Known for the iconic blue & white floral dishware, Royal Delft has been making high-quality items…read moreof all kinds since 1653. This is the only surviving factory left out of 32! We stopped here as part of a bus tour from Amsterdam. We were rushed through the factory tour, which was interesting, and we were shown briefly how this earthenware is made and the different methods used to decorate it. Delft uses cobalt oxide which, when painted or transferred on, is a dark gray / black color, but when it is baked in the kiln, that's when it turns blue! We were able go through the comprehensive yet not exhausting museum portion of the factory on our own, and it was interesting to see the range and variety of Royal Delft creations. Royal Delft has survived for over 400 years because of their ability to adapt to current trends. The shop is huge and pricey. However, if this is your jam, by all means, have at it. (Going into Delft offers some slightly better deals on Royal Delft & other Delft brands.) Overall, this is a good experience if you are in the area, but for me, it wouldn't necessarily have been something I'd have gone out of my way to see if it wasn't a part of this tour "deal." Tickets are 17.50 Euros. There is a cute cafe called Brasserie 1653 on site and a lovely garden as well. If you are staying in the Delft area, the museum offers different activities such as painting your own figurine which you may find worthwhile. Peace.

If you're into pottery, tableware, or anything to do with fine china, Royal Delft is an absolute…read moremust! The museum has such a rich and fascinating history, and it's the perfect size to explore without feeling like you're in a marathon. You'll learn all about how their iconic Delft pottery is made, and it's honestly so cool to see it all come to life. Before visiting, I bought both the museum ticket and their high tea package in advance on their website -- super easy and totally worth it. The bonus? On our way there (we took the tram from Den Haag), we accidentally stumbled upon the actual spot that inspired Vermeer's "View of Delft." There's even a replica of the painting right there so you can compare it to the real view Vermeer saw back in the day. How amazing is that?? Such a serendipidous find that made our Delft experience even better. By the time we got to the museum, we were--surprise, surprise--already hungry . We showed up way too early for our high tea reservation, but the staff was so kind and told us to come back in 15 minutes while they set up a table for us. Perfect excuse to "tour" the gift shop! And wow, that gift shop is dangerous for anyone with limited luggage space. They have everything -- vases, Christmas ornaments, gorgeous tableware, adorable Miffy collections, and all sorts of Delft blue goodies. I wanted to buy everything. But alas, since this was near the end of our trip (and I still had a week in Amsterdam to go), I had to restrain myself. Next time, though? I'm coming back for the tulip vases. Sooooo pretty. And the Miffy figurines. And the Dutch houses. Ugh, the list goes on! Once I finished my ooh-ing and aah-ing, we headed back to the café for high tea, and our table was ready. The staff was so lovely -- they explained every sweet and savory treat on our tiered tray, and the tea selection was solid. The food itself? About a 3 out of 5 if we're grading just on taste. It's not like a fancy hotel afternoon tea, but it was perfectly nice. Plus, the atmosphere makes up for it -- there's a beautiful garden where you can sit outside, or cozy indoor seating with big windows looking out. We chose inside (it was too chilly for us desert people ). After tea, we did our self-guided tour through the museum and factory area, where you can actually watch artisans painting and crafting pottery by hand. It's mesmerizing! I had no idea that Delftware originally took major inspiration from Chinese porcelain -- especially the classic blue-and-white style. They even show side-by-side examples of early Dutch copies and the original Chinese pieces, and you can really see how the Dutch designs evolved over time into something uniquely their own. All in all, Royal Delft is 100% worth visiting. The museum is fascinating, the staff is warm and welcoming, and the café is a lovely spot to rest your feet (high tea optional, but fun if you have time). Prices were pretty reasonable too -- high tea was €63 (about $73 USD) for two people, and museum tickets were €34 (around $40 USD) for two. Highly recommend -- and don't forget to save some luggage space for those Delft souvenirs!

