Renting in the Museumkwartier, Amsterdam: Guide for Landlords and Tenants

Last updated: October 2026 · By Erdal Aydın, Amsterdam Property Renting

The Museumkwartier has about 12,500 residents, and most of them live within a few streets of the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk and the Concertgebouw. Before the Rijksmuseum was built, this was marshy meadow with a candle factory. From about 1885 the Museumplein and the streets around it were laid out, and they grew into one of the city’s most expensive residential areas. Today the wijk has some of the highest property values in Amsterdam.

Part of Amsterdam-Zuid · All Amsterdam areas

Museumkwartier in short

Residents	12,460 (2026)
Homes	7,116; 58% rented (2025)
Average WOZ value	€1,153,000 (2025); in the buurt Duivelseiland about €611,000
Households	About half single-person; many older residents
Tram	Lines 2, 5, 12 and 24 through the area; 1, 7 and 19 at the Rijksmuseum stop; 25 at Roelof Hartplein
To Schiphol	Bus 397 (Amsterdam Airport Express) from Museumplein and Rijksmuseum, every 10 minutes
Holiday rental	Max. 30 nights a year

What it is like to live in Museumkwartier

Around the Museumplein it is busy with visitors: museum queues and, in winter, an ice rink on the pond. Two streets further, in the Concertgebouwbuurt or the Johannes Vermeerbuurt, it is a quiet residential area of wide streets and high ceilings.

The shopping is expensive. The P.C. Hooftstraat is the most exclusive shopping street in the Netherlands, the Van Baerlestraat has Dutch fashion designers, and the Cornelis Schuytstraat and Willemsparkweg have boutiques, cafés and restaurants that mostly serve the neighbourhood itself. Under the Museumplein there is a supermarket and a car park.

The wijk also includes Duivelseiland, a small buurt along the Boerenwetering near the Roelof Hartplein. It is the most affordable corner of the Museumkwartier, with an average property value of about €611,000 against more than €1.1 million for the wijk as a whole.

Erdal’s pick in the Museumkwartier

Erdal, founder of Amsterdam Property Renting, on the places he goes to himself.

Ottolenghi Amsterdam (Conservatorium Hotel, Van Baerlestraat) – “It’s a real stroke of luck for us that Yotam Ottolenghi has a restaurant in Amsterdam. He lives in London, but he lived in Amsterdam in the 1990s, which gives this place a special meaning. Online reviews are mixed, but I loved both the quick service and the food.”

Parks, markets and places to go

Museumplein – the square between the Rijksmuseum and the Concertgebouw, redesigned in 1999. The “I amsterdam” letters stood here until December 2018.
Rijksmuseum – the national museum, designed by Pierre Cuypers.
Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum – the two other big museums on the square.
Concertgebouw – the concert hall from 1888, with around 900 concerts and events a year.
Vondelpark (east) – Amsterdam’s best-known park, opened in 1865, right on the edge of the neighbourhood.
P.C. Hooftstraat – the luxury shopping street between the Stadhouderskade and the Vondelpark.
Cornelis Schuytstraat – boutiques, delis and cafés for the neighbourhood.
Van Baerlestraat – Dutch designers and the Conservatorium Hotel.

Getting around: train, metro, tram and bus

Tram

Tram 2 runs along the Museumplein and the Cornelis Schuytstraat to Valeriusplein and Nieuw-Sloten. Tram 5 runs from the Museumplein via the Concertgebouw to Station Zuid and Amstelveen. Tram 12 connects the Concertgebouw with De Pijp and Amstelstation, and tram 24 runs from Centraal via the Museumplein to the VU and Amsterdam UMC (location VUmc). Trams 1, 7 and 19 stop at the Rijksmuseum, and tram 25 at the Roelof Hartplein.

Bus to Schiphol

Bus 397, the Amsterdam Airport Express, stops at the Museumplein and the Rijksmuseum and runs to Schiphol every 10 minutes. At night the N97 takes over. Bus 397 is run by Connexxion, so check its timetable on 9292 rather than in the GVB app.

Metro and train

There is no metro station inside the Museumkwartier. The nearest are Vijzelgracht and De Pijp on metro 52. For trains, take tram 5 to Station Zuid.

Car

The Museumplein car park has its entrance opposite the Concertgebouw.

Homes in Museumkwartier

Most homes are apartments in buildings from the late 19th and early 20th century, with high ceilings and large windows, and many are large by Amsterdam standards. Many buildings are monuments, and the southern part probably falls within the protected townscape of Plan Zuid (check per address). One consequence is that energy labels are low: in 2021 only about 10% of homes in Oud-Zuid had label A or B, the lowest share in the city.

About 58% of the homes are rented. In 2021 Oud-Zuid had the highest average rent of all areas in Amsterdam (€1,001 a month).

Renting out your home in Museumkwartier

Large apartments here are popular with senior professionals, diplomats and relocating families who want to live near the museums, the Vondelpark and international schools such as the British School of Amsterdam. They often ask for a furnished home, a quick move-in and a contract that fits a temporary posting; a diplomatic clause can be an option if you are abroad yourself.

Because many buildings are old, the energy label can cost points under the points system. Improving the label can make a real difference to the maximum rent. Monument status also limits what you may change to the building; our Amsterdam landlord guide explains what that means for renting out.

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Looking for a home in Museumkwartier

Homes here are spacious but rarely cheap. High ceilings and single glazing can make winter heating bills high, so ask for the energy label and last year’s energy costs. If you work at Zuidas or the VU, check the tram 5 or 24 connection; if you fly often, bus 397 to Schiphol stops right at the Museumplein.

Want to live in Museumkwartier? Register as a tenant and we will contact you when a matching home comes up.

Museumkwartier: frequently asked questions

Is the Museumkwartier a good place to live?

In 2021 residents gave Oud-Zuid an 8.3 for their neighbourhood, against 7.6 for the city. You live near the museums, the Concertgebouw and the Vondelpark, with good trams and a direct bus to Schiphol. The trade-off is high rents and tourist crowds around the Museumplein.

How do I get from the Museumkwartier to Schiphol?

Bus 397, the Amsterdam Airport Express, stops at the Museumplein and the Rijksmuseum and runs to Schiphol every 10 minutes.

Is Willemsparkweg in the Museumkwartier or in Willemspark?

Officially, both sides of the Willemsparkweg belong to the Cornelis Schuytbuurt, which is part of the Museumkwartier. The villa area around the Koningslaan is the wijk Willemspark.

Can I rent out my apartment near the Museumplein on Airbnb?

Only with a permit and a registration number, for a maximum of 30 nights a year. The Museumkwartier is not one of the 15-night areas.

What is Duivelseiland?

A small buurt of the Museumkwartier along the Boerenwetering near the Roelof Hartplein, with its own small bridges, the Korrelbrug and Ceintuurbrug. It is the most affordable part of the wijk.

Nearby neighbourhoods

Willemspark · De Pijp · Amsterdam-Zuid · Amsterdam-West · Amsterdam-Centrum

Sources for the figures on this page