Visiting the Netherlands and excited to explore the museums? If you want to see art from the Dutch Golden Age (roughly 1588-1672) and beyond, the two major contenders for your attention will be Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and The Hague’s Mauritshuis. The biggest difference between the two is breadth (the Rijksmuseum) vs. focus (the Mauritshuis). You can’t go wrong with either one, though both would be ideal. But if you’re short on time and need to choose, here’s how you might make your decision.

The Rijksmuseum

Grand Spaces and Opulent Architecture

Opened in 1885, the Rijksmuseum is a good place to go if you like your museums large and grand.

That’s just the library! The Rijksmuseum was purpose-built by Pierre Cuypers in a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles to hold the museum’s growing collection, which had outgrown both its 1798 and 1808 homes. The space is just magnificent, and it’s filled with carvings, floor tiles, frescoes, and stained glass.

A Giant Collection of Dutch Masters

There are 8,000 works on display here, so it’s great if you like to spend a whole day in one museum. You need to plan to spend a lot of time to see everything — there’s so much here, and it comes in a great variety.

The Rijksmuseum is also a good choice if you like your famous paintings easy to find. Many of the major works reside in the Gallery of Honor.

The Rijksmuseum is the place to go if you are a Rembrandt or Vermeer lover. The museum has 22 paintings by Rembrandt in its permanent collection, and its Vermeer paintings constitute the largest single collection of his works in the world (they have 7 of his 37 known canvases).

A Tour Through Dutch History

The Rijksmuseum’s new curation is great if you want to walk through Dutch history. This is not just a painting collection; it’s a mix of visual art, furniture, and decorative arts laid out in a way that allows you to explore everything from sailing to colonialism to trade.

Unusual Objects: From Tiny Silver Spoons to a Doll’s Life

The Rijksmuseum is also a fun place if you like to see lots and lots of stuff organized by type of thing. Head to the Special Collections on the bottom floor to explore fashion, tiny objects made out of silver, jewelry, tile work, glassware, and much more. This is a delightful and frustrating part of the museum — it’s crammed full of interesting pieces, but they’re not always labeled. Still, there are so many things here that the Special Collections are worth a visit all their own.

Make sure to visit the Rijksmuseum if you love dollhouses. These 17th century wonders weren’t toys — they were works of art owned by affluent women, and they show you exactly how a wealthy person’s house would have been laid out and decorated.

Cheeky Artistry

It’s not usually a reason to visit a major museum, but the Rijksmuseum is a good place to go if you like to see artists being naughty. One of the things I love about Dutch Golden Age art is that painters weren’t afraid to add a bit of humor to their work.

Exhibitions of Major Artists

The Rijksmuseum often hosts major art exhibits — in recent years, it has developed exhibitions featuring the works of big names such as Vermeer, Caravaggio, and Rembrandt. Frans Hals sparkles at the center of a major spring 2024 exhibition.

It’s worth noting that the Rijksmuseum also has an impressive collection of Asian art, but since this is a discussion of Dutch art, I won’t go into that further here.

The Mauritshuis

Intimate Spaces

The Mauritshuis is a great place if you like your museums manageable. With just a few hundred works on display in this mid-seventeenth-century prince’s house, you can really take your time to explore each piece.

Crowd-Free Viewing

If you like your Dutch grand masters without crowds, the Mauritshuis is the better choice. The Rijksmuseum often has long lines for the greats — but at the Mauritshuis, you don’t have to elbow your way in to see works by Vermeer …

… including what may be his most famous painting …

… or the art of Rembrandt.

Floral and Fruit Still Lifes

The Mauritshuis is a wonderful museum if you want to see Dutch flower paintings in all of their delightful profusion — they have a great collection.

Both museums have many examples of still life paintings, but if you like the still life genre (especially paintings with fruit), my pick for seeing them would be the Mauritshuis.

Behind the Scenes: Art Restoration

The Mauritshuis is also a good pick if you want to learn about painting restoration. They’ve set up a room where visitors can see conservators updating Paulus Potter’s The Bull, which hangs side by side with another of his works for comparison.

New Artist Discoveries

At the Mauritshuis, you might have the chance to see special exhibits featuring less famous Dutch artists, which is great if you want to discover artists you might not know. In the spring of 2024, the museum is introducing visitors to the drawings and paintings of Roeland Savery. His giant still life below includes an impressive forty-four different species of animals and sixty-three species of flowers.

Why You Should Visit Both

Here’s why you can’t go wrong with either museum: they both have amazing examples of Dutch art. And Dutch art, especially the paintings of the Golden Age, is amazing. These artists knew how to draw in the viewer with light and detail, and they focused their lenses on the real world. Once you get past the stern-faced portraits of wealthy folks in black, the themes are delightful: dancing peasants, dazzling flowers, wide-open landscapes. Want church interiors?

Love a winter scene (especially one with skating and windmills)?

Or are you just content to enjoy a quiet landscape with cows?

No matter your interests, you’re sure to find something amazing at both museums. Enjoy!

To Know Before You Go

• It is essential to book a time slot online ahead of time for the Rijksmuseum.
• It’s wise to book ahead for the Mauritshuis, but less crucial.
• You can spend an entire day at the Rijksmuseum, but you’ll need a lot of stamina to make it past four or five hours (if you want to stay longer, bring a picnic or plan to eat in their café, because you can’t leave the museum and then go back in again).
• You can comfortably see the Mauritshuis in an hour and a half to two hours.

Discover More Dutch Art

🏛 If you love Dutch paintings and prints, you’ll also enjoy the Teylers Museum in Haarlem — the oldest museum in the Netherlands, part art gallery and part cabinet of curiosities.

🪶 Excited about the arts of ancient times? Don’t miss the Rijksmuseum’s sister museum in Leiden — the National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden).

💒 For art in a stained-glass setting, check out Gouda’s breathtaking historic windows at the Sint Janskerk.