Visiting Museums in Southern Holland

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Visiting Museums in Southern Holland

The Netherlands has numerous museums, documenting the history and art of the country.

One weekend each September is National Heritage Weekend. Over these days thousands of monuments and other buildings of interest open to the public free of charge. Many locations also present special activities such as concerts and guided tours. Dates for National Heritage Weekend vary from year to year; details are available on the Holland Tourism website.

Museum cards

The most economical way to visit the museums is to buy an annual museum card (Museumjaarkaart) which, for a single payment, allows free entry to over 400 museums in the country. The price of the card is reduced for under-25s. Local Tourist Information Points and participating museums have information and prices. 

• For further information on the museum card - or to buy online - see the Museumkaart website: Click here (in Dutch)
• Museumkaart 
  Tel: 0900 404 0910 
  e-mail

Principal Attractions

There are a number of museums in The Hague, including the Panorama Mesdag Museum, Prison Gate (Gevangenpoort) museum and the Historical Museum of the Hague (Haags Historisch Museum) devoted to the history of The Hague from medieval times.

However the most famous is the Mauritshuis. Located in a 17^th century mansion, it is home to many masterpieces by Flemish and Dutch artists from the 15^th to 18^th centuries including Holbein, Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen and Rubens.

• Mauritshuis
  At: Korte Vijverberg 8, 2513 AB The Hague
  Tel: 070 302 3456
  Fax: 070 365 3819
  Website

In Rotterdam the most visited museum is the Boijmans-Van Beuningen Museum which features an enormous collection of paintings documenting the history of art from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The Museum de Prinsenhof in Delft concentrates on the history of the Eighty Years' War and the role played in it by the House of Orange. 

Further Information

• See AngloINFO INFOrmation page: Local Tourism Notes for Southern Holland