Our country may be small, but it has quite a few museums about shipping and water. A small selection, for those who can't get enough of the subject even in their free time.

The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam is, according to many, the best known and most beautiful maritime museum in the Netherlands. Several exhibitions can be seen simultaneously in the historical building. In the west wing, for example, there is the exhibition Amsterdam port and city, about the present, the past and the future of the port.

Also recommended is the exhibition College zeemanshoop 200 jaar. This body was founded in 1822 by eighteen merchant navy captains to provide social security for seafarers and their families. Fun fact: Princess Margriet is the patroness of the body and Constant Herfst, member of the pension council of Bpf Koopvaardij, is its chair. The exhibition can be visited until 6 November 2022.

While you are there, you can also visit the replica of the Dutch East Indiaman ship Amsterdam. This ship departed from the island Texel in 1749 for the first voyage to Batavia, the present Jakarta. But it never arrived; it was beached at Hastings.

The Royal Barge, beautifully renovated, is also there to be admired. This golden coach on water dates back to 1818 and was last used in 1962 during the silver wedding anniversary of then Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard.

For children, The tale of the whale exhibition is a must. How much does a whale actually eat? And how much does this gigantic animal weigh? Whaling and the plastic soup (plastic pollution) problem also have a place in this permanent exhibition.

Every seafarer knows it: at sea, the starry sky comes alive, so it's no surprise that they used the sun, moon and stars to navigate. The navigational instruments exhibition is a splendid collection of such devices, including depth gauges, sped indicators and, of course, compasses.