5 top exhibitions worth travelling to the Netherlands for in 2026 5 top exhibitions worth travelling to the Netherlands for in 2026

With its more than 1,000 museums and art galleries, the Netherlands is a key destination for cultural visitors.

Exciting exhibitions are slated at this myriad of museums for 2026, attracting the attention of culture lovers all over the world and sending them scrambling for their passports.

One of the oldest recorded poems in Dutch, from a late 11th-century poem, states, “All birds have started their nests, except me and you, what are we waiting for now?”

So what are you waiting for?

Here are some of the museums and upcoming exhibitions in the Netherlands that are worth booking a trip for.

Have you ever wished you could fly?

The BIRDS exhibition will explore this desire and our wider relationship with our winged friends, running from 12 February to 7 June 2026, at the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague.

Curated by celebrated art historian Simon Schama, the exhibition contrasts the symbolic freedom and beauty of birds with the human treatment of these creatures.

Inspiration for the exhibition came from Schama’s 2013 book Foreign Bodies.

The museum’s general director, Martine Gosselink, said, “When I read Simon’s book, I was shocked by the dismal statistics and examples of where humans and nature now stand.

“I was determined that the museum should offer a counter-narrative.”

Adrienne Quarles van Ufford, curator of the exhibition, told Wanderlust, “There is so much imagined beauty in this show, but also so many valid ideas.

“With this exhibition, we would love people to be more aware of how we treat nature and specifically birds.”

At the heart of the exhibition is Carel Fabritius’ 1645 painting The Goldfinch.

Set around seven different themes, the exhibition explores birds as pets, symbols and spiritual messengers.

BIRDS features multi-media representations, from paintings on walls to a large projection of a starling murmuration, reflecting movement and volatility.

More than just birds, the Mauritshuis museum holds a collection of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings, including Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp.

The museum is housed in a 17th-century city palace, which opened its doors to the public in 1822.

More information: mauritshuis.nl

No cultural trip to the Netherlands is complete without a visit to the Rijksmuseum.

In the heart of Amsterdam, this national art and history museum is home to 8,000 displayed artworks and over a million wider pieces.

Big name attractions include pieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid.

For the lovers of the classics, February will see the Rijksmuseum draw inspiration from Ovid’s poem Metamorphoses in an upcoming exhibition.

Passion and desire, lust and jealousy, cunning and deceit will be on display through the works of renowned artists, including Rubens, Rodin and Magritte, to name but a few.

The exhibition will run from 6 February to 25 May 2026 and feature over 80 pieces from across the world.

Running parallel to Metamorphoses, the Rijksmuseum will also exhibit FAKE.

AI artwork and image manipulation are all the rage, yet this exhibition explores the long history of image alteration.

Even at the birth of the medium, photographers were using scissors and glue to alter their images for their own ends – imagine what they would have thought of AI.

Featuring more than 50 historical images from the museum’s collection, the exhibition explores the methods and motives of photo manipulation up to the Second World War.

More information: rijksmuseum.nl

Crisscrossed by canals and the picturesque River Spaarne, the historic city of Haarlem is well worth a visit.

Not to be confused with the New York borough with a similar name, the city is known for its hidden courtyard public gardens, hofjes, the oldest of which was founded in 1395.

But it is art that really puts Haarlem on the map.

The Frans Hals Museum, located a stone’s throw from the Kampersingel canal, is a renowned museum of fine arts that holds the world’s largest collection of paintings by Frans Hals, who lived and worked in the town.

The 17th-century portrait painter is best known for his piece, The Laughing Cavalier.

The museum also features works by celebrated Haarlem artists, including Judith Leyster and Jacob van Ruisdael.

From 6 November 2026 to 28 February 2027, the museum will play host to an exciting new exhibition.

Combining the work of the museum’s namesake, Frans Hals, and world-renowned Rembrandt van Rijn, it will give visitors a unique opportunity to appreciate Dutch masters.

The two artists were contemporaries and lived in close proximity, but it is not known whether the two ever met.

Christi Klinkert, the curator of the exhibition, told Wanderlust, “The fact that the exhibition is in the city where Hals worked and lived his whole life and is close to Amsterdam, where Rembrandt lived, gives visitors a historical sensation.

“Some people feel like they have to be an art historian to enjoy the masters, but we want visitors to enjoy the art and the way it was painted, which was very much the artists’ goal.”

The exhibition will present a selection of combinations of works by the two 17th-century portrait painters, including their group portraits of ‘syndics’ (government officials) and ‘regentesses’ (female institutional governors).

A guided walk will also be available through the city from the museum, accessible by QR code, which will give visitors a chance to see Hals’ life and legacy throughout Haarlem.

More information: franshalsmuseum.nl

Just a short journey from busier Rotterdam, Dordrecht is a more tranquil alternative for the Netherlands’ visitor, filled with waterways and historic buildings.

The city is home to one of the Netherlands’ oldest art museums, with a collection spanning six centuries, from the 16th to the present day.

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of renowned British artist William Turner’s birth, the Dordrecht Museum will host the new Water & Light exhibition, showcasing a selection of 14 of his most celebrated works.

From 8 February to 14 June 2026, these pieces will be on view, many for the very first time in the Netherlands.

The star of the show is Dort or Dordrecht: The Dort Packet-Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed, which depicts sailboats on the still waters of Dordrecht harbour.

The painter visited the city many times, capturing the beauty of its canals and rivers, contrasted with the cruel power of the sea.

Turner’s work constitutes the ‘Water’ section of the exhibition, with the ‘Light’ section depicted by the work of modern artist Nicky Assmann (1980).

The artist changes the playing field, using dynamic light projections to zoom in on reflections on the water and the glow of the sun, immersing visitors in a 3D artistic environment.

After enjoying the show, the city of Dordrecht is a hidden gem to explore, with canals and public parks dotted throughout the city centre.

For nature lovers, the Nieuwe Dordtse Biesbosch nature reserve can be found to the southeast of the city.

Hiking, cycling and horse riding paths meander through the wetlands, flanked by flights of diverse bird life, including spoonbills and egrets, and even white-tailed eagles.

More information: dordrechtsmuseum.nl

Overlooking the waters of the Rhine, Museum Arnhem offers a wide array of modern and contemporary art, design and jewellery.

The museum’s current exhibition, Forbidden Territories, explores 100 years of surrealist art and runs until February 2026.

Placing strong emphasis on magical and neo-realist works, the exhibition foregrounds themes of identity, decolonisation and society.

Landscape is a key focus, using it as a means to respond to issues including political unrest, gender identity, and our relationship with nature.

Forbidden Territories particularly spotlights female and non-European artists.

From 7 March to 20 September 2026, nudity will take over the museum, with the new Touching Nudes.

The exhibition will examine the use of the naked body to address themes of power, freedom and inequality.

As well as a thriving modern arts scene, Arnhem has a rich history. The Battle of Arnhem was one of the most famous battles of WWII, immortalised in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far.

Sonsbeek Park is a natural green contrast to art and history in the North of Arnhem, and the nearby heathlands and forests of Hoge Veluwe National Park teem with red deer, mouflons and wild boars.

Arnhem has an attraction for everyone.

More information: museumarnhem.nl

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