Taltul

We're going to Amsterdam for 8 days at the beginning of May. I'm not sure which pass to buy (if any). Besides Amsterdam, we will take at least 2 day trips, maybe more. We will be going to the major museums and the Anne Frank House and I also want to go to the Maritime and Troppen Museum. If we go to Harlem, we'll go to the Frans Hal museum.
Will the Museum card be our best bet? We are staying in the Museum area and I understand that even from there, most of the sites in Amsterdam are in walking distance so I'm not sure how much we'll use the tram. Or should we consider another pass?
Thanks.

StCirq

Just walk. Except for getting to and from the airport, you won't need a pass unless you're mobility-impaired. To and from the airport, the 197 bus is easy if you're staying near Museumplein. For Haarlem, walk or take the bus to Centraal Station and catch a train. There may be a museum pass that would save you money if visiting several, but we didn't on our recent visit, so others would know better. I'd recommend getting tickets to the Ann Frank House immediately - the lines for that and the Van Gogh Museum were about 3 hours long a couple of weeks ago, and I don't even know if that was for people already with tickets.

hetismij2

Get a museum card. You will be issued with a temporary card, valid for 31 days, since new cards now have to have a photo again to be valid for a year. (Thanks AirBnB!)

If you are not too late already be sure to book the Anne Frankhuis online, as even with a museum card you will have to queue otherwise and could have a very long wait.

Any other card wouldn't apply to Haarlem anyway for public transport. Just buy your train tickets at the station for that.

You can walk pretty much over all in Amsterdam, and if you decide to get a tram or a bus you can, at east for now, still buy a ticket from the driver. They will be going over to no cash onboard at some point though due to the number of muggings of drivers lately.

Oh and it is Tropenmuseum with one p - tropics, not two ps.

Tulips

The Museumkaart is 59,90 and valid for a year, for nearly all museums in the Netherlands. Wether it is worth it for you, I don't know.
The great thing is that you can just walk into any museum, also the ones that you had not considered visiting.

The other advantage is that you can usually bypass the queue. We went to Rijksmuseum recently on a Saturday morning and walked right in.
At the Hermitage there was a supplement, though, and we needed to go to the ticket desk first. There was hardly anyone there either, so no wait. The exhibition with Dutch 17th century group portraits is absolutely wonderful.
Don't know about the Van Gogh, didn't go this time.

More information; http://www.amsterdam.info/museums/museumkaart/
you can order it online.

Tulips

May 5th is Ascension day and a national holiday, but in Amsterdam everything will probably be open. As many people take the Friday off as well, this is a busy 'city trip' weekend for Europeans. It could be busy in Amsterdam.

Taltul

No tickets left for the Anne Frank House but I've read that the lines are shorter in the early evening.
I think we'll go for the museum card - should we bring photos?

Taltul

I'm pretty laid back about what we're going to see in Amsterdam. I usually plan my trips to maximize the time but I don't want to rush around this time. It's a combination (tourist) trip and R+R for us.

hetismij2

Unless you are planning to return to Amsterdam within the year, you don't need photos. You will be given a temporary card, valid for 31 days, as I said up thread.
If you want to make it valid for a year you have to go the the website and upload your photos and register your card. I don't know if they will send a card outside of the Netherlands though.

Taltul

Thanks for the info.

menachem

Instead of to the Anne Frank house, why not a visit to the Jewish Historical Museum and the Resistance Museum. The canonization of Anne Frank has obscured the existence of a jewish community in the Netherlands. And the resistance museum will show you that resistance against german occupation was practiced by a tiny minority of the Dutch population, making work by Miep Gies to safeguarded the inhabitants of the Achterhuis all the more heroic. It is a tragic irony that most people forget or overlook the fact that the Frank family was betrayed by a Dutch person (probably an employee of the Frank firm) for 7.50 guilders a "head".

Taltul

The Resistance museum is on our list. I've been to the Anne Frank house but my husband really wants to. If it works out, we'll go.