Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ

Amsterdam

LoginSave

Even if you don't catch a performance here, the cool contemporary architecture makes the magnificent 'Music Building on the IJ' worth swinging by for a visit. Work on it began in 1995, spanning 10 years until the opening in 2005. It comprises a large concert hall hosting everything from classical to world music, and the more intimate Bimhuis for jazz, and was designed by the Danish firm 3xNielsen.

You can visit the concert hall during box-office opening hours (2pm to 6pm Monday to Saturday) and during performances. The venue's Grand Café 4'33 has huge windows overlooking the IJ and is a pleasant spot for a drink, but the food is nothing to rave about.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • AMSTERDAM - OCTOBER 3: Van Gogh museum building outstanding with design architectured in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on October 3, 2015.; Shutterstock ID 415294189; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Van Gogh Museum POI

    Van Gogh Museum

    1.96 MILES

    This wonderful museum traces Van Gogh's life and artistic development via the world's largest collection of his work. More than 200 canvases are on…

  • Picnic in Vondelpark in afternoon light.

    Vondelpark

    1.76 MILES

    Attracting over 12 million visitors per year, Amsterdam’s favorite playground is the green expanse of Vondelpark, with its 116 acres (47 hectares) of…

  • February 13, 2018: Queue of people waiting to enter the Anne Frank museum house, with a passing tour boat on the canal.

    Anne Frank Huis

    1.25 MILES

    Visiting the Anne Frank Huis is one of Amsterdam's most profound experiences. Tragically, of the 107,000 Jewish adults and children deported from the…

  • Rijksmuseum with tulips in Amsterdam..NOTE: dated image - "iamamsterdam" sign has been removed from outside museum.

    Rijksmuseum

    1.76 MILES

    The Netherlands’ top treasure house, the Rijksmuseum (pronounced ‘rikes’), is among the world's finest art museums. With over 1.5km of galleries, it packs…

  • May 18, 2018: Exterior of the Rembrandt House Museum in the old Jewish quarter of Amsterdam.

    Museum het Rembrandthuis

    0.79 MILES

    Housed in Rembrandt's former home on lively Jodenbreestraat, this evocative museum provides an unparalleled insight into one of the Netherlands’ greatest…

  • The famous stained glass windows of Sint Janskerk ( saint John Church )of Gouda abound in political symbolism, reproducing figures and events of the time, and use biblical events to refer to the conflict between Spanish Catholics and Dutch Protestants that led to the Dutch Uprising of 1572.

    Sint Janskerk

    26.83 MILES

    Impressive for both its size and its magnificent stained-glass windows, Sint Janskerk had chequered beginnings: previous incarnations of the building…

  • Details from traditional fisherman village open-air museum (Zuiderzeemuseum), Netherland.; Shutterstock ID 1233901861; Your name (First / Last): Evan Godt; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Netherlands destination page

    Zuiderzeemuseum

    27.71 MILES

    This captivating museum consists of two sections, 300m apart: open-air Buitenmuseum, with more than 130 rebuilt and relocated dwellings and workshops, and…

  • Hermitage Amsterdam

    H'Art Museum

    1.01 MILES

    Formerly a branch of St Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum, H'Art Museum cut ties with Russia and now operates as an independent museum.

View more attractions

Nearby Amsterdam attractions

1. OBA: Centrale Bibliotheek Amsterdam

0.27 MILES

This being Amsterdam, it has one of the coolest libraries you can imagine, built in 2007 and spread over multiple light, bright floors. The basement is…

2. NEMO Science Museum

0.29 MILES

Perched atop the entrance to the IJ Tunnel is this unmissable green-copper building with a slanted roof, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and…

3. Vereniging Museumhaven

0.4 MILES

In the port area between the NEMO Science Museum and the Het Scheepvaartmuseum, you'll find an open-air museum of around 20 historical ships docked,…

4. Scheepvaarthuis

0.46 MILES

Now the five-star Grand Hotel Amrath, the grand 1916 Scheepvaarthuis is a neo-Gothic art deco beauty, the first and finest example of the expressionist…

5. Schreierstoren

0.47 MILES

Built around 1480 as part of the city’s defences, this tower is where Henry Hudson set sail for the New World in 1609; a plaque outside marks the spot. It…

6. Het Scheepvaartmuseum

0.47 MILES

A waterfront 17th-century admiralty building houses this state-of-the-art presentation of maritime memorabilia. Highlights include imaginatively presented…

7. St Nicolaaskerk

0.48 MILES

In plain view from Centraal Station, the magnificent cupola and neo-Renaissance towers belong to the city's main Catholic church, the first to be built …

8. ARCAM

0.49 MILES

The curved Amsterdam Architecture Foundation, a striking waterside building designed by Dutch architect René van Zuuk, hosts changing architectural…