Taking Belgium and Holland Tour before June 10?

Thanks, that's good to know. This should be a wonderful tour!

Ann, I was glad I called to talk to the office about the timing on those days. She also told me the group admission time for the Anne Frank Huis is 9:15 so I could have done the Van Gogh for that afternoon as well. When I called I didn't really consider that they had that much level of detail on each day of each tour.

Thanks Norma for reporting the ridiculous spam post above yours. Good grief.

Pam, when we first heard about the "All the Rembrandts" exhibit, we tried to figure out a way to squeak a trip to the Netherlands into our upcoming France tour. Alas, there's no way we could do it - we're doing two RS tours back to back, which means we'll be gone 4 weeks. That's pushing it. Usually I try not to be gone more than 3 weeks - family and other obligations here at home.

Make sure you have light day bag and no back pack type are allowed BUT they had some lockers available. It’s just easier to go light here as it’s a long yet entertaining day. Enjoy!

Thanks Diane! I don't usually have anything other than my regular purse when I'm in a city with a RS tour.

Thanks for this info Pam! I just signed up for this tour starting May 15 so I'll look into the exhibit and call about timing on my tour. I also noticed there's a special exhibit at the Van Gogh Museum on David Hockney and Van Gogh ending on May 26.

Yes, I saw there was a David Hockney exhibition as well.

IF you are planning to get to Ghent a day early do go out to the Fine Arts Museum to see the restorers working on the Van Eyck altarpiece. I caught them Friday and it was amazing watching them work. I typically like Impressionist or a bit later but this art work blew my socks off.

Just adding additional information as I did the “All the Rembrandts” exhibit today. It is LITERALLY all the Rembrandts from the museum except for the Night Watch.

We started our guided tour of the Rijksmuseum at about 10:10. She finished exactly at 12:00. Ellen, our RS guide, had all the admission tickets on her phone but printed them off and gave us each one. That ticket IS good for re-admission to the museum until the 5PM closing time.

From where we ended the guided tour I had to exit to the entrance hall then re-enter with my general ticket and go to an area to the left for the All the Rembrandts exhibit. They check your special timed entry ticket twice before you get to the special area.

I had a 12:30 entrance time but made a quick comfort stop after the group tour and was to the entrance at 12:15. They were admitting people early. I’d go for a 12:30 or later time just to give yourself a break. When I left the exhibit and exited the museum there was a long line at the entrance although when I re-entered there was no line.

No one else in our group had known to get the tickets ahead and it’s apparently completely booked until April.

DO download the Rijksmuseum App ahead of time. It’s excellent and there is good wifi in the museum. Take your earbuds as it’s audio and discusses several pieces in each room.

I did the Van Gogh Museum at 3:15 and this was too much, lol. I could not muster up the energy to do one more area after I finished with the 3 floors of the Van Goghs (and a few Monets, Pissarro, Degas, Etc) so didn’t see the Hockney exhibit. Hint: If you are fatigued when you arrive here, go straight to the 3rd floor where the good stuff is located and work your way down. No downloadable guide provided by the museum here.

Thank you, Pam. About how long do you think is necessary to devote to the Rembrandt exhibit? An hour, or perhaps longer? I have no idea if this exhibit has 20 pieces ... or 200, so just trying to get an idea from someone who has seen it. Good to know we can leave, grab lunch, and come back. Thanks again, this info is very helpful to me. We leave in 2 weeks, can't wait! Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Laura

Laura, there are 22 paintings, 60 drawings and 300 prints. Many in the first rooms are tiny -like 2 x 2 inches. I spent about 90 minutes in there and just listened to a few of the audio selections for each room. Towards the end I was fatigued and zoomed thru just stopping at the bigger paintings.

I would have done better if I had left, gotten food and water and returned! There are toilets in that wing after you pass the ticket scanner.

Many thanks, Pam!

Laura