Pick and Mix - for all seasons
Your private driver will take you to the major museums at your own pace with, if you prefer, time in between visits to explore the surrounding towns and villages or to simply relax. You may take a guide to accompany you, arrange a specialist or general guide on site or simply take public transport and explore on your own. Choose to stay in the capital and take excursions or experience a stay in other Dutch cities and towns.
These are a few of our suggestions but there literally hundreds of museums scattered throughout the country and many small specialised museums that offer something to suit all tastes with subjects as diverse as American pilgrims, Dutch railways, Film & Photography, Jewish history, Maritime history, natural history, and water management to name but a few.
Day 1: Amsterdam
The Rijksmuseum: offers a representative overview of Dutch art and history from the middle Ages onwards. The Museum reopened in 2013 after 10 years of being partially closed for renovations; it hosts an impressive collection of paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, and more! Most famous is Rembrandt's masterpiece the Night Watch.
Rembrandt House: the home and studio of the illustrious artist Rembrandt van Rijn. The museum owns an almost complete collection of Rembrandt’s world-famous etchings, a changing selection of which is on permanent display. The collection of paintings, which hang on the walls of the rooms are mainly by Pre-Rembrandtists the leading figure among them was Pieter Lastman Rembrandt’s teacher in Amsterdam. The Museum owns a great many important paintings by Lastman, some of which served Rembrandt as a source of inspiration.
Day 2: Amsterdam
The Van Gogh Museum: holds the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world.as well as holding an extensive offer of exhibitions on various subjects from 19th-century art history.
The Hermitage: has fabulous temporary exhibitions taken from the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, (Russian /Dutch ties go back to the time when Peter the Great learnt shipbuilding in Amsterdam in 1697).
Day 3: Haarlem
Frans Hals Museum: the collection of Haarlem Old Masters of the Golden Age, including the world’s largest collection of paintings by Frans Hals, is unique. In the early seventeenth century painting underwent a radical change and the Museum’s collection, which encompasses the entire spectrum of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century painting, reflects this revolutionary change.
Teylers museum: The Netherlands’ first and oldest museum, open to the public since 1784 with a unique collection of objects of Art and science. For Art lovers the museum has a beautiful collection of Dutch masters and the world famous prints and drawings by Rembrandt and Michelangelo.
Day 4: Rotterdam
Booijmans van Beuningen museum: one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands, and offers you a journey through the history of art. Dutch and European masterpieces provide a comprehensive survey of art from the early Middle Ages to the 21st century, from Bosch, Rembrandt and Van Gogh to Dalí and Christo.
The Kunsthal: stages some 25 exhibitions a year. The Kunsthal presents culture in the widest sense of the word: old art, new art, design, photography - from elitist to popular.
Day 5: Delft & Leiden
Museum Het Prinsenhol: tells the story of William of Orange and his role in the creation of the Dutch Republic. You meet the most important figures of the Netherlands Revolt (80 Years War) and gain more information concerning the major events of this turbulent period. By way of a collection of 17th century art and handicrafts you can discover the typically Dutch city Delft in the Golden Age. Works by artists such as Michiel Jansz. of Mierevelt, Peter Paul Rubens and Adriaen de Grebber are on display as is an extensive collection of Delftware.
Museum De Lakenhal: Leiden was the city in which Rembrandt, Jan Lievens, Gerrit Dou, Jan Steen and Jan van Goyen all lived and worked in the same time frame. Paintings by these famous artists are on display. The Museum also takes you on a journey through the history of the city of Leiden. Artisanal works and applied arts are presented in a selection of tiles, furniture and silver works.
Day 6: Utrecht
Museum Catharijneconvent: The collection contains contains both Protestant and Catholic artifacts, ranging from the early mediaeval period to the 21st Century. Dutch art from the Golden Age of the 16th and 17th centuries is represented by Jan van Scorel, Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Pieter Saenredam.
The Centraal Museum: has a large and varied collection of art, fashion, design and a collection of objects related to the history of Utrecht. It s home to the largest collection of Rietveld furniture designs in the world, and also exhibits work by the world-famous artist Dick Bruna as well as an old masters collection with pieces by Jan van Scorel, Abraham Bloemaert and Hendrick ter Brugghen.
Museum Speelklok: an unusual museum with a collection of automatically playing music instruments, some over 600 years old and most of which are still working. The restoration workshop allows you to see inside these fantastic machines.
Day 7: The Hague
Escher in Het Paleis: almost all of the works of the world-famous Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher (1898-1972) are on display among them Belvedere, Drawing Hands, Waterfall and Ascending and Descending. Here you can see how Escher changed fish into birds, made water flow upstream and his less known, but very attractive early Italian landscapes.
Gemeentemuseum: around 100 highlights from the Mauritshuis’s collection are on display at the Gemeentemuseum as the Mauritshuis is closed for renovations until mid 2014. An entire wing of the museum has been dedicated to favorites like Vermeer’s View of Delft, Potter’s The Bull and Rembrandt’s Anatomical Lesson. This collaboration between the two museums brings masterpieces from six centuries together under one roof.
GEM : shows developments in Dutch and international contemporary art and programs about seven exhibitions a year. All different media are represented: (video) installations, painting, sculpture, drawing, film and photography. GEM is part of the Gemeentemuseum The Hague, and shares its premises with the Museum of Photography.
Day 8: The Hague
Bredius Museum: displays the private collection of the famous art historian Dr. Abraham Bredius (1855-1946). Besides paintings by Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Aert van der Neer, Adriaen van Ostade, Meindert Hobbema and many other large and small masters from the Golden Age. The collection also contains beautiful furniture, porcelain, silver and crystal.
Panorama Mesdag: contains the world’s oldest 19th-century panorama still in its original site and a unique cultural heritage. "Panorama Mesdag is the most beautiful sensation of my life. It has just one tiny flaw and thats its flawlessness. " (Vincent van Gogh, painter, 1881)
Louwman Museum: home to the world’s oldest private collection of motor cars, compiled by two generations of the Louwman family. The museum dates back to 1934 and now comprises over two hundred and thirty antique and classic motor cars. Experts regard the collection as one of the most beautiful in the World.
More information
The above is just an impression of what we offer and can be split to accommodate shorter stays. Should you like to know more such as additional options, possible extensions, pricing, or if you are interested in any other recommendations, please do not hesitate to contact us.