Sightseeing OverviewThe Hague can be broadly divided into New City, Old City and outlying areas, which include Scheveningen and Delft.
The
New City clusters around the
railway station. It has no visitor attractions but is a must for fans of
21st-century architecture.
The
Old City centers around the
Binnenhof with its
Parliament complex and
Hofvijver lake. Immediately opposite here is the Binnenstadt (
Inner City), a tight cluster of mostly pedestrianized
shopping streets and
squares, full of
restaurants and
bars.
Running off north
is the elegant street of
Noordeinde, home to the
royal palace. East of here (north of the lake) is The Hague’s most elegant quarter focusing on
Lange Voorhout with the small
Amsterdam-like canal of Smidstwater and
excellent shops and
restaurants on and around
Denneweg.
Most visitor attractions lie within the
Binnenstadt with the notable exceptions of the
Vredesepaleis and the
Gemeente Museum, both a few minutes north by tram.
Tourist InformationVVV Den Haag
Hofweg 1
Tel: 0900 340 3505.
Website:
www.denhaag.comStaff are extremely helpful and sell tickets to some attractions as well as offering advice and help.
Key Attractions:Binnenhof
Guided tours of Parliament include an audio-visual history, the (largely reconstructed) 17th-century Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) and, functions permitting, the Second Chamber.
Tel: (070) 364 6144.
Website:
www.binnenhofbezoek.nlAdmission charge.
Mauritshuis
The city’s former Royal Picture Gallery, housed in a 17th-century palace, features an outstanding collection of Dutch Old Masters starring the hauntingly beautiful (now Hollywood-famous)
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer and
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp by Rembrandt.
Korte Vijverberg 8
Tel: (070) 302 3435.
Website:
www.mauritshuis.nlAdmission charge.
Escher in Het Paleis (Escher in The Palace)
Enter the famously mind-boggling works of the great Dutch graphic artist M C Escher, collected together into this former royal winter palace, with the bonus of virtual reality 3D headsets and other clever interactive devices; it’s worth a visit just for the 15 playful glass chandeliers, in the shapes of a shark, a sea horse, a skull.
Lange Voorhout 74
Tel: (070) 427 7730.
Website:
www.escherinhetpaleis.nlAdmission charge.
Vredespaleis (Peace Palace)
The Hague’s most beautiful and famous building, the
Peace Palace, built 1907-13, with its pretty gardens and grandly decorated chambers, is the symbol of the city’s role in international law and order (though war crime tribunals are held elsewhere); admission
only by advance booking.
Carnegieplein 2
Tel: (070) 302 4242.
Website:
www.vredespaleis.nlAdmission charge.
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (The Hague Municipal Museum)
This internationally renowned collection of modern art is famous for its Piet Mondrian works but there is also a fine collection of decorative arts, including several complete room interiors, and the building, completed in 1935 by the great Dutch architect H P Berlage is a major attraction in itself.
Stadhoudersalaan 41
Tel: (070) 338 1111.
Website:
www.gemeentemuseum.nlAdmission charge.
Further Distractions:Panorama Mesdag
This extraordinary huge 360-degree painting-in-the-round (measuring 120m by 14m), was completed in 1881 and shows Scheveningen as it was then, with its
trompe-l’oeil effect enhanced by a sloping foreground of real sand dunes complete with grasses and seaside flotsam.
Zeestraat 65
Tel: (070) 364 4544.
Website:
www.panorama-mesdag.com
Scheveningen
The Hague’s seaside suburb is a 15-minute tram ride from the center of town and is worth a visit in season not only for its miles of sands, bustling cafes and busy nightlife, but all-year-round attractions such as the
Sculptures by the Sea Museum and
Sea Life.
Sculptures by the Sea Museum
1 Harteveltsraat
Tel: (070) 358 5857.
Website:
www.beeldenaanzee.nl
Sea Life
13 Strandweg
Tel: (070) 354 2100.
Website:
www.sealife.nl
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