Best Time for Mauritshuis

I have visited the Mauritshuis numerous times and never had it very crowded. The square in front of the Mauritshuis - simply called the Plein - has a wide collection of restaurants for lunch. So you could plan it around lunch time.
But three cities on one day? Being so close to each other it is, of course doable on a strict schedule, not leaving much room for the essential activity of aimlessly wandering around. I would pick either Delft or Leiden as a second city, and have some more things to do in The Hague, such as the unique Panorama Mesdag.

Although I've only been there once, like Ton, found it very uncrowded. The most crowded area was the reception/ticket hall. Once I was upstairs in the galleries it was very nice. You'll have plenty of opportunities to see the fabulous art up close with very few around. If people are stopped at the painting you are interested in, just a few minutes wait and you'll have it to yourself. Lovely, lovely museum.

I was on a Rick Steves tour and we did a walking tour of Delft in the AM which was very enjoyable, then many of us took the local tram to Den Haag in the early afternoon. There was not enough time to see some of the things in Delft that were not included on the tour and I spent several hours in the Mauritshuis having an early dinner in one of the restaurants on the Plein before returning to Delft.

DO download the Mauritshuis app to your phone before you go, although they have very good wifi so you could download it there. The information on the app was very helpful in seeing the artwork in the museum.

I visited in March and on my last day there, I visited The Hague and Delft. I left Amsterdam about 7AM, getting to The Hague around 7:50. Spent about 90 minutes walking around the Binnenhof and walking past Sint-Jacobskerk and Noordeinde on the way to the Peace Palace and then back (was there on a Wednesday, so I was lucky enough to see some foreign diplomats getting an escort to Noordeinde in horse-drawn carriages -- was very cool). Quick breakfast and then in to the Mauritshuis as it opened. Spent about 2 hours there (and yeah, definitely get the app) and then took the tram to Madurodam. Spent about 90 minutes there and then took the tram to Delft. Was about 3PM by now, so all I really had time for was the factory tour (I had wanted to go to Prinsenhof, but didn't have time for both. Remember, most everything closes around 5 or 6 PM). After that I strolled around the city for a couple hours before heading back. I had visited Leiden earlier that week for about 4 hours, so I couldn't imagine how to squeeze that into a visit to the other two cities.

If you could split it into two days, I think you'd have a much better experience. When I did my trip, I spent all of Monday morning in Leiden. On Tuesday, I went to Utrecht and Rotterdam. Wednesday, of course, was The Hague and Delft. Regardless, I'm sure you'll love your trip.

Excellent information! Thank you all for your feedback. I will take the advice and leave out one of the cities for this day and just narrow it down to two cities: one in the morning and one after lunch.

Thanks again! :-)

Do not miss up on the chance to visit the Willem V Gallery, an annex building some 200m from the Mauritshuis with many paintings arranged in 18th-style gallery fashion (i.e. covering whole walls with bizarre - for modern conceptions of exhibitions - arrangements and groupings). Entrance is already included in the main ticket.

As it often happens with such arrangements, should the Gallerij Willem V be its own thing, it would already be an interesting small museum with many coveted pieces. It is, however, part of a larger museum, thus get a bit neglected. Good for those who make the short walk, the place is often empty and you have ample space to glaze at the walls full of pictures.

Great information .