Guidebook Updates for the Netherlands

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• The Netherlands has a new nationwide contactless payment system called OVpay, allowing transit users to tap-to-pay (upon entry and exit) for any bus, Metro, and second-class domestic train rides. Each passenger needs their own payment method, so families with kids may need to use ticket machines or the 9292 app. Tickets are not sold onboard.
• Per new requirements set by the UK government, all passengers on Eurostar trains to/from the UK must now enter their passport details online before boarding. Once you've bought a ticket, enter your ticket's reference number at Eurostar's Manage Your Booking page to reach the page for entering your passport info. If you don't have a reference number issued by Eurostar, head to the manual check-in desk at the Eurostar terminal. Given the UK's new procedures for border checks, it's especially important to allow plenty of time for check-in (Eurostar recommends that standard-class passengers departing from Amsterdam Centraal or Rotterdam Centraal arrive 60–90 minutes ahead of their departure time; gates close 30 minutes before departure).

• There's a new direct bus (#800) to Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam Centraal, which takes about as long as the train, but it drops visitors off at the main entrance to the museum (the train requires a 15-minute walk).

• Voyage Amsterdam canal boat tours has changed their departure point to the pier at Singel 359.
• The Westerkerk tower may still be closed during your visit.
• Our Lord in the Attic Museum now opens at 11:00 on Sundays.
• The Portuguese Synagogue and Jewish Museum both now open at 11:00.
• The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum has new hours: Mon–Thu 12:00–20:00, Fri–Sun 10:00–22:00.
• Coster Diamonds tour is no longer free (now €9 for 30-minute tour); their Diamond Museum has moved to a new location at Paulus Potterstraat 6.
• Smoking cannabis is now prohibited on the streets of the Red Light District and other hotspots, leaving tourists with the option of smoking in the coffeeshop or on the coffeeshop's terrace.
• Tour guide Dennis Gerrits has increased his hourly rate to €75.
• Tour guide Larae Malooly has retired.
• Herengracht 21 B&B no longer offers canal boat tours.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may also apply:

• Tickets for the Anne Frank House now go on sale six weeks in advance (released every Tuesday).
• After cutting ties with the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in 2022, the Hermitage Amsterdam has rebranded itself as the H'ART Museum and now features rotating exhibits from the Pompidou in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum of Washington, DC.
• Amsterdam Museum is closed at least until 2027 while it undergoes renovation.
• The modern, new National Holocaust Museum is open in the Jewish Cultural Quarter, across the street from the Dutch Theater.
• The Netherlands Maritime Museum is now free for kids 12 and under and is no longer closed Mondays off-season.
• Rembrandt's House is now open daily 10:00–18:00.
• The Museum of Canals is now open Mon 12:00–17:00, Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00.
• The Houseboat Museum has a new owner and some changes: The new price is €7.50 and includes an audioguide, there's no closure off-season, and the new phone number is +31 6 4289 3868.
• The Tropical Museum has changed its name to World Museum Amsterdam (Wereldmuseum Amsterdam). The museum café has closed.
• The Noordermarkt (the end of Westerstraat) takes place on Saturdays as well as Mondays.
• Amsterdam has moved the departure points for most long-distance buses away from Centraal station to outlying Metro stops. The EBS buses for Edam/Volendam and Marken leave from the Noord Metro station; Connexxion bus #357 to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction leaves from the Amstelveenseweg Metro station or Elandsgracht in the Jordaan, and bus #391 for Zaanse Schans leaves from the Nooderpark Metro station.
• The tourist information office at Schiphol Airport has closed.
• Cannabis College has closed its study center on Oudezijds Achterburgwal street in the Red Light District (though it still exists as an online resource).
• The Mouse Mansion has moved to Muntplein 8.
• The discount code for the Toren Hotel is "RSTEVES" (not RSSTEVES).
• Bed & Breakfast Amsterdam has a new phone number: +31 6 5109 7663.
• Max Brown Hotel has a new phone number: +31 20 710 7288.
• Hotel Hegra has a new phone number: +31 6 2447 1242.

These older updates still pertains to some of our audio tours:

• Amsterdam's city government has banned guided tours of the Red Light District. But the Prostitution Information Center still offers self-guided tours bookended by an informative talk and Q&A session.
• The Museum of Bags and Purses has closed, as has the Biblical Museum.

• A new €28 day ticket covers entrance to the Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Kröller-Müller Museum.
• The Kröller-Müller Museum is now closed Mondays.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• The Prinsenhof Museum has indeed closed for a giant renovation project through at least the end of 2026.
• Van der Dussen restaurant has closed.

• The Waterland/Go Dutch day ticket, which covers all regional buses between Amsterdam and Hoorn, can now be purchased either online or at the EBS booth at the back of Amsterdam Centraal station.
• Buses to Edam run from the Amsterdam Centraal bus station in addition to Amsterdam Noord Metro station. Buses #110 and #112 leave from Noord, while buses #314 and #316 leave from Centraal.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• Ton Tweewielers bike shop in Edam has closed.

• In Lelystad, Batavialand will soon begin a major museum expansion and renovation during which the centerpiece ship, a replica of the VOC Batavia, will be offsite. The ship will move to Amsterdam for modifications starting in August 2026 for an undetermined time (the museum addition is scheduled to open in 2028).

• The last tour of the Corrie ten Boom House in English is generally at 14:00. It's smart to book a tour as far ahead as possible — ideally 4–5 months in advance.
• De Adriaan Windmill is now open via 45-minute guided tour only.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• Mr. & Mrs. Food & Wine has closed.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• The Binnenhof Parliament Complex has begun extensive renovations that may extend into the late 2020s. In the meantime, it has opened a free information center with displays on the 800-year history of the complex and archaeological finds.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• The Westfries Museum in Hoorn is undergoing renovations (likely until mid-2027). During the closure, a "Story of Hoorn" multimedia show is on view in the former town hall at Nieuwstraat 23 (€7.50, includes access to town walking tour app, Tue–Sun 11:00–16:00, closed Mon).
• The tourist information office in Hoorn has closed.

• The Keukenhof Express bus #858 from Schiphol airport is not currently running. Riders will need to take bus #300 or #397 to Hoofddorp and catch the KeukenhofBuzz #859 from there.

• The former American Pilgrim Museum has a new name, address, and hours. Now called Pilgrim Museum Leiden, it has moved next to the Pieterskerk (€9.50, Wed–Sun 14:00–17:00). Guided tours are offered on Wednesdays at 13:00 for €12.50/person.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

• The price for a harbor cruise with Spido has increased dramatically, from €6 to €17.50.
• Zilt aan de Maas bike shop has closed.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may apply:

• Sunday hours at the cathedral (Domkerk) are now 12:30–17:00.
• The DOMunder experience at the cathedral is now open daily 10:00–17:00.
• There is no longer a combo ticket for the cathedral and the Musical Clock Museum.