Five reasons why you should visit Madurodam

Just outside the Dutch city The Hague and the Scheveningen district, you can find Madurodam, a miniature park with a wonderful mini version of the Netherlands. Everything in the park is modeled at a 1:25 scale, presenting the famous Dutch landmarks, historical cities, important infrastructure, and scenes from the everyday lives of Dutch residents. This post will give you five reasons why you should visit this sight and why it will become a highlight of your trip to the Netherlands.

A short history of Madurodam

Madurodam is named after George Maduro. He was a Dutch resistance fighter in the Second World War who died in a concentration camp. To remember George, his parents set up Madurodam, a miniature world where children can enjoy themselves and where funds are raised to support good causes.

Reason one: it will help you to plan your itinerary for visiting the Netherlands

By visiting Madurodam, you can see some the most famous historical landmarks of the Netherlands in just a few hours. You can see what landmarks you liked the most and plan your real itinerary according to these. Now you know for sure, that you will visit the most amazing things of the Netherlands.

Reason two: to educate yourself in a fun way

You can spend some days to read a travel guide that describes all the facts about the Dutch landmarks, but how fun would it be, if you will get to know the same facts in just a few hours. At Madurodam, some miniatures have displays that you can activate with your entree ticket. The displays will show you a fun and short movie with some facts and interesting information about the miniature. Via this way, you will easily get deeper into the Dutch facts and figures.

Reason three: Madurodam’s location is very beneficial

Just outside the Dutch city The Hague, you can find Madurodam. Therefore, a visit to Madurodam is easily to combine with a visit to The Hague. Also, if you love the coastline or beach, the Scheveningen district is very close located to Madurodam and thus, easy to visit as well.

Reason four: you won’t get bored, because there are many things to do

In addition to miniature displays, you can also use your smartphone to navigate through the park and to educate yourself. Madurodam developed an app that explains the story behind each miniature. Next to the displays and application, you can interact in a lot of things, for instance;

• Getting yourself as a 3-d printed miniature.
• Put out a ship fire
• Adjust the wind to influence the wind turbines
• Experience the biggest flower auction ever
• Load containers on a cargo ship in the Rotterdam port
• Play music at a music concert

Reason five: to see the whole of the Netherlands in one trip

One of the most rationale reasons is that you can see the whole of the Netherlands in one trip. As a giant, you can walk across every important Dutch landmark. In just a few hours, you can see famous Dutch sights like;

• The Rijksmuseum
• The Loo Palace
• The Dom Tower
• The Anne Frank museum
• The Dutch cheese auction at the Alkmaar cheese market
• The tulips of the Keukenhof
• Amsterdam airport Schiphol

Useful tip for visiting Madurodam during the winter

In winter, more than 50.000 sparkling lights will light the park. This (‘Winterweeks’) usually takes place around Christmas time, so in the end of December until the beginning of January. During this event, Santa’s and ice-skaters appear as miniatures and you can warm yourself with a cup of gluhwein or hot chocolate. It’s truly beautiful to visit the park, during this time of the year. I recommend you to check the website of Madurodam for the latest information.

Useful information

Address: George Maduroplein 1, 2584 RZ, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Opened since: July 2, 1952
Open: All year round from 11:00 – 17:00
Phone: +31 (0)70 416 24 00

Tickets: When you purchase online tickets via the website, you will pay a little bit less.

• Day Ticket: € 16,50 (online: € 14,50)
• Family & Friends Ticket: € 66,00 (online: € 49,50)
• Combi Ticket Madurodam en SEA Life: € 22,50

Have you visited Madurodam? What do you think about it and what was the most important reason for you to visit it?

Author: Daphne

This article is part of the GPSmyCity iOS app. You can download it, read this article offline and obtain travel directions (by foot, car or bicycle) to the places mentioned in this article. Click here to download it.

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