Centraal Museum
Centraal Museum
4
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
From the world’s largest Rietveld collection to Dick Bruna. From the Utrecht Caravaggists to Pyke Koch and Marlene Dumas. From fabulous fashion and a wondrous seventeenth century doll’s house to a famous, centuries-old ship. A visit to the Netherlands’ oldest civic museum is a unique experience and guaranteed to inspire.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Centraal Museum and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Lange Nieuwstraat
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
1,115 within 3 miles
Attractions
280 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
422 reviews
Excellent
106
Very good
169
Average
110
Poor
25
Terrible
12
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
andrei_petrescu
Amsterdam, The Netherlands827 contributions
Nov 2021
My favorite museum in Utrecht, Netherlands 🇳🇱. I am continually amazed by the Dutch's originality and bravery in mixing the modern with the traditional. If you love the work of Italian maestro Caravaggio, you will notice several important commissions from artists like Gerard van Honthorst and Hendrick ter Brugghen who attended his school.
Written 3 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kinkymen w
Enschede, The Netherlands426 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
After the central museum we arrived for the exhibition 'on edge'.
There were a number of paintings that appealed to me. Exhibition is nicely set up.
Then visited the rest of the museum. The old painters was interesting, but unfortunately small. The rest of the exhibitions did not always hold my interest.
The museum has many stairs and corridors. Sometimes you lose where you are and wonder if you haven't missed anything.
The disadvantage of Saturday afternoon in this museum is that I thought it was a bit too busy.
There were a number of paintings that appealed to me. Exhibition is nicely set up.
Then visited the rest of the museum. The old painters was interesting, but unfortunately small. The rest of the exhibitions did not always hold my interest.
The museum has many stairs and corridors. Sometimes you lose where you are and wonder if you haven't missed anything.
The disadvantage of Saturday afternoon in this museum is that I thought it was a bit too busy.
Written 2 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OnAir06820258152
13 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
Although many costly renovations and changes have been abandoned on this old building, it remains a fairly unclear whole. The so-called stables also have a high "creep and sneak through" content. During the expo "spraying and stitching" a high fröbel content was added: visitors were allowed to embroider themselves.
Personally, I am annoyed by people who flood train carriages with their negativity. The scale models of underpainted NS trains therefore fell wrong, apart from the lack of artistic content.
Nevertheless, there was much fascinating to see. René Daniels was there with beautiful and powerful canvases. The creation of Sheila Hicks was a real eye-catcher.
Too bad an entire room is now used as a wardrobe, the lockers downstairs are really sufficient. In the past, the highly acclaimed café area was located here, designed by Droog Design, with beautiful chairs by great Richard Hutten. It would be a victory for art if this space were used again for beautiful exhibitions.
Waiting for the bus back, I noticed the video projections through the side of the museum building. This is a failed project. Apart from the fact that a tree slightly obstructs the view, it h=no catchy and understandable images. It is more about flashes of light that are also highly fragmented by the colored glass and the stones between the windows. Again, therefore, another missed opportunity.
Personally, I am annoyed by people who flood train carriages with their negativity. The scale models of underpainted NS trains therefore fell wrong, apart from the lack of artistic content.
Nevertheless, there was much fascinating to see. René Daniels was there with beautiful and powerful canvases. The creation of Sheila Hicks was a real eye-catcher.
Too bad an entire room is now used as a wardrobe, the lockers downstairs are really sufficient. In the past, the highly acclaimed café area was located here, designed by Droog Design, with beautiful chairs by great Richard Hutten. It would be a victory for art if this space were used again for beautiful exhibitions.
Waiting for the bus back, I noticed the video projections through the side of the museum building. This is a failed project. Apart from the fact that a tree slightly obstructs the view, it h=no catchy and understandable images. It is more about flashes of light that are also highly fragmented by the colored glass and the stones between the windows. Again, therefore, another missed opportunity.
