Museums in Eindhoven

The museums of Eindhoven: an overview

A century ago Eindhoven was a small town of villages around the Dommel river. Then Philips arrived, and within a few decades it became an industrial city of light bulbs, radios and televisions. That history explains why the museums here look different from those in Amsterdam or Maastricht: you won't find Golden Age paintings, but you will find one of Europe's most adventurous collections of modern art, the factory where Philips began, and a hall full of Dutch-built trucks and cars. Here they all are.

Van Abbemuseum

The Van Abbemuseum on the Stratumsedijk is the city's art museum and one of the oldest public museums for contemporary art in Europe. It opened in 1936, founded by Henri van Abbe, a cigar manufacturer with a passion for modern art. The original building by Alexander Kropholler, with its symmetrical galleries, still stands next to the Dommel; in 2003 an extension by architect Abel Cahen was added, with a tower that you can see from far away.

The collection holds more than 3,400 works, including one of the largest collections of paintings by El Lissitzky in the world, and works by Picasso, Chagall, Kokoschka, Beuys and Marlene Dumas. The museum is known for asking questions rather than simply showing masterpieces: expect exhibitions about time, community and the role of the museum itself. Until 21 February 2027 the exhibition Museum as Sundial treats the 90-year-old building as a giant sundial.

• Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00. Closed on Mondays.
• Tickets: €16 for adults, €8 for students, free for children under 13. Free with a Museumkaart, and free for everyone on Tuesdays from 15:00 to 17:00.

Philips Museum

The Philips Museum on the Emmasingel is housed in the former first light bulb factory of Philips, right in the city centre. Here the story begins in 1891, when Gerard and Anton Philips started making light bulbs in Eindhoven. The museum follows the company from that small factory to a global electronics group, with radios, televisions, medical technology and inventions that changed daily life. For families there is Mission Eureka, an interactive game that takes children through the museum, and there are special activities during the school holidays.

• Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00. Closed on Mondays.
• Tickets: online through the museum's webshop; free with a Museumkaart.

DAF Museum

In the DAF Museum on the Tongelresestraat you will find more than a hundred vehicles from 1928 to the present day. DAF started in 1928, when Hub van Doorne founded a small engineering works and repair shop in Eindhoven; with his brother Wim he built trailers, then trucks, and after the war small cars with the famous Variomatic transmission. The museum shows that history with a replica of the old forge, the founder's office and a village square, followed by halls full of trucks, engines and cars. A new wing opened after a major renovation in 2019.

• Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00.
• Tickets: €14.50 for adults, €9 for students, €7 for children aged 5 to 15, free for children under 5 and with a Museumkaart.

Museumpark VONK

In the green Genneper Parken on the south side of the city lies Museumpark VONK, the new name for what many locals still call the preHistorisch Dorp and the Eindhoven Museum. It started in 1982 as a reconstructed prehistoric village and is now an archaeological open-air museum about the Iron Age and the Middle Ages, combined with a museum building about the history of Eindhoven. In the park you walk past farms and houses where people in period clothing show old crafts. It is one of the best days out in Eindhoven for children.

• Open: every day from 10:00 to 17:00 (check the website for holiday exceptions).
• Getting there: buses 7, 317, 318, 407 and 408 from Eindhoven Centraal to Boutenslaan, then a 12-minute walk.

Dutch Design Week and the museums

During Dutch Design Week in October, several museums become part of the festival. The Van Abbemuseum and the Philips Museum both take part, and a lot of design is shown in former factories such as the Klokgebouw at Strijp-S. If you are in Eindhoven in October, combine your museum visit with the design week.

Which museum suits you?

• For art lovers: the Van Abbemuseum, for modern and contemporary art and a building that is worth the visit in itself.
• For technology fans: the Philips Museum for the story of light and electronics, and the DAF Museum for trucks, engines and cars.
• For families: Museumpark VONK for a day outdoors in the Iron Age, the DAF Museum for children who love vehicles, and Mission Eureka in the Philips Museum.
• For history: Museumpark VONK covers thousands of years of history of the area, and the Philips Museum tells how a village became a city.

Tips for your museum visit

• Watch the closing days. The Van Abbemuseum, the Philips Museum and the DAF Museum are closed on Mondays. Museumpark VONK is open every day.
• Do you have a Museumkaart? With the Dutch museum card you can visit the Van Abbemuseum, the Philips Museum, the DAF Museum and Museumpark VONK for free. If you live in the Netherlands and visit more than a handful of museums a year, the card quickly pays for itself.
• English is no problem. Staff at all museums speak English, and the larger museums have English texts or tours.
• Combine smartly. The Philips Museum and the Van Abbemuseum are both in the centre, about a fifteen-minute walk apart. The DAF Museum is a short bike ride east of the centre.

Looking for more? See our tips for rainy days in Eindhoven, the things to do and see in the city, or all exhibitions in the culture and exhibitions category.