{"id":24815,"date":"2026-06-21T11:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T11:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/24815\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T11:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T11:35:00","slug":"amsterdams-rijksmuseum-with-kids-family-quest-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/24815\/","title":{"rendered":"Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum with kids – Family Quest review"},"content":{"rendered":"

With around 8,000 items covering 800 years in its collection, it\u2019s easy for adults to become overwhelmed by how much there is to see in Amsterdam\u2019s Rijksmuseum, let alone if you\u2019re visiting the Rijksmuseum with kids.<\/p>\n

\"Exterior<\/p>\n

So as we set off to review the Rijksmuseum Family Quest game<\/a>, it wasn\u2019t only my daughter who felt slightly relieved. One of several ways to explore the Rijksmuseum with kids, it\u2019s aimed at age 7+ \u2013 I\u2019d say it\u2019s best for up to age 12, but having tried it with my 13-year-old, it\u2019s still well worth considering for younger teens (and overwhelmed adults).<\/p>\n

For a few Euros per person, and a minimum of two players needed, you get a series of challenges taking you through the museum\u2019s main collections, plus a few of the big highlights, all within around an hour.<\/p>\n

When you pick up the game at the multimedia desk (where you can also find audio guides), you start your visit a quick introduction from the museum\u2019s curator who immediately gets into a bet for some cake over whether kids really can solve the puzzles involved.<\/p>\n

Then after posing in a specific position for a photo \u2013 all will be revealed as to why \u2013 you\u2019re given the first letter in the anagram you need to solve, and it\u2019s time to set off to take on the first challenge.<\/p>\n

\"Painting<\/p>\n

\"Vermeer<\/p>\n

\"Part<\/p>\n

Helpfully the guide walks you through the museum too, so you needn\u2019t worry too much about getting lost.<\/p>\n

Starting in the Gallery of Honour, we had also been given a reproduction of the first painting as the original is currently on loan, before being posed a few questions and getting chatting about what we thought the right answer was.<\/p>\n

I loved the fact that different players get different questions and challenges, so you\u2019re often trying to work out different information rather than competing against each other.<\/p>\n

If do you want to make a few detours along the way, there\u2019s no time limit to complete the Family Quest, so I strolled off to check out some of the Vermeers nearby, not realising we would return to them later. That, incidentally, is where you learn why you took that photo at the start as you\u2019re virtually inserted into the painting.<\/p>\n

\"Vermeer<\/p>\n

\"My<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing to stop you exploring more afterwards either, so you can decide whether to pause if something catches your eye, or play the game through to the end first and return to particular rooms and galleries later as we chose to do.<\/p>\n

Our next stop was Rembrandt\u2019s famous Night Watch, one of the best-known pieces in the whole museum, and high on my own list.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s currently being restored, so you\u2019re actually limited as to what you could see \u2013 which led to a bit of lucky guesswork on my second challenge \u2013 but it\u2019s fascinating to watch the restorer at work, removing layers of old varnish to uncover the original paint applied almost 400 years ago.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There is also a recreation of the painting on a nearby wall, so if you do want to look at all the details, you still can.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to think the Rijksmuseum is only about its artworks and Dutch masters, but there\u2019s actually a lot more held in the collections, from watches and musical instruments to model ships, guns, china and clothing.<\/p>\n

\"Decorative<\/p>\n

\"Brightly<\/p>\n

\"Small<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"Cabinet<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s here that you\u2019ll spend most of your time as you complete the Rijksmuseum Family Quest.<\/p>\n

The eight challenges are all different, so you can find yourself doing anything from discussing details of a particular artwork to trying to work out the ingredients for gunpowder or how to unlock a particularly intricate lock.<\/p>\n

At each stage you\u2019re given another letter for the anagram; older kids won\u2019t find it too tricky to crack the answer and you can get a little prize when you return your guide if you want.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/p>\n

\"My<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

In the end, we spent a little over an hour playing the game, which ends with a \u2018call\u2019 from the museum\u2019s director congratulating you on your success\u2026 and a chance to see the curator getting to enjoy his victory cakes. A rather cute touch for younger kids, especially the suggestion that you can get your own (or a nice apple) in the museum caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

As well as introducing us to the museum\u2019s collections and seeing some of the highlights, the Family Quest also helped us get our bearings. <\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re not quite ready to leave and discover more of the things to do in Amsterdam with kids<\/a> at this point, you can head back into the museum to check out some of the areas you\u2019ve missed \u2013 needless to say, there is still a lot to discover.<\/p>\n

