Museum of the Canals: Amsterdam's Historic Waterways
4.4
28 Ratings
Amsterdam

Discover Amsterdam’s canal history at the Museum of the Canals. Enjoy a captivating audiovisual tour through 400 years of heritage. Book your ticket now.

Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Museum of the Canals - Discover the history of Amsterdam and its iconic canals. Situated in a 17th-century canal house in the heart of the city, the Museum of the Canals features classical period rooms, a permanent multimedia tour, a stunning garden, and rotating exhibitions. Enjoyable for visitors of all ages!
What's Included
  • Audio guide in 9 languages
  • Admission to the Museum of the Canals
Additional Information

Discover the history of Amsterdam’s canals at the Museum of the Canals (Grachtenmuseum) in Amsterdam. An impressive audiovisual exhibition will guide you through 400 years of the city’s history, showing how Amsterdam evolved from a tiny fishing village into a bustling metropolis. You’ll also learn about the significance of the canals, which were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010.

Location
Herengracht 386
Herengracht
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(28 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Reservarlden
Jul 1, 2025
Informative tour - This tour was very interesting giving a deep insight into the history of the canals in Amsterdam and the mines around them. Tickets can be paid for or are complimentary with the Amsterdam Card and the tour lasts around 50 minutes. There are several themed books to buy too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rshoregon
Jul 1, 2025
insightful and engaging self guided audio tour - An important museum to see if you want to better understand Amsterdam’s history and how it has evolved over the years. Enjoyed doing this tour near the end of our trip after exploring g the city. The audio self guided tour is 40 minutes and groups start at the same time every few minutes. The tour is cleverly done.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Franciscopv2918wx
Jun 30, 2025
Mandatory to know the history of Amsterdam and the Netherlands - Mandatory to know the history of Amsterdam and the Netherlands. This should be your first visit to Amsterdam.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pac084
Jun 15, 2025
My 4 truths - Very interesting museum on the construction of Amsterdam and its canals. Several rooms with audio-visual material and an audio guide allow you to fully understand these different steps. You pass in groups every 7 minutes from room to room.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen
Apr 14, 2025
Worth the visit - Worth the visit. Explains history of Amsterdam & how the canals were created & the stages of creating Amsterdam. Very happy I spent the time & money for this visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adventure444819
Mar 25, 2025
A unique museum to visit! - You can never go wrong going to a museum focused on its place/specialty, and in Amsterdam that is definitely the canals! My husband and I both thought that it was so creatively done and a nice break from churches and larger museums. It was bit expensive for its size, but I think it was a small premium to pay for such a well done presentation of the city and its history. Another bonus was that there weren’t huge crowds to fight against either! If Amsterdam’s history interests you, or if you just need a reprieve from all the tourists everywhere else, I recommend a visit!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Madisen_s
Jul 7, 2025
Quick bursts of history! - Informative! Great for history lovers who have been asking themselves about how the city came to be. My only downside would be that it could have gone more in depth into some areas of the city's history, some parts were mentioned and moved past it quickly. Was nice to go here after a couple of days getting to know the city and areas.
Review provided by Viator
Mb31878
Jul 3, 2025
Fun and informative - If you want to understand the history of Amsterdam and the steps to build the canals, this museum is indispensable. We leave with a feeling of great admiration for this colossal achievement. Unfortunately, however, we cannot stay longer in certain rooms
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roenao
Jun 16, 2025
Wheelchair accessible, WITH staff help - There really is a wheelchair entrance! But you need staff help to get in. The staff were terrifically helpful in getting me around. The exhibits are well thought out, interesting, and varied. I was pleased with my visit and learned a lot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
195victoirem
Mar 23, 2025
Interactive museum on canal history, interesting - Interactive museum with 5 rooms + audio guide. For all ages. Super instructive. Just taking into account the price for a duration of 50 minutes, it's a bit expensive.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Check Availability
From $20
From $20
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Select a date
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).