All You Need to Know About the Anne Frank House in 2020

The history of Anne Frank, how to get Anne Frank House tickets and other information.

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CHAPTER 1: A Brief History of Anne Frank

Before I begin, it’s important to provide a brief outline about Anne Frank and her life. If you already know all of this, you can just skip this section. 

Anne Frank was a German girl who moved to the Netherlands to escape the increasing prejudice of Jews in her country. Anne Frank and her family moved to Amsterdam, where her father Otto founded a company that traded in pectin (a gelling agent used for jam) and later herbs and spices. They settled properly in the Netherlands and Anne Frank went to school there, where she learnt Dutch.

WW2 began when Anne turned 10 and in May 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands and they soon surrendered. This Jewish prejudice then began in the Netherlands and Jews were not allowed to visit attractions, go to non-Jewish schools, or even non-Jewish shops. For this reason, Otto Frank lost his business.

The Secret Annex and Her Diary

When Margot, Anne’s sister receives a notice than she is due to work at a ‘labour camp’, they decide to go into hiding. The camps were not what the Nazi’s were making them out to be. Just before this, Anne received her diary for her 13th birthday, which she then used to write down her thoughts when living in the secret annex. This annex was in Otto Frank’s old place of work and there they hid, with a ‘bookshelf door’ to hide the entrance (this is the ‘Anne Frank Huis’). The Frank family shared this annex with another family, so it was very crowded and they had to remain quiet so no one could hear them. Understandably, tensions between them all began when living in the annex. Anne wrote about this in her diary.

Anne heard on the radio that people should keep hold of any documents and diaries from this period of time. This inspired her to rewrite her diary and hopefully one day be a famous writer. Before she finished rewriting her diary, the annex was discovered and they were all arrested and deported to camps. Anne was sent to Auschwitz. She was later moved to Bergen-Belsen, where in February 1945 her and her sister died. Her mother died in Auschwitz. Only her father survived (he was in a male camp).

Thankfully, her work was found and preserved and once Otto Frank heard the news that Anne had not made it, he decided to publish her diary. He also worked closely with the Anne Frank museum. Otto Frank later died in 1980.

CHAPTER 2: The Anne Frank House

Is Anne Frank House Worth Visiting?

Before I begin, I just want to see that going to Anne Frank house is an absolute must and you should not miss it if you’re heading to Amsterdam. I moved near Amsterdam in 2016 and it took me over 2 years to see it for myself and I wish I didn’t leave it so long. I heard that it was overrated, really busy and you don’t get the feeling that you’re really there, but in my opinion, I did not get that at all. Yes, Anne Frank house is really busy, but that’s why they stagger the times so only a certain amount of people are allowed in at any one time.

I still found the whole experience incredibly moving and I felt really bummed out once I’d left the museum as it hits you just how awful it all was. History should never be repeated!

Anyway, now for the nitty-gritty FAQ about Anne Frank house:

What Is There to See at Anne Frank House?

A common question people ask is, is the Anne Frank museum her real house?

Yes, it is. Apart from an audio guide, pieces of information on the wall, photographs, quotes and videos, you get to see the house and the annex for yourself. The Anne Frank house itself is very small, so in order to make way for more areas to walk around and learn about the history, there is an extension built alongside the original house. You’ll be able to see the actual house and go inside the secret annex through the bookcase opening. When you go there you can’t believe how small it is and how steep the staircase was in the annex. You can still see all of the original pictures and things that Anne put up on her wall, but unfortunately, all the furniture is removed because else nobody would be able to get inside the rooms. Also, Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father requested that it was to remain empty.

You can even see the original diary in the museum, along with her other workbooks that she used when her diary was full and other pages that were found.

Is Anne Frank House Busy?

Yes! Anne Frank house is always busy because it’s basically always sold out. Tourists go to Amsterdam all year round, so Anne Frank house remains a popular destination. However, saying that, you are more likely to get Anne Frank tickets in the winter, rather in the height of the holiday season and in the weekday.

The museum renovations were completed back in November and I went to Anne Frank house only weeks after the new renovations were done and the crowd control was definitely much better.

Can I Take Pictures in Anne Frank House?

Unfortunately not. They say it’s to protect the items within the museum and it also cuts crowds as people will be getting in the way trying to take pictures all the time (and there’s really not enough room for that inside, trust me). This is why there are basically no pictures in this article because I didn’t get any!

Are Anne Frank House Tours Available in Different Languages?

Yes, everybody gets given an audio guide at arrival with 9 different languages, so anyone can go and learn about the history of Anne Frank house. It’s available in Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Hebrew.

CHAPTER 3: How to Get Tickets for the Anne Frank House Museum

How Do You Get Anne Frank House Tickets?

The all important question. How to Get Anne Frank House Tickets: You can buy Anne Frank tickets from their official website. There are two different types of Anne Frank house tickets:

• Regular museum visit (includes audio guide around Anne Frank house)
• Introductory programme and regular museum visit (this is a 30-minute video about Anne Frank in Dutch or English before the regular museum tour where you’ll have an audio guide)

Anne Frank tickets are only available online. If you arrive at the museum, you will not be able to buy a ticket! Anne Frank house tickets are also valid for a specific time and date and if you arrive late, they will not let you in. This is strongly enforced, so make sure you plan your time properly and arrive on time.

They are also cannot be amended or refunded, so if you decide when you arrive in Amsterdam that you want to go to Anne Frank house at a different time, this won’t be possible and there likely won’t be any tickets left to rebuy. So put this museum at the top of your list when you plan your trip to Amsterdam. You also have to book a date and time for children, even if they are allowed in for free. This also goes for if you have a museum discount card, so bear this in mind.

How Are Anne Frank Tickets Distributed?

80% of Anne Frank tickets are released exactly 2 months in advance. 20% are released on the day from 9am.

How Far in Advance Should I Book Anne Frank Tickets?

As early as possible. Tickets are released exactly 2 months in advance. You can never tell with Anne Frank tickets – sometimes they sell out instantly 2 months in advance and sometimes you can grab them a few days before. If you really want to go, I would say that it’s not worth the risk to find out. I would book as soon as you can.

Anne Frank Tickets Are Sold Out, Now What?

In peak periods you may find that tickets have sold out instantly. I’m not even kidding you, but people from all over the world enter the website the second they are released 2 months in advance sometimes and they are sold out instantly. This is probably why you can see that there are no tickets available!

For example, I’m looking now for the introductory and tour tickets and there is literally just a couple on the 28th of March left…

Don’t fret – 20% of the tickets are released on the day. However, this isn’t necessarily an easy task either. I went to Anne Frank house back in December and considering I live nearby, I decided to wait and book them on the day as the weekend I wanted to go had all sold out. I was on the site just before it opened and kept refreshing from 9am, nothing happened for hours.

Me and my boyfriend were just sat there refreshing constantly for hours and taking in turns. Suddenly some would randomly appear and then when you clicked on them they were already taken. I must have shouted the f word about 6 times out of frustration when trying to get in as it was literally like a free-for-all. Eventually, 3 hours later we managed to score tickets and we were literally running out the door to make the tour in time.

Tips:

• Buy in advance if you can – it’s better to queue up online for them then, rather than on the day as it could take some of your Amsterdam-time away
• Tickets go on sale at 9 am CET, (both 2 months in advance and on the day) so be online just before then and have your card details ready
• On-the-day tickets are released in waves, all 20% are not released all in one go. Keep checking back every few hours
• Prioritise Anne Frank house over most of your museums and attractions, because it really is worth it
• Leave at least 2 hours to go around Anne Frank house
• If you don’t manage to get an introductory ticket, don’t feel hard done by. You can watch plenty of Anne Frank introductions online before you go in order to kick-start your knowledge (that’s what I did)

Can I Queue for Anne Frank House?

In short, no.

Back when renovations were taking place, it was possible to queue up at Anne Frank house and get tickets. That’s probably why you’ve heard that you could queue outside. Currently, tickets are now online only, so this is no longer possible. The queues were always crazy long though. My friends got there early when they came to visit me a couple of summers back and it still took 2 hours to get in.

CHAPTER 4: Prices, Opening Hours and Additional Information

How Much Does It Cost to Visit the Anne Frank Museum?

There are two different types of Anne Frank house tickets. One of these tickets gives you an introductory video to the history of Anne Frank and then you tour the house. The other just gives you a tour of the house.

Anne Frank regular ticket price:

Opening Hours and Location