On our wandering, we\u2019d also spotted a chance to get creative, with easels set up and still life flowers to inspire your own artwork. Free to join in, it\u2019s not only for kids, but there were plenty of families among the artists trying their own hand at creating something.<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/p>\n

One room you shouldn\u2019t miss houses the museum\u2019s dolls\u2019 houses, although these are a far cry from the average toy for children. <\/p>\n

In fact these meticulously crafted miniature houses were designed for wealthy women to enjoy during the 17th and 18th centuries, rather than for kids to play with. It\u2019s a chance to gaze inside a genuine fashionable house of the period, just scaled down, with tiny pans in the kitchen to miniature porcelain shipped specially from China.<\/p>\n

For adults, if you\u2019ve read The Miniaturist<\/a> by Jessie Burton, Petronella Oortman\u2019s doll\u2019s house is the one which helped to inspire it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s well worth picking up a map of the museum when you start your visit, so you can work out where else you want to stop off \u2013 with collections over four floors, and 28 rooms on the second floor alone, you\u2019ll do a lot of wandering otherwise. <\/p>\n

The maps also pick out various highlights, such as a Rembrandt self-portrait on display next to a string of his other works, plus pieces by other Dutch masters, including a portrait of Mary Stuart, Princess of Orange.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a series of works by Van Gogh and Goya, along with Renaissance art. With 80 galleries in total, it\u2019s very possible for art-lovers to spend hours, probably days, walking through all the collections.<\/p>\n

\"Self-portrait<\/p>\n

\"Portrait<\/p>\n

\"Renaissance<\/p>\n

\"Wheatfield<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re visiting the Rijksmuseum with kids, that\u2019s pretty unlikely, but having seen a lot of the museum as we played the game, it meant I could focus on a few other key rooms that I wanted to explore before museum fatigue overwhelmed my daughter and we headed back to the streets of Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

You could also try one of the other options for exploring the Rijksmuseum for families, including the Snap guide<\/a> (aimed at teens), various self-guided tours on the app (which also lets you create your own visit to spot particular highlights), regular activities and even family guided tours<\/a> at weekends.<\/p>\n

So if you thought a visit to the Rijksmuseum with kids was a bad plan, think again \u2013 with so many options to encourage families to explore, from the youngest visitors to teens, this should be an unmissable part of your Amsterdam trip.<\/p>\n

Amsterdam\u2019s Rijksmuseum with kids: Need to know<\/p>\n

Tickets to the Rijksmuseum<\/a> must be prebooked with hour-long entry slots. You can also buy tickets on the day, but prebooking is a good idea, especially at busy periods, and also means you can prebook the Family Quest game to collect (2.50 Euros per person).<\/p>\n

Museum entry costs 25 Euros for adults, but all under 18s have free admission. Open from 9am-5pm daily.<\/p>\n

You can also buy tickets with free cancellation<\/a> to the Rijksmuseum, or entry is included with the I Amsterdam city card<\/a> \u2013 book a free time slot online, then just show your card to be scanned at the door.<\/p>\n

The Rijksmuseum is on Museumplein, not far from the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum and Moco Museum. Look out for the sparkly Diamond Miffy statue here too, if you\u2019ve got small fans.<\/p>\n

\"Gates<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a short walk from the Vondelpark and the shopping streets around Leidsestraat and Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, or there are several tram stops nearby, with three routes stopping at the front of the Rijksmuseum and another four routes passing through Leidseplein.<\/p>\n

The museum has a caf\u00e9 and a smaller espresso bar, plus a fancier restaurant, as well as several sets of toilets, and a free cloakroom. You need to leave bags over A4 size, although with a big queue during our visit, it\u2019s probably better to avoid it if you can. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s no option to leave larger bags or luggage; we dropped our suitcase at a bike shop a short walk away on Kerkstraat \u2013 you\u2019ll find plenty of options like Bounce<\/a> and Luggage Hero<\/a> which have secure baggage storage points around the city.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re welcome to bring buggies and strollers into the museum, but backpack carriers aren\u2019t allowed, and must be left in the cloakroom. Buggies are also available to borrow (subject to availability), with lifts between floors.<\/p>\n

There are changing facilities near the toilets and a breastfeeding room if you want (details from the information desk). Or find more details on exploring the Rijksmuseum for families<\/a> on the museum\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links \u2013 any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission<\/p>\n

Main image\/Vondelpark courtesy of Depositphotos, all others copyright MummyTravels<\/p>\n

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