The Hague: A City of Surprise

The Hague, the first stop of the new year, is the third largest city in the Netherlands as well as where the royal family and government sit. It has beaches that are popular with Europeans, as well as a wealth of seafood dishes. There are countless surprises waiting for you if you are ready to spend 24 hours in The Hague, a seaside imperial city.

Starting from a Cup of Coffee

The combination of café and bicycle is quite Dutch. Lola Bikes & Coffee is such a unique café, which is rated as one of the best cafés in the Netherlands. It not only has fragrant coffee with soft bread, but also various bicycle elements. The reason it has these elements is that the shop owner loves both coffee and bicycles. The shop owner could abandon neither of them, so the two elements were cleverly combined together!

A Unique Political Center

The Parliament building, Binnenhof, means inner courtyard in Dutch. As the name suggests, visitors have to pass the gate of this Dutch castle to enter the inner courtyard of the Parliament building. It was built in the 13th century with a tower both on the left and right. The courtyard originally functioned as the residence of counts. Binnenhof is different from other solemn Parliament buildings, since it is more leisurely and perfectly integrates history and modernity.

The Royal Style

The third Tuesday in September every year is “Prince's Day”. As early as the 18th century, the Dutch people began to celebrate the birthday of the Dutch Prince William V on that day. The opening ceremony of a parliamentary year will be held on this day, and the king will deliver a speech on the throne of the Hall of Knights, which is also known as the “King's Parliamentary Parade”. Numerous people and tourists will come to the Knights Square to watch the parade of kings and guards.

The Highest Restaurant in the Netherlands

Due to its geography, the Netherlands can obtain high-quality meat and fresh milk from evergreen pastures, and catch fresh and live seafood from the North Sea. Therefore, The Hague has many restaurants and cafés with unique flavors. Their fresh ingredients and varied cooking methods are amazing.

The restaurant Penthouse is located in the 135-meter-high Haagse Tower and is the highest restaurant in the Netherlands. While enjoying the best food here, you can also watch the wonderful scenery. On weekends, the restaurant will turn into a place suitable for parties.

Deceive Your Eyes

The history of the Escher Museum can be traced back to the 18th century. It exhibits the works of the famous graphic artist Escher, including a large number of his publications and manuscripts. Speaking of Escher, the first thing that people think of is those “confusing pictures”. Obviously, the stairs to the second floor return to the first floor for some reason. The bird suddenly becomes a fish in the constant change. These pictures are the imaginary space of different dimensions depicted by Escher, and his extremely rare style makes you truly feel that “seeing is not necessarily believing”.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Mauritshuis is also known as the Oil Painting Museum. It houses about 800 oil paintings of some famous masters from the 15th to 18th centuries. The oil painting Girl with a Pearl Earring was created in 1665 by the Dutch painter Vermeer, who was as famous as Rembrandt in the 17th century. In the painting, a young girl wearing a blue cloth scarf looks sideways, her bright eyes smiling slightly. She wears a teardrop-shaped pearl earring on her left ear. Many modern artists are overwhelmed by it. They think that the girl’s smile is comparable to Mona Lisa’s. Hollywood also filmed a movie of the same name.

The Most Popular Beach

The beaches of Scheveningen are well-known around the world. When the weather is good, thousands of people will bask in the sun and play in the water. Scheveningen is undoubtedly the most popular seaside resort in the Netherlands. In addition to the beaches, Scheveningen also offers a variety of sports events as well as entertainment activities in cinemas, theaters, museums, bowling alleys, shopping boulevards, surfing schools, beach villas, beach clubs and beach parties.

If you are not afraid of heights, you can also sit on the Ferris wheel on the beach for a while, and appreciate the tranquil beauty of Scheveningen with the golden twilight in the evening. It can't be more romantic.

A Bite of Scheveningen

The restaurant Rootz at the Harbour offers a variety of the most delicious Belgian dishes. It is sometimes said that Belgian food combines the quantity of German cuisines with the quality of French cuisines, which is often referred to as the “Burgundy way of life”. The restaurant is located in the second inner port, so it provides a unique perspective for visitors to watch the amazing scenery of Scheveningen. You can enjoy 170 kinds of refreshing beer, stay close to the beaches, taste juicy food, and end the fulfilling trip to The Hague.

In addition to art treasures, natural landscapes and royal elegance, The Hague is also an integral part of the Netherlands which is widely recognized as the country with the highest density of museums in the world. No matter what you are interested in, you can always find what suits you best in The Hague with a lot of niche museums waiting to be explored.

Hague Municipal Museum (Reason for recommendation: A famous collection like Mondrian's The Victory Boogie Woogie)

Louwman Museum (Reason for recommendation: Collection of more than 200 precious classic cars will definitely attract a large number of car lovers!)

Panorama Mesdag (Reason for recommendation: 360 huge paintings comprehensively show the beach of The Hague a hundred years ago)

Madurodam (Reason for recommendation: It vividly recreates the urban landscape of the Netherlands. When you come here, you will feel like traveling around Holland)