Van Gogh Museum: Private Tour

Entry ticket to Van Gogh Museum, private art historian guide & skip the line

Embark on an exclusive journey tailored for true Van Gogh enthusiasts: a private, immersive 3-hour tour through the world’s most extensive collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings.

In this deeply enriching experience, we delve into the intricate layers of Vincent’s life, art, and sources of inspiration. Uncover the pivotal moment when Van Gogh, at the age of 27, first embraced the brush. Explore the profound bond between Vincent and his beloved brother Theo, whose unwavering support and encouragement shaped the trajectory of Vincent’s career and personal life.

Venture beyond the surface as we confront the complexities of Vincent’s inner turmoil. And how his inner state is reflected in his paintings. Gain insight into the interplay between genius, temperament, and mental anguish that permeates his work, revealing the raw essence of human experience.

Delve into the lesser-known facets of Van Gogh’s artistry, from his early paintings to his formative years in Brabant, where the influences of Dutch 17th-century still life paintings and the legacy of Rembrandt left an indelible mark on his style. To the experimental fervor of his time in Paris and his tumultuous time in Arles together with Gauguin in the yellow house. Discover what went on before the ‘ear incident’.

Unravel the poignant narrative of Vincent’s final chapter, marked by tragedy and untimely loss, as he tragically takes his own life at the age of 37. Who is the person who makes Vincent famous? Behind every success story of a man stands a great woman…

Our tour is a testament to love, dedication, courage, and the enduring bonds of brotherhood, immortalized in every brushstroke of Vincent van Gogh’s timeless masterpieces. Join us as we illuminate the heart and soul of one of history’s most revered artists, inviting you to experience the profound beauty and profound humanity that defines the essence of Vincent’s art.

 

Tour duration: 2 hours
Additional info: Up to 6 guests.

Starting Point:

We meet next to entrance of the museum in front of the mirror cube.

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What guests say

Great experience! With this tour you’ll never forget what you saw at the Museum

Absolutely great! Love the tour, great guide (Thank you again Mila for all the stories and explanations, it really made me understand better Vincent’s work and life). I absolutely recommend this tour as it provides the context for all the paintings!

Wonderfully engaging tour!

My family and I had a truly great time. Geneviève, our bright and personable guide, engaged with us as individuals and structured the tour intelligently around a dozen or so key works, so that after our tour we were able to revisit the collection and contextualize the artist’s evolution around the difficult events of his life. Highly recommended!

Best Experience, and Tour Guide Ever!

I have never been one to invest my time into the arts. And I’m truly sorry that I haven’t up until now. I had the opportunity to go to the Van Gogh Museum, and Geneviève was our tour guide. Even with my lack of education on Van Gogh, I left the museum feeling so educated on every part of Van Gogh’s life. Geneviève had such a beautiful way with her words, and kept you on track and focused on what we were looking at. Even with how busy the museum is, she kept my attention the WHOLE time. I didn’t check my phone once, aside from taking photos. Geneviève was kind, patient, so passionate about art, and always offered to take a photo of you in front of your favorite piece. I couldn’t suggest this tour more to anyone in the area, I think it is absolutely worth the money and I would come back the next time I was in town.

Fantastic, responsive company.

Our guide Cecile was informative, fun, and highly engaging with both us and our kids. It was a real highlight of our trip. The company was very responsive and kept in touch up to when the tour started. Would highly recommend them (we used them again two days later they were so good!)

Outstanding guide, museum, and experience.

We have been on many guided tours and, without question, this rises to the top of the list. Fannie is extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and an absolute delight. Five star experience — highly recommend.

A must-do when in Amsterdam!

We’ve taken tours with art historians in Paris, Florence, and the U.K., but Titia was truly exceptional. She brought Van Gogh’s life to us through his paintings and answered all our random questions with ease. She was kind, considerate, and incredibly helpful. This was my favorite experience of the trip. I prefer these tours to the large group tours as I learn so much more on topics I care about. It's a must do if you are in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Highlight

Genevieve was an impressive guide. She was professional, very knowledge and engaging. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our tour and finished with a much better appreciation of Van Gogh and his work.

Loving Vincent Tour

Our guide Mercedes was exceptional! The comprehensive approach to Van Gogh’s life, his family, his brush strokes, colors, his personality were rich in detail- It was a lovely experience in all ways.

Excellent overview of van Gogh’s life and art!

This 1.5 hour tour was absolutely great. Mercedes, our guide, took us an a chronological tour of Vincent’s life and his art. It was focused, informative, and delightful. Now I know where the expression “struggling artist” originated from! Highly recommend this small group tour.

Immersive Journey into Van Gogh’s life

The tour started amazing right from the start. Being greeted by Fannie’s contagious smile, we knew we were in for a wonderful experience. My partner and I have a huge bond over Van Gogh’s art and to have Fannie explain his life and thought process from his earlier work that included very dark colors to his later work that was very colorful and how he played with colors within his pieces. We enjoyed everything that Fannie had to say, her energy throughout the tour kept us very engaged and want to learn more. Thank you again Fannie, you truly made this a wonderful experience.

