Art Nerd's Solo Trip to the Netherlands and Belgium ① Museumkaart and Impressions of Museums

A little while ago, I went on a museum-hopping trip to the Netherlands and Belgium. Following my trip to Paris last year, this was another solo trip where I made all the arrangements myself. I plan to record various things, such as my impressions of the museums I visited, items that were useful to bring, and updates based on what I learned from my first trip abroad last year.

You can find my records from last year here.

About the Museumkaart

The museum pass I used for this museum-hopping trip was the "Museumkaart," which is unique to Amsterdam.

There are two types of this pass:
① For Netherlands residents (unlimited use for one year)
② For travelers (valid for 5 facilities within 31 days)
. The traveler version cannot be purchased online in advance; the only way to get it is to buy it at a museum counter locally.

I planned to go to the Rijksmuseum first, so I told the staff member at the entrance, "I want to buy a Museumkaart." I was directed to a special counter, where I was asked, "Do you have an address in the Netherlands?" I replied, "No. Can I have a temporary card?" and got it without any issues. It was 75€.

Since one use is consumed upon issuance, it is important to book time slots for the museums you plan to visit using the "Museumkaart" option. It would be a waste to have one use consumed even though you paid the entrance fee!

The facilities I visited using the Museumkaart were the
① Rijksmuseum, ② Mauritshuis, ③ Van Gogh Museum, ④ Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, ⑤ Anne Frank House

. I was able to save about 4,500 yen compared to buying individual tickets. Among these,

timed entry reservations are required
for all except the Stedelijk Museum, so don't forget if you plan to go.

In Belgium, I visited
the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Magritte Museum, and the Horta Museum

, purchasing timed entry tickets for each in advance.

Impressions of the Museums

I will write separate articles for my thoughts on each museum, but I will leave my overall impressions and reflections here.

Viewing with ease

The museums in the Netherlands and Belgium had very well-equipped cloakrooms and lockers. Everywhere I went, checking items was either free or used a coin-return system. I was very grateful to be able to walk around unencumbered. On the other hand, I wanted to keep my valuables on me at all times, so I used a style where I put only my valuables (passport, keys, wallet, smartphone, digital camera) in a small shoulder bag and checked my other luggage and coat. I'm glad I brought a small shoulder bag. I brought one with merchandise from my favorite band, which felt similar to the famous Uniqlo shoulder bag.

In the case of staffed cloakrooms (where you check items and receive a claim number), I would lock the zippers of the bag containing my non-valuable items with a padlock before checking it (I'm super cautious).

Punctuality is key!

Even with a timed reservation system, the entrance lines for those with reservations were crowded at the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. I planned my schedule to always arrive 20 minutes early, considering the possibility of getting lost. I especially recommend allowing plenty of time for the Anne Frank House, as the reservation slots are in 15-minute increments and are very strict. There was an electronic display board in front of the entrance gate showing the "time range," and the system involved staff checking that your ticket was for that time slot before you could enter.

English is fine

The Netherlands has Dutch as its official language, but almost every citizen can speak English. Also, Belgium has three official languages: French, Dutch, and German, but English is widely understood in tourist areas, so I rarely had any trouble with basic communication.
There were even kind people who would greet me in Japanese or use words they knew once they realized I was Japanese.

Museum guides and explanations were almost always available in English. Audio guides sometimes had Japanese, and sometimes they didn't.
I was really surprised to see Japanese on the outer wall of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

I will write articles about each museum later on. I hope this is helpful to someone :)