A very unique experience, though a bit pricey at around $24 USD (€20-22). It's important to know…read morethat this isn't a traditional museum; it's a high-tech art storage center that happens to be open to the public. The focus is really on the "behind-the-scenes" of art preservation--how pieces are crated, cleaned, and stored in climate-controlled rooms. The building itself is a masterpiece. It spans several floors, and while the individual sections feel small, the central atrium with its zig-zagging staircases is massive. There's an elevator if you want to skip the stairs! They offer free 10-minute "walk-in" tours of the storage compartments, plus more detailed "behind-the-scenes" tours that are worth the extra look. The top floor has a great cafe/restaurant (Renilde) and an outdoor space with a forest of birch trees. The 360-degree view of Rotterdam is breathtaking. If you love architecture or are curious about how museums actually work, it's worth the price. If you just want to see a standard art gallery, you might find it a bit expensive.

The Boijmans is the main art museum in Rotterdam. It opened in 1847, originally with the collection…read moreof Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans. Since then, it has grown and now contains some of the preeminent works of art. Not just Dutch artists, the collection includes Rembrant, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, René Magritte and Salvador Dalí. And those are just the more famous. There are Rubens and Bosch and many more! A friend of mine had visited a few months ago and found the Rembrant/Dali wing was closed. That wing was open this time, but the Kandinsky wing was closed. I'm a big fan of Kandinsky and I have a few posters of his work and his contemporaries. I was bummed. Even bummed, I still enjoyed the Bruegel "Tower of Babel", one of the most famous paintings in Rotterdam. And the Rodin sculptures. Amazing artworks! The museum wasn't particularly crowded on this weekday and they had no issue with photographs, as long as the flash was disabled. An audio tour is available, which I strongly recommend. Note: The museum is a member of the Museumkaart system, so if you're planning on visiting more than three or four museums in the Netherlands, get the card!

We went to see the excellent Escher exhibit. Lots of works and lots of explanatory material. Museum…read morefatigue sent it after about an hour. Many other exhibits that we did not see. I would say that you could easily visit here 4 times a year. Will you be in town that long? The building itself is a work of 1935 art. €32 for two

This year marks a century (1917-2017) of the Dutch art movement De Stijl. Since my wife is a fan…read moreof Mondrian, we crossed the pond to pay homage and Gemeentemuseum was one of our must-stops during this trip. The facility didn't strike me as stupendous but I quite liked its simplicity. It was once a German warehouse during WWII. The reflecting ponds on both sides of the entry way provide a serene setting. There are free lockers and a coat-check service. The gift shop and the cafe can be found on the ground level. If you are into modern art, this is the right place. The gallery houses great pieces from famous Dutch and international artists such as Mondrian, van Doesburg, Picasso and Monet. Some contemporary creations are also on display. Apart from the major artworks in neo-plasticism and such, on this well-timed visit, they had also curated an immense collection from Givenchy titled "To Audrey with Love." Even though I am completely out of my element when it comes to haute couture, I have heard of the celebrated fashion designer and have seen many of Audrey Hepburn's films. These dresses were beautifully handcrafted and reminded me of the movie scenes. Frequent ooh's and aah's from museum guests filled the halls. This was a rather pleasant visit and we were glad to have caught the temporary exhibition. Time just slipped away before we realized we had spent the afternoon in here.

A well laid out museum with a large collection of masterpieces from artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer…read moreand Ruebens. The famous Girl with the Pearl Earring is captivating but there are many others worth viewing. Check out the lower level and its presentation about how the museum dealt with occupation during WWII.

I'm not typically an art fan but as it houses some very famous paintings I decided it was a must…read moresee! It's well laid out and easy to move around even when it's busy. I recommend going when they open to avoid any crowds around the girl with the pearl earring. It was amazing to see The Bull in person. I never realised the scale of the paining but it's fast and incredible to see in person. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff and a fun gift shop if you're into trinkets and educational books. Well worth a visit, even if you're not a museum/art person.

