If you don't immerse yourself in locations rich in culture, history, and the arts, travelling is only partially fulfilling. The majority of culture is learned through food, surroundings, and the people you meet. You shouldn't miss the opportunity to visit a local museum as a tourist, especially if it's one like Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum.
Rijksmuseum, or the State museum, is one of the oldest museums in Europe and has been around for more than two centuries, standing majestically like a fortress. Its magnificent collections of antique paintings, featuring its own best renowned Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer, are justified by its long history. The museum contains artwork from the Middle Ages to the Present Day, representing 800 years of Dutch history. There are 8,000 pieces on show over 80 exhibit halls.
The Rijksmuseum is a beautiful collection of Rembrandt's artwork for fans of the artist. From February through May of this year, the exhibition "Late Rembrandt" has been showcasing the master's works during the height of his career as an artist. Over a hundred paintings, drawings, and prints make up these pieces. These pieces were selected by the Rijksmuseum from both public and private collections. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about Rembrandt like never before, the Late Rembrandt Exhibition is unquestionably.
About 200 pieces, including antique paintings, sculptures, and inventions, are on display in the Masterpiece collections. The self-portrait by Van Gogh, Pieneman's "The Battle of Waterloo," the paintings from the Javanese Court Collections, and amazing sculptures like "The Portrait of Andries de Graeff" and "The Seated Cupid" are all worth seeing. The Gallery of Honour, which includes works by world-famous masters including Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Vermeer, and Rembrandt, is a must-see. Your breath will be taken away by both "The Milkmaid" and the well-known Night Watch. The museum features a sophisticated collection of Delft Blue pottery for tea enthusiasts. Beautiful vases and tea sets will undoubtedly impress you! Doll's Houses from the Rijksmuseum will help you comprehend living during the Golden Age if this is insufficient. The earliest collection is from 1676.
Don't forget to visit the Cuypers Library, too! Despite being the largest and oldest art history library in the nation, it has lately undergone a complete renovation. However, a lot of the beautiful old charm has been kept. The reading areas are magnificent, the spiral staircase to the books is so charming, and the lighting is cosy and welcoming. There are iPads for research purposes, and Wi-Fi is cost-free.
The Rijksmuseum gets extremely busy during high season with lineups taking hours to get through so if you can, I highly recommend grabbing a skip the line ticket before you go. I got the skip the line and it saved us a ton of time but we went too late in the day so we barely got even half of the museum done in two hours.
