Den Haag
Originally the reception and party hall of a 13th-century hunting lodge built by the the Count of Holland, the Knights Hall is the oldest part of the…
Must-see attractions in South Holland & Zeeland
Delft
Off the usual tourist radar, this museum is the former studio and home of 19th-century Dutch artist Paul Tetar van Elven, who lived and worked here from…
Den Haag
One of the contemporary wings of the neighbouring Gemeentemuseum, this fine art museum shares a building with the Fotomuseum Den Haag and stages a…
Den Haag
Dating from 1450, the Great Church has a fine pulpit that was constructed in the following century. If you're here outside its limited visitor season …
South Holland
This grand castle across the road from Keukenhof Gardens was built in 1641 by VOC (Dutch East India Company) commander Adriaan Muertenszoon Block and sits…
Leiden
Built on the Hoge Land (High Land) of Leiden, this church was consecrated in 1366 as the collegiate church of St Pancras and was extended in stages…
Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
Leiden
This museum is a fascinating restoration of a one-room house occupied around 1610 by the soon-to-be Pilgrims. The house itself dates from 1365–70 (check…
Rotterdam
A late-1950s office building now housing design studios, the Schieblock is topped by the pioneering DakAkker harvestable roof with its Op Het Dak cafe and…
Rotterdam
Picasso's sandblasted concrete sculpture Sylvette (1970), which he designed with Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar, depicts the great artist's model and muse…
Rotterdam
Rotterdam's City Stories Centre is dedicated to collecting, studying and exhibiting intangible heritage. Changing exhibitions and oral history…
Rotterdam
Here, you'll be able to get a feel for what it's like to live in one of Rotterdam's most famous buildings, the 45-degree-tilted, cube-shaped apartments in…
Delft
This long-operating Delftware factory north of the city centre offers free short guided tours in which the production process is explained. These start…
Rotterdam
A tribute to the original De Stijl building designed by JJP Oud and built in 1924, this cafe features the bright colours that are forever associated with…
South Holland
Commanding attention in the middle of the Markt is this mid-15th-century town hall. Constructed from sandstone, this regal Gothic structure is a testament…
Leiden
Leiden's landmark tower windmill – built in 1743 and now a museum – is considered one of the best examples of its kind. Its arms still occasionally rotate…
Rotterdam
One of the few city-centre buildings to emerge unscathed after the WWII bombardments, this grandiose building designed by HJ Evers was constructed between…
South Holland
This former cheese-weighing house was built in 1668. Check out the reliefs carved into the side showing the cheese being weighed. Today it houses a…
Rotterdam
Designed by celebrated architect Renzo Piano and opened in 2000, the bizarre KPN Telecom headquarters building leans at a sharp angle, seemingly resting…
Middelburg
Dating from the 1600s, this walkway between the two churches in the Abdij holds the tombs of Jan and Cornelis Evertsen, admirals and brothers killed…
Leiden
Built in 1667 by Willem van der Helm, this grand stone edifice at Leiden's eastern edge is one of only two surviving city gates (there were originally…
South Holland
This museum on the upper floor of the Markt's waag details the history of the cheese trade in the Netherlands, with a focus on Gouda. The downstairs shop…
Den Haag
Designed by US architect Richard Meier and completed in 1995, this often-maligned, huge, blindingly white building is usually referred to as the 'Ice…
South Holland
It was in this evocative courtyard that the states of Holland and Zeeland met in 1572 to declare independence from Spain. The Het Hof van Nederland Museum…
Leiden
This 11th-century citadel on a motte (raised earthwork) surrendered its protective function as the city grew around it and subsequently fell into…
Leiden
This museum houses the first T-Rex skeleton in Europe. Its sections span botany, geology, entomology (insects), invertebrates, vertebrates and…
South Holland
This staged cheese market on the Markt draws plenty of local and international day trippers, as do the stalls selling other dairy goods and souvenirs. A…
Rotterdam
Dating from 1897–98, Europe's first 'skyscraper', the 11-storey, 45m-high Witte Huis, was designed by Willem Molenbroek in art-nouveau style using load…
South Holland
The small Museum de Zwarte Tulp displays everything you might want to know about bulbs, including why there’s no such thing as a black tulip, a mythical…
Leiden
The Netherlands' oldest university was a gift to Leiden from Willem the Silent in 1575 for withstanding two Spanish sieges in 1573 and 1574. The campus…
Leiden
One of two still-standing historic city gates (there were originally eight), the Morspoort was built in 1669 to a design by Willem van der Helm, who also…
Leiden
Leiden's most famous son is celebrated at this 17th-century house where he learned his craft between 1606 and 1630, studying in the studio of Jacob van…
Den Haag
The king's and queen's official quarters at Paleis Noordeinde is not open to the public. The Renaissance formality of the structure is fittingly regal,…
Rotterdam
Inside the 19th-century Royal Yacht Club building, this ethnographic museum celebrates multiculturalism. Mainly closed for renovation when we last visited…
Zeeland
This late-Gothic-style building on the Markt was built in the late 15th century. Its tower is still stuffed with bells – 48 at last count. The building…
Leiden
The Gravensteen dates to the 13th century and was once a prison. Judges once watched executions from the gallery facing the plaza, which was known as…
Rotterdam
The Dutch love of the world in miniature is celebrated at the vast Miniworld, a ginormous, 535 sq metre, 1:87 scale model railroad re-creating…
Delft
This building with its elaborate sandstone facade was commissioned by Jan de Huyter, the bailiff of Delfland, in the early 16th century. The Delfland…
Delft
This fairytale-style brick gate with its twin witch hats once guarded the eastern part of the city against invaders. Today, it's the sole surviving…
Rotterdam
This controversial statue of a gnome-like Santa holding what may be a pine tree but may also be a butt plug (sex toy) was designed by American artist Paul…
Delft
This 16th-century weighing house behind the Stadhuis remained in use until 1960. It now houses the De Waag cafe and restaurant.
