The Christmas holidays begin at the Mauritshuis! Step into a magical wonderland at the museum. A warm welcome awaits you on the forecourt, where you can have your picture taken with a magnificent Christmas tree. Get creative with one of our fun family activities. Make your own personal travel souvenir, paint a Christmas dinner, or meet Maurits Mouse and discover the museum with him! During the holidays, there are also three fun activities in the Prince William V Gallery.
Make your visit to the museum a fun-filled day out. Admission is free for everyone aged 18 and under.
Maurits Mouse Searches for the Clockmaker (age 4-6)
Come and listen, watch and paint during the Christmas holidays. Read the exciting adventure of Maurits Mouse and the clockmaker, with a museum teacher. Then see if you can find the paintings in the story! You’ll also get a chance to make a painting in our Art Workshop. And Maurits Mouse will be there, too!
- Dates English: Zondag 21 december, zondag 28 december, zondag 4 januari
- Time: At 10.30 a.m.
- Duration: 75 minutes
- Age: 4 - 6 (children must be accompanied by an adult)
- Type of workshop: guided tour + workshop in the Art Workshop
- Cost: €8.50 per person (children must be accompanied by an adult). 50% off admission with an Ooievaarspas.
- Museum admission: If you want to visit the museum after the workshop, an entry ticket is required. Admission to the museum is always free for visitors aged 18 and under.
- Useful tip: Bring a bag so you can take your beautiful artwork home safely.
Boxing Day: Family painting workshop
Did you eat yummy food over Christmas? Did you have a beautifully laid table at home, packed with goodies? Was your whole family there and was everybody wearing their best clothes? You might even have played games or sung Christmas carols...
You’ll see lots of food still lifes in the museum, full of tableware, sometimes glasses, but mostly lots of food. Under the guidance of a museum teacher, you’ll take a close look at these still life paintings in the Mauritshuis. Then, in our Art Workspace, you and your family will paint your very own Christmas dinner still life.
Make sure you have a cool place at home to hang your artwork!
- Date & time: Friday 26 December at 10.15 a.m. and 1.30 p.m.
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Language: Dutch and English
- Age: for everyone aged 4 and above. Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Type of workshop: guided tour + workshop in the Art Workshop
- Cost: €8.50 per person (children must be accompanied by an adult). 50% off admission with an Ooievaarspas.
- Museum admission: If you want to visit the museum after the workshop, an entry ticket is required. Admission to the museum is always free for visitors aged 18 and under.
- Useful tip: Bring a bag so you can take your beautiful artwork home safely.
Scavenger hunts through the Mauritshuis (4+ and 7+)
Go on a treasure hunt through our museum together! For children from 4 years upwards, you will go on a search for the animals in the paintings together. Get tips from forest ranger Tim, biologist Auke-Florian and, of course, Maurits Mouse!
For children aged 7 and over, you will explore, look and talk together. You may not have noticed before, but there are many children in the paintings. What are they doing? What are they talking about? Is everything you see correct?
Get free activity books from the service desk in the Foyer. Don't forget to pick up a little surprise at the service desk afterwards.
Open Art Workshop (age 4-12)
Visit our exhibition “The Grand Tour” and discover incredible art collections from English country houses. Years ago, the English aristocracy toured Europe and bought lots of art during their trips. Now, these art collections are travelling, and are on display in the Mauritshuis. Seen enough souvenirs? Why not make your own in the Art Workshop. Draw, paint or collage – it’s up to you! Get creative in our free walk-in Open Art Workshop.
- Date: Sunday 21 December, Sunday 28 December, Sunday 4 January
- Time: You can drop in between 1.15 p.m. and 4.15 p.m. You don’t need to book a slot, but you will need an admission ticket.
- Age: 4-6 (children must be accompanied by an adult)
- Language: Dutch and English
- Useful tip: Bring a bag so you can safely take your beautiful artwork home with you.
On location at the Prince William V Gallery
The Mauritshuis also has a ‘little brother’: the Prince William V Gallery. This small museum with an impressive art collection sits across the Hofvijver, next to the Prison Gate. Did you know it’s the oldest museum in the Netherlands? There are also two fun activities there during the Christmas holidays.
Family Year in Review (age 4-6)
Bring your family to the Prince William V Gallery, the Netherlands’ oldest museum, and paint or draw the high points of your family’s year. Inspired by Gonzales Coques’ painting, which comprises several small ones, you’ll create 12 paintings/drawings that capture the adventures, special family celebrations, holidays and other wonderful moments you shared as a family, creating a beautiful family year in review for 2025!
- Location: Prince William V Gallery: Buitenhof 33
- Date & time: Wednesday 24 December at 1.30 p.m., Friday 26 December at 12.15 p.m. and 2 p.m., Wednesday 31 December at 1.30 p.m.
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Language: Dutch and English
- Age: 4 - 6 (children must be accompanied by an adult)
- Type of workshop: guided tour + workshop in the Prince William V Gallery
- Cost: €8.50 per person (children and adults). 50% off admission with an Ooievaarspas.
- Useful tip: Bring a bag so you can take your beautiful artwork home safely.
Victorian Puzzle Purse (age 7-12)
Take your family back in time to the era of Prince William V! Surrounded by portraits, you’ll discover how people shared their feelings, longings and secrets centuries ago. Hint: not by texting but by intricately folding sheets of paper that open like a tiny artwork. Add colour, drawings or even a coded message to your “puzzle purse”... just like they did!
- Location: Prince William V Gallery: Buitenhof 33
- Date: Saturday 27 December, Saturday 3 January
- Time: from 1.30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
- Language: Dutch and English
- Age: for everyone (children aged 4-6 must be accompanied by an adult)
- Type of workshop: Creative workshop in the Prince William V Gallery
- Cost: €8.50 per person (children and adults). 50% off admission with an Ooievaarspas.
- Useful tip: Bring a bag so you can take your beautiful artwork home safely.
