The Hague

From World travel guide

The Hague (Dutch: Den Haag or 's-Gravenhage) is located in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is the seat of the Dutch government, and the residence of the Queen, although Amsterdam is officially the capital city. The municipality has about 440,000 inhabitants, the urban area about 650, 000.

1 Get in
2 Get around
3 See
4 Do
5 Going out
6 Eat
7 Sleep
8 External links

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Get in

Although the Dutch are always complaining about it, the Dutch train system can be very efficient, and Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht are all within an hour's distance. The Hague is also a stop of the somewhat expensive Thalys train service running between Paris and Amsterdam.

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Get around

The Hague has a quite efficient tram and bus system, including an underground tram. From the Central Station and the Holland Spoor Station the entire city can be reached with between zero and two transfers; major attractions do not require transfers.

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See

Madurodam Holland in miniature. This is a great attraction for kids (and those young at heart).
Gemeentemuseum Museum of modern art (Paintings by Kandinsky, Mondriaan, Bacon and others), fashion and applied arts.
Vredespaleis (Peace Palace (important seat of the United Nations))
Binnenhof (seat of the Dutch government)
Panorama Mesdag, Zeestraat 65, 070-3644544 (info@panorama-mesdag.com). Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 12:00-17:00. Panorama Mesdag is a cylindrical painting, more than 14 meters high and 120 meters in circumference. The vista of the sea, the dunes and Scheveningen village was painted by one of the most famous painters of the Hague School, Hendrik Willem Mesdag. It is the oldest 19th century panorama in the world in its original site, and a unique cultural heritage. 4 euro.
Go for a walk or rent a bicycle and explore the city park The Hague Forest (Het Haagse Bos). It is one of the oldest forests in the Netherlands and a great place to relax. The palace of Queen Beatrix is in the middle of the forest.

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Do

The North Sea (Scheveningen or Kijkduin, less tourists at Kijkduin)

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Going out

Asta Disco, Address (Spui 27), phone number (tel. +31 (0) 70 3644 222, fax +31 (0) 70 3623 565, email: info@asta.nl).

Open Thursday-Friday 11 PM-4 AM, Saturday until 5.30. Largest disco in the Hague. Sometimes very busy and crowded, sometimes half-empty. Worth trying. http://www.asta.nl/

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Eat

All major fast food chains are present, also The Hague has quite a respectable number of restaurants (in all price ranges) and grand cafe's; one of which "Dudoc" is across the Binnenhof and is quite popular whith both politicians and the "ordinary" public out shopping.

Like the rest of the Netherlands The Hague isn't too tough for vegetarians. Excellent falafel can be found at the Falafel Palace, where the vegetables and the sauces are to be added by yourself.

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