It is THE MUSEUM in Rotterdam. Part of the larger Musea area district in Rotterdam, this is fully…read morededicated to contemporary art and shows. It is a very modern well designed and great looking museum. It is noticeable when you are inside, from the outside is a pretty nice building which completely hide himself between the higher road and the lower park. It can get easily crowded. The bar/restaurant is big and nice... nothing spectacular but always a good stop in between shows or to end up your viewing experience. Part of the Museum Card network (for most of the shows). I was there for the Keith Haring show, a very loved artist in Rotterdam. All very good.

Who's everyone's favorite spy? Could it be James Bond a.k.a 007? Duh!! The Kunsthal has an expo on…read moreher majesty's favorite spy. It looks great! The first thing you see is the famous orange bikini from that equally famous scene. And smack dab in the middle of the auditorium there is the iconic Asthon Martin. The original James Bond, Sean Connory next to it in full life size glory. The expo consist of clips from favorite/ famous scenes, a lot of iconic props and costumes. There is a room soley dedicated to the casino scene's throughout the Bond movies. A life size casino table fills the room with manikins of the actors around it. There's also een fairly big replica of the ice hotel in one of the rooms. And check this out, the revolving round bed with the gold sprayed girl form 'Goldfinger" is also in the expo. Must sound very nice to a lot of male ears!! There is so much to see, enough to fill 1 or 1.5 hours. You can also look at Ian Flemming's original books and a small history about him. My fave is the photo wall of all the different Bond actors and their fake Bond ID's. So if you want something to do in the weekend that lightens up these gloomy winter days, go to the Kunsthal. The expo is there untill february 8, 2015.

Loved this museum. It's a small museum but very interesting. It captures storytelling of Escher's…read morelife and how it is portrayed in his art. Loved how the rooms are laid out for this purpose as well. Good labeling on the pieces and useful to have the free audio tour accessible via phone.

Fantastic museum for any one who appreciates interesting art or is an Escher lover. The museum has…read morea QR code that you can scan which provides a free overview of the most popular prints. You can read or listen to the guide. This was very helpful in getting the background story on the art and covers the top 12. There are 2 floors of prints from Escher and artists who were inspired by him. No parking.

Right on the ocean is this museum with large pieces of art. It's filled out into the public space…read moreon the ocean front as well. Very large exhibit before you even get in. This is a fantastic museum for large installations. And right on the beach makes it a great way to spend a few hours. Walk here, parking is super expensive.

Sculptures by the Sea was OK. We went in to the main part of the museum and were done in about 30…read moreminutes. They explained that there were more sculptures outside but we couldn't find them. We gave up and left to eat at one of the sea side restaurants. The actual sculptures that we did see were pretty cool, but nothing that really warrants a come back.

Visiting the Netherlands was the highlight of my European vacation last year. I enjoyed the food,…read morethe Dutch people, and all the fun museums and landmarks I visited. Especially this large one with several floors full of historic art and other items. There was so much to see and several parts of the museum are interactive. The area has a very interesting history and it was fun to tour the museum and learn more about it.

The one place to visit if you want to know more about Den Haag- valid for both foreigners and Dutch…read morewho moved to the city. Exceptionally thoughtful collection on 4 floors, plus multimedia. The exhibition is just big enough to not get you bored, guides you smoothly through the history of the city, combining paintings,photos, videos and objects from the different periods. There's also a large multimedia screen, showing in short and prompt matter how the city grew in the centuries. Excellent for all ages!

