The Anne Frank House at Prinsengracht 263 is the single most-visited and most-affecting museum in the Netherlands. It is also the hardest-to-book attraction in the country. This complete 2026 visitor guide covers exactly how the new ticket-release system works (every Tuesday at 10am Dutch time, six weeks in advance), what you’ll see inside the Secret Annex, how long the visit takes, what to know about photography, bag rules, accessibility, age guidance for children, and how to get the most from one of Europe’s most powerful museum experiences.

The Story in One Paragraph

In July 1942, 13-year-old Anne Frank and seven other Jewish people went into hiding from the Nazis in a concealed annex above her father Otto Frank’s business at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam. For just over two years they lived in eight small rooms behind a bookcase, helped by Otto’s employees. On 4 August 1944 they were betrayed and arrested. Anne and her sister Margot died at Bergen-Belsen in February 1945, weeks before liberation. Only Otto survived. After the war, Otto published Anne’s diary — the most-read account of the Holocaust ever written. The house itself was preserved and opened as a museum in 1960. Today over 1.3 million people visit each year.

How to Get Anne Frank House Tickets in 2026

Tickets are sold exclusively online at annefrank.org. There are no walk-up tickets, no on-the-door tickets, no third-party kiosks, no skip-the-line passes, and no exceptions. Anyone selling Anne Frank House tickets in person is running a scam.

• Ticket release: Every Tuesday at 10:00 AM Amsterdam time, tickets release for the ENTIRE week exactly six weeks later. (e.g. tickets for 1–7 July release on the Tuesday 19 May.)
• Price: €16.50 adult, €7 child (10–17), €1 (under 10).
• Volume: Roughly 5,000 tickets per day; high-demand slots disappear in 5-30 minutes.
• What you book: a 30-minute entry window. You can stay inside as long as you like (most people: 60 minutes).
• Last-minute slots: Around 20% of tickets are held back and released throughout the week as cancellations come back. Refresh annefrank.org daily.
• School-group slots Mon–Thu mornings are not sold to individuals — afternoons are easier.

The Tuesday-10am Drill

• Set a calendar alert for 9:55am Amsterdam time on the Tuesday six weeks before your visit.
• Be logged into annefrank.org and ready on a desktop browser. Phone-app booking is slower.
• Have two browser tabs open: one for an early-morning slot (9–11am) and one for late evening (after 7pm) as backup.
• Use the date filter; ignore single-day pop-ups and select your exact date from the calendar.
• You’ll need email + name; have credit card details on hand.
• Mobile-friendly tickets — they arrive as a PDF and QR code by email.

Practical Information

• Address: Prinsengracht 263–267. The visitor entrance is around the corner at Westermarkt 20.
• Opening hours: 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM daily. Last entry 9:00 PM. Open every day of the year.
• Visit duration: 60-90 minutes. Some visitors stay longer; the museum doesn’t push you out.
• How to get there: 15-minute walk from Centraal Station; trams 13 or 17 to Westermarkt stop (3 minutes).
• Bag rules: only bags smaller than an A4 sheet of paper allowed inside. No backpacks. There are no lockers on site — leave luggage at your hotel or Centraal Station storage.
• Photography: not permitted anywhere inside the museum.
• Audio guide: free via the official Anne Frank House app — download before you go (free wifi at the entrance).
• Languages: the museum offers audio in English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew.
• Accessibility: the Secret Annex itself requires climbing three steep staircases of 12, 14 and 16 steps, plus one step of 39 cm. Not wheelchair-accessible. The lower-level exhibition area IS accessible.

What You’ll See Inside

The museum is organised as a one-way route. You move from the front office building through the famous moving bookcase, into the Secret Annex, then back down through education and historical exhibits.

Front House — Otto Frank’s Business

Otto ran a spice and pectin business called Opekta from the front part of the building. You walk through the kitchen, warehouse and Otto’s office before reaching the bookcase. The mood here is quietly historical; the real intensity starts after the bookcase.

The Bookcase & the Secret Annex

The original hinged bookcase — designed and installed in summer 1942 — still stands at the entrance to the annex. You walk through it onto a narrow staircase that opens into the eight rooms where the Franks hid for 25 months.

• The rooms are deliberately kept unfurnished — at Otto’s specific request when the museum opened in 1960. The void is itself the point.
• Anne’s bedroom still has the postcards and magazine cuttings (of Greta Garbo, Deanna Durbin, the British royal princesses) she glued to the walls.
• The pencil marks on the wall in Otto and Edith’s bedroom track Anne’s and Margot’s growth.
• The map of the Allied advance on the wall, marked by Otto with pins as the news came in.
• Anne’s diary itself is on display in the lower exhibition.

Lower Exhibition

After the annex you exit into the educational exhibits — the diary, Otto Frank’s letters, the timeline of the family’s deportation and deaths, and contextual material on the Holocaust in the Netherlands. The most powerful moments are usually here, not in the annex itself.

How to Prepare Before You Visit

• Read the diary first. Even a 30-minute skim improves the experience tenfold. The annotated The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition is the standard text.
• Watch the official Anne Frank House YouTube channel: short documentaries that contextualise what you’ll see.
• Download the Anne Frank House app before you arrive — at the museum the wifi is good but airport-style downloads can be slow.
• Plan around an emotional reset: don’t book back-to-back with Anne Frank and then a comedy show or party event. Plan something quiet afterwards — a Jordaan walk, Vondelpark sit, a slow lunch.
• Bring water and a snack for before or after; you can’t eat or drink inside.
• Tissues. Most visitors will need them.

