Amsterdam Pipe Museum

The basics

Although there is a significant charge for tickets to the Amsterdam Pipe Museum, the admission fee includes a personalized tour of its extensive collection. On arrival, you will be greeted by a guide, who will take you around the museum and put the story of smoking and smoking rituals around the world into context. The downstairs shop sells postcards, books, and both new and antique pipes and smoking paraphernalia. Entry is included with the Amsterdam Museum Pass, the I amsterdam City Card, and the Amsterdam Go City® card.

Things to know before you go

• The Amsterdam Pipe Museum is a great destination for fans of pipes, smoking culture, or quirky, niche museums.

• It’s best to buy your ticket or access card online before you visit, as the museum can only accept cash for tickets.

• Children aged 6–16 pay half price, while kids under 6 go free.

• While children are welcome, many parents may wish to avoid the risk of normalizing smoking for young people.

• There are stairs up to the museum from street level, so it is not wheelchair accessible.

How to get there

The Amsterdam Pipe Museum sits on the Prinsengracht canal in the Spiegelkwartier quarter, about a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometer) walk or cycle southwest of Amsterdam Central Station. It's in close proximity to the Cultuur Ferry’s Herengracht stop, or you can take Trams 2 or 12 to the nearby Prinsengracht stop. The best metro is Vijzelgracht (Line 52). Of course, you can always use a rideshare, take a taxi, or join a tour.

When to get there

The Amsterdam Pipe Museum is typically open Monday to Saturday from noon to 6pm, but it closes on some national holidays throughout the year, including Christmas and New Year’s. It’s rarely busy, so swing by at a time that works for you. In general, the best times to visit Amsterdam are in the spring (especially if you want to time your trip for the tulip season) and fall.

Discovering Dutch pipe culture

Both Amsterdam and Gouda, a city better known for its namesake cheese, were centers of clay pipe production for centuries. You can see Gouda pipes in the Museum Gouda or buy them at the Netherlands’ oldest tobacco shop, Van Vreumingen. Amsterdam’s Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum also has an extensive collection of cannabis pipes.