island_girl2

Hello, we are spending three days in Amsterdam as the jumping off point for a long trip to Scandinavia. I'm trying to plan our time. We are art lovers, so of course we will visit the Rijksmuseum, but also plan to visit the Anne Frank house, the Van Gogh museum and the maritime museum. I would like to hear others' thoughts on also visiting the Mauritshuis. Should our stay in Amsterdam be extended to include a visit there? I ask because the Rijksmuseum has an incredible collection, with many works we want to see, but the Mauitshuis seems worthwhile, too. With so many other countries we plan to visit on this trip and many other sights to see, we need to make choices, so your feedback will help us.

HappyTrvlr

Both! The Mauritshaus is a gem, contains the Royal collection, and the amount of treasures exceeds what you would expect in a small museum of it’s size. The Hague offers more, Patliament Buildings, Peace Court. It is a very special small city.

PhillyFan

I would also say: Both.

hetismij2

Another vote for both. If you go to The Hague also try and fit in Panorama Mesdag. However if you don't have time to get to the Mauritshuis and the Hague, which is about 50 minutes from Amsterdam by train, then it's a good excuse to return .

PalenQ

Only 3 days in Amsterdam I'd stick to Amsterdam which also has some other museums in your vein - like the branch of St Petersburg's Herimtage in an old canal house and the Rembrandt House and the Stedelijk Modern Art Museum and others. It would take a day to go to The Hague and back and see Mauritshuis (which seemed tiny when I was there several years ago) - leaving only two days in Amsterdam which are already full -leaving no time for waltzing around the canals, seeing things like The Lord in the Attic Church and other churches full of medieval art, etc. Near the Maritime Museum is the Dutch Resistance Museum which I found fascinating. Tulips cann correct me is any of the above has changed in the several years since I visited.

Anyway be sure to get a National Museum Card if going to all those you list - will save money and give priority entrance by skipping ticket lines at some. Buy it at any participating museum- nearly all in Holland.

loackerwafer

Hi, I wouldn't bother with more than one museum on a 3 day-visit. You're there to see Amsterdam. Why spend your time indoor?

Just stick to Van Gogh I would say. His work is quirkier and much more enjoyable than the Dutch Masters. Rembrant and Vermeer's paintings are similar to other realist painters of the Baroque era and are not as unique as Van Gogh, in my humble opinion as an art history graduate of course.

Dukey1

Yes, the Rijks has an incredible collection BUT are you honestly interested in all of it to the same degree? I do not see why you need to "extend" your Amsterdam visit to include the Mauritshuis if you are willing to be selective with your time. There are parts of the Rijksmuseum I have been bypassing since I started visiting there in 1970 and I suppose I will continue to do so and if that's my bad, well it is what it is.

menachem

I prefer Mauritshuis to Rijksmuseum. The question is, what does your art love consist of? If you want to explore Dutch golden age art, Mauritshuis is a wonderful complement to the Rijksmuseum. And its collection is more focused, more in depth, and of course it has the Vermeer paintings that the Rijksmuseum doesn't have. But also Fabritius, Potter... The Hague doesn't take "a day": it's 50 minutes by train and it's a beautiful city in its own right. And hetismij is right: please please try to include Panorama Mesdag if you go there: a once in a lifetime experience and truly breathtaking.

BTW if you're into modern art, The Hague is the place to go as well: its Gemeentemuseum (beautiful architecture by Berlage) has the largest collection of Mondrian paintings in the world.

island_girl2

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and feedback. It's helped me a lot -- we are truly looking forward to this trip. Thanks!

PalenQ

If seeing Mauritshuis, Gemeentemuseum and the Panorama Mesdag and going to and from The Hague will take most of a day - the Panorama I believe is way out in Schveningen, the beach part of The Hague - trams go there. And the old royal Palace is I believe right by the Mauritshuis and well worth a look as is the World Peace Court whose tour I enjoyed once a whole lot. And then there is Maurodam - 'Holland in Miniature' - where landmarks from all over the country have been meticulously reproduced in miniature scale.