The Panorama Mesdag is a must see if you are planning a day trip to The Hague or are interested in…read morechecking out the art scene in The Netherlands. The Mesdag Collection is small and the Panorama Mesdag itself is one room. This is not a museum you will spend a lot of time in. Give yourself two hours and you will have plenty of time and the rest of the day to explore other attractions of The Hague. The Mesdag Collection is a few rooms. It is a well manicured variety of paintings in a brightly lit building. The feeling is calm and almost like you are walking through a house. The paintings are of landscape, fisherman villages, and food. It's a nice illustration of a period of time (1800's). There are also sculptures. The main attraction of course is the Panorama Mesdag, a 360 degree wraparound painting. This was a different type of panorama than I was used to. Imagine stepping into a painting and having all of your senses played with. You will hear the sounds of waves, seagulls, and boats in the background. If you gaze into the painting you will be staring into a world that looks so real. On top of that there is sand, Adirondack chairs, rope, basically a lot of props perfectly positioned to give the illusion of space. It's pretty awesome and such a feat. The painting is 14 meters high and 120 meters in circumference. That's pretty much 46 feet high and a 394 foot circle (for those that don't deal with meters). The Panorama Mesdag is the biggest painting in Holland. It is a must see. ***** Het Panorama Mesdag is een must see als je van plan bent een dagje naar Den Haag of geïnteresseerd bent in het controleren van de kunstscene in Nederland. De Mesdag Collectie is klein en het Panorama Mesdag zelf is een ruimte. Dit is niet een museum zul je veel tijd doorbrengen inch Geef jezelf twee uur en je zult genoeg tijd en de rest van de dag naar andere bezienswaardigheden van Den Haag te verkennen. De Mesdag Collectie is een paar kamers. Het is een goed verzorgde diverse schilderijen in een helder verlichte gebouw. Het gevoel is kalm en bijna alsof je wandelen door een huis. De schilderijen zijn van landschap, vissersdorpjes, en voedsel. Het is een mooie illustratie van een periode van tijd (1800). Er zijn ook sculpturen. De belangrijkste attractie is natuurlijk het Panorama Mesdag, een 360 graden wraparound schilderij. Dit was een ander soort panorama dan ik gewend was. Stel je voor het stappen in een schilderij en met al uw zintuigen gespeeld met. U zult het geluid van de golven, meeuwen en boten op de achtergrond te horen. Als je blik in de schilderkunst wordt u staren in een wereld die lijkt zo echt. Op de top van dat er zand, Adirondack stoelen, touw, in feite een veel rekwisieten perfect gepositioneerd om de illusie van ruimte te geven. Het is vrij geweldig en dergelijke prestatie. Het schilderij is 14 meter hoog en 120 meter in omtrek. Dat is zo ongeveer 46 meter hoog en een 394 voet cirkel (voor degenen die niet omgaan met meter). Het Panorama Mesdag is het grootste schilderij van Nederland. Het is een must see.

On a pleasant November Sunday in the Hague,I spent two and half hours sedulously studying Hendrick…read moreMesdag's iconic painting,"Scheviningen,1888",as well as other delightful seascapes and harbor scenes by this masterful 19th Century Dutch Painter.I also liked the temporary Suze Robertson Exhibit(ends in early March,2023)I especially liked Suze Robertson's "White Houses"and "Church in Ratwyck".I also relished this art museum's fine curatorial work and its plethora of information in English,as well as Dutch.

Came here for the specific purpose of attending the Martin Schoeller "Big Heads" exhibit. What a…read morestunning show, delivering far more than we anticipated. The space was well organized with an introductory video of Schoeller talking about his work in English with Dutch subtitles (sorry, show ends tomorrow). Jack Nicholson's portrait, probably 5-6 feet in height, greets you upon entering the room. Personally found the size of the space to be perfect for this exhibit. Sections of his work were separated by the gallery walls, by example for the female bodybuilders, transgender photos, twins and triplets, movie stars, politicians, etc. As far as a facility, I love the size and the ease of covering a lot of territory and works of art (photos in this case) within a reasonable area. For a small museum I think they've done a great job. The lobby holds a coffee/tea bar with some alcoholic drinks. This is a great destination, well worth the effort to get here with reasonable access from public transit. Really enjoyed the show and the space! Top-rated.