Automatically translated
Written 25 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karin
Amsterdam, The Netherlands1,655 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
The Central Museum is located in the cozy and lively Museum Quarter and is housed in a monumental building, the former Agnietenklooster. Upon entering, you will notice the light and modern interior. We visited the exhibition "Chair takes a stand". Here you can see 100 chairs that tell a story. Interesting and well designed exhibition. Naturally, a number of Rietveld chairs cannot be missed, given his ties with Utrecht. Furthermore, a wooden chair by Bob Copray. Twenty years later he repaired a chair he designed. Not in an invisible way, but with an iron prosthesis. This way the chair can be used again and at the same time shows its past. Also on display is a series of chairs by Matteo Guarnaccia, who with his Cross Cultural Chairs portrayed the culture and sitting behavior of eight densely populated countries. Be sure to watch the video explaining the project. We will definitely come back to view the permanent collection. It is temporarily closed due to renovation. The collection will open again on December 16, 2023 (admission is free that day 😊).
Written 29 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DenKijz1976
Harderwijk, The Netherlands428 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
Large museum with many different types of art. There are certainly beautiful works of art. And yet it doesn't grab me. It will undoubtedly have to do with my interests. I am more into museums that deal with a specific topic: archaeology, religion, science etc. For me, there is a common thread missing in the whole.
Automatically translated
Written 24 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GiacomoD77
Berlin, Germany321 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
We went for a Caravaggio and “Caravaggisti”. I’ve to admit it was not so bad, even I had bigger expectations. What really hurt was the behavior of some visitors, but does not depends from the museum. Less visitors per time slot could help to fully enjoy the atmosphere
Written 17 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hermes_NL 🇳🇱
Amsterdam, The Netherlands21,453 contributions
Mar 2019 • Solo
The Caravaggio special exhibition in the Centraal Museum is more about his European followers, such as Dirk van Baburen and Gerard van Honthorst, than about the master himself. But there are two genuine Caravaggio's on display - Hieronymus, and Medusa (painted on a shield, quite special). Overall quite some paintings nicely arranged following biblical themes. The lighting is not fully optimal in my humble opinion, too much glare on the paintings. But still quite worthwhile. It pays off to arrive at the end of your designated slot, after about 45 minutes the crowds start to dilute.
Written 17 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steffani W
Burlington, Vermont, United States104 contributions
Aug 2019
We have been to this museum three times over the years and it’s always enjoyable. Their constant collection is great and is ever changing. They have the beloved artist and writer Dick Bruna’s Studio which I love to see. The temporary exhibits are amazing. Today we were able to see art from South Africa and other contemporary pieces. Great mix of new and old art.
Beautiful grounds. Great cafe.
A must see.
Beautiful grounds. Great cafe.
A must see.
Written 7 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Viv L
3 contributions
Sept 2018 • Solo
I went into museum towards the bag drop off and was stopped by a staff. She blocked me with her body and right away accused me of "barging in". There was no clear signage of which is ticket area and which is not. Of course her job was to monitor tickets but to go immediately accuse a visiter was extremely impolite.
I have a museumkaart but that left such a sour taste in my mouth I didn't enter into the museum. (Visit Saturday Sept 22,2018)
I have a museumkaart but that left such a sour taste in my mouth I didn't enter into the museum. (Visit Saturday Sept 22,2018)
Written 28 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
debbiemerchant
Bedford, UK6 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
I was wondering whether to leave a review as we didn't actually visit here. After reading reviews, we bought a ticket for the reitveld Schroeder house believing that it would include the entrance fee to the Centraal museum as well. However, when we arrived at the Centraal, we were told that it would be another €13.50 meaning that the entrance fees for both attractions would be €30!
The website is misleading and it is such a shame
The website is misleading and it is such a shame
Written 28 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Was het museum een agnieten klooster in de 14de eeuw?
Written 9 December 2016
Ja, oorspronkelijk was het een Agnietenklooster, later heeft het gebouw nog andere functies gehad, totdat het stedelijk museum Utrecht zich er vestigde.
Written 10 December 2016
Showing results 1-1 of 1
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing