Museum Prinsenhof Delft
Museum Prinsenhof Delft
4.5
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Museum Prinsenhof Delft offers a unique opportunity to explore the history of the Netherlands, Delft and delftware. The museum is housed in a building of great historical importance, the site of some of the most dramatic and consequential events of Dutch history. It was once the court of William of Orange, the Father of the Dutch Nation. In the museum you will also discover the role the citizens of Delft played in the history of the Netherlands and how delftware became the global brand it is today.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Museum Prinsenhof Delft
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
517 within 3 miles
Attractions
298 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
611 reviews
Excellent
263
Very good
270
Average
65
Poor
11
Terrible
2
Dutch Brother
Boston, MA564 contributions
Sep 2022
This is a surprisingly interesting museum. I thought it would be mainly a history museum, but it was an excellent mix of great paintings, decorative arts (porcelain, silver, etc.), historical exhibits, and so on. The audio tour added greatly to my understanding of the history. The building itself is very historic as it was the site of the assassination of William the Silent, who was an early leader of the Dutch rebellion against the Spanish. The rooms are spread across multiple levels and half floors, but the arrows keep you pointed in the right direction. There is no way a mobility-challenged person could see all, or even most, of the rooms. There is a small gift shop and cafe, with not a lot of choices, but at least the museum has both. If you're in Delft, don't miss this museum.
Written October 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tim G
London, UK15 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
We visited this excellent museum that currently has a temporary exhibition about the Dutch painter Vermeer's life in his hometown of Delft. It complements the blockbuster Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It features paintings by some of his contempories and helps to put the paintings exhibited in Amsterdam into context. The permanent exhibition is also excellent and features many fine paintings (including from the Dutch "Golden Age" of painting) that are independently well worth a visit. The museum staff are friendly and helpful and the gift shop is worth a look too.
Written May 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul O
County Monaghan, Ireland5,734 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
The museum covers three areas. The first covers the buildings connection to William the Silent. You can see the bullet holes in the wall from where he was assassinated here in 1584. I found this the most interesting section. The other two smaller sections cover paintings from old Delft Masters and Delftware. The museum has a small cafe and gift. Overall I really liked this museum.
Written October 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Klaas S
Renkum, The Netherlands457 contributions
Feb 2020
We visited here the Peter de Hooch exhibition. Unfortunately on the last day of this exhibition, so it was overcrowded, despite the slotsystem. On a quiet moment this is an interesitng place, close to the heart of the history of the Netherlands and the house of Orange.
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Geoffrey E
6 contributions
Apr 2023 • Solo
Research before you go; I did not. There is no Vermeer in the “Vermeer’s Delft” exhibit. The artefacts of Prince William are great, though maybe not worth the price of admission. The staff was SUPER and the audio guide was a bit tedious but very complete.
Written April 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
corindac2018
54 contributions
Jan 2020
I went to see a special exhibition and wasn't disappointed. The museum is lovely, and the staff universally charming. I found the very strict rules on bag size quite trying (my handbag isn't large but I still had to decant 'phone, wallet, passport etc into a plastic bag) but apart from that, a delightful visit. The floors are very uneven, so you need to look down as well as up!
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hermes_NL 🇳🇱
Amsterdam, The Netherlands21,575 contributions
Mar 2019 • Business
The Prinsenhof is mostly famous as he place where William "the Silent" of Orange lived and died after he was exiled from Breda which was taken by the Spanish. Here he forged the State of the Netherlands by denouncing the reign of the Spanish king Filip II. He was assisinated in 1584 by Balthasar Gerardts, a catholic who supported the Spanish. The bullet hole left in the wall can still be seen at the Prinsenhof staircase.
Currently is is a surprisingly large museum commemmorating thes events, as well as showing a serious collection of historical Delft Blue pottery and some other artefacts relating to the history of Delft, notably many Dutch masters from the late 16th and 17th century.
Currently is is a surprisingly large museum commemmorating thes events, as well as showing a serious collection of historical Delft Blue pottery and some other artefacts relating to the history of Delft, notably many Dutch masters from the late 16th and 17th century.
Written April 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louise F
Amsterdam, The Netherlands408 contributions
This is definitely one of my favourite museums in the Netherlands. The building itself is really historic - the bullet holes that killed William I are still in the wall.
The museum has just the right amount of exhibitions and is laid out in an easy to follow way. The exhibitions are engaging and tell a clear story of how the Dutch Republic was founded. Particularly interesting was the room showing paintings (and eventually photos) of members of the royal family, from William I until the current king and his daughter. The museum also covers Delft as a place for trade, plus Delft blue pottery.
Highly recommend a visit. I learnt more about Dutch history in one hour at the Prinsenhof than I have in 18 months of living in the Netherlands.
The museum has just the right amount of exhibitions and is laid out in an easy to follow way. The exhibitions are engaging and tell a clear story of how the Dutch Republic was founded. Particularly interesting was the room showing paintings (and eventually photos) of members of the royal family, from William I until the current king and his daughter. The museum also covers Delft as a place for trade, plus Delft blue pottery.
Highly recommend a visit. I learnt more about Dutch history in one hour at the Prinsenhof than I have in 18 months of living in the Netherlands.
Written June 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RoamingReader
Arlington, MA69 contributions
New to the Netherlands history, my husband and I visited this museum and got a much better self-guided understanding of the nation we were visiting. We don't know any Dutch and were well-able to follow along.
Written June 16, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RoutemasterCB
Cambridge, UK438 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
We went to the Prinsenhof museum, (located near the old kirk) to visit the temporary exhibition of Art Nouveau - art, knowledge and industry in Delft. We decided whilst there to visit the entire museum which at €12 per head was a little expensive.
However the main museum has permanent exhibitions on William of Orange and the struggle to create an independent Dutch nation away from the tyranny of the kings of Spain and the Catholic Church. It also shows the place where he assassinated including a couple of bullet holes in the wall, which can still be seen. Some great portraits on display, depicting wealthy locals acting as "Dad's Army" types who patrolled the city. There is also a full family tree and notes about the Monarchy to present day and the link into the British Monarchy of William and Mary.
Elsewhere in the museum was Delft masters and innovation showing portraits of local surgeons and doctors who went to the weekly meetings to dissect bodies to understand more about the human anatomy as well other historical figures. A number of other rooms had Delftware on display.
The exhibition which we had originally gone here for was however in one room and fairly poor so I wouldn't make a trip especially to see this part - however we found the history about William of Orange very informative and really interesting.
However the main museum has permanent exhibitions on William of Orange and the struggle to create an independent Dutch nation away from the tyranny of the kings of Spain and the Catholic Church. It also shows the place where he assassinated including a couple of bullet holes in the wall, which can still be seen. Some great portraits on display, depicting wealthy locals acting as "Dad's Army" types who patrolled the city. There is also a full family tree and notes about the Monarchy to present day and the link into the British Monarchy of William and Mary.
Elsewhere in the museum was Delft masters and innovation showing portraits of local surgeons and doctors who went to the weekly meetings to dissect bodies to understand more about the human anatomy as well other historical figures. A number of other rooms had Delftware on display.
The exhibition which we had originally gone here for was however in one room and fairly poor so I wouldn't make a trip especially to see this part - however we found the history about William of Orange very informative and really interesting.
Written April 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing