Museum of the Canals - amazing wheelchair access
5
5
Date of visit: October 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: dexterity or coordination and moving around.
Overall Rating
Excellent
We visited this museum whilst on holiday in Amsterdam. I noticed on the I-Amsterdam page that it is wheelchair accessible and thought it was worth checking out. The building is a typical mid-terraced canal side house, with several floors. There are steps up to the front door. I wondered how it could possibly be accessible! But it is! It is a great place to learn about the canals in Amsterdam and how the city was built. We really enjoyed it and learned such a lot.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
We must start with an amazing platform lift. The only slight negative here, is that you have to send a companion in to let them know you need to use it. However, they have managed to make the stone steps down to the basement into a platform lift. It makes it accessible without looking any different to the other houses. (See video) Once inside, there is a small lift to all floors. You begin on the 1st floor, where you pay and there is a waiting area. This has a large soft bench seat in a kind of square. The room is peaceful and clean. Tours leave approximately every 10 minutes. When the tour begins, a staff member will help guide you to the right floor via the lift. From there, you just follow the system round. Each room has space and you can watch and listen to the story and explanations. Doorways are wide enough for a manual wheelchair. There is one room where the floor is sand. It's not deep and it didn't cause me any problems but it gave me a bit of a surprise. There is another room with a giant dolls house in the middle and then peep holes around the walls. You can listen via your audio guide to what is happening inside the house. The wall peep holes were all too high for me though. I think they should have had some lowered ones. At the end, there is another totally separate area with stuffed canal birds, including a lifesized swan. If you have an assistance dog, it might be worth being prepared for that room. There's another one with beautiful art work and a painted ceiling.
Accessible facilities: Lift to all areas
Parking & Transport
Good
I travelled to this place by tram
We travelled by tram around the city, which was pretty accessible. For this museum, we then had a 5 to 10 minute walk/wheel, but really it depends where you are coming from. The pavements in the area are narrow and often get blocked by delivery bikes and other obstacles. I ended up wheeling in the road.
Accessible Toilets
Good
There is an accessible toilet but it's at the basement level, where you come in. I went on arrival and just before we left. The tour takes just over an hour, so I was okay with that. The toilet is clean and has grab rails. It's not huge, but big enough to get a wheelchair and a dog in.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
Staff
Excellent
The staff were really helpful and tried to make our visit as easy as possible. They acknowledge the difficulty in making a building like this fully accessible but they have gone over and above what the majority would do.
Comments
clairey_fairy
02 Nov 2025
I love seeing these built in stair lifts, more are definitely needed.