Visiting with Children

• Recommended minimum age: 10. Younger children find it overwhelming and don’t get much from it.
• The Anne Frank Children’s Tour at the museum’s education centre on Westermarkt 20 is a gentler alternative for ages 6-9.
• Read an age-appropriate adaptation first — the illustrated graphic-novel version of the diary works well for 9-14 year olds.
• Talk about it on the way in and the way out. Allow questions; let them set the pace.
• Strollers are not permitted inside; you can leave them at reception.

Best Time to Visit

• First slot of the day (9:00 AM) — calmest, lightest tourist mood, freshest experience. Best for impact.
• Last slot of the day (after 7 PM) — also quiet; the museum stays open until 10 PM in spring/summer.
• Tuesday–Thursday — quieter than weekends.
• Avoid Saturdays — consistently the busiest day.
• Avoid school-group windows (Mon–Fri 9-11 AM during Dutch school terms).
• Late-night slot (8-9 PM): often the most reflective experience because the museum is nearly empty.

What’s Around the Anne Frank House

• Westerkerk — directly next door. Anne mentions its bells repeatedly in the diary. Climb the tower for the best view of the Jordaan and canal belt (April–October only, no booking needed at the church door).
• Homomonument — the world’s first monument to LGBTQ+ victims of persecution, on Westermarkt in front of the church.
• Anne Frank statue — a small bronze on Westermarkt by Mari Andriessen.
• Jordaan — Amsterdam’s prettiest neighbourhood starts right here. See our Jordaan Guide.
• Café Papeneiland (Prinsengracht 2) — historic brown cafe from 1642, two minutes’ walk away.
• Negen Straatjes — the Nine Streets shopping district, 5 minutes south.

Related Holocaust History in Amsterdam

If the Anne Frank House moves you, the city has more powerful related sites:

• National Holocaust Museum (Plantage Middenlaan 27) — opened 2024 in the former Hollandsche Schouwburg theatre and a Jewish teachers’ college. The Netherlands’ first dedicated national Holocaust museum.
• Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum) (Plantage Kerklaan 61) — the story of Dutch resistance and collaboration during occupation.
• Hollandsche Schouwburg Memorial — the former Jewish theatre used as a deportation centre, now a memorial.
• Portuguese Synagogue — the largest 17th-century synagogue in the world; survived the war intact.
• Stolpersteine — small brass plaques set into pavements across Amsterdam mark where Jewish residents lived before deportation. Especially dense in the Plantage neighbourhood.
• Auschwitz Monument — a broken-mirrored memorial in Wertheim Park, designed by Jan Wolkers.
• Dockworker Statue (Jonas Daniël Meijerplein) — commemorates the February 1941 General Strike against Jewish deportations, the only mass civil protest of its kind in occupied Europe.

If You Can’t Get a Ticket

• Refresh annefrank.org daily — cancellations release throughout the week.
• Try the last-slot release at midnight Amsterdam time on the Tuesday before your visit.
• Visit Westermarkt for the Anne Frank statue, Westerkerk and the Homomonument — all free.
• Go to the National Holocaust Museum instead — opened 2024, equally important, much easier to book.
• Read the diary in a Jordaan cafe — Anne wrote it half a block away.

Visiting Etiquette

• Keep your voice low. The rooms are small; even normal conversation feels disruptive.
• No photography, including phones. Staff will ask you to stop.
• Don’t touch surfaces. Most are original 18th-century plaster.
• Allow people to move at their own pace. Don’t push past slow visitors; the rooms are tight.
• If overwhelmed, sit on the benches in the lower exhibit and take time before leaving.
• The shop sells the diary, related books and museum-supporting souvenirs — buying here directly supports the foundation.

Anne Frank House: FAQ

How do I get Anne Frank House tickets?

Only at annefrank.org. Tickets release every Tuesday at 10am Amsterdam time for the entire week six weeks later. They sell out within minutes during peak season.

How much does the Anne Frank House cost?

€16.50 adult, €7 child (10–17), €1 under 10.

How long does the Anne Frank House visit take?

60–90 minutes. Plan 30 minutes inside the annex itself plus 30–60 in the lower exhibitions.

Can I take photos inside the Anne Frank House?

No. Photography of any kind is not permitted anywhere inside.

Is the Anne Frank House accessible?

The Secret Annex itself is not wheelchair-accessible — three steep staircases. The lower exhibition spaces are accessible.

How early should I arrive?

At least 10 minutes before your slot. The museum is strict about timed entry; you lose your slot if you arrive after the window closes.

Should I bring children?

The museum recommends a minimum age of 10. Under-10s can do the Children’s Tour at Westermarkt 20 instead.

Final Thoughts

The Anne Frank House isn’t a comfortable visit. It’s not meant to be. It is, however, one of the most powerful single hours you can spend in any European city — a small, unfurnished, unchanging space in which an extraordinary teenager wrote about hope while her family hid from systematic annihilation. Book early, prepare by reading the diary, take the first slot of the day, and give yourself a quiet afternoon afterwards. It’ll stay with you for years.

For more, see our Amsterdam Museums Guide, our Amsterdam History Timeline, and our Jordaan Amsterdam Guide.