The national railway museum in Utrecht's historic Maliebaan station – with locomotives, rides, royal carriages and its own train stop.
June 27, 2026 – December 31, 2032
Long-term presentation on the ties between the royal family and the railway, featuring the royal saloon cars and a royal waiting room; in 2026/27 the other royal waiting rooms in Amsterdam, Den Haag and Baarn will also open on a quarterly basis.
The idea of a Dutch railway museum arose in the late 1920s; according to the museum, it was founded in 1928. For a long time the collection had no permanent home and moved between various locations until it settled in the disused Maliebaan station in Utrecht in 1954.
The station itself has an eventful history: the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij opened it in 1874 on the line to Zutphen, and at first even international trains to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris departed from here. Once other Utrecht stations took over that role, it lost importance, served as a freight station from 1908 and closed to passengers in 1939. During the German occupation the Wehrmacht used the building; in 1942 deportations of Utrecht's Jews departed from here. After the war it housed the railway's national lost-and-found office.
The building was initially heavily altered for museum use. During the major renovation and expansion around 2005, the station regained its 1874 appearance and became the museum's grand entrance; old murals were rediscovered in the process. Behind it, a large museum hall with rides and immersive spaces was built.
Today the museum, run by the Stichting Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum, traces the development of the railway in the Netherlands from the first line between Amsterdam and Haarlem in 1839 to the present day: steam locomotives, wooden carriages, electric trains, the royal saloon cars and its own train stop, served hourly by Sprinter trains from Utrecht Centraal.
| Adults | €19.50 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €19.50free up to age 3 · Children up to and including age 3 free; full admission from age 4. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount mentioned. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Visitors who need assistance because of a disability may bring a companion free of charge (let the ticket desk know). |
| Students & apprentices | –No student discount mentioned. |
| Groups | –No reduced group rate for adults; packages with coffee, lunch or drinks for 10 or more people, plus admission. School classes €7.50 per student when booked at least two weeks in advance (not for BSO). |
| Families | –No family ticket. |
| School groups (per student) | €7.50Only when booked in advance in good time; not for after-school care (BSO). |
| NS employees | €10On presentation of an NS staff ID. |
| Winter Station surcharge | €2.50As of 2025: for all tickets from age 4, including with the Museumkaart, during the winter event; Winter Station 2026 runs from December 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027. |
| Guided tour Koninklijke Wachtkamers (royal waiting rooms) | €2.75Per person, on selected dates. |
| Children's birthday party with muffin and lemonade | €24Per child including admission, for 5 or more; €4.50 with the Museumkaart. Versions with a Kidsbox €27.40 or €32. |
Free with the Museumkaart, as well as with the VriendenLoterij VIP-kaart, ICOM card and Buurpas; U-Pas 50% off. A time slot (start time) must always be reserved online, even with a Museumkaart; reservations are free. Purchased tickets are valid for one year and are non-refundable. The Museumkaart is available at the ticket desk. The entire museum is cashless (cards only).
Grounds paved with clinker bricks and several level track crossings (covered with rubber mats outdoors); the station and the museum hall are about 200 m apart. All platforms have ramps, and the outdoor area is wheelchair-accessible. Most historic trains are barely accessible by wheelchair; Stalen Monsters cannot be used by wheelchair users, Grote Ontdekking has an alternative entrance, Vuurproef a wheelchair-accessible simulator, the Orient Express and the theater a wheelchair lift, and the Techlab an elevator; Seinhuis and Beladen Treinen are not accessible. Four free loan wheelchairs (reserve by email), two wheelchair-accessible restrooms, four accessible parking spaces near the entrance (regular rate). Assistance dogs allowed. Visitors with visual impairments may touch the trains; the Grote Ontdekking texts are available on paper. The Sunflower lanyard is recognized; tours engaging other senses on request.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
|---|
Explicitly child-friendly, according to the museum: rides, the Techlab with experiments, the Spoortuin play garden with Spoordieren (for ages 4 to 12) and additional activities and workshops during school holidays. During the Winter Station event, an ice rink with free skate rental and a separate rink for the youngest. Children's birthday parties with a muffin or Kidsbox can be booked.
Utrecht Maliebaan
Sprinter shuttle train ("pendeltrein") from Utrecht Centraal, track 2, hourly, taking 18 minutes to the museum's own Utrecht Maliebaan stop right inside the museum (check in and out with an OV-chipkaart). Alternatively, buses 4, 8, 28, 50, 55, 73 or 77 from Utrecht Centraal to the Stadsschouwburg stop, then walk.
Paid parking
The museum's own parking lot directly in front of the entrance has 160 spaces, for museum visitors only: first 4 hours €16.50, then €0.30 per 6 minutes, max. €25 per day; payment by card at the machine or via QR code only, no reservations, closes 30 minutes after the museum closes. Cars only – no minibuses, RVs or tour buses (alternatives suggested by the museum: P+R Utrecht Science Park or the service road along the Maliebaan). Fills up quickly during holidays and events.
GPS address: Johan van Oldenbarneveltlaan 1, Utrecht. Coming from Amsterdam (A2), don't follow the signs for Centrum/Jaarbeurs; drive via Stadion Galgenwaard instead. The museum is located in Utrecht's low-emission zone: diesel cars below Euro 5 are not permitted. The museum recommends arriving by train or bus.
Get directionsRestaurant De Remise in the middle of the museum hall (coffee, cake, lunch, hot meals, kids' sandwiches) with an outdoor terrace by the play garden; on weekends and during holidays, a fries vending wall (automatiek). Bringing your own food is allowed. No staffed cloakroom; free lockers (token from the information desk). Card payment only.
The museum hall, historic waiting rooms and rooms in Maliebaan station for meetings, conferences, dinners, receptions, company parties, family days and film and photo shoots; many spaces only outside opening hours. Group packages with catering for 10 or more people.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Book guided tours (€85 per hour, max. 15 people, plus admission) at least three weeks in advance via reserveringen@spoorwegmuseum.nl; they also go to places that are otherwise off-limits. EduTRAINers on site explain the trains, turntable and signal box and will open carriages on request. Free school programs for primary schools (Werk aan het spoor, Hoe werkt een trein?, Trein op Groen). Weekends and school holidays are the busiest times. Pregnant visitors are advised not to ride Stalen Monsters or Vuurproef. |
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