But, if interested in art like you are, it will probably be a better day than one spent in Amsterdam and you can escape the maddening crowds of Amsterdam for a day too.

I'd take train to Den Hague Centraal station and walk or take a tram to the Mauritshuis - I walked but don't recall how far it is - not very far though. If you walk later to Den Hague H.S. station - mainline station - you go thru a neat ethnic area of South Asians if I recall correctly.

No need to book train tickets in advance but ask for a Daag Retour - day return ticket - anyway no benefit by booking advance trains if you want to keep that day in flux - say you beocme so enamored by Amsterdam you just can't leave. See www.ns.nl for train schedules and issuing own ticket to save time or use machines in stations.

menachem

Panorama Mesdag is in the city centre, not in Scheveningen. Don't you ever check something before you post your recollections?

Den Haag CS to Mauritshuis is the easiest. Make sure to have coffee and wonderful Viennese pastry at the Wiener Konditorei, interbellum spy hangout, and an institution. Wouldn't walk to Den Haag HS: it's a longish walk through an increasingly seedy area, nothing "neat" about it. There aren't any Dag Retouren anymore. That used to be slightly cheaper than two single tickets, but that ended when the chip card was introduced. A return is just the price of two single tickets nowadays.

The Hague is full of palaces because it's the royal city and has been for centuries. But the "royal palace" is not near the Mauritshuis. There is the old Palace of Queen-regent Emma, where the Esscher collection now is, and the theatre is an old palace. Noordeinde palace, not a residence, but the King's "working palace" is at Noordeinde. The Palace garden to the back is open to the public and can be quite lovely. The royal stables are at Mauritskade, just on your way to Panorama Mesdag.

PalenQ

Oops - yes mea culpa and edited that out. A picture of Schveningen!

https://denhaag.com/en/location/12444/panorama-mesdag

menachem

Ooooh, don't give the game away, Pal!

PalenQ

If you just wanted a look around those museums in a central area it seems, you could take the train to nearby Delft, one of Holland's most popular and finest-looking regional cities to go to. Buy some famed Delftware and or visit the showroom/'factory' about a mile out of town.

menachem

There aren't any art museums in Delft.

Leely2

The OP says "We are art lovers" so it is not unreasonable to assume they want more than just "a look around those museums."

adamgilcristt

Rijksmuseum and Mauritshuis both are the best to visit. In Rijksmuseum, you can learn about Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages to the present day and Mauritshuis museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 841 objects, mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings.

Jennifer_Travels

Menachem, I'm spending a couple of days in Den Haag at the start of my trip in June. I'm flying into Amsterdam & training directly there for 3 nights before taking the train on to Paris. I planned the stay with the idea of seeing the Mauritshuis, but am also looking forward to staying in the city. I just looked up the Wiener Konditorei and am adding that to my map. Can I ask if you have any other cafes or restaurants you would recommend?

PalenQ

Rijksmuseum also has a new Asian annex right?

menachem

Other The Hague institutions are: De Posthoorn on Korte Voorhout, the lobby of Hotel Des Indes, on Lange Voorhout and the Pulchri Artists' Club (usually interesting art by members) I also like Café-Tabac Schlemmer, on Lange Houtstraat. The Poffertjeskraam on Malieveld is another spy hangout, by the way.

Good restaurants can be found at Dennenweg, for instance, Oker is always dependable, but Des Indes also has a passable restaurant. However, I always return to Sequenza, on Spui. It's just excellent: high quality food, very attentive waiting staff and a good price level.

https://www.iens.nl/restaurant/sequenza/222087#reviews

And if you want to see The Hague's deep class divisions in person, make your way to Florencia on Torenstraat and you'll realize why my greatgrandmother used to say: beyond Torenstraat it's the Balkans.

http://www.fotomuseumdenhaag.nl/en/e...home-from-home