly if you notice there are days when special program tickets time slots are very limited. Staffing for that day is probably still being solidified, and thus, the higher chances that you’ll see available tickets and additional times closer to that date. Keep in mind that all is this is speculation on the operations end of how tickets are made available for purchase online. I could be really inaccurate, but hopefully this post will get you tickets anyways. 

 

Front view of the museum.

You might be asking if it is worth 5 euros to pay for the special program, and I would say that it is worth the additional and nominal cost. In the program, a museum staff member guides you through the story with details about the museum and family that you cannot get anywhere else. By the time you are ready to visit the museum, you are well-educated in the story so that the visit makes sense to you. Instead of trying to absorb new information, you are able to experience the museum and get a deeper understanding of the significance of the items and space. I would highly recommend getting tickets for the special program. 

 This is the middle section of the line.

If you decide that you want to show up to buy tickets, do be prepared for an extremely long wait. Walk up tickets start being sold at 3:30pm, and the line is about two hours long just to buy ticket. After seeing the line at the Museum, I am very grateful that I spent time every morning looking for tickets.