Apeldoorn
Paleis Het Loo and its gardens, the finest royal museum in the country.
Route by public transport ↗
How royal treasures came to belong to everyone.
For centuries the stadholders and kings of the House of Orange collected paintings, silver, porcelain and books. Much of it now hangs in public museums. Walk through the Mauritshuis or the Rijksmuseum and part of what you see was once a princely collection.
It began in the 17th century with Frederik Hendrik and Amalia van Solms, who filled their palaces with work by the best painters of their day. In 1774 stadholder William V opened his gallery in The Hague to visitors: the first public museum in the Netherlands. In 1800 the National Art Gallery was founded, the core of the Rijksmuseum, and in 1822 the royal picture gallery moved into the Mauritshuis. Today the Royal Collections in The Hague look after what the royal house still owns, and regularly lend pieces to exhibitions. The commitment goes beyond collecting: Princess Beatrix is a sculptor herself and a great lover of ballet, and royal foundations support thousands of cultural and community projects across the country every year.
One day, four moments. How to get the most out of your visit.
Six places to complete your museum day.
One long room, hung floor to ceiling with paintings just as stadholder William V arranged them in the 18th century. Your Mauritshuis ticket gets you in.
The royal picture gallery since 1822. Vermeer, Rembrandt, Jan Steen and Rachel Ruysch hang in the rooms of a 17th-century city palace.
The palace of stadholder-king William III and Mary Stuart, with rooms from three centuries of Orange and a Baroque garden. New halls beneath the forecourt host exhibitions from the royal collections.
The national museum, with roots in 1800 and The Night Watch in the Gallery of Honour. Look out for the stadholders' portraits and the Golden Age rooms.
The former city hall on Dam Square, with sculpture by Artus Quellinus and paintings by Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck. Open when there are no receptions.
The garden behind the King's working palace is a public park: a quiet spot between the shopping streets, next to the royal stables.
Three day trips to royal collections and palaces.
Paleis Het Loo and its gardens, the finest royal museum in the country.
Route by public transport ↗The Rijksmuseum and the Royal Palace on Dam Square.
Route by public transport ↗Museum Prinsenhof and the Nieuwe Kerk, where the House of Orange is buried.
Route by public transport ↗Travel times are indicative. Live times on 9292.nl ↗.
In The Hague the Mauritshuis, the Prince William V Gallery, Noordeinde Palace and its garden are a few minutes' walk apart. Amsterdam and Apeldoorn are easy day trips.