Avoiding Crowds at the Van Gogh Museum – Realistic Strategies

The Van Gogh Museum is popular, but that doesn’t mean you have to shuffle shoulder‑to‑shoulder the whole time. With a few timing and routing tricks, you can make your visit surprisingly calm.

1. Choose the right day (macro level)

🗓️ Order of preference:

1. Tuesday–Thursday
2. Monday or Friday
3. Weekends and holidays

Avoid:

• Rainy weekend afternoons (everyone runs indoors).
• Major Dutch holidays and school breaks when possible.

2. Pick a smart time slot (micro level)

Best bets:

• Opening slot – for morning people and photographers.
• Last 2–3 slots – often calmer, with a gentle closing atmosphere.

More crowded:

• Late morning
• Early afternoon
• Slots that align with tour group schedules

🌙 When late nights exist:
Evening openings can be magical – a mix of locals, art lovers, and softer light.

3. Use “reverse routes”

Most visitors:

1. Start near Sunflowers.
2. Follow the obvious chronological path.
3. Move in large clusters.

You can:

• Start one floor above or below the big hits.
• Do a quick pass through quieter rooms first.
• Visit Sunflowers and other icons once crowds have rotated.

Mini strategy:

• First 30 min → explore non‑icon rooms.
• Next 30–45 min → join the main flow for key works.
• Last 30 min → return to one or two favourites when rooms thin out.

4. Create calm pockets

Even on busy days, you can find tiny islands of silence:

• Stand at the edges of rooms, not the centre.
• Sit on benches and look from a distance.
• Use audio guide or earplugs to cut noise.

🧘 Inner quiet matters more than outer quiet.
Decide that for at least two paintings, you’ll ignore the buzz and give them your full attention.

5. Accept “crowded icons, quiet sidelines”

Sunflowers and certain self‑portraits will always attract clusters.

Your choices:

• Embrace it as a shared moment and stay anyway.
• Or take a quick look, then spend more time on less famous works you might end up loving even more.

Both approaches are valid. The main thing is to decide consciously, not be dragged by the crowd.