What are the best museums is the Netherlands, and is it true that the majority of people speak English?

Answer 1

I agree with the other answers that most of the Dutch do speak English, and while the older people with a low education do not speak English, or not well, they often understand quite a bit if you speak slowly, due to the fact that they watch TV in English about half the time, with subtitles.

We have a national museum guide with more than 1200 museums.
Running from private collections that can be viewed by appointment to the Rijksmuseum.

About anything that can be collected, shown or explained has a museum somewhere in the Netherlands.

This list has many but by no means all the names listed, often with links, organized by province:
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_musea_in_Nederland
All info, inclusive the links is in Dutch, sorry!
This list is smaller, but in English:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums#Netherlands

Some of my favorites:
Openlucht museum Arnhem, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Kröller-Müller Museum Otterlo, Frans Hals Museum Haarlem.

If you are interested in something odd, like pianolas or handbags, just google on it, with the words museum and Netherlands or Nederland, and you are more than likely to get a site for a museum.

Answer 2

The Netherlands have quite some pretty good museums, so it's hard to pinpoint one without a specific city or anything. Anyhow, the Van Gogh museum and Sex museum are probably best known.
It is true, by the way, that most Dutch people speak english (it's obligated to study it in school/some universities).

Answer 3

I like the Openlucht Museum (European Museum of The Year 2005)in Arnhem too.

I suggest you buy a Museum year card. I bought one today and it only cost 22 euro and 45 cents. You can use this at most museums . Entry at most museums costs 6-13 euros so it's really worth it.

The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh are famous indeed but as some said before, it depends what you like.

Answer 4

The majority of young people speak english. they get it in school, and many programs on television are english with dutch subtitles. a large portion of older people (50+) dont speak english that well. especially the lower educated ones.

English are mandatory classes from the age of 11 through 18.

as for the museums... het Rijksmuseum, the van gogh museum are good ones. the sex museum is a tourist trap.

Answer 5

Like in most Northern European Countries, people in the big cities speak some English. There are tons of museums, depends what your interest are.

Answer 6

The only thing i can add to Willekes answer (who again beat me to it) is that "the best" is very depending on what you like.

If you are crazy about 16th century paintings, you`ll most likely not be bothered visiting a modern art museum, while someone else would consider your passion to be stuffy old paintings.

So, what do you like to visit ? Then we can possibly give some more targeted options for you.

Answer 7

the most famous are RIJKSMUSEUM and VAN GOGH in central ADAM,I personally like smaller ones better like PANORAMA MESDAG IN DEN-HAAG or FRANS HALS museum in Haarlem,both cities arent far from ADAM.YES all adults speak reasonable English.....and a lot of other languages....