National Museum Week is back with a fresh edition of cultural enrichment for all walks of life in virtually every city and town in the country!
You may have discovered some museums through tours or visiting them. Well, this week, museums all over the Netherlands have rolled out special programmes, with fun activities for kids.
A week of cultural heritage in the Netherlands
During National Museum Week this year, taking place on April 1-7, 2025, more than 400 museums throughout the Netherlands will participate in a celebration of the country's rich cultural heritage by offering special programmes. Keep an eye on the website for details.
National Museum Week recommendations
Not sure which museum to visit? Overwhelmed by all the choices? Here are a few showpieces to be admired in Dutch museums during National Museum Week, and not just in Amsterdam!
Museums in Rotterdam
Rotterdam has an abundance of museums of all kinds. Museums in Rotterdam include the Rotterdam Natural History Museum, Kunsthal, World Museum and the Netherlands Photo Museum. Check out the restored ships and cranes from hundreds of years ago at the Rotterdam Maritime Museum.
Museums in Amsterdam
The must-see museums in Amsterdam include the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam Museum and many more. Don't miss the diamond skull with 17.000 gemstones in the Diamond Museum Amsterdam or The Night Watch by Rembrandt at the Rijksmuseum.
Museums in The Hague
The museums in The Hague include Escher in the Palace, Museon, Kunstmuseum, Beelden aan Zee Museum, the Louwman Museum and more. The Girl with the Pearl Earring at the Mauritshuis and the guillotine in the Prison Gate Museum (Gevangenpoort) in The Hague are well worth seeing.
Museums in Leiden
The museums in Leiden include Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Rijksmuseum Van Oudeheden and the Japan Museum Sieboldhuis. Make sure you check out the T-Rex fossil in Naturalis if you're in Leiden.
Museums in Limburg
Limburg is full of fascinating museums. Museums in Maastricht include the Maastricht National History Museum, Bonnefantenmuseum and the Museum aan het Vrijthof.
Museums in the north of the Netherlands
The northern provinces have many remarkable museums. Museums in Groningen worth seeing are the Groninger Museum, Northern Maritime Museum, the Groningen University Museum and the GRID Graphic Museum.
While you're up north, it's worth seeing the Girl of Yde, the famous remains of a girl who was killed thousands of years ago, in the Drents Museum in Assen.
Plan your online museum visits
There's always a good reason to go to a museum in the Netherlands, but there are many unique highlights to see during the latest version of National Museum Week. See the full list of participating museums on the National Museum Week website.