Willet-Holthuysen canal mansion in Amsterdam at EUR 15: a ballroom and French garden left to the city in 1895, free under 18

After a walk along Amsterdam's canals, everything you have seen is a façade. If you want to know what one of these tall canal mansions looks like inside, Herengracht 605, a few minutes on foot from Rembrandtplein, is a double-fronted house that opens all of its rooms: the Willet-Holthuysen House.

It is named after the couple who lived here in the late 19th century, Abraham Willet and Louisa Holthuysen. They collected artworks and objects and had the interior designed to their taste. When Louisa died in 1895 she left the house and collection to the city of Amsterdam on condition that it became a museum, and today it is one of the locations of the Amsterdam Museum. The official highlights are period rooms that seem frozen in time, the ballroom, the monumental staircase, a French-style canal garden and an exhibition by a contemporary maker that changes every six months; in 2025 it received one Michelin star. A free audio tour is handed out at the entrance in Dutch, English, French and German. The Tiqets ticket is EUR 15, rated 4.6 from 79 reviews.

On an autumn afternoon, stepping out of the upstairs rooms into the French garden at the back, the bustle of the canal belt suddenly drops away, which is the half that façade-only visitors miss. The limit is just as concrete: the museum says this old house has many stairs and no lift, so it is not accessible for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. Families bringing older relatives should check that they can manage several flights on their own.

• Count who actually pays: total = EUR 15 times the number of people aged 18 or over without a Museumkaart, I amsterdam City Card or Stadspas. The museum says 0 to 17 enter free; on Tiqets you add a EUR 0 Youth ticket for each child alongside an adult ticket.
• Students should skip this ticket: the museum's own student and CJP price is EUR 7.50, while Tiqets sells only the EUR 15 adult tier here. A student in the Netherlands with a student card saves EUR 7.50 at the official desk, and Museumkaart holders walk straight in.
• Pick a half-hour slot and cancel free up to 24 hours ahead: Tiqets slots run from 10:00 to 16:30 every 30 minutes and include a locker; within 24 hours of the chosen slot the ticket is no longer refundable.
• The audio guide in the ticket name is free for everyone: the museum hands it out at the entrance, so it is not an add-on. It has no Chinese version, so relatives who are less at ease in English can read the couple's story on the museum site beforehand.

Where

Herengracht 605, 1017 CE Amsterdam・tram 4 to Rembrandtplein

When

Daily 10:00–17:00・Christmas Day and New Year's Day from 12:00

Price

Adults EUR 15・ages 0–17 free・students and CJP EUR 7.50 at the museum

Note

Many stairs, no lift・not wheelchair accessible・Tiqets tickets non-refundable within 24 h of the slot

Hokimi tip: to string several canal-side museums together from Thursday to Sunday, take the hop-on hop-off Cultuur Ferry (09:30 to 17:30) and get off at the Amstel stop; the museum says there is a public pier right in front of Herengracht 605 where boat passengers can step ashore. Price, rating and opening hours checked on Tiqets and the Amsterdam Museum site on 26 September 2026. This article uses an affiliate link; your price stays the same. Sources: source 1, source 2, source 3.