Museum Beelden aan Zee

Museum Beelden aan Zee is a museum devoted to sculpture, in the seaside district of Scheveningen on Harteveltstraat. Most visitors to The Hague spend their art time on paintings, from the Mauritshuis to the Kunstmuseum, and that makes this museum a refreshing contrast. Sculpture asks you to walk around things, to notice scale and material, and the museum is organised around that experience, with an extensive collection and changing exhibitions that bring in artists from the Netherlands and abroad. The setting adds to the mood: you are in the resort district by the sea, and the museum offers a quiet, contemplative interior away from the promenade. A patio is uniquely positioned for refreshments, and the Bistro BAZ cafe serves drinks, sandwiches, soup and pastries. The museum shows temporary exhibitions that change through the year, often in cooperation with major foundations and museums abroad, so what you see will depend on when you go. That variety is part of the appeal for repeat visitors, and part of the reason to check the museum's website before you travel. A museum shop sells exhibition catalogues, sculpture books and gifts, and the museum also runs an evening programme and arranges group visits outside regular hours by appointment, which makes it a good option for people who want to see art without the crowds of the headline venues.

Treat the museum as a slow visit. Sculpture rewards time: walk around each piece, step back to see how it sits in the room, and read the labels once you have formed your own impression. The galleries are not huge, so you can see the whole museum in a leisurely ninety minutes to two hours, and then settle on the terrace or in the cafe with a coffee.

If the weather is good, the walk to the seafront is only a few minutes, so you can pair the museum with the beach, the pier or a promenade stroll.

Practical points are simple. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 and closed on Mondays, with shorter hours on a few days around holidays, so check the website for the date you want. Street parking nearby is expensive, and the museum recommends using one of the nearby parking garages instead, while the tram and bus connections to Scheveningen make public transport the easier option.

The museum is wheelchair accessible, with one companion per wheelchair user admitted free, although individual installations in a temporary exhibition may not suit everyone, so ask in advance if that matters.

Beelden aan Zee suits visitors who have already done the big-name museums and want something different, as well as anyone who likes contemporary art or simply wants a calm, uncrowded interior on a windy day. It is less suited to young children who need constant action, although the open spaces and the beach next door help. Combined with the Panorama Mesdag, a seafront walk and dinner in Scheveningen, it makes a satisfying half day that feels very different from the grand museums of the city centre.