Great Experience!

Genevieve was so incredible! She is super friendly and knowledgeable and provided information that made this a great experience.

An enhanced and thorough experience!

The tour guide Genevieve flawlessly moved from picture to picture, explaining interesting backstory and facts of Van Gogh and extended family. She took us on a thorough and deep-dive guide of the paintings themselves, the artwork and style behind them and was able to get us in the mindset and thoughts of Van Gogh each time. I genuinely believe the experience benefited greatly from having a knowledgeable guide. Would recommend as a must!

Brilliant Tour!

My host Cecile was brilliant. She was a Van Gogh expert with a vast amount of knowledge delivered in a warm, friendly and engaging manner. I had no idea about 90% of the Vincent story and legacy. It was an honour and privilege to be on this tour with Cecile and learn so much. I highly recommend this tour. I know next time I’m back I would love to book a private tour and do it all over again. Thank you Cecile, 10 out of 10.

Outstanding Experience

We toured the museum with Lucien, who was an incredibly knowledgeable and passionate tour guide. He brought the museum to life and told the story of Van Gogh through the artwork. Very fun experience!

It was like experiencing the life of Van Gogh!

It was such a good experience. Florentine was very kind and knew a lot. She would also take time to take pictures and to make the most of the experience, she gave us a lot of tips and information It was like experiencing the life of Van Gogh and at the same time enjoying his art. I recommend it !

Book her if she’s available!

Our guide was incredible! She made the whole experience just wonderful. Full of knowledge and passion for the subject. Took an interest in what we wanted to see and learn about. Florentine is a terrific guide. Book her if she’s available!

We enjoyed this tour immensely and would definitely recommend him!

Chiel was our guide for the tour and I must say, we were very happy with him. He was very polite, kind and interactive. He set the mood for discovering more about the life of Vincent Van Gogh with selective paintings which I really liked. We enjoyed this tour immensely and would definitely recommend him! Thanks Chiel! 😊❤️

First rate and worth the money

Our guide Florentina was outstanding. Very knowledgeable and a good presenter. I’m a retired Museum Director. First rate and worth the money.

Even our daughter was hooked

I honestly have to say this was an amazing tour due to our guide. The way how she took us through Vincent Van Goghs life from start to finish had us hooked. She explained it with a lot of detail and provided additional images for us to view of his work. She left a lasting impression on us. My 8 y/o daughter was as well very intrigued and answering the questions the guide had asked. So even our daughter was hooked. Highly recommend the tour!

My private guide was exceptional!

My private guide was exceptional! She is extremely knowledgeable and has curated the most interesting and worthwhile paintings that elevated my limited knowledge of art. She was also attentive to the needs of older people. I would highly recommend this tour!!

A terrific tour with a very knowledgeable and engaging guide

A terrific tour with a very knowledgeable and engaging guide. I know some art history and this tour was well done, accessible, and focused. After hearing our guide’s specific insight of various phases of Van Gogh’s life and painting, after the tour we were able to go back and view what we wanted to spend more time with the paintings. Upon entering the museum, we went in ahead of the line, so the access is great.

Best tour I’ve been on

Our guide, Fannie, was absolutely fantastic! Best tour I’ve been on. I wish she could lead every museum tour. Such a wonderful experience and afternoon. I walked away smiling and full of knowledge. A big thank you!

I can say she was one of the best guides I’ve ever had on something like this

The tour guide was exceptional. Florentine really understood Art and Van Gogh’s life. I felt invested and didn’t want to miss anything she said. I can say she was one of the best guides I’ve ever had on something like this.

Well done and would book again!

Valery did an excellent job. Great work navigating the crowds while providing interesting info I hadn't heard before about Vincent. Well done and would book again.

I’m so glad I took this tour

I'm so glad I took this tour. It provided much more understanding into the life of Van Gogh than I would have learned just from reading the cards by the paintings. I'll recommend this tour to others in the future. I also appreciate that it was a small group!

What guests ask

For larger bookings, please reach out to us via email or our contact form.

If you booked a private tour we can include the temporary exhibition if you wish. However our small group tours focus on the permanent collection. After the tour you can enjoy the entire museum, including the temporary exhibition.

Our private tours are family-friendly and tailored to the needs of the group, making them suitable for children. Children are also welcome in small group tours; however, please note that these tours are not specifically catered to children. In such cases, we recommend booking a private tour for a more customised experience.

The museum is accessible for individuals with disabilities. While small group tours may have a fixed schedule that can limit wheelchair accessibility, visitors in wheelchairs are warmly welcomed to join our private tours, where we can ensure a more accommodating and flexible experience tailored to their needs.

Due to timed tickets, re-entry is not permitted. But after the conclusion of the tour you can stay in the museum for as long as you wish.

Yes, the entrance fees to the Van Gogh Museum are included in the tour price.

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