Even if you are visiting Amsterdam just for a very short period there are at least one or two museums you should definitely visit, depending on your interests.

If you are into visiting some of them buy the I Amsterdam card – the city card that, for 50 euros gives you access to all the worth-it museums, to all public transportation (including night buses) and even a canal-cruise.

These are my top 5 and they suit my love for visual arts:

Amsterdam Museum – City Museum

http://www.amsterdammuseum.nl/en

Their slogan is “experience the story of Amsterdam” and that is exactly what you are going to get. Located right next to the Dam, the most famous square here, it is a perfect beginning for your trip for the city’s overview you can get. It is very interesting in the way that it portrays a well-organised resume of the city’s background, using technology and interactivity, as well as being very visual, therefore friendly to people who are actually not museum enthusiasts. It is a light museum, suitable for everyone, from families (it always has activities for children) to museum-freaks. To these last ones it is great too because it does not tire you up too much, which means after visiting it you are still good to keep on going and visit another one.

Foam – Photography Museum

http://www.foam.org/
For me one of the best museums in Amsterdam, usually with very good exhibitions which are later organised in a magazine. Mandatory for photography lovers and people from the visual arts field. Their website also has a great inspiration section for photographers called Foam for you.

The EYE – Film Museum

http://www.eyefilm.nl/en

The Eye is a must-go for me. It is a city landmark, a piece of arquitecture to be enjoyed from outside, and inside too. This is why,

The ferry cross for you to get there is free and beautiful. The cold wind in your face as you go is invigorating. Go there for a coffee, a visit to their exhibitions or a dutch movie subtitled in english.

Stedelijkmuseum – Modern and Contemporary Art and Design

http://www.stedelijk.nl/en

A very impressive modern and contemporary art collection, and one of the most complete museums in this field. It will take you an entire afternoon to visit it properly but it will be more than worth it.

Rijksmuseum – Dutch National Museum

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en

This one will also take you a long time to visit, it is huge and full of masterpieces, starting on the building, itself a wonderful landmark of dutch arquitecture. Highly recommended if you want to go deeper on Dutch classical art. The dutch golden age is all there: breathtaking.
other interesting museums for me:

Anne Frank Huis

House-museum of second-world-war-time diarist Anne Frank (just if you have spare-time and if you read the book at the age of 10 as i did, so you want to bring the images in your head – the myth – to something seeable).

Rembrandthuis

House-museum of painter Rembrandt (for the

Joods Historish Museum

Jewish Historical Museum and Portuguese Synagogue

Cobra Museum

Museum of Modern Art

(note: this page will be on constant updating mode)