You have to plan ahead if you want to get hold of an Anne Frank House ticket!
I explain how you can get tickets and what to look out for.
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Where to purchase the Tickets?
The only way that you can purchase tickets to the Anne Frank House museum is online at the official website.
You cannot purchase tickets offline at the museum.
The museum doesn't allow reselling tickets and tickets need to be always on the name of the one visiting (they check IDs).
Be aware that Tour operator websites, such as GetYourGuide, Viator, Klook, offer either tours that have nothing to do with the museum OR fake scam tickets. Don't try to buy Anne Frank house tickets from there.
How to get Anne Frank House Tickets?
Tickets to the Anne Frank house are super popular and due to the size of the small museum, they cap the number of visitors per day.
Therefore, you will have to plan way in advance before your visit if you want to see the museum.
We recently helped my sister-in-law to book ticket slots for their visit because she was at work, and you need to be FAST.
New ticket slots are released every Tuesday at 10 am Central European Time CEST and you have about 5–15 minutes to get your tickets before they are sold out.
That's 4 am EST or 3 am CDT and 1 am PDT for our North American friends.
Peak season tickets are gone within minutes. It's easier to get tickets for a visit during the lower seasons in October, November, January, and February.
Tickets are always available for a visit 6 weeks later. That means to get a ticket for a visit in the third week of April, you will have to reserve your tickets at the beginning of March.
They release tickets for 7 days. That means Monday to Sunday.
I recommend booking tickets on the desktop or laptop for efficiency. Tickets are gone and reserved within minutes and popular timings, such as 10 am, are gone within the first 2–3 minutes.
Keep your credit card ready to book your tickets. Get acquainted with the website a day before the booking day.
We had a hiccup when my wife tried to hold the ticket for her sister with a European International Debit Card, as the website wasn't taking this card.
Visa and Master Card Credit Cards work a 100%. I can't tell for AMEX or Diners Club.
Sold-out tickets appear in red, and tickets that you can still buy are gray.
Ticket Types
You can get two types of tickets, the simple museum visit or the museum visit with a 30-minute introduction.
Just the Museum Visit: Adults pay €16 per person, teenagers (10-17) €7 and kids (0-9) €1.
Museum Visit + Introductory Program: Adults pay €23 per person, teenagers (10-17) €14 and kids (0-9) €8.
My SIL wanted the museum + Introductory Program, and those tickets were selling out faster than the regular tickets. But we made it happen, but you will have to be flexible with your time slots.
The difference is that the introductory program includes a 30-minute informative session, which helps in understanding the setting and WW2 history surrounding Anne Frank.
The introductory program is only available in English or Dutch, and it's not suitable for children younger than 10 years of age.
You get an audio guide for your visit to the house (8 languages) with both ticket types.
Booking and Visiting Tips
- Once you reservve tickets, you can't switch time slots.
- If you bought a simple museum visit without the introductory program, you can't purchase it retrospectively.
- You can't switch tickets and dates, and you can't change the name on it. They check IDs at the entrance, so bring an ID and your booking confirmation (phone or printed).
- The one who books the ticket, has to appear at the museum. If you help to reserve a ticket for a relative or friend, book it in their name.
- You can't add a ticket at a later time.
- They do not give refunds for tickets.
- Come 5 minutes earlier than your set time to avoid being a no show. You will be expected to line up before your time slot begins.
- You can stay as long as you please in the museum. Most visitors take about 60–80 minutes in the museum itself. There is a book store and café at the entrance.
- Photos in the museum are not permitted.
- If there are no tickets left for a chosen date, they are sold out.
How to get tickets if sold out?
Unfortunately, if the tickets are sold out, you won't be able to secure them anywhere else.
Tickets are name and time slots bound and cannot be transferred to someone else.
The museum doesn't sell tickets offline anymore.
If someone is claiming to have tickets online (tours etc.) it is mostly a scam or a misleading tour, which doesn't include the Anne Frank House.
Alternatives to the Anne Frank House
As an alternative, or an addition to your trip, you can join an Anne Frank Amsterdam tour.
These tours take you through the Jewish neighborhood and the tour guides explain the history of the area and how Anne Frank and her family had to hide.
But again, WW2 or so-called Anne Frank Tours DO NOT include a ticket to the Anne Frank House museum.
We also filmed a walking tour of the neighborhood in which Anne Frank lived.
